New restaurant coming to former Chili's spot in Sarasota

A sports bar with three locations in Manatee County is planning to enter the Sarasota market. Ed’s Tavern is featured on a sign outside the former Chili’s at 4131 S. Tamiami Trail, showing the space has been leased and the new eatery will open there in 2027.

The Chili’s in the freestanding building — which is more than 6,000 square feet — closed in 2025.

Ed’s Tavern is known for its array of TV screens so fans can watch their favorite sports while enjoying a meal. The restaurant serves appetizers like fried pickles and potstickers in addition to salads, wings, flatbreads, handhelds, burgers, entrees, sides and desserts. It features a full bar with happy hour running from 3 to 7 p.m. daily.

This will mark the first foray into Sarasota County for Ed’s Tavern, which has two locations in Lakewood Ranch and one in Parrish. According to its website, a fourth restaurant is also coming to West Bradenton, at 7433 Manatee Ave. W. That one is opening “soon,” a staff member at the Rodeo Drive location in Lakewood Ranch tells the Business Observer, reached by phone Monday to confirm the Sarasota location would be opening next year.

The restaurant building at 4131 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota is owned by C Plaza of Sarasota Ltd., according to Sarasota County property records. Milford Inganamort is listed as the registered agent for the LLC, according to the Florida Division of Corporations.

The plaza located around the freestanding restaurant sold last year for $8.9 million to an investor in Brooklyn, New York, the Business Observer previously reported.