Not long after one Sarasota-area Irish pub debuted, another is preparing to reopen at a new location.
The Shebeen Irish Pub & Kitchen hopes to open in early September at its new location in Gulf Gate, at 6607 Gateway Ave. in the former Sarasota Brewing Company space, said owner Eileen Carrigan. The Shebeen will reenter an Irish pub scene that now also includes Delany's Public House, which opened late July in downtown Lakewood Ranch with owners who are all from Ireland, and also own the gastropub Allswell in Lakewood Ranch's Waterside Place.
The Shebeen (an Irish term akin to speakeasy) originally opened on Siesta Key's Midnight Pass Road in late 2022 under the ownership of Ross and Louise Galbraith, who also previously operated Sarasota's Pub
32 Irish Pub & Kitchen. Carrigan, who worked at Pub 32 and The Shebeen, later purchased the latter from the Galbraiths.
After departing The Shebeen's original location in December, Carrigan said there have been months of renovations to the former Sarasota Brewing Company space, which closed in 2022 after a fire and ultimately did not reopen. While Carrigan said "the building itself needed a lot of love," they chose the former Sarasota Brewing Company space because it had the right look and feel.
"An Irish pub, it has its own kind of ambiance, and it has to feel right the moment you walk in the door," Carrigan said. "And the Brewing Company, with that lovely exterior of stone and wood and then the interior with the lovely old bar and fireplace, was exactly what we were looking for."
What will The Shebeen in Sarasota offer?
Much of the menu will stay the same from The Shebeen's original location — including favorites such as its fish and chips, shepherd's and pot pies, and its burger — but additions to the back of house staff should allow for more specials and menu items such as Guinness stew. Unlike its original location, The Shebeen's new space will also have a liquor license that will allow them to serve Irish whiskey and other spirits along with beer and wine.
The space will seat about 120 people, all indoors, and include a bar, booths, three dining rooms and a stage for entertainment. Rather than the green that many typically associate with Irish pubs, the exterior has been painted blue, which Carrigan said is the same exterior color as a pub in Belfast they used as inspiration.
The Shebeen plans to be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and closed Mondays, Carrigan said. For updates and more information, visit The Shebeen's Facebook page or email shebeenirishpub@gmail.com.
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 Irish pub sets reopening at new location
