There’s a new vacation spot in Verona.

At least that’s how owner John Keefe wants people to feel when they come to the Twin Boro Bar and Grill on Allegheny River Boulevard.

The June 7 grand opening marked the eighth restaurant opened by Keefe in the Oakmont and Verona area.

“I don’t like to duplicate anything,” Keefe said. “Every time I open up a new (restaurant), I don’t want to do what I already have.”

Twin Boro, housed in the building that was formerly Blondie’s Bar and Grill, mashes a vacation feel with the nostalgia of a classic burger and milkshake joint.

“I wanted to build this the right way for the town,” Keefe said. “I wasn’t really thinking about myself as much as how I could make this spot really fit in with how the town is. I think we did good on that.”

Twin Boro puts a spin on the usual smashburger spot. Single to triple patty options are available for purchase ranging from $5.50 to $9.95. The menu includes other sandwich, pizza and seafood options.

For the full nostalgic effect, folks can buy a customized handspun classic milkshake for $7 or a premium flavor for $8.

“It’s not a tricky menu,” Keefe said. “We have about 16 things on the menu, and we try to do them all perfect.”

To the left of the dining room sits an indoor bar offering nine flavors of “Boozy Slushies,” and three flavors of wine slushies at $9 each. Classic 7-ounce pony bottles of beer are available for $3.

Through a doorway just off the bar is the restaurant’s game room, which includes a pool table and dart board.

“Every room you walk into, you get a little surprise,” Keefe said. “They’re all a little different.”

The space also includes an outdoor patio with a full bar. Keefe said he wants people to feel like they’re on vacation when they’re sitting outside.

Down the line, plans are add breakfast service at the restaurant.

Keefe said he named the restaurant Twin Boro as an homage to pulling Oakmont and Verona together. A Riverview alum, Keefe has lived in Oakmont for 60 years.

“I look at (the two boroughs) as the same,” Keefe said. “They both go to the same school district. I have a lot of friends in Verona as well as Oakmont. Really all that divides us is just a little viaduct.”

He said Verona’s leadership was great to work with during the more than yearlong repairs and rebuilding in the space.

“The council’s been great. The mayor, (David) Ricupero, has been fantastic,” Keefe said. “They made it easy. But the actual space wasn’t easy.”

The building had some old bones, he said, that needed to be repaired.

“The previous owners were great folks, but the building needed a total remodel,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the restaurant is among Keefe’s favorites in his portfolio.

“This one felt a little different,” he said. “Everyone was open arms, and they were happy to see we took the front end of Verona and really beautified it.”

He doesn’t plan to stop at the viaduct. Keefe recently purchased the former site of Billy Kay’s bar on East Railroad Avenue in Verona.

“That’ll be the next project,” he said.