Italian restaurant coming to downtown Bradenton as this spot goes from tattoos to pasta

An Italian restaurant is headed to downtown Bradenton, just a couple doors down from the former Tip Top Tavern.

Cafe Di Lorenzo, an Italian restaurant currently in the 7600 block of Cortez Road, is expected to open this fall at 606 Manatee Ave. W.

Owner Lorenzo Amato did not return a call for a comment, but an employee said by telephone that the new downtown location plans to open in about two months and a sign at the new location announces the arrival, as well.

Whether this would be Cafe Di Lorenzo relocating to Manatee Avenue or adding a second location is unknown.

The restaurant will take the place of the former Uptown Ink tattoo and piercing parlor, which was open for a little more than a year before moving out around the time the Tip Top Tavern announced its closure in late July.

Building owner and downtown investor Vincent Crisci said getting tenants into the newly renovated building in the 600 block was difficult while the Tip Top Tavern was in business, but he looks forward to seeing the area change and grow.

“It’s a good sign, as the biker bar scared off a lot of prospects over the years. And now that it’s gone, that’s pretty positive,” Crisci said.

Crisci owns a lot of property on 13th Street West, which has seen a tremendous growth in new business as the street brands itself as an extension of Old Main Street but with its own unique flair.

The 600 block of Manatee Avenue West could be the next destination point as downtown Bradenton continues to be the place to do business, he said.