Renovations begin on downtown pizzeria

Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria broke ground on its renovation of a downtown building this week. 

The restaurant location is at 27 Fletcher Ave., just east of U.S. 301 and north of Main Street. Bavaro’s purchased the 2,600-square-foot building in 2017, and construction on the site began May 7.

Founder Dan Bavaro plans to remodel the 1925 structure to reflect a modern industrial look. He will also add a 750-square-foot patio for outside seating. 

“We’ve been working on finalizing plans for over a year,” Bavaro said in a release. “We have a history of being a pioneer with our locations in downtown Tampa and the Edge District in St. Petersburg. This free-standing building in the heart of downtown Sarasota is very comparable to our other sites.” 

The restaurant’s menu will include Neapolitan-style pizzas, soups, appetizers, salads, Italian entrees and desserts. It also plans to include a full-liquor bar with craft cocktails. 

According to the release, the restaurant is expected to open by July.

Bavaro expressed optimism the restaurant was an early sign of forthcoming revitalization east of the downtown core.

“We hope to be a catalyst to bring people and ‘life’ to this area,” Bavaro said in the release. “I’ve always preferred to go into areas that are not developed yet.”