Selva opening UTC location
A longtime downtown Sarasota dining and drinking destination is expanding its reach, joining the bustling University Town Center shopping district.
Selva Grill, the Main Street restaurant featuring an emphasis on Peruvian cuisine, is opening its second location at 67 N. Cattlemen Road, across from Target. The UTC location plans to open this week, said general manager Angelo Souflis.
Since moving to its current Main Street location in 2004 – formerly owned and founded by renowned chef Darwin Santa Maria, who now operates Darwin Peruvian Eatery – Selva has become a downtown Sarasota staple. It earned national press in 2007 when the New York Times included it in a Sarasota travel piece, calling it quite possibly the best food in town. Selva s expansion to UTC was announced in December 2019, but its opening was delayed amid the pandemic.
When the pandemic hit everyone, all construction came to a halt and we had a huge delay, but hopefully we re back on track, Souflis said. We did remarkable progress actually, the past three months, with all the construction and everything. So the place looks beautiful.
The UTC location s menu will be essentially identical to downtown Sarasota when it opens, though specials may be added over time. Selva is known for its ceviches, as well as entrees like skirt steak topped with chimichurri and beet relish and served over plantains.
The new location will also serve liquor, with Selva s drink menu featuring cocktails such as the popular Peruvian pisco sour. It also plans to offer a happy hour – along with adding the Main Street location s late-night menu in the future, Souflis said – as well as DJs on the weekends like in downtown Sarasota.