Stet News reporter Joel Engelhardt toured the Hacienda food hall in September. When it was time for Rodney Mayo's photo, Mayo chose not to stand in front of a food truck and climbed a tree instead. It is the olive tree behind Respectable Street, and he planted it in the early 1980s. That was in his 20s, when he bought the building and started converting it into the nightclub that opened in 1986.
The tree is the clearest way to understand what is happening at 518 and 522 Clematis Street this fall. It stands on the back patio behind the club at 518 Clematis, a patio Mayo plans to share between both buildings. Respectable Street turns 40 this year and has been closed for renovations "until Halloween." The Hacienda is the 13,000-square-foot food hall Mayo has been building next door at 522 Clematis, and its back bar is designed to open onto that same patio. When the club reopens, the 500 block will work as one indoor-outdoor compound across two addresses. For the first time in the club's 40 years, its neighbor will be the bigger draw.
One patio, two front doors
Mayo bought 522 Clematis in November 2024, and the Hacienda has been under construction ever since. He told Stet the buildout cost about $2.5 million. About half of that went into reinforcing the structure to carry a rooftop bar that looks down on Clematis. Mayo compares the view to Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
"I couldn't afford it. I splurged." Rodney Mayo, to Stet News, on the rooftop bar
The rooftop gets the attention, but the back of the building is what ties the block together. A multicolored square bar, with a bar top that changes color when lit from below, will open through garage doors onto the patio behind Respectable Street. That patio is set to hold four more food trucks, a stage and seating for 130. Stet describes the plan as letting nightclub crowds mix with people who came for the food.
Inside, food stalls line both sides of the first floor. Stet lists Jamaican jerk, New Age sushi, burgers, pizza, Trinidadian vegan street food and a ramen bar with 30 flavors. Yellow-and-gray kiosks modeled on French bakery trucks hold mini-kitchens or art sellers. A giant mechanical black cat and a set of mechanical eyeballs, one peering over the roof at the street, are part of the build too.
One detail shows how far the block is moving from its nightclub identity. According to Stet, the Hacienda will be the first Mayo venue ever to show sporting events on its TVs. Palm Beach Now estimates capacity at about 600 guests across the hall, roof and patio. That is a different scale from a single club.
Where the opening actually stands
Before you plan an evening, know that the Hacienda's opening date has moved, and as of October 4 no public opening has been confirmed. The record so far:
- Sept. 8: Palm Beach Now reported an expected opening of September 16, 2026.
- Sept. 8 and Sept. 15: State food-service inspection records show a Sept. 8 callback that got an extension, then a Sept. 15 callback marked complied with zero violations. The permanent food-service license is listed as current and active, with 259 seats.
- Sept. 11: Stet reported the hall was scheduled to open before the end of September.
- October: Crown Caribbean, a plant-based Caribbean vendor, lists the Hacienda at 522 Clematis as its location and gives its grand opening as "October 2026." Its site still says "Coming Soon."
A passed inspection and an active license mean the building is close to ready. They do not mean the doors are open. The 259 seats on the license also come in well under the 600-guest figure, which suggests the larger number counts the roof and patio. Check the hall's own channels before you go.
Respectable Street's return date is firmer. A listing for Emo Night Respectables puts the club's "grand re-opening weekend" on Saturday, October 31, starting at 10 p.m. at 518 Clematis. AJ Diaferio is the MC and LinderSMASH is the DJ. The event is 21-and-over and costumes are encouraged. VIP tickets allow re-entry, and general admission does not. The listing presents it as a Halloween return party, not a separate 40th-anniversary show.
Halloween week, laid out by date
Because the reopening falls on Halloween weekend, the 500 block lands in the middle of downtown's busiest stretch of the month. In date order:
- Every Saturday from Oct. 3: The West Palm Beach GreenMarket opened its 32nd season on the waterfront on October 3. It runs 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. under the 2026 theme "The World, Right Here," with a Master Chef Showcase, weekly pop-up workshops and live music. The city calls it the No. 1 Best Farmers Market in America.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: Clematis by FRIGHT, the free Halloween edition of Clematis by Night, runs 6 to 9 p.m. at Centennial Square and the Great Lawn, 100 N. Clematis St. The schedule includes hayrides, inflatables, trick-or-treating and live music.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: The GreenMarket runs that morning on the waterfront. Emo Night Respectables starts at 10 p.m. at 518 Clematis.
One caveat: weather has already changed this season's plans. The city canceled the Clematis by Night Oktoberfest event set for October 1 because of inclement weather. For outdoor events this month, look at the city's event page on the day.
The rest of Clematis is moving the same way
Palm Beach Now wrote in September that Clematis Street's dining scene "continues to shift beyond its longtime nightlife identity." It tied the change to the growing number of residents, office workers and visitors downtown. The rest of the street fits that pattern.
Mayo's other addresses nearby
Mayo also runs Hullabaloo and Shanghai'd on Clematis, and a Subculture coffee shop across the street from the Hacienda. Chhauka, the Indian restaurant his group runs just off Clematis, opened earlier this year at 105 S. Narcissus Ave. #130. Its current reservation listing shows hours of Thursday through Sunday, 3 to 10 p.m. Mayo has also pushed back on talk that he is retiring. In a Sept. 6 Facebook post he wrote, "I'M NOT EXITING SUBCULTURE. WE'RE EXPANDING."
Across the street and down the block
Tacos del Cartel already operates at 533 Clematis, across the street from the Hacienda. Its owners, Danny and Vilexis Cruz, are opening two more concepts at 301 Clematis, the former Nico's Pizza space. One is Taquerías Carnalito, a taco restaurant. The other is Tragos Amargos, a Louisiana-based speakeasy that will run inside it. Palm Beach Now expects both in late 2026 or the first quarter of 2027.
Not everything new has lasted. Mystic Table at 218 Clematis closed permanently in August after less than a year in business, according to the Palm Beach Post. Street-level dining downtown changes hands often. Few operators are making a bet the size of the Hacienda's reinforced roof.
Getting downtown without the garage hunt
For Halloween week, the city's new West Palm Move app is a useful option. The city announced it on October 1. It plans trips across buses and on-demand rideshare, shows live bus locations and books on-demand rides inside the app. That is handy on Thursday night, when Clematis by FRIGHT fills Centennial Square. It also helps on Saturday, when a GreenMarket morning and a late night at 518 Clematis can be the same day.
At Triple Crown Group, we follow downtown West Palm Beach block by block, because changes like the 500 block's reopening affect what it is like to own a home near Clematis. If you own downtown or are thinking about a home within walking distance of the waterfront, we can walk you through what this season's openings mean for your street. Schedule a Consultation to start your property journey.
