A Sarasota restaurant and bar will close, with the business next door buying the space, while its owner will join the team of another neighbor's recently announced new location.
The 1818 Grill, named for its 1818 S. Osprey Ave. address in Sarasota's Southside Village neighborhood, will shut its doors after a final day of business Saturday, Sept. 26. Owner Tommy Lovell took over the space in 2024 that at the time was still Knick's Tavern & Grill, which had been open since 2002, with the name later changing to The 1818 Grill.
In an interview with the Herald-Tribune, Lovell attributed the closure to a particularly difficult off-season in the Sarasota area this summer, as well as other economic factors including the rising prices of gas, produce,
cooking oil and beef.
“In 2024 and 2025, I had a prime rib dinner every Friday and Saturday night and I couldn’t afford it anymore — I could afford it, but I didn’t want to pass those costs off to the customers," Lovell said. "I couldn’t justify a $50 prime rib dinner to try and make a little bit of money off that. My prime rib dinners were always around $37, $40, and I just didn’t want to give that to the customer, so I stopped doing prime rib on Friday and Saturday nights.”
What's next for The 1818 Grill's space and owner?
Lovell is selling the business to the Siciliano family that owns Legends Sports Pub next door at 1816 S. Osprey Ave. and said it will expand to a full bar and restaurant. Legends currently has a beer and wine license and does not have a food menu.
Meanwhile, Lovell will join Alma de España — opened last year in Southside Village by chef/owner Elier Rodriguez at 1830 S. Osprey Ave. in the former Ka Papa Cuisine space, serving Spanish tapas and grill dishes — as general manager and sommelier at the restaurant's new downtown Sarasota location.
As previously reported by the Herald-Tribune, Alma de España will be moving into the recently shuttered space of acclaimed restaurant Indigenous at 239 S. Links Ave. in downtown Sarasota's Towles Court neighborhood, with plans for Alma de España to reopen at its new location at the beginning of November.
“I’m going to run his front of the house, and then I’m also going to be his sommelier, and I’m going to pour a great wine for him," Lovell said. "Those are the parts and the pieces that I’ve loved in my restaurant over the years.”
Along with Legends Sports Pub and Alma de España, The 1818 Grill is part of a row of restaurants and bars that also includes Lucky 8, chef and co-owner Mark Majorie's New Orleans-inspired eatery that received the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand designation earlier this year, and Majorie's former establishment Veronica Fish and Oyster.
Asked if he had any final message he wanted to share about The 1818 Grill, Lovell said "I would just love to thank the neighborhood."
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota restaurant to close as neighboring bar plans expansion
