Steakhouse and martini bar The Blu Halo coming to north St. Pete

The blu halo will have a private dining room that large parties can book | the blu halo

A new steak and seafood restaurant is coming to north St. Pete in early 2025.

The Blu Halo Restaurant and Bar in Tallahassee will open a second location at 221 Main Street North on the ground floor of Park & Main, the recently completed 17-story luxury apartment complex in Carillon Park’s Echelon City Center.

Park & Main is the newest residential building to open in the master-planned neighborhood, which will contain 2,300 multifamily units (of which 700 are already completed), a 120-key extended stay hotel, 150,000 square feet of retail, and 20,000 square feet of office space once complete.

The Blu Halo, which will occupy 5,400 square feet, is the first commercial tenant to be announced at Park & Main. Over 9,000 square feet of retail space remains available for lease in the building.

Jerk-marinated Caribbean pork chop served on a bed of sesame rice and topped with pineapple salsa | the blu halo

“We looked everywhere in Tampa Bay and were negotiating a contract for a location in Bradenton for two years before we found out it would be delayed by at least another year,” Andy Donato, Managing Partner of The Blu Halo, said to St. Pete Rising. “We found this location in St. Pete and signed a lease within six months.”

“The Blu Halo is in that niche between casual and fine dining. As Echelon City Center gets more established, we hope to see other exciting restaurants and retailers join us in making the area a sought-after destination.”

Donato, who has been in the restaurant business for over 30 years and worked as a General Manager at Tommy Bahama's, will run the St. Pete location with Keith Paniucki, the visionary of The Blu Halo and owner of the Tallahassee location.

The new location will have a large bar and a 60-plus-seat dining area that businesses can rent to host events or celebrations.

In total, there will be anywhere from 205 to 245 seats, including outdoor seating, bar seats, and the private dining room.

Blackened Grouper served with quinoa, onion, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, candied jalapenos, and avocado crema | the blu halo

Similar to The Blu Halo in Tallahassee, the St. Pete location will feature live music on certain days.

However, the St. Pete outpost will not be a carbon copy of its Tallahassee counterpart.

“We are in the process of hiring a chef for the St. Pete location. A couple of menu items will carry over from the Tallahassee location, but we are going to let the new chef have creative freedom in the kitchen,” Donato said.

At the Tallahassee location, appetizers include selections like ahi tuna poke, deviled eggs with peppadew peppers and candied bacon, and crab tostones made with backfin crab, sherry, fried plantains, and yellow leeks.

As for entrees, The Blu Halo offers an 8-oz filet and a 14-oz ribeye, both served with fingerling potatoes, and a variety of seafood dishes, such as blackened grouper, sesame seared tuna, citrus salmon, and Chilean sea bass.

A rendering of the completed park & main apartment tower in the echelon city center | echelon

Although brunch is offered at the Tallahassee location, it won’t be available right away in St. Pete.

However, once available, the brunch menu is expected to offer comfort food staples like chicken and waffles, benedicts, and blackened shrimp and grits, along with a drink menu featuring a traditional mimosa, a bloody mary, and an espresso martini.

The Blu Halo St. Pete is expected to open in February just in time for Valentine's Day.

The operating hours will be finalized after opening; however, Donato expects to be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and stay open until midnight on the weekends.

“The Blu Halo is for everyone. We are so excited to bring that unique experience and upbeat energy to St. Pete,” he said.

Follow The Blu Halo on Facebook and Instagram for a grand opening announcement and the latest food and drink offerings.