New restaurants are coming to Anna Maria. Their menus and styles are very different
Two very different restaurants within easy walking distance of one another are coming soon to the bustling beach town of Anna Maria.
The Porch, an upscale restaurant in a vintage building at 9707 Gulf Drive, is expected to open in about one month. Managing partners are Josh and Brianna Foster, and Paul Foster and Tammy Foster.
The other new restaurant, gRub, a fast-casual tropical barbecue place at 415 Pine Ave., owned by Ben Sato, is projected to open in August.
Most recently, the building being renovated for The Porch was home to The Sign of the Mermaid restaurant, owned for 20 years by Ed Spring. Prior to that, the historic building, dating to 1913, has been a lot of other things, including a home and a day care.
“We found Crayola wall paper,” Brianna Foster said of the renovation process.
Also revealed were the original hard wood floors and beadboard walls, which have been brought front and center and restored to their original beauty.
“We are going to be a steak and seafood restaurant. We really want to emphasize the history of the building and to show off and give the appreciation back to the locals who have been seeing this building for their entire lives,” Brianna Foster said.
One of the beauty spots of the restaurant is the the bar room, featuring a large stone fire place, a light fixture hand made by Brianna’s husband, Josh, and those lustrous wood floors.
The Porch is located next door to Ginny’s and Jane E’s Bakery Cafe at 9807 Gulf Drive.
Barbecue restaurant set to open later this year
The other new restaurant coming to Anna Maria, gRub, has been in the works since at least 2019.
Fast casual means that there will be no wait staff. Customers walk up and place their order, and then find a seat or take their to-go order with them.
Platters will include honey spare ribs, cherry smoked brisket, pulled pork, chicken and pork belly bites.
Also on gRub’s menu are sandwiches, ranging from Cubans to banh mi, empanadas, salads, vegan options, popular sides like mac and cheese, coleslaw, black bean coconut rice, banana bread, and desserts, such as coconut pie, banana pudding and mango bars.
The restaurant will have seating for 48.
Another longtime establishment in the neighborhood, Bortell’s Lounge, a favorite watering hole at 10002 Gulf Drive, is undergoing renovations and updating of the interior.
Other restaurants that have come to the neighborhood recently include:
▪ Pizza Social at at 308 Pine Ave., which opened June 17. The owners are Andrew and Ammanda Simonetti. For more information, call 941-251-4070 or visit https://www.mypizzasocial.com/menus/.
▪ North Shore Cafe, 304 Pine Ave., opened one year ago. The owners are Nathan and Colleen Geller. For more information, visit https://northshorecafe.net/ or call 941-900-2671.
This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 12:44 PM.
