Locally founded taco restaurant, craft beer/tequila bar to soon open new Sarasota location
A locally founded restaurant and bar will soon expand with a new Sarasota location, joining a development that's growing as well.
Irma's Tacos, Craft Beer & Tequila Bar plans to open in late October at Fruitville Commons, said managing partner Tommy Villani, where it'll join other businesses including restaurant and winery Cooper's Hawk, sports bar chain Twin Peaks, and an in-the-works new location for Sarasota brewery Big Top Brewing Company. It will be the second location for Irma's Tacos, which opened in Wellen Park in 2020. Villani is also a proprietor of fellow Wellen Park business Villani & Co. Steaks Seafood Raw Bar, Italian restaurant Lucarelli's in Venice and, formerly, Venice brewpub Off the Wagon.
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As its name suggests, Irma's Tacos originated in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in 2017. While Off the Wagon never lost power, it had reduced its inventory in the expectation that it might, and when crowds came to the restaurant in search of air conditioning, drinks and food, Villani said all they could serve were tacos. When the initial Irma's Tacos location proved a success, he wanted to expand, but struggled to find the right spot until Fruitville Commons.
"When I saw that Cooper's Hawk was having the amount of success they were on Fruitville, in the Fruitville Commons, it was kind of a no-brainer for us," Villani said. "We kind of consider that area almost a restaurant desert, and for us to be able to go in there and bring our concept in line with Twin Peaks, Cooper’s Hawk, Big Top, it makes that whole area into almost like a little mini-downtown destination area for people who don’t necessarily want to go all the way up to Lakewood Ranch or downtown Sarasota."
The new location's menu will be the same as the original Irma's Tacos, Villani said, which offers tacos ranging from the traditional al pastor and carne asada to more eclectic fillings such as fried gator and Korean short rib, with numerous non-meat options as well. While tacos make up the majority of the menu, there are also some other similar dishes such as fajitas and flautas.
The restaurant will also offer more than 100 tequilas and 10-20 mezcals, craft cocktails including multiple margaritas and a tequila old fashioned, and mostly Florida craft beers on tap — including Venice's 3 Bridges Brewing, which previously operated out of Off the Wagon before recently opening its own brewery, taproom and restaurant. The Fruitville Commons location has around 2,750 square feet of indoor space, Villani said, with about an additional 600 square feet of patio seating.
Irma's Tacos' Sarasota location is at 3080 Fruitville Commons Blvd. Suite 100 and plans to be open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. For more information, call 941-217-6594 or visit facebook.com/irmastacosfruitvillecommons.
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Irma's Tacos restaurant, bar to soon open new Sarasota location
