The husband-and-wife team behind Osprey Tacos is trading street tacos for sherry and tapas, with John and Erica Thompson preparing a Spanish restaurant at 9 Anastasia Blvd. in St. Augustine. The new venture, Osprey Tapas, marks a dramatic pivot for a couple who built their name on locally sourced Mexican street food.
According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, the Thompsons are the founders behind the planned Spanish eatery, which will bring authentic Spanish cuisine to the Anastasia Boulevard address. The site has previously housed Gas and Bea's Fine Foods, along with other successful ventures, per the same report.
From Central Valley Roots to St. Augustine Street Food
John and Erica Thompson aren't restaurant newcomers to the Ancient City. The couple, who hail from California's Central Valley, opened Osprey Tacos in St. Augustine and had been serving locally sourced Mexican street tacos for eight months by the time staugustine.com profiled the business in 2018. That original restaurant was described as a family-friendly, fresh-on-the-fly spot seating 37 people, with picnic tables outside and bar seating indoors, and a menu built to accommodate vegan, vegetarian and kid-friendly diners.
Erica's path to the restaurant business ran through the classroom. Before helping run Osprey Tacos, she spent 10 years as an elementary school teacher and holds a master's degree in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity, according to Osprey Tacos' own about page. John, meanwhile, spent 15 years sharpening his craft as a fine-dining chef, including stints at Michelin-starred restaurants, before opening Osprey Tacos as his first restaurant after returning to his St. Augustine roots.
A New Chapter on Anastasia Boulevard
The couple describes themselves as a husband-and-wife team with deep family roots in St. Augustine, a identity that's carried through from the taco counter to the new tapas concept. Exactly what Osprey Tapas will serve, when it will open, or how it will operate alongside Osprey Tacos has not been detailed publicly.
St. Augustine already has at least one established name in the Spanish food space to measure the newcomer against. Señora Xerez, located inside the Inn on Charlotte at 52 Charlotte St., specializes in sherry wines, vermouths, sangrias, cocktails and an assortment of Spanish wines, according to Visit St. Augustine. Its menu leans into traditional Spanish tapas such as curated meats and cheeses, octopus and Spanish garlic shrimp, alongside montaditos.
On its own website, Señora Xerez brands itself as an authentic Spanish restaurant in St. Augustine, offering online reservations and ordering as well as catering for corporate meetings, family celebrations and weddings. Whether Osprey Tapas will compete directly in that same lane or carve out its own niche remains to be seen as the Thompsons move forward with their new venture.
