Park Social bar, restaurant and lounge to open this summer in Neptune City

At the forthcoming Park Social in Neptune City, girls night will take on new meaning.

Sabrina Boudreau-Gullace and her husband, Matthew Gullace, are transforming Al Ponte, an Italian restaurant on Route 35 that closed earlier this year, into a social lounge, bar and restaurant geared toward women. The Gullaces, who also own Asbury Ale House in Asbury Park, plan to open Park Social in July.

"Nothing in that area's really geared toward women," Boudreau-Gullace said, adding that the goal of Park Social "is to give women of all ages a place where they feel comfortable. And we appreciate things that typically men don't. We care about aesthetics, the environment, the ambience. We typically look at things differently than men do, so we want to create that kind of experience for women."

Diners can expect custom-built booths and fringed chandeliers, plus a specialty cocktail program.

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"We're going to do events (like inspirational speakers, mixers) and have entertainment (including burlesque shows), and we do want to create a social club where maybe it's just women and they have their own happy hour," Boudreau-Gullace said.

Park Social will open at 5 p.m. and be open late into the night.

"To get away from the sports bar feel and do something a little different is a lot of fun," Boudreau-Gullace said. "We want a place to let our hair down. To bring that to the area is great because there's nothing like it."

Go: 1311 Route 35, Neptune City; instagram.com/parksocial_p.s, parksociallounge.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Park Social, opening this summer, replaces Al Ponte Neptune City