The Moon Under Water will return to St. Pete

A former Beach Drive British pub and restaurant is set to make its return to downtown St. Petersburg, after a four-year hiatus.

The Moon Under Water served patrons at 332 Beach Drive NE for more than 20 years before it closed in February 2021 during the pandemic, which significantly impacted many businesses in the hospitality industry. Owners Alan and Suzanne Lucas sold the restaurant to Caledon Concepts; the restaurant group converted the location to a Ceviche in 2022.

Now, Alison and Mike Crippin, the executive chef at the original Moon Under Water, and Kevin and Jeanne Milkey, owners of Grand Central Brewhouse, are collaborating to bring the restaurant back. 

“Anytime you mention it to anyone that’s been around a while, they’ve gotten real excited about the Moon Under Water. It was very, very popular place,” Milkey said.

While the exact location has not been disclosed, Milkey revealed that the new spot will be “basically a five-minute walk from the old or the original Moon Under Water location.”

The team is currently in the due diligence period with an existing business that has a long lease at the potential new site. They are negotiating with the landlord and hope to finalize the deal by April 30.

“We’re right now working with an architect and just trying to come up with a design plan and that is very much like a British pub,” Milkey explained.

“Indian-style curry is an important part of the menu,” Milkey said, explaining what they’ll be keeping for the new The Moon Under Water food program.

The new owners plan to maintain much of the original menu, including popular items like curries, fish and chips and pot pies. However, Milkey hinted that some new dishes might be introduced from Crippin’s current establishment, Studio Public House.

“Mike has come up with some popular dishes at his current place, so it’s likely that some of the favorites from over there will trickle into the menu,” Milkey said. “So it won’t be identical to the old menu, but we’ll certainly have all the favorites that people talk about, all the classic British dishes.”

The timeline for opening remains uncertain due to potential delays in the permitting process. Milkey estimates it could take about a year from now, allowing three to four months for permitting and four to five months for the buildout.

“The concern that we have is getting the permitting through the city. There’s obviously thousands of homeowners that are still working to get back in their homes after the hurricanes, so it’s kind of the wild card,” he explained.

Despite the challenges ahead, Milkey expressed enthusiasm about bringing back a St. Petersburg favorite.

“It’s not something I necessarily expected to be doing at this point in my life, but I’m excited about the opportunity because it was absolutely one of my favorite places to go for years,” Milkey said. “It’s awesome to be part of bringing it back to the city, and I know there’s a lot of support for it.”

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