Tampa Bay pizzeria plans downtown location

Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria plans to move into the building at 27 Fletcher Ave., next year, bringing another Tampa-area restaurant to downtown Sarasota.

Owner Dan Bavaro filed plans Wednesday to renovate the two-story property, formerly an office building, located northeast of U.S. 301 and Main Street. The application states the business hopes to begin construction in November.

Bavaro’s has locations in Tampa and St. Petersburg. Bavaro said the restaurant has thrived in up-and-coming urban locations, which led him to a property on the edge of downtown in Sarasota.

“That’s kind of like our motto,” Bavaro said. “We go into the areas that aren’t really developed yet.”

The restaurant’s menu includes Neapolitan-style pizza and handmade pasta. Bavaro’s will have a full liquor bar, including craft cocktails. Bavaro compared the ambiance of the restaurant to another Tampa restaurant with a downtown Sarasota location, Boca.

“We’re going to add something unique — there’s a different ambiance, different environment, different feel in our restaurants,” Bavaro said. “We’re very hip.”

Bavaro said he hopes to open the restaurant early next year.