A new Beef O’Brady’s restaurant is coming to west St. Pete.

The restaurant and sports bar will open at 2901 66th Street North, taking over the former Applebee’s building that closed abruptly in May, according to plans obtained by St. Pete Rising.

It will become St. Pete’s second Beef O’Brady’s, joining the location at 4775 34th Street South in the Skyway Marina District. The only other Pinellas County location is in Oldsmar.

The new restaurant will accommodate 182 guests indoors and 49 outdoors, for a total of 231 seats.

Built in 1972, The 5,853-square-foot building was home to various restaurant concepts in the 1990s, including Longshoreman Restaurant, The Knot Garden, and Suki’s before becoming an Applebee’s in the early 2000s.

Although Applebee’s still operates its St. Pete location at 4700 4th Street North, SEC filings show the chain’s total store count declined from 1,578 in 2021 to 1,501 in 2024.

Urban Brew and BBQ, a trailblazer in St. Pete’s Grand Central District, will serve its final plates on Saturday, September 6th.

The restaurant announced the decision on social media, thanking guests for “a wild ride” and inviting regulars to stop in one last time.

To mark the send-off, an event dubbed “Urban’s Last Dance” will be held on Saturday from 11 a.m. until sellout at 2601 Central Avenue. A buffet will be offered at “$12 for 12 great years”.

For over 12 years, Urban became a reliable neighborhood hangout. Even as Grand Central blossomed with new breweries, bars, coffee shops, boutiques, and restaurants, the barbecue joint remained a steady anchor.

“I think what it really comes down to is expenses have kept climbing,” owner Andy Salyards told St. Pete Rising. “Revenue has stayed about the same, but at the end of the day, you need such a high sales volume to make it work.”

The wait is nearly over. After more than two years of anticipation, Red Mesa Mercado is putting the finishing touches on its second location.

The popular Cali-Mex eatery will officially open in October at 6001 Central Avenue in west St. Pete. The space previously housed Two Graces and, before that, the Reading Room.

The restaurant is part of the Red Mesa Group, which has deep roots in St. Pete. This year, the original Red Mesa on 4th Street is celebrating 30 years in business. Meanwhile, Red Mesa Cantina has been downtown since 2009.

The group expanded again in 2014 with Red Mesa Mercado in the EDGE District at 1100 1st Avenue North. Over the past decade, Mercado has established itself as a regular stop in the neighborhood. Now, the second location is just weeks away from its grand debut.

Permits have been filed for a new Chipotle Mexican Grill in Largo, marking another expansion for the popular fast-casual chain.

Known for its streamlined menu of burritos, tacos, and bowls, the restaurant will open at 13677 Walsingham Road, just five minutes from Indian Rocks Beach, in a former KFC building.

The 2,885-square-foot space is being renovated at a cost of $400,000. Once complete, the restaurant will seat 46 diners inside and another 12 on an outdoor patio.

The project’s architect is Dungan Design Group LLC of Overland Park, Kansas, while Clearwater-based Strategic Commercial Construction is serving as the general contractor.

Farm-to-table fast-casual restaurant Naked Farmer is planting deeper roots in St. Petersburg.

The St. Pete–born brand told St. Pete Rising it will open a second location in the Sunshine City next summer at 2631 4th Street North, a 1,920-square-foot space that previously housed EVOS.

The upcoming location marks another milestone in Naked Farmer’s rapid growth.

Founded in 2020 in downtown St. Pete, the restaurant has grown to eight locations across Florida, including Tampa, Coral Gables, Sunrise, Miami, Sarasota, and Fort Lauderdale.

Expansion outside the state is also underway, with upcoming restaurants in Nashville, TN and Charlotte, NC.