Two doors on the 1500 block of Main Street got new signs within a few weeks of each other this September. 1528 Main, the old Block 15 Cork & Craft, now says Baldoria. 1532 Main, Yume Sushi's former space, now says Sorella. They are a few steps apart on the same block, and both opened in space a restaurant had used before.
That pattern held across downtown this fall. Count every confirmed opening and announced move from September into mid-October. Nearly all of them went into a space another restaurant had just left, and many are run by people who already worked in Sarasota's restaurant business. A lot of names changed, but the places you'd walk to for dinner mostly stayed where they were.
The swaps, address by address
| Address | What was there | What's there now | Who's behind it | Status as of Oct. 12, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1528 Main St. | Block 15 Cork & Craft | Baldoria | Riccardo Margarella and Paola Pignata of My Mamma Italian Kitchen | Opened in September |
| 1532 Main St. | Yume Sushi | Sorella | Twin sisters Dana and Danielle Malcolm | Open, per the Oct. 1 Herald-Tribune roundup |
| 1660 Main St. | Lucile Pizza & Wine Bar | Mitchell's Food and Wine | Lucile owners Ryan Boeve and Mark Baldwin | Planned for mid-October |
| 1990 Main St., Suite 112 | Fork & Hen | SaraSocial | Owner Bobby Khush, executive chef Yamzey Gonzalez | Opened Sept. 15 |
| 239 S. Links Ave. | Indigenous | Alma de España | Owner-chef Elier Rodriguez | Planned for early November |
| 1987 Ringling Blvd. | Not reported | Tastes of the Philippines | Not reported | Opened by Sept. 22 |
Five of the six rows above have a restaurant in the second column, and the reporting doesn't say what was at the sixth. In at least two cases, the people running the new place already had a restaurant in downtown Sarasota or nearby. The rest of this post goes through each block and covers what you'll find there now.
The 1500 block: Mediterranean and Italian, next door to each other
Baldoria comes from the team behind My Mamma Italian Kitchen. The Herald-Tribune described a menu built around Mediterranean tapas with Italian and Spanish influences. It also lists focaccia sandwiches, craft pasta and specialty pizzas, plus handcrafted cocktails and 24 self-pour taps for beer and wine. The owners pitch it as a place for shared plates and drinks with a group. That makes sense in a space that used to be a craft-beer and wine bar.
Next door, Sorella means "sister" in Italian. The name refers to co-owners Dana and Danielle Malcolm. Its kitchen is staffed by people already known in local Italian cooking. The Herald-Tribune's photo coverage names head chef Giancarlo di Cosmo and pizza chef Simone Di Marco. The paper describes them as coming from other popular Sarasota Italian restaurants. The menu covers pizza and pasta, with a full liquor bar. The paper's original story set an end-of-September target. Its Oct. 1 openings-and-closings roundup lists Sorella as open at 1532 Main.
Neither restaurant's hours had been published in the coverage as of this writing, so check their own channels before you go. What's clear is that this block went from a craft-beer bar and a sushi spot to two Mediterranean and Italian kitchens side by side. Both run on local talent.
1660 Main: same owners, new menu
Mitchell's Food and Wine is the clearest case of a restaurant changing its concept without changing hands. Ryan Boeve and Mark Baldwin closed Lucile Pizza & Wine Bar and are opening Mitchell's in the same space. A press release reported by the Herald-Tribune on Oct. 11 put the opening in mid-October.
Lucile opened in late 2020 with wood-fired pizza, pasta and a lot of plant-based options. Its toppings included cashew mozzarella and almond ricotta. Mitchell's keeps the pizza but adds more. The release names a braised short rib brasato with cipollini onion jam and Florida yellowtail snapper with leeks, chard and brown butter. The new place is meant to pay homage to Pomona Bistro and Zoria, two of Boeve's earlier restaurants. Boeve also formerly owned Lila, which is nearby and still open. In the statement carried by the Miami Herald's syndication of the story, Boeve said "You will see chefs delivering food and conversing with guests, and our front-of-house staff will know how to cook every dish on the menu." The room is being redone with Art Deco and mid-century modern touches.
So the people running 1660 Main aren't new. They spent the past few years at this address and have run other places in the area too.
1990 Main: a new owner, still Southern cooking
SaraSocial shows the other version of the pattern, where the space stays a restaurant but the operator changes. It opened Sept. 15 in Suite 112 at 1990 Main St., where Fork & Hen used to be. According to Sarasota Magazine, new owner Bobby Khush and executive chef Yamzey Gonzalez kept the Southern coastal cooking but rebuilt the rest around a lounge. The magazine's headline mentions late-night bites and hookah. Khush told the Herald-Tribune, "We want people to make this their new place."
For neighbors at the east end of Main, the practical change is hours and atmosphere. The kind of food stayed about the same, and the place now runs later into the night.
Links Avenue: a 15-year restaurant hands its cottage to another local chef
The biggest closing downtown this fall was Indigenous. Chef and owner Steve Phelps announced on Sept. 15 that the restaurant had closed after 15 years. The Herald-Tribune's September roundup called it one of the month's biggest losses.
The cottage at 239 S. Links Ave. already has its next tenant lined up, and it's also a local restaurant. Elier Rodriguez, owner-chef of Alma de España, told the Herald-Tribune he planned to move the restaurant from 1830 S. Osprey Ave. in Southside Village into the cottage. The plan was to leave Osprey at the end of September and reopen on Links in early November. That timeline is still a plan, so check before you head over in the first week of the month.
Tastes of the Philippines, at 1987 Ringling Blvd., is the one opening this fall without a clear backstory. The Herald-Tribune reported a big crowd on its first weekend for the fast-casual Filipino menu. The coverage didn't say what was in the space before or who owns it.
Still waiting
Two projects people have been expecting still hadn't opened as of Oct. 12.
- Caragiulo's, 1833 Ringling Blvd. The Italian restaurant left its longtime home at 69 S. Palm Ave. in the historic Mira Mar in October 2025. In June, the Herald-Tribune reported a target of "potentially as soon as August or early September." The restaurant's website still says "temporarily closed." No reopening had been confirmed as of this writing. According to the Observer, plans for the old Palm Avenue block include two 18-story towers behind the historic building. Money from the project would go toward restoring the building's retail, restaurant and office spaces.
- 1000 North, 520 N. Tamiami Trail. This restaurant and private club got its start in Palm Beach County, and its cofounders include Michael Jordan. It was expected to open downtown this fall. The Herald-Tribune reported that a recent city planning meeting delayed the project over resident and parking concerns.
The two closings with no replacement yet
Not every space found a new tenant. Artisan Cheese Company at 550 Central Ave. closed after more than 14 years downtown, with inventory-sale days on Sept. 15 and 16. In July, the Herald-Tribune reported that Bavaro's Pizza Napoletana and Pastaria at 27 Fletcher Ave. had closed for good after seven years. No new tenant has been announced for either space.
Those two are the exceptions this fall. Lots of downtown kitchens changed names, but along Main Street most of them reopened at the same address.
Following which addresses change hands is a big part of how Tyler Hahne tracks downtown Sarasota, whether that's a cottage on Links Avenue or a storefront on the 1500 block of Main. If you'd like to talk about what's changing on your block, or which downtown streets fit your daily routine, schedule a consultation. We're happy to talk it through in English or German.
