One of our favorite seafood spots in downtown is about to have a new home. Oyster Bar St. Pete, which officially closed its longtime location on the Jannus Block of Central Avenue last week, is moving to the Grand Central District later this fall.
The new digs for the casual seafood restaurant and bar will be at 2245 Central Avenue, in the building most recently occupied by Zoie’s, which closed unexpectedly this June. While we miss Zoie’s, credit goes to them for completely reimagining the space, including a 360-degree, walk-up indoor/outdoor bar, which will be a centerpiece for Oyster Bar.
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For those unfamiliar, Oyster Bar is a hotspot for good seafood, shareable apps, hearty sandwiches, and one of the best brunches in the city. Naturally, the oysters are a big draw, available five different ways, from fresh-shucked on the half shell to deep fried with BBQ, and everything in between. We’re fans of the baked asiago-garlic butter oysters, and don’t sleep on the oyster shooters if you’re trying to get the day going in a different direction.
Oyster Bar also features some fantastic happy hour deals, a $10 lunch every Monday-Friday, and bottomless mimosas and bloody marys at Saturday and Sunday brunch. Ownership said that “as the second Central block has evolved, the vision for the brand’s future is in relocating the restaurant to better suit its concept and clientele.” However, owners are holding on to the downtown building for a fun new pop-up concept.
“Our goal is to relocate the Oyster Bar to better serve our diners, but the pop-up concept will be a lot of fun in that space,” said Josh Cameron, proprietor of The Oyster Bar. “We’ve loved every minute of our tenure on the block. We really appreciate all the love over the years.”
Previously located at 249 Central Avenue, Oyster Bar has been a downtown staple for nearly 25 years. In a release earlier this month, ownership said the beloved space on Central Avenue will still be home to good times, as it will soon host “a spectacular and unique” pop-up bar experience designed by Frank Clemente.
The pop-up bars will begin on September 1, when Clemente says the first theme will bring “end-of-summer” vibes to the Jannus Block. The release said the concept for the space is to create “immersive, holiday-inspired pop-up destinations,” that will rotate monthly through the rest of 2023.
“This has been a huge dream of mine since high school,” Clemente said. “I have always wanted to have a restaurant where I can redesign the space to create a new experience for guests each time they visit. I am excited to work in a space where I can consistently blow people away and showcase the many sides of Frank!”
Stay tuned for more information on Oyster Bar’s move to Grand Central.
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