An iconic downtown Sarasota restaurant, forced to move from Palm Avenue, is close to reopening at its new location on nearby Ringling Boulevard, potentially as soon as August or early September.
Caragiulos Italian American Restaurant signaled its pending return earlier this month, with a June 3 social media post announcing that it was hiring.
“We’ve made a lot of progress in the last month or so,” co-owner Paul Caragiulo told the Herald-Tribune in a phone interview while on vacation in Sardinia.
He noted that many employees of the landmark restaurant have been working at other family-owned properties, so patrons will likely see some familiar faces when they visit the new Caragiulos at 1833 Ringling Blvd.
How long has Caragiulos been in downtown Sarasota?
Best known for its pizzas, pastas, and signature salad, Caragiulos’ long, rich history dates back to 1989 and includes praise from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse — including an appearance on his Cooking Channel television show.
When patriarch Tony Caragiulo and his sons John, Mark, Rob, Anthony, and Paul opened the restaurant in the historic Mira Mar building, it was one of the pioneers of a resurgence for downtown Sarasota.
Its vibrant décor reflected the Roaring ’20s setting of the Mira Mar.
Once Sarasota-based Seaward Development targeted the Mira Mar for development of 70 estate-style bayfront condominiums spread across a pair of 18-story towers, the iconic restaurant needed to relocate.
When the iconic restaurant closed, the Caragiulos offered everyone who dined at the restaurant tickets for their Caragiulos Collectible Raffle, featuring artwork, tabletops, gift baskets, opening-weekend dining tickets, and other goodies.
What will the new Caragiulos be like?
The new 4,300-square-foot restaurant should seat about 150 people.
Caragiulo said the project has been fun since the new space has been designed by a close family friend, Luciano Botta, “who’s probably one of the most successful designers in Milan who’s helped us put this thing together.”
Caragiulo said they approached the design for the new restaurant as if it was a movie set.
“What we’re going for in this thing is you’re in a Mastroianni film from 1960 or a Fellini film from 1960,” he added. “We like to put on a show and make spaces that are memorable and it seemed appropriate. I’m excited to see people’s reaction and hope that they like what they see.”
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Iconic downtown Sarasota restaurant moves closer to reopening
Reporting by Earle Kimel and Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Earle Kimel and Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
