Since the 1980s, downtown Dunedin's Sea Sea Riders has been a staple on Main Street. Now, after nearly one year of renovations, owners Sylvia and Artie Tzekas are ready to show off the restaurant's fresh new urban chic look to hungry locals and tourists.
Located just moments from the water in a 1903 Key West-inspired old Florida cracker house boasting a huge wraparound veranda, Sea Sea Riders has been consistent in serving up Southern cuisine and fresh coastal seafood in a relaxed atmosphere for nearly 27 years-but the Tzekas were ready for change and felt the Dunedin dining scene agreed.
"We've been an iconic part of Dunedin for a very long time and have seen a lot of changes. It's a different place now and the demographics have changed. We needed to update our look to match. The timing just felt right," says Sylvia of the half million dollar renovation, which began in winter of 2014.
The Tzekas' sought the help of Atlanta-based consulting firm Concentrics Restaurants-whose main goal is create one-of-akind restaurants-to help validate their vision of a completely remodeled, open and airy 185-seat coastal dining destination a reality.
"It's a very quaint and charming building, but over the years had become a bit outdated. Overall, it was time for an update," says Sylvia of the restaurant, which was just nominated for "Best Dunedin Restaurant" in Creative Loafing's 2015 Best of the Bay Awards.
"We managed to save the original wood, beams, ceiling details, and windows while opening up the house completely and exposing the ceilings. This ended up giving the building and restaurant the fresh new look it deserved."
A chic new center zinc-topped bar is the renovated restaurant's focal point, which was built by the Tzekas' son, while a local artist crafted the stools and wine rack hanging above the bar. The Tzekas family worked around the clock on a new in concept-including refurbishing ceiling rafters to build tables, expanding the outdoor porch, and constructing a new hostess stand out of wood from a 100-year-old Florida cypress tree.
"It was definitely a family effort. Twenty-five years of love and devotion went into this project-a lot of blood, sweat, and tears! We put our faith into a new idea and jumped into uncharted waters," Sylvia says, who wants diners to expect the unexpected. "Our new look is completely different than what regulars will remember and we want to inspire diners to eat, drink, and be local. Sea Sea Riders is and has always been a place to reminisce and reconnect with friends while creating new memories!"
Thanks to a new open floor plan, sunset views can now be seen from any seat in the building while diners enjoy deliciously prepared, chef-inspired dishes and cocktails crafted by award-winning mixologists that inspire a relaxed, coastal vibe.
But Sea Sea Riders' interior isn't the only thing that's been revived. A new sous chef has helped the entrepreneurial duo update their Southern coastal menu, revamping familiar classics while adding new options and creating tapas-style offerings of the Florida comfort-inspired dishes that have been on the restaurant's menu for more than two decades. The Tzekas took inspiration for their menu from Artie's days fishing off local docks as a child and his own family's seafood restaurant on Clearwater Beach in the early 1960s.
Joining Sea Sea Riders' new look and updated menu is a full calendar of to-dos, including daily lunch and dinner specials, low-key performances by local musicians, and a Social Hour from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. seven days week, featuring $3 house wines and well drinks and buy one, get one Bud Light. Sea Sea Riders is available to rent for private parties.
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