The Red Room at Pardini's opens to the public this week. Photo contributed

Top Fresno catering and banquet business Pardini’s will unveil its latest venture — a standalone cocktail lounge and private event space — later this month, capitalizing on a previously planned redesign earlier this year.

The Red Room is expected to open in the coming weeks at the Pardini’s catering event space located at 2257 W. Shaw Ave. in Fresno. The Pardini’s lounge space was only used for private events before.

“Our original intention when redesigning the bar space was to create a very bold and distinctive space that would be used exclusively for private events,” said Jeff Pardini, co-owner of Pardini’s. “But as we got further along into the project, we thought it would be great to open the bar to the public and give it a dual purpose.”

The space will serve as a craft cocktail venue and will also be capable of hosting private events, with space for up to 120 seated guests or up to 250 guests for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Pardini’s felt the neighborhood needed a craft cocktail lounge.

“We were fortunate to team up with Ryan Metcalf, who started his bartending career at The Annex Kitchen, left to open the bar program at 13 Prime Steak and most recently opened The Modernist,” Pardini said.

The Red Room will also offer a small selection of traditional bar-style snacks including spiced nuts, marinated olives, salumi and cheese boards.

In addition to Metcalf, approximately 6-8 additional staff will be added.

The Red Room will sport a vintage feel with a modern twist, featuring upscale finishings and design elements including imported stone, walnut millwork and plush banquette seating. It features a black-and-white checkerboard floor and rich red color on the walls.

The team hopes to open the lounge by the end of the month.

In addition to The Red Room, Pardini’s spring remodel included upgrades to the catering company’s audio-visual system to include built-in laser projectors and drop-down screens, available to clients for events at no additional cost.