Southern Luv’s St. Louis-style ribs | Southern Luv BBQ

Grab a bib and a handful of napkins, because a new barbecue spot is headed to downtown St. Pete.

Southern Luv BBQ, a fast-casual concept that debuted its first location in Tampa two years ago, is coming soon to the EDGE District.

Chef Essi Tadrus and a local franchisee have signed a lease for a 1,256-square-foot space at 900 Central Avenue that was formerly part of Anytime Fitness.

The restaurant will have seating for approximately 20 guests indoors, with additional outdoor seating along Central Avenue.

The local franchisee, a St. Pete resident with more than 30 years of restaurant experience, has committed to opening 13 locations throughout Florida, including Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Lakeland, and South Florida.

The St. Pete location is expected to open later this year.

Southern Luv BBQ will open on the ground floor of 900 Central Avenue in the EDGE District | St Pete Rising

In addition to the restaurant, Southern Luv will also include a small country store selling branded potato chips, beef jerky, St. Pete-themed merchandise, and other retail items.

“St. Petersburg is very near and dear to me,” Tadrus said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “It’s where my wife and I met and is filled with energy and joy. I’ve had my eyes on St. Pete for a very long time.”

Southern Luv’s menu includes St. Louis-style ribs, smoked sausage, pulled pork, 12-hour smoked beef brisket, smoked chicken, and ham, served as platters, bowls, or sandwiches.

Guests can choose from several house-made sauces, including Sweet and Tangy, Sweet Carolina, Bama White Sauce, and Florida Sweet Heat.

In addition to the regular menu, Southern Luv offers select items unique to each market it serves.

“Having a culinary background and flexibility, we want to have dishes that cater specifically to different markets,” Tadrus said.

Owner of Southern Luv BBQ, Chef Essi Tadrus | Southern Luv BBQ

As a tribute to Tampa’s culinary heritage, Southern Luv BBQ offers its own take on the Cuban sandwich featuring smoked pork and house-made ham.

The restaurant's smoked-pork Cuban sandwich placed second in the World's Best Traditional Cuban Sandwich competition at the 2026 International Cuban Sandwich Festival. A year earlier, its brisket-based Cuban finished second in the non-traditional category.

“In the new Fort Lauderdale location, we may have Latin-influenced items like our brisket empanada, which we’ve made before, and crowds loved it,” Tadrus said.

“In St. Pete, you have many active people who are on the go, and we may be able to offer lighter items like smoked chicken Caesar salad, a cucumber and tomato salad, and fruit.”

Sides such as coleslaw, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese will also be available.

Desserts include scratch-made banana pudding, a limited item that typically sells out quickly.

To drink, Southern Luv BBQ will offer iced tea, Coke products, beer, and wine.

Southern Luv BBQ offers its own take on the Cuban sandwich featuring smoked pork and house-made ham | Google

To maintain consistency across locations, most of Southern Luv’s food will be prepared at a central production facility before being delivered to individual restaurants.

The approach differs from traditional barbecue restaurants, which typically rely on large smokers.

“It’s hard for a barbecue place to open in a new market with massive buildouts, high overhead costs, slow service, and limited location flexibility,” he said. “Our proprietary kitchen operations model allows us to cut out those costs and focus on the guest experience that starts at the window.”

Tadrus, who lives in the Tampa Bay area, traces his passion for barbecue back to childhood. He had his first taste of barbecue at age four at Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q in Fort Hood, Texas, where his father was stationed.

“As an Army brat, whenever my dad would come home from deployment, we would have these big barbecues bringing the family together,” Tadrus said. “I just want to bring people together and enjoy delicious meals.”

Tadrus later traveled throughout the southern United States, studying regional barbecue styles and techniques before opening his first restaurant at age 19.

Southern Luv BBQ’s Alabama Slamma sandwich with Pulled pork, bacon, smoked sausage, caramelized onions, Bama sauce | Southern Luv BBQ

Pending permits and interior renovations, the restaurant is expected to open by November or December next to a future BankUnited branch.

“It may seem like this franchise expansion happened overnight, but this has been 20 years in the making to get it to fruition,” Tadrus said. “We have every intention to let St. Pete know we are there to serve them.”

The restaurant will initially be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.