After 36 years on Palm Avenue in downtown Sarasota, Caragiulos Italian-American restaurant is preparing for its next chapter. The family-owned eatery, known for its pizza, pasta, patio and loyal following, is relocating from its home in the Mira Mar Plaza building to a newly constructed location on Ringling Boulevard that's less than a mile away. In the meantime, the original location at 69 S. Palm Ave. remains open.

The move comes after Seaward Development acquired the Mira Mar Plaza from longtime owner Dr. Mark Kauffman in 2023 for $17.3 million, despite being denied permission for its demolition. (Seaward Development sought the demolition permit despite a standing 18-year lease with Caragiulos.)

During the process of seeking demolition, Seaward Development submitted engineers' reports to City of Sarasota officials that indicated Mira Mar Plaza was "unsafe" and "unstable." Those reports affected the plaza's commercial tenants, causing confusion for customers visiting the dozens of businesses located in the two-story building—which is also Seaward Development's headquarters.

Built in the 1920s, the plaza's Mediterranean Revival architecture has been a picturesque downtown backdrop for decades. Since Seaward was denied permission to demolish Mira Mar Plaza based on the building's historical merit, the developer now aims to turn the larger site into two 18-story condo towers while maintaining the original facade of the Mira Mar building. Seaward Development has enlisted the help of a historic architectural preservationist to do so, and the public is invited to a workshop on Jan. 23 to engage with the developer's proposed plans, which will require additional sign-off from City of Sarasota commissioners. 

Caragiulos’ future home at 1833 Ringling Boulevard IS a 4,300-square-foot space designed to reflect the restaurant’s legacy but with an updated vibe, is currently under construction and, pending no delays, is expected to open later this year. It's also owned by Kauffmann.

Caragiulos has been a family endeavor since its start in 1989, when Tony Caragiulo and his sons opened the restaurant. Tony, who's originally from Mola di Bari in Southern Italy, spent decades running a bakery in Brooklyn before retiring to Florida with his wife Anna. Not content to stay home, Tony and his sons turned their love of food and hospitality into a thriving business that is a staple of the Sarasota dining scene. (The family is also behind the popular local restaurants Veronica Fish & Oyster and Owen’s Fish Camp.)

“We were a meatball hero and Styrofoam cup kind of place when we first started,” says Paul Caragiulo, one of Tony and Anna’s sons and a current co-owner. Over the years, the restaurant became a comfort food mainstay, with a lunch hour full of regulars—many of whom were nearby local business owners. 

Erin McLeod, a Sarasota resident and longtime customer, worked at Caragiulos in the early 1990s, when her children were young, and they eventually worked there, too. Now 65, McLeod remembers the camaraderie among staff, the regulars who became friends and the dizzying energy of lunch service. “It was very much a local family restaurant,” she says. "I still recognize regulars to this day, decades later.” 

McLeod, now the President and CEO of Senior Friendship Centers, credits her time at Caragiulos with teaching her invaluable people skills that she still uses today.

“I learned how to juggle many things at once and to never let them see you sweat, even while working with difficult personalities,” she says. “Sarasota News and Books [now the site of Italian restaurant Clasico] was open at the time. If it was dead, Rob Caragiulo would go make copies of the crossword puzzle in the newspaper and we’d see who could finish it first."

Although Caragiulos original brick-and-mortar location now hangs in the balance, the Caragiulo family spirit extends beyond the restaurant’s walls. Paul says that many of his family's guests and employees over the years have become close friends. That sense of community is something they aim to carry forward into the Ringling Boulevard location. 

The new space will retain familiar elements while introducing new features, including a focus on music and ambience. “In our family, music is such an important element of how we live our lives,” Paul says, hinting at plans for a midcentury, hi-fi vibe that complements the Italian-American dining experience. Think: Domenico Modugno and Carlo Buti, two Italian singers from that era who ruled the airwaves with talent and swag.

“Restaurants are about storytelling,” Paul says. “We’re bringing our story to a new location, but the heart of what makes Caragiulos special will always be there.”

The new space will seat roughly 150 people and have a full bar. The menu, featuring longtime favorites like pizza, pasta and Anna’s homemade biscotti, will remain largely unchanged, though Paul hints at some updates to presentation and family-style dishes. Dinner will be the primary focus.

Updates on the restaurant's construction and opening plans will be shared through its social media channels. For now, the Caragiulo family focused on carrying forward the warmth and tradition that have made Caragiulos a cherished part of Sarasota life for more than three decades.

“This is the mothership of their food empire," McLeod says. "But it’s more than that—it’s the heartbeat of the family."