Chef Ted Dorsey’s highly anticipated Sunshine City Tavern opens next week in St. Pete
/sunshine city tavern, a new neighborhood restaurant and bar opening on 4th street | st. pete rising
Chef Ted Dorsey, known for launching some of the area’s most popular restaurants, is set to open a new throwback neighborhood restaurant and bar on Monday, March 24th.
Brisket fresh from the smoker, locally sourced seafood, and inventive cocktails take center stage at Sunshine City Tavern, located at 4351 4th Street North.
The 3,500-square-foot space was most recently home to Oaks on 4th, which closed in late 2023.
Designed as a tribute to St. Pete’s history, the tavern features a modern coastal aesthetic with teal walls, white wooden tables, wicker chairs, and a vibrant mural by local artist Kaitlin Ramirez, also known as Swirly Painter.
Dorsey, a restaurant industry veteran with decades of experience, has previously opened Sonata, The Mill, Ciro’s, Boca, and Copperfish.
“What excites me about this concept is that it’s a throwback to an era where people felt like they belonged and could let life slip away for a moment or two,” Dorsey told St. Pete Rising. “Think of it as a modern-day Harvey’s.”
the interior of sunshine city tavern | st. pete rising
Sunshine City Tavern will make everything in-house and will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, with a robust brunch menu available on weekends until 3 p.m.
With a large smoker in the back, the team will serve up brisket, wings, turkey, baby back ribs, and even smoked meatloaf.
The barbecue offerings also pay homage to the location’s past, which has housed several barbecue restaurants, including Fred Fleming's Famous Bar-B-Que, Luckie B's Bar-B-Que, and Quickies Scratch BBQ.
As diners step inside, they’ll be greeted by a carving station preparing the daily "From the Block" special.
The rotating daily specials include smoked turkey breast on Monday, Montreal corned beef brisket on Tuesday, smoked meatloaf on Wednesday, Chef Ted’s pastrami on Thursday, prime rib on Friday, beef brisket on Saturday, and BBQ pulled pork on Sunday. Each special comes with a non-alcoholic drink and a choice of fries, salad, or soup.
a meat carving station inside the tavern | st. pete rising
For those on the go, the tavern will offer family meals to-go for two or four people, featuring the daily special, sides, and dessert. Customers can call ahead and pick up their meals at the drive-thru window.
Beyond the daily specials, the menu is packed with creative dishes from Chef Ted that you won’t find anywhere else.
Appetizers include smoked brisket eggrolls, buffalo calamari with pineapple slaw and blue cheese fondue, and croissant pretzels served with passion fruit mustard and cheddar ale fondue.
For lunch and dinner, Sunshine City Tavern will offer options such as seared Arctic salmon with butternut squash purée, broccoli, and champagne vinaigrette, as well as a smoked brisket cheesesteak with grilled onions, mushrooms, peppers, provolone, smoked gouda, and A1 aioli.
The tavern will also serve signature wings that are smoked, fried, and tossed in a choice of sauces, including mild, medium, hot, blackened, garlic parmesan, Thai chili, and bang bang.
the mural painted by local artist Swirly Painter | st. pete rising
Desserts, available all day, include key lime pie, gooey butter cake, Nutella poppers, and an orange creamsicle made with Fanta, vanilla ice cream, and coconut cream.
Sunshine City Tavern will feature a full liquor bar and what Dorsey calls “the most aggressive happy hour in the city.”
Guests can enjoy draft beer, canned beer, seltzers, ciders, and a curated wine selection, ranging from cabernet to prosecco.
Signature cocktails include the Front Porch Lemonade, made with Jim Beam Apple Bourbon Whiskey and lemonade, and the Sweet Dream, a blend of Stoli Vanilla Vodka, Orange Fanta, and half-and-half.
Sunshine City Tavern will open daily at 11:00 a.m. and close at 9:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Follow Sunshine City Tavern on Facebook and Instagram for the latest specials, and mark your calendar for its highly anticipated debut next week.
