Peculiar Pub crawls across Main Street in Lakewood Ranch

Here’s something peculiar at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch.

Suite 104 at 8130 Lakewood Main St. has transformed from a barbecue restaurant into a pub.

Peculiar Pub, known for its craft beers and quirky vibe, has moved to a larger location across the street.

The space was formerly occupied by Twisted Pit BBQ.

Both establishments are owned and operated by EZ Restaurant Group, made up of Chef Evan Percoco, Zach Zeller and Matt Favero. Additionally, the group owns Percoco’s Pizza & Pasta, which is also located on Main Street. 

Zeller said the Twisted Pit did well, but not well enough to carry an 1,800-square-foot space. 

The trio contemplated combining the two concepts and serving barbecue at the pub, but Zeller said there were too many challenges with barbecue, including the high cost of brisket and 22-hour cook times.

Instead, the group is expanding on what Lakewood Ranch residents already know and love — craft beer, scratch food and music bingo on Tuesday nights.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

“Will there still be music bingo?” was the most frequently asked question when the move was announced, Zeller said. The answer is “Yes.”

Favero wouldn’t have it any other way. The former touring musician loves hosting the event as much as patrons love playing. 

Twisted Pit’s last day of business was Memorial Day. The following Monday, a limited group of regular customers were invited to a preview event at Peculiar Pub's new location. 

The monthly installment of Music on Main was that Friday, so the pub hosted its grand re-opening celebration with DJ Spaz four days later. Zeller said the pub was full from about 4-11 p.m. 

DJ Spaz turned the place into a temporary nightclub with lights and dancing. Zeller was quick to note that a nightclub is not the direction the pub is headed, but said it’s fun to throw a party once a month to coincide with Music on Main.

Lea Hand has been bartending at the pub for about a year. She was impressed with how quickly her bosses were able to turn the space around and also maintain the “true integrity” of the pub.

Hand said the customer response has been “pleasantly surprising” from the food to the atmosphere.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

The atmosphere is strikingly similar — the bold blue walls are covered in sports and beer signs while the floors and the furniture all traveled across the street.

Walking into the pub for the first time is, indeed, peculiar. It’s as if a fun house mirror is being held up to the old pub. Everything looks the same, but it’s been stretched from every corner.

The space is bigger than even the Twisted Pit was because a wall that enclosed an “expensive junk room” was knocked down. The area is now filled with a pool table, dart board and additional seating.

Also peculiar — there’s a larger variety of beers to choose from but less taps. 

The original pub location was designed to serve craft beer with a walk-in cooler that could hold 23 kegs. The taps at the new location were expanded from four to 16, but what adds to the beer selection is a new reach-in cooler.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Zeller said the old location never carried more than one imperial stout at a time because the dark ale isn’t a fast seller. With cans, he can carry two or three varieties, and patrons have the option to mix and match 4- and 6-packs and take them to go. 

The pub also sells wine, non-alcoholic beers, ciders, THC-infused drinks and liquor. Liquor was one of the deciding factors to change locations. 

Zeller said the first location didn’t meet the requirements for a liquor license. They expanded the space to meet the seating and square-footage requirements, but the space still needed a kitchen to meet the requirement of maintaining 51% food sales. 

The Twisted Pit already had a full kitchen, which added what is likely the most noticeable change to the pub, outside of its larger size — a completely revamped menu. 

Without a full kitchen, the pub’s last menu was limited. 

Everything is made from scratch in the new location. While a few of the favorites, including the nachos, pretzels and chicken club, will remain, the rest of the menu has been “elevated.” 

The steaks are hand-cut in-house, and about 30% of the menu features fresh seafood. The menu is focused around coastal Florida flavors with dishes like coconut grouper bites and Florida shrimp and grits. 

The majority of the menu is either gluten-free or has a gluten-free option.

Favero has celiac disease, so that was considered when creating Percoco's menu. Now, the restaurant has become known for its non-traditional, gluten-free options like fried calamari and fried mozzarella. 

Percoco created the pub's menu with the same mindset, so even the blue crab fritters are gluten-free.

Zeller said customers used to order out from Percoco's or the Twisted Pit and bring it to the pub because the pub wasn't really a place to eat dinner.

Now, there's silverware with linen napkins on the tables. Zeller described the setting as a family-friendly, modern tavern. 

"It's been well-received." he said.