Residents and visitors to downtown Safety Harbor are in for a treat as two new foodie establishments open this month. The downtown area of this small Pinellas County city is known for its quaintness and charm, which is why these new businesses should fit right in.
Coastal Cantina
Aaron Stewart, long-time resident of Safety Harbor and owner of the city’s popular Southern Fresh restaurant, will be opening
Coastal Cantina at the end of November. The new restaurant will go where the former Harborita Cantina used to be.
“The cantina is about 2,500-square-feet, with a bar inside and outside,” he says. “The food will be Florida coastal with Latin fusion. We will also have flagship drinks from various countries on the menu and will be doing a lot of fun things with mixology. I think people will really enjoy it.”
Stewart, a graduate of Countryside High School, says unlike other chefs he chose to learn first-hand from chefs he worked under in the restaurant business as opposed to going to culinary school.
With the huge success of
Southern Fresh, an old-Florida home turned kitchen serving southern favorites to a packed house for three years now, it seems he made the right choice.
Coastal Cantina will be located at 519 2
nd Street South in downtown Safety Harbor.
Crooked Thumb Brewery
Off a winding road lined with oak trees off the beaten path of Main Street in downtown Safety Harbor is a large warehouse that used to be an auto body and paint shop, but will soon be home to Crooked Thumb Brewery.
The 6,000-square-foot space will house a 15 barrel brew system, tasting room, bar and garden.
Why the name? It is because the brewery is located in Pinellas County, which has been said to hang off the west coast of Florida like a crooked thumb.
The brewery will serve only beer, wine and cider; however, patrons are encouraged to order from local restaurants.
The grand opening has yet to be announced, and for now the Crooked Thumb is open on weekends only with limited hours. For more information visit the brewery’s
website.
Crooked Thumb Brewery is located at 555 10
th Avenue South in Safety Harbor.
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