South Beach restaurant makes progress on July re-opening

The newly rebuilt South Beach Bar & Grille has temporary power, and they hope to have the building turned over to them by mid-June, said co-owner Bart DeStefano.

“We’re going to go as fast as we can once the contractors turn over the building to us,” DeStefano said. They are hoping to open the Boca Grande beachfront restaurant sometime in July.

Florida Power and Light is currently working on the south end of the island to get permanent power to the building.

FPL Spokesman Chris Curtland, reached last week, wrote, “Before FPL can connect service to any property, it is imperative that certain conditions are met for power to be safely accepted – including installation of the necessary customer-owned electric equipment and receipt of an approved inspection from the municipality.”

Braxton Bowen and the crew from Bowen Construction started the rebuild in summer 2023. At the time, DeStefano said the layout for the new restaurant would be similar to the old one, but the kitchen area would be a little bit more open, with a screened back porch and a pergola. 

They will need to get permits from the Health Department, among other required authorizations, before opening. There are more hoops to jump through when you are located on the beach, DeStefano added.

The restaurant closed after Hurricane Ian.

Looking to continue serving island favorites while they rebuilt, DeStefano and co-owner Marco Meola, made a deal to use the old 3rd Street Bistro as their interim location. They named the temporary location Mimi’s 3rd Street Grille after one of their chefs, Myriam Morel Carvalho.

The building at 210 East Railroad Ave., is owned by 320 East 110th Street Associates of New York. They purchased the building on Dec. 30, 2021 for $2,170,000 from Sperlonga Holdings LLC. 

Visit the restaurant website at www.southbeachbarandgrille.com for more information.