New ownership has done a good job with the Venice. They kept a lot of the "dive" charm that made the Venice unique, but cleaned a lot of things up. It's really nice that the place no longer smells like Urine. It's a cool place to listen to a band with their new raised stage, but it can get pretty crowded and loud if you aren't there specifically to listen to music.
The drink specials are usually what draw me here. Until 9pm it's ungodly cheap. They have a whole drink menu of specials. Probably 10 different options. And the happy hour is even good on weekend nights, which is a plus.
Adding Erie Street Cafe into the bar was huge too. That place has the best food in Kent, IMO.