Before Club Belize opened a few months ago, 2,500 people signed up as card-carrying “members” of the Latin club.

Membership is not required to attend Club Belize, 788 N. Jackson St., but members are guaranteed to breeze through the door and can bring one guest -- as long as they adhere to the dress code.

Owner Gus Hosseini and staff are very strict about club goers' garb because they want to keep the upscale nightclub vibe alive, and hope to attract an older, more mature crowd.

“No athletic apparel -– including hats and tennis shoes, no baggy, holey or cruddy jeans and no T-shirts,” says bar manager, Chris Inoff.

Hosseini is Persian, but grew up in San Antonio, where he developed an appreciation for Latin culture. Club Belize is decorated like a south of the border “paradise,” with bright colors and tropical plants. The two-story space, formerly occupied by Metropolis and Park Bar, is still quite familiar, but the subtraction of one major wall gives the club a more spacious feel.

On Thursday nights, Belize offers free swing lessons from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights pump out salsa/merengue beats, at this point from DJs, but live bands are in the plans for the near future.

“Gus is really staying focused on the Latin theme,” says Inoff. “He wants this to be a Downtown Latin Club.”

Later this spring, the club will open on Wednesday evenings, and offer house and trance dance nights to complement the Latin beats.

Belize’s special drink is the Belize rum punch ($8), and there is also a comprehensive martini list. ($10.) Big spenders willing to buy an entire bottle of booze are invited to hang out in the VIP lounge. Inoff says they will add a second VIP lounge upstairs in the near future.

Hosseini has been in the bar and restaurant business for 26 years. He is the original owner of The Unicorn, arguably Milwaukee’s most beloved punk bar in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, hidden in the dungeon-esque basement of the Sydney HiH building.

“Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Seven Mary Three -– all of those bands played for me at The Unicorn,” says Hosseini.

But his new venture is nowhere as grungy as his venture past, and Hosseini is serious about his high standard for dress code, and has a lack of tolerance for turmoil.

“To come to my club, you have to be 21 or over and you have to dress right. That’s just the way it is,” he says.

Club Belize is open Thursday-Saturday from 9 p.m. to close. Soon, Belize will also open on Wednesday evenings. Call (414) 765-9857 for more information.