Q: Afsona Restaurant on Tamiami Trail by the hospital was supposed to be back from vacation on Oct. 17 but it has paper on the windows, and it’s all torn up inside now. Are they redoing the restaurant or is something else going in? — Mike Russo, Naples
A: A new cafe is replacing Afsona in that longtime dining space in Naples. It’s one of two new eateries coming to Trinity Plaza, the retail strip fronting U.S. 41 at Third Avenue North that already is home to Grouper & Chips, Opa Greek Restaurant, Mercato Italiano and Cak’d.
Lavender Cafe & Bistro is targeted to open before the end of the year after renovating the 1,200-square-foot end space that had hosted Afsona, a locally operated restaurant that served Uzbek and European cuisine for more than two years. Afsona debuted Christmas Eve 2020 and closed in mid-July this summer.
“My new restaurant is under construction right now. I’m trying to open before Christmas. I would like to open as soon as possible,” said Lavender co-owner Hakan Karsavuran, who has returned to Naples after previously launching Vourla Mediterranean Grill & Cafe at Coastland Center mall.
Karsavuran’s new local restaurant venture will greatly veer west from his Turkish roots.
“It’s totally different,” he said. “I’m trying something new here.”
Karsavuran is calling Lavender a modern diner serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner with a menu that includes items such as short ribs, steaks, pasta, flatbreads and seafood such as lobster, branzino and Chilean sea bass.
“I have a crazy idea. I put what I like to eat, basically,” he said. “It’s kind of fun—all sorts of foods.”
For breakfast, expect egg dishes, avocado toast and a traditional Mediterranean breakfast tray.
Lavender will have beer, wine and wine cocktails. The small, dine-in restaurant has covered outdoor dining along Third Avenue across from the NCH Downtown Baker Hospital.
Maria D’Anna Café had an eight-year run in that space until March 2020 but the highly visible location at 300 Ninth St. has been numerous other restaurants over the years, including Jane’s, Fannie’s Oven and Simply Cupcakes.
More Floridita
Another longtime restaurant space in the middle of that same Trinity Plaza retail strip also has a new tenant coming soon. Floridita Cuban Cafe is replacing the 1,176-square-foot space recently vacated by Caribbean Island Restaurant. That unit at 318 Ninth St. N. also previously was home to Magayon Filipino restaurant, Gallo Fina Café and Leoni’s Pizza.
Floridita actually has two new locations in the works. The local business that promotes itself as “a piece of Cuba under the Naples sky,” has another new location planned to replace the former Industry Pizza & Slice Shop that closed this summer in the retail center on the northeast corner of Pine Ridge Road and Yahl Street in North Naples.
Floridita Cuban Bakery Restaurant has operated a Golden Gate location for more than 10 years in the Sunshine Ace Hardware Plaza on the northwest corner of Collier Boulevard and Golden Gate Parkway. Expect that spot to continue to serve Cuban classics adjacent to Brasas Steakhouse & Grill, which also is a member of the Floridita family. Floridita also used to have a location on Airport-Pulling Road in East Naples.
More new eateries
The Floridita Cuban Cafe coming to 2075 Pine Ridge Road will join another new dining option— a restaurant within a restaurant—in that L-shaped center bookended by the longtime Restaurant Bonjour and Chinatown restaurant.
Katz’s New York Deli recently set up shop inside Gourmet Mama, 2063 Pine Ridge Road, the unit next to Chinatown. Gourmet Mama, which launched in late 2021, specializes in home-cooking and takeaway meals, such as stroganoff, meatloaf, pot roast, stuffed cabbage rolls and meatballs. Although not directly affiliated with the iconic Katz’s Delicatessen in lower Manhattan, the local Katz’s adds matzoh ball soup, brisket, pastrami and corned beef sandwiches to Mama’s mix.
North Naples residents and New York City transplants Steve and Fran Katz previously had offered their Big Apple food favorites locally via online orders for pickup and delivery. The new physical location allows diners to stop in from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday for foodie finds such as bagels, sliced meats and sides such as knishes, latkes and chopped liver.
Few people would know the center by its name–Orange Pine Plaza–but it wraps around the Speedway station (formerly Hess Express) on the north side of busy Pine Ridge. That plaza has seen many other restaurants come and go over the years, including Patric’s, Paul’s Donuts & Lunch, Mimi’s Cooking, Saffron Indian Restaurant, Grouper Grille, Falafel Grill, Pee-Wee’s Diner, Sun Side Café and even the original Noodles.
A couple of other “new” eateries in that plaza include Hanoi Quán, a Vietnamese restaurant that opened in June 2022 in the former space of Patric’s; and 239 Nutrition, a local juice bar that opened two summers ago near Gourmet Mama.
Pizzeria progress
Q: Any update on Donatos Pizza shop coming to Naples? Thanks! — Brittney E., Naples
A: Donatos is definitely getting closer to the Naples area. The pizzeria chain based in Columbus, Ohio, with a motto of “Every Piece Is Important,” plans to launch in North Naples before the end of this year.
“Barring any hangups with construction, we’re targeting Dec. 12 as our opening day,” said Jason Hood, general manager of the Naples location.
The first Donatos in the area will open in the former space of Naples Flatbread & Wine Bar in the Promenade at Naples Centre near the intersection of Naples Boulevard and Airport-Pulling Road. Although the unit at 6434 Naples Blvd. previously was a pizzeria, Donatos is busy converting it to its specifications.
“Our restaurants are designed for high capacity and efficient dine-in, pick-up and first- and third-party delivery, so our processes require a specific kitchen design,” said Jeff Baldwin, vice president of development and franchising for Donatos. “This space will look like a brand new Donatos. We will have 32 indoor seats plus patio seating under the covered overhang in front.”
Donatos is working on an additional four or five locations across Naples and Fort Myers during the next couple of years, Baldwin said.
The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com.
