New restaurant coming soon: Seafood restaurant to open in historic Jensen Beach hotel
What's the name of the new restaurant in Jensen Beach?
Thirsty Turtle Seagrill
Where is Thirsty Turtle Seagrill?
1899 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach
Ground floor of historic Jensen Beach Inn Hotel built in 1909
Known as the Old Brick Block or the R.R. Ricou building
In 1895, Jensen Beach was named the “Pineapple Capital of the World” for shipping over 1 million boxes of pineapples. Meanwhile, local businessman R.R. Ricou operated his fishing operation in Jensen Beach.
In 1908, a fire destroyed downtown Jensen Beach. Ricou and his friend, Henry Flagler, helped save and revitalize Jensen Beach. Flagler built a fireproof train depot while Ricou constructed a large building to support local commerce known as the "Brick Block."
The train depot is gone, but the boutique hotel occupies the second floor of the building.
Who owns Thirsty Turtle Seagrill?
Karen Paranzino and her husband, Joe, took over the original Thirsty Turtle Seagrill in Juno Beach in 1994 after it had been open nine months. They moved north from Fort Lauderdale, where they had been in the restaurant business for six years.
They opened their first location on the Treasure Coast in Port St. Lucie in 2002, followed by their second location in the area in downtown Fort Pierce in 2020. They also opened express locations for takeout and delivery only in Port St. Lucie in 2014 and then Juno Beach in 2022.
That same year, they built a commissary kitchen in Juno Beach to prepare food, which is transported to all locations via refrigerated van. Their son, Ron, who grew up in the business, now is spearheading operations.
Sal Zambito and his partner, who opened their first franchise in West Palm Beach in 2022, are opening their second franchise in Jensen Beach. No other locations currently are planned.
What's on the Thirsty Turtle Seagrill menu?
Appetizers: steamed littleneck clams, peel-and-eat shrimp, clams casino, fried calamari, fried seafood (shrimp, oysters, clams, scallops), coconut shrimp, smoked fish dip, mozzarella cheese sticks, cracked conch, conch fritters, chicken fingers, fried mushrooms, nacho platter, onion rings, sesame seared tuna, spinach and artichoke dip, tuna poke, wing-sauced fish nuggets ($7.95-$16.95)
Soups: chili, conch chowder, New England clam chowder, French onion soup ($6.95)
Salads: coconut shrimp salad, seared scallop cobb salad, baby spinach salad, Mexican salad, chicken stinger salad, shrimp and krab salad, tuna salad, house salad, Caesar salad ($5.95-$18.95)
Fresh fish: mahi mahi, grouper, yellowfin tuna, salmon; served with two sides, lemon and homemade tartar sauce; available grilled, blacked, broiled or fried (market price)
From the Sea: beer-battered shrimp, oysters, clam strips, sea scallops, coconut shrimp seafood combo, fish and chips, cook your own catch; served with two sides ($12.95-$25.95)
Pasta: scallops piccata, seafood silva, seafood trio, shrimp scampi, pasta primavera ($14.95-$24.95)
Southwestern Flair: fish tacos, firecracker shrimp tacos, chicken stinger tacos, quesadilla, chopped chicken bowl ($12.95-$15.95)
For the Landlubber: skirt steak, sirloin steak, chicken breast, baby back ribs; served with two sides ($18.95-$24.95)
Wraps & Sandwiches: chicken fiesta wrap, chicken ranch wrap, chicken stinger wrap, grilled chicken Caesar wrap, Philly cheesesteak, chicken sandwich, chicken stinger sandwich, grilled hot dog, shrimp and krab salad sandwich, tuna salad sandwich, fried oyster po’ boy, fried haddock sandwich, fresh fish sandwich, Reuben, tuna melt, BLT; served with fries, chips or coleslaw ($8.50-$16.95)
Burgers: Angus beef burger, veggie burger, Apache burger, black and blue burger, rowdy Reuben burger, onion wing burger; served with fries, chips or coleslaw ($11.95-$13.95)
Chicken wings: 10-20 pieces cooked to order, well-done and tossed in house-made sauce with a blend of spices, garlic and honey; sauces include hot, medium or mild ($15.95-$31.50)
Sides: rice pilaf, coleslaw, jalapeno bacon mac and cheese, redskin potatoes, steamed broccoli, sweet potato mash, black beans and rice, fries, pasta ($1.95-$5.95)
Desserts: peanut butter pie, Coca-Cola cake, key lime pie, ice cream sundae, turtle egg, ice cream mud pie ($7.95)
When will Thirsty Turtle Seagrill open?
June is the targeted opening date, but it depends on construction and permits.
What are Thirsty Turtle Seagrill's hours?
11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday (11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday for takeout and delivery)
What are Thirsty Turtle Seagrill's locations and phone numbers?
Thirsty Turtle Seagrill restaurants:
Port St. Lucie: 2825 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd., 772-344-7774
Fort Pierce: 108 N. Second St., 772-465-4696
Juno Beach: 13981 U.S. 1, 561-627-8991
West Palm Beach: 10130 Northlake Blvd., 561-660-8911
Thirsty Turtle Seagrill delivery & takeout only:
Port St. Lucie: 2849 S.W. Port St. Lucie Blvd., 772-207-5489
Juno Beach: 13961 U.S. 1, 561-247-7554
What are Thirsty Turtle Seagrill's website and social media?
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New restaurant: Thirsty Turtle seafood restaurant in Jensen Beach Inn
