Green Light Cinema now offers a full menu, including drinks, to St. Pete moviegoers. Photo courtesy of Mike Hazlett
By Julia Ferrara
Dinner and a show are now something St. Petersburg locals and visitors can enjoy at the independent theater, Green Light Cinema.
Located at 225 2nd Street North in downtown St. Petersburg, Green Light Cinema, opened its casual culinary addition, Lounge + Kitchen in December 2025.
The theater opened its doors in 2020 and has become a local landmark for casual movie enjoyers and cinephiles alike.
Mike Hazlett, who owns the theater with his wife Sue, said there was an obvious need for the additions.
“The movie business remains challenging, and one of the things that is very clear is everything’s got to be an event, so I would get request all the time for festivals,” Hazlett told the Crow’s Nest. “This gives us a bigger canvas to work with.”
From start to finish, the process took around 7 months and became open to customers mid-December.
Hazlett shared that building an audience for the theater was never an issue. Instead, it was what happened before and after movie times.
“People would leave the theater and have no place to go. There’s an opportunity for us of kind of pick up before and after,” said Hazlett. “We already have the audience; we’re just trying to add to the experience.”
Customers can expect a cinematic-themed setting with a Hollywood-inspired menu, such as the Katherine Hepburn, a grilled chicken sandwich, and the Marlon Brandouble, two beef smash patties with bacon, either before or after their movie.
The venue held its first event on Jan. 3 and featured the Jazz Librarians, a St. Petersburg-based collective of local veteran musicians who played Jazz, Bossa Nova, and more in honor of the Jazz Night theme.
Photo Courtesy of Mike Hazlett
Since its opening, the lounge has also hosted a movie trivia night, a winter social and comedy open mics.
Hazlett said that individuals and organizations can rent the space out for their own events, making it a community space.
For those interested, Green Light offers yearly memberships through their loyalty club and student pricing, which can be found on their website.
