Alex Vardanyan, owner of Eden — northwest Fresno’s newest wine lounge — says he’s long wanted a quiet spot where people can get together late at night without the noise and tumult of dance clubs.

Just east of West avenue at 1755 W. Bullard Ave. in a former Bank of the West building, Vardanyan plans to open Eden by the end of September. There, guests can get to know one other over a glass of wine or beer with live music well after most restaurants have closed, Vardanyan said.

“You get off work, all the restaurants are closed at 10. You want to go out, you need to go to a club — there’s nowhere else to go,” Vardanyan said. “Fresno deserves something like this.”

You’ll Need a Reservation to Get Into Eden

Eden will be reservation based, Vardanyan said. Along with a wide variety of wines from around the world and local beers, patrons can have plates of charcuterie, caviar, or desserts. He has labels from France and Napa.

A piano player will keep the atmosphere light, enabling guests to hear each other, Vardanyan said.

Eden also has two private rooms, one a bit more intimate and the other a bit larger, suited for a large group of friends or a business meeting.

“We’re trying to stick with the reservation-based beer, wine, and champagne lounge,” Vardanyan said. “There’s going to be charcuterie and some caviar, those are going to our main things, no food really, and also there will be some dessert. But there’s a couple of private rooms, more for like date night or celebration.”

Late Night Lounge for Northwest

As the owner of towing business, Vardanyan works odd hours, he told GV Wire. That meant he often got off late, but he still wanted a nice place to go. Too often, people at clubs would get in fights and ruin a good night.

“You can’t even take your wife or your girlfriend out to most of these  place because it just gets too rowdy, you know? You have music maxed out and you can’t talk to someone,” Vardanyan said.

For now, Vardanyan plans to be open seven days a week. Monday through Thursday, he’ll be open 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, he’ll be open until 1 a.m. The Sunday schedule is a bit more up in the air but he envisions late morning to early afternoon.