"Yes, we're in the same location, but we're starting a new chapter with new management, a new chef, a new team and a completely new direction." That line came from the restaurant at 6644 Gateway Ave. in September, and Sarasota Magazine published it as the business tried to explain why the Kolucan name was still on the door when Kolucan's founders had already left.
That one sentence fits most of Gulf Gate right now. Around Gateway Avenue and Gulf Gate Drive, the buildings and the people who own them have held steady. The operators have changed, and the signs out front have not always kept up. If you're planning a Friday dinner this season, the address will tell you more about what's inside than the name out front.
The sign at 6644 is a placeholder
Kolucan Mexican Bar & Grill closed suddenly on Friday, Sept. 4, after three years in Gulf Gate, according to The Sarasota Record. Co-founder Gino Calleja said in a public statement that rising food, labor and operating costs drove the decision.
Two weeks later, on Sept. 18, the space reopened under new owners, Guillermo Larios and Margarito Rosas, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. Opening night had mariachi and a DJ starting at 5 p.m. The Sarasota Record said the old name is staying for now for legal reasons, and that this has confused regulars who thought the original restaurant was coming back. The planned name is Garibaldi Seafood Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill, and as of early fall no date for the change had been announced.
The building itself has not changed hands. Siesta Sand reports that the property belongs to the Melone family, who also own the Il Panificio pizzerias on Siesta Key and downtown. Rosas signed a new lease with them. So the address and the landlord are the same, while the kitchen, the team and soon the name are all new.
A copper bar that waited four years for its next pour
A few doors down, 6607 Gateway Ave. shows the same pattern over a longer stretch. Sarasota Brewing Company ran there until a kitchen fire over Memorial Day weekend in 2022. Siesta Sand reported then that the owner chose to close instead of rebuild.
The building's next tenant came from the island. Shebeen opened in Siesta Key's Crescent Plaza in late 2022, and Eileen Carrigan, who worked at the pub, took over ownership in 2023. Siesta Sand reported in December 2025 that she was moving the pub to the former brewery after visibility and parking problems at the Key location. She first hoped to reopen early in 2026, then in March. "I've learned that things take a lot longer than you think," she told Siesta Sand this fall.
Much of that time went into restoring the room. Carrigan kept the brewery's original bar, with its heavy wooden base, copper top and dark wood back bar. "I picked a vintage building that needed a lot of TLC," she told Siesta Sand. "This building was definitely worth saving." Siesta Sand described these changes and plans for the space.
- The outside has a fresh coat of blue paint, a traditional color for pubs in Ireland.
- The second bar in the middle of the dining room became a stage for live music, including traditional Irish acts.
- The back dining room seats 120, and Carrigan said the family-crest plaques from her customers would be the first décor to go up.
- A bigger kitchen adds shepherd's pie, Guinness stew and Dublin coddle to the house-made fish and chips.
- Twelve taps were planned for Guinness, Harp, Smithwick's, ciders and some domestic beers.
Siesta Sand reported a soft opening in late August and an official debut planned for the pub's yearly "Halfway to St. Paddy's Day" party on Sept. 17. A segment on ABC7 Sarasota that same day still described the room as being remodeled and said the opening would come "very soon." Music listings have shown fall dates at the Gateway address, including a Celtoberfest lineup on Oct. 10. Before you plan an evening around it, check the pub's Facebook page for current hours.
Read the address, not the marquee
Look at the rest of the district through the same lens and the pattern holds. Most of the names are newer than the rooms they occupy.
| Address | Name out front | What's behind it | Earlier occupant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6644 Gateway Ave. | Kolucan Mexican Bar & Grill | New owners since Sept. 18, planned rebrand to Garibaldi | Kolucan's original ownership, three years |
| 6607 Gateway Ave. | Shebeen Irish Pub | Pub moved from Siesta Key's Crescent Plaza | Sarasota Brewing Company, closed after 2022 fire |
| 6523 Gateway Ave. | South Siesta Saloon | Country bar, opened Oct. 10, 2025 | Rebellion Night Club in 2022, and before that Chester's Reef and the Boar's Head |
| 2238 Gulf Gate Drive | Brooklyn Blues | Eastern European restaurant, open since May 2026 | A Thai restaurant |
The address at 6523 has had more names than any other on the block. South Siesta Saloon, owned by Jeff Hoffarth, just passed its first year there. It has a 3,500-square-foot room with a mechanical bull, a line-dancing floor, DJs and the occasional three-piece band, according to Business Debut. dineSarasota lists it as open seven days a week from noon to 2 a.m. Before that, the same address appears in 2022 local coverage as Rebellion Night Club, and earlier still as Chester's Reef and the Boar's Head.
Brooklyn Blues on Gulf Gate Drive gives the clearest sense of what a new operator brings to an existing space. It is a family restaurant run by sibling owners Leo Golfeld and Marina Polischuk-Rasin, who were born in Ukraine, with their spouses and mother working in the kitchen and dining room, Siesta Sand reported. Near the door, a long row of steam trays holds stuffed cabbage and peppers, pierogies, kebabs, plov and kasha. The daily lunch special is $12.99 for two meats and two sides, or $15.99 with soup. Borscht is served every day, alongside a rotating soup. The owners also made room for parties and live entertainment, with music planned most dinner nights.
Not every planned arrival on this stretch of the Trail is close. Ed's Tavern is headed for the former Chili's at 4131 S. Tamiami Trail, but the Business Observer gives a target of 2027.
Nov. 13 is the evening to walk all four addresses
The Gulf Gate Second Friday Festival happens every month. Its November date is Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. Its one fixed stop is Flobucha at 2725 Mall Drive, which offers free tastings of more than 14 kombuchas from 4 to 6 p.m. while visitors browse Gulf Gate's locally owned restaurants, boutiques and specialty shops, according to the event listing. There is no official list of participating businesses, so the rest of the evening is yours to plan. One way to see this fall's changes in a single evening:
- Start at Flobucha on Mall Drive during the 4 to 6 p.m. tasting window.
- Have an early dinner at Brooklyn Blues on Gulf Gate Drive, where the steam trays make it easy to try several dishes.
- Stop by 6644 Gateway Ave. to see whether the sign still reads Kolucan or has changed to Garibaldi.
- Have a drink at the old Sarasota Brewing Company bar, now Shebeen's, if the pub's pages confirm it is open.
- Finish at South Siesta Saloon at 6523, which stays open until 2 a.m.
For a daytime look at the same corridor, the Phillippi Farmhouse Market came back for its 16th season on Oct. 7, Siesta Sand reported. It runs Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April at Phillippi Estate Park, 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, with produce, prepared foods, artisan goods and live music, according to the Sarasota County calendar.
At Schemmel Milland, we keep up with Gulf Gate's addresses as closely as its names, because the history of a building is part of what makes this corner of South Sarasota home. If you'd like to talk through the South Sarasota streets near this district, we'd love to hear from you, and you can Browse Properties whenever you're ready.
