Introducing Segredo: Boutique Bowling Lounge and Restaurant

I am excited to announce the future of nightlife in Madison’s campus and downtown: Segredo

Located at 624 University Avenue, the current Madison Ave dance club has plans to renovate into a multi-use, interactive sports and entertainment venue. The concept centers around high-end boutique bowling lounge and restaurant.  Here are some pictures from their website, with plans for the Madison location to contain elements of some of these unique spaces found around the world:

The word segredo means ’secret’ in Portuguese and and was inspired by a similar high-end boutique bowling lounge & restaurant in Porto Alegre, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (south of Rio de Janeiro, darn you 2016 Olympics).

I am excited for this redevelopment and hope students, downtown residents, and my colleagues on the Common Council and ALRC  will give it our full support.  This project represents the kind of fun, safe, interactive places that we should promote in our campus and downtown. Especially after recent issues surrounding Mad Ave, Segredo will not only reduce capacity from the space’s current limit, but it will provide a true interactive space for people to enjoy that expands from the ever-so-typical ‘vertical drinking’ spaces. Plus, Segredo is introducing a lounge atmosphere with food!

And if just introducing the concept doesn’t get you excited, check out a clip from Segredo’s business plan:

“Segredo Madison will incorporate 4 bowling lanes into its main area, giving patrons the opportunity to bowl while enjoying inventive food and cocktails prepared with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. In addition, we plan to feature an interesting selection of Brazilian-developed floor games that will be totally new to the US marketplace (such as a fun hybrid of traditional pinball & foosball and the most challenging basketball game ever developed!). “Wii” games will be a key attraction in one of the more interesting newly remodeled spaces in Segredo — using large screen projection tv’s to optimize our customers’ gaming experience. Occasional live music will supplement the high quality and reasonably priced Segredo “platos-style” food selections and in a nod to the “Barber’s Closet” (a well-loved Madison establishment long departed), a rotating selection of ice cream-based cocktails and “mocktails” will be offered at one of the side bars using “Babcock Hall” ice cream.

Segredo’s focus will be to cater to urban professionals, downtown residents, out of town visitors and local area families, as well as the UW students in both the 18-21 and 21+ demographics. Realistically, the transformation of what has been historically an undergraduate bar into a broader entertainment destination will not occur overnight. However, over time we believe that Segredo Madison will become an entertainment destination that attracts as wide a demographic “fan base” as either Camp Randall or the Kohl Center.

Further, we feel an obligation to clearly state that we look forward to welcoming customers in the 18-21 year old demographic to Segredo Madison — as there simply aren’t enough fun and reasonably priced entertainment options available downtown for this age group. Instead of driving these key members of community“underground” to house parties and the like, we are confident that we can successfully offer these young adults a safe & enjoyable entertainment environment at Segredo Madison. Of course, having said that, we are extremely mindful of the added responsibilities that we must assume with this philosophy.”

I would qualify that saying they did their ‘due diligence’ is an understatement. They hit it right on the head by talking about fun, interactive options, especially for the 18-20 crowd, but even for us 21+ (yeah that’s right, I’m 21) this would be a fun place to frequent [along with some of our other fabulous downtown establishments no doubt].

Whether throwing a few strikes (well in my case gutter balls or spares if I’m lucky), sipping on some drinks, socializing over tapas (no, I didn’t spell the pizza place wrong) or just hanging out with friends watching a game, Segredo will be a truly exciting addition to the campus and downtown community.

Segredo goes before the Alcohol License Review Committee Oct. 21st and looks to start renovations soon thereafter upon approval.  As always, feel free to contact me for more information, questions, concerns, ideas, etc…

Hope to see you on the lanes soon!