Spanish restaurant to open in newly purchased Sarasota location

A Spanish restaurant in Sarasota is opening in a new downtown location. Alma de España, which made its debut on South Osprey Avenue near Southside Village, will welcome diners Nov. 1 to its new spot at 239 S. Links Ave., a property the restaurant's owner recently purchased.

The nearly 1,100-square-foot restaurant sold for $1.65 million on Sept. 28, according to Sarasota County property records. The seller is Apex Property Holdings LLC. Previously, the building was occupied by Indigenous, a restaurant that closed in mid-September. 

Cathedral Hospitality Holdings LLC was the buyer of 239 S. Links Ave., Sarasota County property records show. The LLC is registered to Elier Rodriguez, according to state business filings. Rodriguez is the chef and owner of Alma de España, which translates to “soul of Spain.”

Alma de España closed its South Osprey Avenue location Sept. 30 and spent the past month readying the restaurant on South Links Avenue for the Nov. 1 grand opening. The event will feature live guitar and percussion music, a flamenco dance performance and authentic Spanish tapas and cocktails.

On the menu at the Links Avenue restaurant will be items from gazpacho to paella to flan that reflect the flavors of Spain and Cuba, where Rodriguez was born and raised. After his first culinary lessons from his grandmother, he went on to study at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta. Since then, Rodriguez has worked at prestigious restaurants from Le Cirque Las Vegas to The Fontainebleau Miami Beach. He spent two years honing his craft at Spanish restaurant Picasso inside the Bellagio in Las Vegas, which earned two Michelin stars, and trained under a Michelin-awarded chef at Del Mar in Washington, D.C.