At 6702 Gulf Boulevard, the owners of Sola Bistro & Wine Bar had a chance to grow. The real estate office next door became available earlier this year. They could have knocked through the wall and doubled the dining room. Instead, they planned Bararam, a Spanish tapas bar in the 1,100-square-foot space, connected to Sola by a saloon-style door.
Co-owner Tigran "Tig" Khachaturyan explained the choice to St. Pete Rising, as reported by the St. Pete Standard. Sola had become a small bistro with regular customers, and a bigger dining room could have cost it that identity. "The two businesses will technically be connected but they'll be two completely different concepts," he said.
That choice is the clearest way to understand what's new on St. Pete Beach this season. Owners who already run a restaurant are adding a second, separate door with its own name.
The tapas bar meant to fill Sola's daytime gap
Sola serves dinner. According to the St. Pete Standard's account, Bararam was planned to open at 11 a.m. for lunch and close around 9 or 10 p.m. The planned menu lists ceviche, pan con tomate, rabbit croquetas, Spanish omelets and gildas, the small skewers of peppers, olives and anchovies. The drink list was to center on Spanish wines, beers, ciders, sangria, vermouth and sherry.
Khachaturyan said the kitchen would add Armenian flavors where it could. The plan also called for a small market selling wine, olive oil, tinned seafood and other specialty products. The room was described as darker than Sola, with a standing-room bar and high-top tables. Chef Artem "Art" Kucherenko described who it's for:
"The tourists always find us but we really built this for the locals."
The plan puts two restaurants with the same owners on one block of Gulf Boulevard, with Sola covering dinner and Bararam covering the hours Sola never did. The Gabber's September business roundup listed Bararam among the Gulf Beaches openings slated for this fall.
The Helm moved next door and kept its old room
On Blind Pass Road, The Helm used the same approach in a different way. The family-owned seafood restaurant run by Michael and Heidi Butler took over the space at 7800 Blind Pass Road. Verducci's Trattoria & Pizzeria had been there and never reopened after the 2024 hurricane season. The Helm's own site now lists 7800 Blind Pass Road as its address, with reservations and posted hours.
The Butlers didn't give up the original room at 7736 Blind Pass Road. They planned it as The Scullery, a different kind of business that pairs a store with an event space. Michael Haran Butler told What Now it would carry high-end retail and a bridal registry and host cooking and crafting classes. He compared the product line to Williams-Sonoma. "And you don't have to go to Tampa for it; it's right here in St. Pete," he said.
The move gave the restaurant a bigger room. The Butlers told What Now the larger kitchen leaves room for new dishes alongside the established ones. The plan for the old address is a kind of shop the beach didn't have before.
The hotel opened its own pizza place next door
The same approach shows up at the biggest new address on the beach. After nearly two years of renovation following flooding from Hurricane Helene, the former Postcard Inn reopened as The Luce, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel. Bay News 9 covered the ribbon cutting in June.
Inside, Sundrop is the main restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a Gulf Coast menu and holding a rum tasting every Wednesday and Friday at 3 p.m. Sunset Social is a nightly gathering that starts an hour before sunset and ends with a countdown toast. The Luce's FAQ says both are open to the public, and pool and beach day passes are sold through ResortPass. The hotel also describes Baby Turtle Beach Club as casual beachfront dining with poolside service.
The hotel team's second concept is a separate neighborhood restaurant next door. Frankie's Pizza Parlor at 6340 Gulf Blvd. began with a walk-up window over the July 4th weekend and opened the full restaurant Aug. 28, according to I Love the Burg. The full restaurant has a '90s look with checkered tablecloths and 18 TVs. It serves oversized New York-style pies and pasta made in-house daily. Its 12 taps include Frankie's West Coast IPA, brewed with 3 Daughters Brewing. It's open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with happy hour Thursday through Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m.
Sundrop is the hotel's sit-down restaurant, and Frankie's is a sports-bar pizza place with its own entrance on Gulf Boulevard.
In Pass-a-Grille, a Malio's restaurant with a different menu
At the south end of the island, the new arrival is the second restaurant from an established group. Moon by Malio's sits at 109 8th Ave. inside the Berkeley Beach Club, in the space where Dewey's used to be. Owner Jen Iavarone told the Tampa Bay Times that Moon is Malio's little sister. It lets the family show Derek Iavarone's heritage and the way they eat at home.
The menu is coastal Mediterranean, not steakhouse. It includes seafood towers with optional caviar service and stuffed squash blossoms with basil herb crema. Handmade pastas include tagliolini and ravioli. The Snapper Scottato al Limone comes with artichokes, capers, fennel and lemon brodo. Dessert includes Derek Iavarone's mother's biscotti with pistachio gelato. Executive chef Corrie Dietrich oversees every Malio's concept, and the wine list leans toward the Mediterranean, with some California bottles.
The rooftop terrace looks west over the Gulf and east over the Pass-a-Grille Channel. The Times reported that rooftop access would start out limited to guests with reservations and that the roof will host full moon parties. Moon's website has the menu and a reservation link.
The pattern on one map
| Who already had a place | The second door | Address | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sola Bistro & Wine Bar | Bararam | 6702 Gulf Blvd. | Lunch-to-evening Spanish tapas, specialty market |
| The Helm | Larger Helm restaurant, plus The Scullery in the old room | 7800 and 7736 Blind Pass Rd. | More kitchen space, kitchenware retail and classes |
| The Luce team | Frankie's Pizza Parlor | 6340 Gulf Blvd. | NY-style pizza, 12 taps, daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Malio's | Moon by Malio's | 109 8th Ave., Pass-a-Grille | Coastal Mediterranean, rooftop terrace |
Each of these owners already had a kitchen, staff and regular customers, so a second concept builds on something that works. Each of them also gave the new idea its own name and its own room.
Willy's is rebuilding the only place it has
A single-location restaurant doesn't have that option. Willy's Burgers & Booze at 645 Corey Avenue has been closed since the hurricanes of late 2024. In October, the open-air bar announced that construction was starting after a long permitting process, St. Pete Rising reported. The business said on Facebook that it had spent 14 months on permits. "The road back has been anything but easy," the post read. "We have never lost sight of what Willy's means to so many people."
Willy's is known for burgers, affordable drinks and a laid-back beach feel, and it has no other location to fall back on. Its return depends on rebuilding the one building it has on Corey Avenue.
Dates through the boat parade
Corey Avenue's merchants and the city have set a calendar that runs from Thanksgiving week to the week before Christmas. All of the Corey Avenue events below are listed as free except Sip & Stroll, which the calendar doesn't price.
- Every Sunday: The Corey Avenue Sunday Market runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from October through May, with produce, artisanal food, crafts and live music.
- Friday, Nov. 27: Corey Ave Sip & Stroll, 5 to 8 p.m., with participating shops and restaurants.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Shop Small Saturday on Corey Avenue, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6: The Corey Avenue Holiday Art & Craft Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
- Friday, Dec. 18: The St. Pete Beach Holiday Boat Parade starts at 6 p.m. The city and the Bay to Bay Foundation are hosting it, and the Rockin' Rudolph viewing party runs 6 to 9 p.m. at Horan Park, 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, with the Horny Toads, food, beer and wine, according to the City of St. Pete Beach.
The city's parade map lists estimated times at viewing spots along the route, so households on the water can plan around when the boats will pass.
New restaurant openings also show which owners are betting on a stretch of the island, and that can matter when you're deciding when and how to sell a home nearby. If you're weighing a move on or off St. Pete Beach and want a calm, local read on how these blocks are changing, Lisa Kirkpatrick is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
