Bohemios, a tapas restaurant and wine bar that debuted five years ago in Sarasota, is planning to open a downtown St. Petersburg location in early February.

It will be located in the former BurgerFi space on the ground floor of the Camden Central Apartments at 875 Central Avenue. The restaurant will be next to Tweeds, a custom menswear and suit shop, and Top Buttons, an upscale pre-owned women's boutique, which were both previously announced on St. Pete Rising. 

The name, Bohemios, is Spanish for “Bohemian”, a free, easygoing lifestyle focused on art, music, and spirituality.  "A perfect fit for St. Petersburg,” said Bohemios owner Ronaldo Zeledon in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

Zeledon grew up in from Nicaragua and has 23 years of experience in the restaurant industry, including owning restaurants in Costa Rica and most recently working at Café L’Europe at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota prior to opening Bohemios.

The menu of the St. Pete Bohemios, Zeledon said, will be identical to its Sarasota counterpart but he’s working on 10 new dishes. Customers will be able order from a list of more than two dozen tapas dishes or choose from three tapas mix plates.

“Everything is created with Spanish and Latin flavor,” he said in an interview with St. Pete Rising. “Sixty percent of the menu is Spanish and then forty percent is Latin, American, Italian, Venezuelan, and other places. 

The Sarasota location features traditional Spanish dishes like Tortilla Española, Tequeños, and Iberian Ham Croquettes, among others.

Zeledon said it’s hard to pick a favorite dish, but he greatly enjoys the Pulpo a la Gallega, which is grilled octopus and roasted red potatoes baked in garlic herb butter.

If you cannot decide what to order, Zeledon recommends the Montaditos, which contains five different types of bruschetta on one plate -- Mediterranean, brie cheese, smoked salmon, caprese, and tuna.

“We have so many good choices,” he said, adding that the three-cheese sea bass melt is another highlight. “It’s melted with three different cheeses and served with creamed corn and sauteed vegetables. You cannot find that anywhere else, just here. People go crazy when they taste it.”

Also, if diners are looking for an experience, Bohemios serves the most expensive ham in the world, 5J Iberian Ham, which is sliced tableside and served with toasted bread and olives. The ham costs $70 for two ounces.

“It’s a very unique ham that just melts in your mouth,” said Zeledon. “It’s perfect paired with a nice Pinot noir or Grenache.”

The menu also includes half-portion plates and desserts such as tres leches, tiramisu, crèma catalana, lava cake, and churros con chocolate.

Bohemios will offer a robust selection of hard-to-find wines to complement its cuisine. “You will find a lot of very nice, unique wines,” he said, “wines from Argentina, California, and wines from the Old World — Italy, France, Spain. A lot of them you will not see in retail stores or even restaurants. We have some good choices. About 40 percent of the wine list is unique wines you cannot find anywhere else.” 

The restaurant will occupy about 2,400 square feet and be able to seat up to 80 people, Zeledon said. The bar will have 14 seats. There will be tables of different sizes and heights and even five outdoor tables.   

Zeledon plans to have live music at the restaurant, “something simple and nice like saxophone, Spanish guitar, piano … more instrumental, one person playing one instrument, like background music,” he said.

Bohemios will debut at 875 Central Avenue in 2024 and will be open from 11 a.m. seven days a week. It will close at 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9 p.m. on Sundays.

For more information and updates, follow Bohemios on Facebook or Instagram.