A new Sarasota restaurant and cocktail bar featuring shareable plates, specialty beverages and Mediterranean-inspired flavors recently opened in the heart of downtown.
Baldoria occupies the former Block 15 Cork & Craft wine bar space at 1528 Main St. It's the latest concept by Riccardo Margarella and Paola Pignata, the restaurateurs behind My Momma Italian Kitchen at 3105 N. Tamiami Trail.
Baldoria features a tapas assortment with Italian and Spanish twists as well as focaccia sandwiches, craft pasta plates and pizzas.
Pignata told the Herald-Tribune that Baldoria combines several different cultures to shape the vision for the space, citing the owners' shared Italian heritage and other traditions or flavors they encountered — and fell in love with
— during their travels, including the Spanish way of sharing plates.
“Our Mediterranean concept allows us to combine different cultures and flavors while keeping the experience approachable and informal,” she said. "The atmosphere is very important to us. We designed Baldoria to feel lively and social, but still centered around food, conversation and the experience of being together.”
In addition to its culturally inspired craft plates, Baldoria offers a self-pour beer and wine wall with 24 taps of craft beverages, as well as craft cocktails.
The renovation process of the more than 2,000-square-foot building took more than two months to prepare the space, the restaurant owners said. The duo said they built on the previous wine bar’s existing infrastructure while making interior choices that gave Baldoria its own character
Margarella added that the decoration seen throughout the restaurant and the curated atmosphere reflects the owners’ heritage or travels, in that “every detail tells a small part of our story.” Even the name, Baldoria, is an Italian word that encapsulates celebration, having fun and spending quality time with good company, which is what they hope to accomplish with the space, he added.
“Baldoria sits somewhere between a restaurant, a cocktail bar and a social gathering space,” Pignata said. “The idea is not only to come for dinner, but also to stop by for a cocktail and a tapa, share several dishes with friends, enjoy a bottle of wine, or simply spend the evening with us.”
Baldoria’s hours are Monday through Thursday, from 4 to 10:30 p.m., with extended hours until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is open on Sundays from 4 to 10 p.m. The owners told the Herald-Tribune that, by mid-October, the pair expects to start offering lunch, in addition to its dinner and evening services.
To learn more about Main Street’s newest restaurant, visit BaldoriaSarasota.com or @Baldoria_SRQ on Instagram.
Kendal Asbury is the real estate and development reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Have an idea, tip or question about development? Send her an email at kasbury@usatodayco.com. Connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Instagram @wordsbykendal, and support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New downtown Sarasota restaurant brings a taste of the Mediterranean
