Malio’s Prime Steakhouse owners Derek and Jen Iavarone are trading ribeyes for red snapper, opening Moon by Malio’s, a coastal seafood restaurant in Pass-a-Grille. The new spot is set to take over the Berkeley Beach Club’s ground-floor restaurant at 109 8th Avenue and is expected to open in September. The concept is planned to seat roughly 200 guests across a dining room, patio and rooftop, pairing casual beach lunches with elevated, wild-caught seafood dinners.
Menu, hours and vibe
Moon by Malio’s will operate Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, plus an exclusive Saturday brunch menu and a daily happy hour, as reported by St. Pete Rising. Lunch is set to stay laid-back with burgers, grouper sandwiches and a soft-shell crab po'boy on the lineup, while evenings shift into heartier territory with pastas, charcuterie and seafood towers. The Iavarones have pitched the project as the “playful little sister” to their other restaurants and plan to host occasional rooftop events tied to the full moon.
The space
Moon by Malio’s will move into the Berkeley Beach Club’s ground-floor restaurant space at 109 8th Avenue, an address listed on the hotel’s site. That spot previously housed The Dewey, the hotel’s waterfront restaurant, which the hotel currently lists as temporarily closed. The new concept will cover roughly 4,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor seating. The rooftop is set up for the sunset views that help make Pass-a-Grille a go-to night-out destination, and the overall footprint is designed to handle everything from quick post-beach bites to larger evening parties.
Who’s behind it
Derek and Jen Iavarone, operators of Malio’s Prime Steakhouse downtown and Malio’s Beach House on St. Pete Beach, are steering the Moon by Malio’s project. State business records list MOON BY MALIOS LLC with Derek Iavarone as an officer, according to the Florida Division of Corporations, and Malio’s own site traces the family operation back to the original Malio’s, opened in 1969. Derek told St. Pete Rising the new restaurant "will allow them to be more fun and creative."
Moon by Malio’s is expected to open in September, with owners saying they will lock in a grand-opening date and share menu updates in the coming weeks. For now, the project gives Pass-a-Grille another higher-profile dining option as the beachside neighborhood rebuilds and reimagines its waterfront offerings.
