Navillus Bar & Grill brings an upscale Caribbean flair to Orleans. What's on the menu?

ORLEANS — The newest restaurant in town is off to a great start, according to co-owner Sean Sullivan.

Sullivan and partner, Sam O’Connor, opened Navillus Bar & Grill on March 1 after completing an entire renovation of the space that Guapo’s used to occupy in the Orleans Marketplace on Route 6A.

The black industrial ceiling was spray-painted white. Walls were turned navy blue and light gray. Tables with blond wooden chairs greet customers at the door and banquettes surround the outer walls of the eatery.

A series of white cubby holes filled with nautical and Cape Cod motifs − a photo of lobster traps, a model sailboat, a whale's tale sculpture —decorates a far wall opposite the bar. In the middle is a red sign spelling "Navillus."

The name is a nod to a Sullivan family tradition. Sullivan's uncles have similar signs on their sheds and over their workshops. His father had one painted on an oar that stood outside a cottage when he moved to the Cape.

But it’s the 32-seat bar made from whitewashed shiplap that is the focal point of the 3,200-square-foot restaurant.

At 5 p.m. on Thursday half of the seats at the rectangular bar were occupied. Customers can sit on three sides and watch one of six large screen televisions overhead. Hockey and baseball games, a golf match and horse racing were playing that early evening. The restaurant boasts nine screens strategically placed around the restaurant.

Executive Chef Julio Lazzarini has created a menu with a Caribbean flair, with lunch and dinner offerings, appetizers, soup and salads and three popular items for children.

“We wanted to find that in-between culinary experience that wasn’t fine dining but not your traditional Cape Cod bar cuisine,” Sullivan said. “We wanted it to be little more elevated, a little more elegant, approachable and upscale from a food perspective but in a casual dining atmosphere.”

Prices range from $19 to $26 for "Handhelds" or sandwich-style items, from $16 (Kung Pao Cauliflower) to Market (Chilean-style ceviche) for appetizers, and from $24 (Vera Cruz fish tacos) to $39 (grilled bone-in pork chop).

The food isn’t just upscale, it’s beautiful. Lazzarini’s pan-roasted scallops are served on a bed of roasted carrot risotto and topped with a wispy grilled fennel and arugula salad. A Peruvian-style seafood paella had shrimp, calamari, mussels, swordfish, chorizo, roasted tomatoes and sweet peas perfectly arranged on a bed of saffron rice.

Some dishes come decorated with thin crispy slices of plantain or lotus root, frisee, pickled red onion or peppers. Creating consistency in the menu, cross-utilizing food and presenting beautiful dishes are Lazzarini's focus.

“We want to get people to trust us,” Lazzarini said. “The food we’re making, the things we’re making, to understand the concepts of the food and how we’re processing and assembling food and how it gets to table.”

The tuna tartare (sweet chili glaze, edamame, avocado and cilantro) was a hit with Sadie Hill, who was visiting Navillus for the first time. The Brussels sprouts (with crumbled blue cheese, julienned apples and dried cranberries) were “amazing” according to Rebecca Hill. The women hadn’t yet started in on a plate of nachos (Oaxaca cheese chorizo fondue and pico de gallo).

“We wanted to give it a try,” Hill said. “We both worked in the restaurant industry for many years. It’s what you do. You try out a new restaurant in town.”

Bar manager Will Belscher said one of the most popular alcoholic beverages was the Blue Basil Lemonade with Stoli blueberry vodka, basil syrup and Viv’s Blue Majik Lemonade. Nautilus has partnered with nearby Viv’s Kitchen and Juice Bar to use two of their cold-pressed juices for cocktails.

Lazzarini said he'd like to offer some upscale farm-to-table meals in the future. A partially enclosed outdoor patio will open in the warm weather.

Lazzarini's chicken wings, a special for the March Madness beer and wing crowd, are done with a Caribbean flair with pineapple and Fresno pepper hot sauce. They were a popular item according to Sullivan, who is counting on the nine televisions to bring in more of the Final Four crowd.

Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com . 

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Navillus Bar & Grill opens in Orleans, as upscale Caribbean restaurant