St. Pete Beach wine lounge Sea Grapes reopens next week as a full-service restaurant

One of St. Pete Beach’s most beloved wine lounges is getting a culinary facelift with the help of a celebrated local chef.

Sea Grapes—located at 6390 Gulf Blvd.—previously boasted a menu of “light fare” to complement its extensive wine list, but will soon transform into a full service restaurant under the guidance of Chef Alex Rodriguez.

Sea Grapes Eatery and Wine Lounge is slated to debut on Thursday, March 9, with a full appetizer, entree, dessert and cocktail menu, according to its social media. It will remained closed ahead of its grand reopening next week.

Chef Rodriguez is known for his creative Latin-influenced food, timelessly showcased at Lolita’s Wine Market and St. Pete cafe Sammy + Paco’s, two local concepts he co-owns with his wife Kelly Rodriguez-Laureano.

Sea Grapes co-owners Julie Featherston and John Barkett opened their beachside wine bar and lounge two years ago and has been expanding the business since. ILovetheBurg says that its upcoming menu will be full of hearty, wine-friendly eats like Cuban-style pork belly, crab cake croquettes, and beef short-rib with shishito peppers, mole and chimichurri. 

While there’s a few similarities between Rodriguez’ menu at  Lolita’s and Sea Grapes’ new offerings—like its jerk lamb lollipops, whipped feta and paella—the soon-to-open St. Pete Beach restaurant will certainly have a few distinct dishes.

Sea Grapes’ website is also under construction as the wine bar and restaurant prepares for its reopening this month.

While St. Pete wine bar Lolita’s is up and running at 16 18th St. S slinging Rodriguez’ Latin-inspired eats, the the status of Sammy + Paco’s is unsure, as Google has the cafe listed as temporarily closed.

According to the Herald Tribune, Rodriguez has also worked with a number of celebrity chefs, including Bobby Flay, Jose Andres, Geoffrey Zakarian, in addition to running kitchens in Miami, NYC and Columbus. In the Tampa Bay area, he’s helmed kitchens at Sophia’s Cucina & Enoteca and Hotel Zamora’s Castille restaurant.
When Sea Grapes Eatery and Wine Lounge reopens its doors later next week, it will offer dinner service from 5p.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4 p.m.-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m.-8 p.m. on Sundays. For reservations, call (727) 500-0052. For the latest updates on Sea Grapes and its newly-added dinner menu, head to its Facebook page or Instagram at @seagrapeseatery.

This article appears in Mar 2-8, 2023.