Beloved St. Pete British Restaurant Reopening In Gulfport After Closing In 2021

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A beloved Beach Drive staple, The Moon Under Water, is reopening in a new location in Gulfport after closing its doors in early 2021.

The British restaurant will open at 2832 Beach Blvd. S., which was most recently home to The Drunken Taco, by early 2026, co-owner Mike Crippin told Patch. '

“It’s a big space and it’s gonna probably be about a three- or four-month renovation,” he said. “So, January, February time.”

Crippin, who owned the recently closed Studio Public House in St. Pete with his wife, Alison, was the executive chef at The Moon Under Water.

He’s reviving the concept as an owner with Kevin Milkey, who also owns Grand Central Brewhouse.

The new location is about 5,000 square feet and twice the size of the original restaurant. It can seat between 250 and 300 people, “depending on the configuration,” Crippin said.

In addition to dining areas, including an outdoor courtyard, there will be two bars — a long bar transformed into “a kinda Irish, English-style traditional pub bar” and a 20-seat indoor bar that is “a bit more high-end cocktails,” he said.

The space also has two stages, one indoors, the other outdoors.

“We’re going to be very behind live music,” Crippin said.

Despite the focus on live music and viewings of soccer matches, those who come by The Moon for a bite to eat won’t be disturbed by the events.

“You can actually have dinner and not hear all the crazy English people watching the soccer game 40 feet away,” he said.

The restaurant will also heavily lean into its British ties.

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“We’re not gonna sugarcoat it. Everything is gonna be full on British … because we haven’t got that full-on traditional English pub in this area,” according to Crippin. “So, like phone boxes and suits of armor and lots of Union Jacks.”

The menu will be “Moon nostalgic,” he added. Some items will be given a healthier or more modern twist, though.

It will also lean into Studio Public House favorites, particularly sandwiches like The Englishman and The Bollywood, and vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-friendly offerings.

And for those in St. Pete who are concerned about The Moon opening in Gulfport, it’s not a big distance, Crippin said. “It’s only a 12-minute drive from the original one. That’s 12 minutes beach to beach and then only two minutes to free parking, instead of 30 minutes to park.”