Seafood and steak restaurant opens in Manatee County

A new seafood and steak restaurant with two locations in Southwest Florida has opened in Manatee County. Oar & Iron, an upscale casual brand that has restaurants in Fort Myers and Naples, is now serving patrons in Parrish.

The new restaurant is within the Creekside Commons plaza, at 8710 U.S. 301 N., Unit 120. It spans nearly 5,500 square feet and can accommodate more than 225 patrons, according to a statement.

On the menu are appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, seafood, steaks and other entrees. Among the offerings are the New England lobster roll, prime rib roast and diver scallops.

Built around scratch cooking, the restaurant serves up each dish made to order. Its entire menu can be prepared gluten-free and allergy-free if requested.

Oar & Iron Raw Bar & Grill was established in the past two years as part of RAVentures, which owns hospitality brands as well as real estate and development companies and is based in Westford, Massachusetts. Its restaurant brands are primarily in the Northeast. (Its brands on the west coast of Florida include Kelly's Roast Beef.)

The first Oar & Iron location, at Founders Square in Naples, opened in December 2023, while the restaurant at Palmetto Commons in Fort Myers opened in February 2025.

"Our first two Florida openings showed us just how much these communities were craving an elevated but comfortable place to gather over fresh seafood, steaks and cocktails," Jeff Doward, regional director of RAVentures Hospitality, says in a statement. "Now, with our third location in Parrish, we're excited to continue building momentum and welcome new guests into the Oar & Iron experience.”

According to the Oar & Iron website, a future restaurant is also in the works for Southwest Florida: An Oar & Iron location is listed as "coming soon" to The Shoppes at Yellow Pine at 42070 Cypress Parkway in Babcock Ranch.