A popular restaurant known for comfort food classics has made its Sarasota County debut.
Five Nine Grill & Tavern soft-opened Aug. 10 at Blackburn Point Plaza in Osprey.
“We’re a classic cocktail, classic food kind of restaurant,” owner Mike DeGrirolamo said.
The original Five Nine Grill & Tavern opened in Bradenton in December 2023 at Cortez Commons Shopping Center, near the intersection of Cortez Road and 59th Street West. The tavern’s name is a nod to that location.
The tavern strives to offer what DeGrirolamo calls Southern comfort food with a variety of scratch-made dishes and daily specials.
DeGrirolamo spent most of his career working for corporate restaurants before retiring in 2022 and later opening Five Nine Grill & Tavern
With the Manatee
tavern established, DeGrirolamo and his partner looked to move south.
“We were looking to be in South Sarasota and we think this is a good fit for us here, as far as the clientele — the people,” he said. “The area seems to be growing and it fits our vibe.”
Once the Osprey location is established, Five Nine may look into additional taverns farther north in Sarasota or east in Lakewood Ranch.
For now, DeGrirolamo sees plenty of growth potential in Osprey, including a planned 120-room Compass by Margaritaville hotel on Little Sarasota Bay next to Evie’s at Spanish Point.”
What’s on the menu at Five Nine Grill & Tavern?
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., the tavern offers brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., lunch from 2 to 4 p.m., and dinner from 4 to 10 p.m.
Brunch options include loaded omelets, egg skillets, biscuits and gravy and fried chicken and waffles.
Lunch and dinner options include a variety of burgers, such as the farmhouse burger with Angus beef, applewood bacon, cheddar cheese, fried onions and smoked pulled pork on a toasted brioche bun.
Another unique option, the wake and bake burger, includes the Angus beef with a fried egg, cheddar cheese, applewood bacon, hash browns and caramelized onions.
Mac and cheese bowls can be served with everything from Buffalo chicken, barbecue, roasted vegetables or as lobster mac.
The sandwich menu includes fresh grouper sourced at Local Seafood in Tampa Bay.
Dinner items range from an 8-ounce sirloin dinner to ginger citrus salmon, beef liver and onions and ossobuco.
Desserts include a gluten-free deep dish key lime pie, a campfire s’mores brownie, deep dish apple pie, and homemade banana pudding.
If you go
Five Nine Grill & Tavern is located at 1092 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey, in Blackburn Point Plaza, which is on the west side of Tamiami Trail, just north of Blackburn Point Road.
The restaurant soft-opened Aug. 10, with its grand opening set for Monday, Aug. 17.
It is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and offers a full bar with craft cocktails in addition to brunch, lunch and dinner.
The original tavern is located at 5718 Cortez Rd West, Bradenton.
For more information visit fiveninegrilltavern.com.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Popular restaurant makes its Sarasota County debut
