The last of St. Petersburg’s “Urban”-named eateries, Urban Brew and BBQ, is closing its doors on Saturday after over 12 years in the Grand Central District.
The closure of its spot at 2601 Central Avenue was announced on social media last Saturday.
“Through all of the adventures and challenges of the last 12 years—hurricanes, COVID, changing locations—we still love sharing BBQ, beer and bourbon – thank you for allowing us to,” the post read.
Owner Andy Salyards told St. Pete Rising that expenses for running the business had gotten too high.
“Revenue has stayed about the same, but at the end of the day, you need such a high sales volume to make it work,” Salyards said.
The restaurant, which won several of Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay titles, most recently a 2024 editor’s pick for “Best Thing To Happen To Grilled Cheese Ever” for its “adult grilled cheese.” .
The staple for barbecue enthusiasts was also the first of several restaurants under Salyards’ Urban Restaurants Group. Opening in 2013, Urban Brew and BBQ honored Salyards’ childhood favorites and was quickly followed by Urban Comfort, Urban Provisions and Urban Creamery, all established in the Grand Central District.
The group saw many changes in recent years: Urban Provisions became Urban Deli and Drafts before closing in 2017, Ubran Brew and BBQ moved to share a space with Urban Comfort in 2019, Salyards left the St. Petersburg food scene to be with family in Tennessee and in 2022 Urban Creamery closed.
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