"So this isn't goodbye. It's simply 'we'll see you across the street.'"
That's how Nina and Mario Amelio, the brother and sister behind Johnny D's Market & Bistro, ended their note announcing that the South A1A restaurant would close for a year of renovations. The restaurant's website now says the family "served our final guests at this location" and will stay closed through October 2027.
Vero News called this fall's run of island restaurant moves "a dizzying game of musical chairs." The moves are easier to follow once you see they all trace back to two decisions. In South Beach, one owner now holds both sides of South A1A and is building a dining hub around his new property. In Central Beach, The Tides was set to move into that new building, then decided to stay home and widen its hours.
One owner, both sides of the road
The new building next to the 7-Eleven, across South A1A from Johnny D's, belongs to Anthony DeChellis. He is a Moorings resident and former president of Credit Suisse private banking in New York, and his company, Windward Restaurant Concepts, will run the building's restaurant, bar and market. DeChellis also owns the Johnny D's building, plus the commercial building just south of it on A1A.
That explains why Johnny D's is sending people across the street. The Amelios are DeChellis's cousins, and both will join the management team at the new businesses. Every Johnny D's employee was invited to apply there, and DeChellis said "about 10 or 12" had already been hired by Sept. 20. The family's own note says customers will find "many of the foods, wines, and specialty items you already love" at the new market, "along with some familiar Johnny D's faces."
DeChellis has said the goal of these moves is to give South Beach residents "a series of establishments the community can be proud of."
The new building holds three businesses, arranged from the highway back:
- Turtle Cove Gourmet Market sits closest to A1A. Plans call for house-made fresh pastas, seafood, pastries, coffee and other specialty goods.
- Motley Cow sits in the middle. It's an open-air tiki bar under a large palapa roof made of palm fronds.
- Blu Fin is the fine-dining room. Culinary director Sebastian La Rocca, who was born in Argentina, describes it as "rooted in Mediterranean cuisine with Latin inspiration" and "sophisticated without being pretentious."
The hiring shows how big the operation is. In August, Windward set out to hire about 80 people, including a sushi chef, a butcher, a pastry supervisor and a market barista. By Sept. 20, the company had held two job fairs, and La Rocca said about 70 percent of the positions were filled.
The dates are close, but not final
At Johnny D's, the closing came first. At the new building, the opening order is still in flux. The market was originally supposed to open first. As of the Sept. 20 report, Blu Fin was "at present slated" for a soft opening on Oct. 6 and a formal opening in the second week of October, and it might open before the market or at the same time. DeChellis said he was waiting on an important equipment delivery before he could set a firm date.
Reservations aren't live yet either. "We'll open up a computerized reservations system for the restaurant in a couple of weeks," DeChellis said. "People are calling me on my personal phone asking for dining reservations – we've got to do something about that." As of today, no hours have been published for any of the three businesses.
The Johnny D's building won't necessarily come back as the same restaurant. DeChellis's family once ran a liquor store there called South Beach Liquors. Because he still holds a liquor license, he said the next version of the business may be a high-end wine and liquor shop: "In a way, it may be back to the future for the liquor store." No final concept or renovation budget has been announced.
The Tides was supposed to move into that building
Blu Fin's dining room wasn't designed for Blu Fin. The space was built for The Tides, one of the island's best-known fine-dining restaurants. That deal fell apart late in construction, and DeChellis brought in La Rocca to start a new concept.
When the move was first announced, Johnny D's managers said they didn't see The Tides as competition across the road because the two restaurants drew different crowds. Johnny D's was a casual, family-style place with $22 summer specials and $6 glasses of wine. Entrées at The Tides cost quite a bit more. That price gap matters this fall. For a while, the restaurant serving the South Beach end of the island will be a Mediterranean fine-dining room, not a neighborhood bistro. The market will carry some of the Johnny D's menu in the meantime.
Executive chef and owner Leanne Kelleher said she changed her mind about moving because the restaurant's vintage 1950s converted house means a lot to many of her regular customers. TCPalm reports that The Tides reopens Oct. 1 with a new look and an updated menu, after 26 years in the 76-year-old building. The restaurant is at 3103 Cardinal Drive.
What staying put changed at The Tides
The Tides has always been dinner only. That changes when it reopens. On Aug. 20, the city's Planning and Zoning Board voted 5-0 to let Kelleher add Sunday brunch and weekday takeout lunches under the restaurant's existing permits. No start date for either service had been published as of the September reports.
Kelleher's case for takeout came from her own experience. She first offered takeout during the COVID closure. She said it was popular with customers even though it didn't make much money, and many of those customers walked over from nearby homes. She also plans a free "membership club," which she described as "a VIP invitation to my best customers" for about 100 people who can stop in for pre-packaged items. "It's like a market for pay-as-you-go crab cakes or other items – stop by and take home some of our gourmet food."
The approval came with one condition. The new services are tied to the restaurant's current management, so a new owner would have to apply again.
The hearing also brought up parking, an old Central Beach issue. Neighboring business owner Nancy Cook said she supported The Tides and its brunch plan, and she asked the city to try again for a full solution to beachside parking. "Every space is really valuable," she said. Planning and Development Director Jason Jeffries said he didn't expect takeout lunches to increase traffic or parking demand on Cardinal Drive. If you plan to try the new Sunday brunch during season, it's worth walking.
Where things stand as of Sept. 30
Place | Location | Status | What's different |
|---|---|---|---|
Johnny D's Market & Bistro | South A1A | Closed | Renovating through October 2027. May return as a wine and liquor shop |
Turtle Cove Gourmet Market | South A1A, next to the 7-Eleven | Opening in November, date not set | Carries many Johnny D's favorites, with some familiar staff |
Motley Cow | Same building | Opening in November, date not set | Open-air tiki bar under a palapa roof |
Blu Fin | Same building | Open | Mediterranean fine dining with Latin influences. Reservations system coming |
The Tides | 3103 Cardinal Drive | Open | Updated room and menu. Adding Sunday brunch and weekday takeout lunch |
One more Ocean Drive change is already open. Vero Grounds Coffee opened Aug. 29 at 3001 Ocean Drive, in the Park Place plaza across from the ocean.
The fall calendar around Humiston Park
Central Beach also has a construction project starting this fall. The city awarded Ferreira Construction a $1,767,109.77 contract to rebuild the Humiston Beach Park boardwalk, which hurricanes Ian and Nicole destroyed in 2022. The plan is a 427-foot walkway with two covered pavilions, and the southern one will have an accessible ramp. Work is set to start Nov. 1, after sea turtle nesting season ends, and to finish before nesting season returns in March. Parts of the park and beach will close as needed, with advance notice to residents.
Here are the island dates for the next several weeks:
- Oct. 1: The Tides reopens on Cardinal Drive.
- Oct. 6: Blu Fin's planned soft opening. The formal opening is planned for the second week of October.
- Oct. 10: Sunset Saturdays at Humiston Park, a free concert from 5 to 8 p.m. with Johnny & The Blaze.
- Nov. 1: Boardwalk construction is scheduled to begin.
- Nov. 8 and Nov. 22: Vero Beach Art Club's Art in the Park at Humiston Park, 3000 Ocean Drive, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Nov. 14: Sunset Saturdays returns to Humiston with Stacy's Soul.
The November events at Humiston fall after construction is set to begin. Check with the organizers before you go in case part of the park is fenced off.
Questions about the island usually go beyond which house to buy. Clients ask where they'll get coffee, which dinner spot they can walk to, and what a block will feel like during season. If you'd like to talk through how this fall's changes affect daily life on the barrier island, Ceci Sutcliffe and the team are glad to help. Schedule a consultation.
