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.
The current location will be transformed into a New York-style pizza and bagel shop called Brew-Za-Bagels.
The BrewBurgers food truck will be parked behind the Elephant s Trunk Thrift Shop at the south end of the plaza during construction as often as possible.
“We had this great opportunity to move to a vacant space located at the south end of the plaza where we have operated for six years, said owner Michael Bacon in a statement. We welcome the larger space so we can host live bands and give our customers more room to enjoy our award-winning burgers and food and our new bar with a full liquor menu. Please bear with us during construction and we look forward to serving you soon!”