"I'm not going far," Eileen Carrigan told Siesta Sand last December, when she announced that Shebeen Irish Pub and Kitchen would leave Siesta Key's Crescent Plaza. She wasn't. The pub's new address, 6607 Gateway Ave., is about 1.5 miles east of the old one, in the former Sarasota Brewing Company building in Gulf Gate.
That short move shows how Gulf Gate changed in 2026. Nothing new was built from the ground up. Instead, a pub, a family-run Eastern European kitchen, a pizzeria and a decades-old sub shop moved into buildings that were already standing. Several of them came out with far more seating, a stage or a party room than they had before. Gulf Gate's footprint is the same as last year, but its dining rooms now hold a lot more people.
The Brewery Bar Stayed Where It Was
The reasons Carrigan gave for leaving Siesta Key were practical ones. She told Siesta Sand that parking and visibility had been ongoing problems at Crescent Plaza. After spending much of 2025 searching, she found that "there wasn't anything on the key that would solve the problems we have now." Then she spotted the "for sale" sign on the Sarasota Brewing Company building and liked the idea of saving a building she called "a landmark."
The size difference is what matters most for the neighborhood. The Siesta Key pub held about 30 people. In Gulf Gate, Carrigan planned for 135 seats around a central stage for musicians and, now and then, Irish dancers. By September, Siesta Sand reported that the back dining room alone would seat 120.
Sarasota Brewing Company regulars will still know the room. Carrigan kept the original bar, with its heavy wooden base, copper top and dark wood bar back. She also kept the building's overall footprint and painted the outside blue, a traditional color for pubs in Ireland. "I really wanted to maintain the character of the building, but that's more difficult than just tearing everything down and starting over," she told Siesta Sand.
Restoring an old building took time. Carrigan first hoped to open early in 2026. The pub held a soft opening in late August and planned its official debut for its annual "Halfway to St. Paddy's Day" party on Sept. 17. That same day, WWSB had Carrigan in its studio making traditional bread pudding. The pub's social pages list its current hours and music nights.
A Former Thai Restaurant Now Seats 90 for Parties
Shebeen wasn't the only business to fit a gathering space into an existing room. Brooklyn Blues opened at 2238 Gulf Gate Drive this spring in a space that used to be a Thai restaurant. According to Siesta Sand's October profile, the owners remodeled it extensively and built a party and live-entertainment area that holds up to 90 guests. The room has saxophones, guitars, trumpets and dozens of vinyl records mounted on the walls and ceiling. It has already hosted singers, comedians and holiday parties, and live music, including a piano and vocal duet, is expected most nights at dinner.
Brother and sister Leo Golfeld and Marina Polischuk-Rasin own the restaurant, and family members work in the kitchen and on the floor. The menu draws on Russian-speaking, Polish and other Eastern European cooking. A long row of steam trays holds stuffed cabbage and peppers, pierogies, plov, kasha and kebabs. The daily lunch special is two meats and two sides for $12.99, or $15.99 with soup, and borscht is served every day. "We know this cuisine," Golfeld told the paper. "We are not a burger restaurant. We are not a steakhouse."
The restaurant is open daily, until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 11 p.m. on Sunday.
Same Kitchens, New Signs
Other changes this year kept the cooking the same and changed the name, or kept the name and changed the address.
| Business | Gulf Gate location | What came before | What carried over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shebeen Irish Pub and Kitchen | 6607 Gateway Ave. | Sarasota Brewing Company | The original copper-top bar and the building's footprint |
| Brooklyn Blues | 2238 Gulf Gate Drive | A Thai restaurant | The space itself, rebuilt with a 90-guest party room |
| Costello's Neighborhood Pizza | 6574 Superior Ave. | Solorzano's | The ingredients and the owner |
| A's Giant Sandwiches | Next to Moondoggy's on Gulf Gate Drive | The shop's previous home | The name, and roots dating to the 1960s |
At 6574 Superior Ave., the Solorzano's sign came down in the spring. Your Observer reported that owner Kenny Palin's five-year franchise agreement had ended. He used the moment to rename both his Gulf Gate and Longboat Key pizzerias Costello's Neighborhood Pizza, after his late grandmother, Margaret "Peggy" Costello. He kept the fresh-cut vegetables, Grande mozzarella and dough. The menu was reworked, with some items nodding to Boston, where Palin grew up. The pizza is still thin-crust New York style, and lunch is two slices and a soda for $10.
A's Giant Sandwiches took the opposite route and moved with its name intact. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that the shop, which traces its roots to the 1960s, opened its new spot next to Moondoggy's on Gulf Gate Drive on May 18. Bryan Anderson, who has owned it with his wife Alysia for about ten years, called the response "crazy."
Mama G's German Bakery & Coffeehouse also arrived from nearby. The Herald-Tribune's June dining roundup reported that it moved from South Trail to Gulf Gate, and that its former South Trail space is set to become an Indian restaurant.
Shebeen, A's, Costello's and Mama G's all came from within a few miles: off the key, up the Trail, or from the same storefront under a new name. Brooklyn Blues is the true newcomer and Leo Golfeld's first restaurant, though his sister has run a similar restaurant, Little Brooklyn, in North Port for several years.
More Room Makes Bigger Nights Possible
A 120-seat dining room with its own stage and a party room for 90, both a short walk apart, let Gulf Gate host evenings it didn't have room for a year ago. The neighborhood already has a monthly reason to walk around.
The Gulf Gate Second Friday Festival happens on the second Friday of every month. During it, Flobucha at 2725 Mall Drive opens its taproom from 4 to 6 p.m. for free tastings of more than 14 kombuchas, according to the event listing. The listing frames it as a chance to explore Gulf Gate's locally owned restaurants, boutiques and specialty shops. It's also an alcohol-free start to an evening that can end with dinner, a band or a pint nearby.
Here's how the rest of the season lines up from Gulf Gate:
- Friday, Nov. 13: Second Friday in Gulf Gate. The same day, the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Sandsculpting Festival opens on Siesta Beach and runs through Nov. 16, with sculpture viewing, demonstrations, live music and vendors, according to Your Observer.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: On Thanksgiving, Brine Seafood & Raw Bar at 2250 Gulf Gate Drive plans to serve a traditional turkey dinner, prime rib and a shorter version of its regular menu from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., per Siesta Sand's holiday dining guide. The guide recommends calling ahead.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Lights in Bloom opens at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St. downtown, and runs through Jan. 2, 2027.
- Friday, Dec. 11: The last Second Friday of 2026. Brooklyn Blues' banquet room has already hosted holiday parties and large gatherings.
Of this year's arrivals, Shebeen, A's, Costello's and Mama G's were already part of south Sarasota's daily routine before they took their current Gulf Gate spaces, and Brooklyn Blues added a family kitchen and a 90-guest room on Gulf Gate Drive.
From our office on St. Armands Circle, we keep close track of changes like these in the neighborhoods our clients live in, because knowing where the bar stayed and where the stage went is part of local knowledge. If you're thinking about how Gulf Gate's growing evening scene fits with your plans in south Sarasota, Your Global Agents would be glad to talk it through. Request a Complimentary Consultation & Market Valuation.
