A Sarasota bar and music venue with a loyal following and decades of history is set to reopen soon.
Cock & Bull at 975 Cattlemen Road will hold its soft opening the evening of Oct. 15, followed by a grand opening weekend featuring the bands Pitbull Toddler on Oct. 23 and Kettle of Fish on Oct. 24, said partner Dean Lambert.
Lambert, former regional operations director for Sarasota's Big Top Brewing Company, has teamed up with Frank Giuffre, manager of F&H Properties Sarasota LLC, which purchased the Cock & Bull property in February.
Open at its Cattlemen Road location since 2002, Cock & Bull operated in recent years as Big Top Live and briefly as The Parrot Live before Giuffre bought it. A Cock & Bull patron since he moved to the area in 2007,
Giuffre wanted to clean up the space while maintaining the Old Florida feel that he found welcoming almost two decades ago.
"I think people will definitely be pleasantly surprised, spending the last eight weeks just cleaning it up and painting it and redoing ceilings," Lambert said. "So it's not like a gutted renovation, but it's a cleaned up renovation. The place looks amazing."
What will the new Cock & Bull offer?
While Big Top Live centered on Big Top's craft beer for its beverage menu, Cock & Bull will feature popular beer brands and ready-to-drink cocktails while still offering craft options. Also unlike Big Top Live, live music will focus on locally and regionally based musicians rather than nationally touring acts.
Lora Miller, known for her Smokin’ Momma Lora’s BBQ food truck, will have "a permanent kitchen on wheels" onsite. While there will still be barbecue, including multiple pulled pork sandwiches, the Cock & Bull menu will also feature a variety of burgers, shareables such as fries and nachos, and specials such as tacos on Tuesdays.
“Cock & Bull has always had my heart, so I’m just so tickled that we can finally get over there permanently,” said Miller, who added that Smokin' Momma Lora's BBQ will remain on the road.
Cock & Bull plans to open daily at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and close at 10 p.m., closing later on the weekends, Lambert said. For more information, call 941-906-7493 or visit cockandbullsrq.com.
What is the history of Cock & Bull?
After originally opening on Main Street in downtown Sarasota in 1997, Cock & Bull moved into the Cattlemen Road space in 2002. It developed a following with fans of craft beer, with BeerAdvocate naming it the sixth-best place to have a beer in the U.S. in 2006. The venue also hosted live music, including local music festival Noise Ordinance, and served pizza and other foods over the years.
In 2021, Big Top Brewing Company took over the space in what Cock & Bull called at the time "the biggest tap takeover ever," with Big Top leasing the space from owners Dawn and Howie Hochberg while renaming it Big Top Live and continuing to feature concerts — including national acts — and Big Top's craft beer.
In 2025, the owners of local restaurant The Parrot Patio Bar & Grill announced plans to purchase the property and operate it as The Parrot Live.
However, Parrot owners Jeff and Melanie Gambino later backed out of the deal, citing permitting issues, undisclosed code violations and unpaid tangible property tax they had discovered.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota bar making a comeback with music and BBQ | Exclusive
