A restaurant touted in 2023 as one of the best restaurants at University Town Center has shut its doors for good after nearly five years, adding to a wave of restaurant changes in the popular Sarasota shopping and dining district.
Georgie's and Bar George, located in UTC's West District at 229 N. Cattlemen Road, Suite 69, has permanently closed.
"It's with a heavy heart we have to close our doors today after five years of serving all our patrons and friends," reads the message posted on the business' website. "We hope to see you all again soon. We wish all of you the very best for the future and good health. Again, thank you from George."
Georgie's has also been removed from UTC's website.
reviews plus info on things to do every Friday
George Wood, whose family owns the brunch restaurant Jane's Café on 3rd in Naples, opened Georgie's in late 2021. Georgie's also offered brunch, as well as lunch and dinner, with the bar area known as Bar George.
Wood also owned The Lily Cafe, a breakfast and lunch restaurant that opened in Sarasota's The Landings shopping plaza that, like UTC, is owned by Benderson Development. Lily Cafe closed prior to Georgie's and was replaced in 2023 by another breakfast and lunch spot, The Breakfast Company, which has multiple locations including UTC.
What other restaurants have closed, and opened, in UTC recently?
Georgie's joins other UTC restaurants that have recently closed such as JPAN Sushi & Grill, which still has another location open in Sarasota, and has said it is working to find a new UTC space; Five-O Donut Co., which still has three other locations in Sarasota-Manatee; and national chain Moe's Southwest Grill.
However, there have been plenty of recent restaurant openings in UTC, too. Those include New York chain Just Salad, Miami Beach-founded and Michelin-recognized Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza, Ohio-based "chef-driven tavern" Kitchen Social, Greek spot Blu Kouzina, Japanese eatery Zōtō and chef's counter Yūgen — both created by the same James Beard Award-nominated restaurateurs, Jimmy and Johnny Tung — and Mama G's German Bakery & Coffeehouse.
Upcoming additions to UTC's dining scene include the Orlando-founded Hawkers Asian Street Food; the Nashville, Tennessee-based BrickTop's, known for sushi, steaks and American comfort food such as burgers and fries; Olivia and On Swann, two acclaimed Tampa restaurants from the same award-winning restaurateur Chris Ponte; Asian eatery Zen Dumpling and açaí bowl/smoothie/juice spot Playa Bowls.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Popular Sarasota restaurant closes for good after nearly five years
