Closed & coming soon: Mercato's Asian fusion spot shuts, eclectic Amercan restaurant set

AZN, one of Mercato's first four restaurants that opened in 2010 is no more.

A JLB favorite for Chef Giovani Lozpez's bento box lunches and superb chicken and string beans served its final supper, closing last week.

What's taking its place

So what's going into the cavernous 6,622-square-foot space perched below the soon-to-debut Alamo Drafthouse Cinema?

Tap 42 Craft Kitchen & Bar, better known as Tap 42, is planning a spring opening in 2024.

The menu offers contemporary casual yet somewhat eclectic American cuisine. Deciding between chicken wings or “spicy salmon crispy rice”? Order both. Burgers, savory sushi bowls and steaks cohabit on the same menu.

The chain is famous for its craft beer selections and cocktails. Bottomless boozy brunches are on tap every weekend and happy hour runs during the week.

Restaurant group's first foray into Southwest Florida

It will be Tapco Restaurant Group’s 11th restaurant and first Southwest Florida location. Other Tap 42 outposts pepper the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area. A Palm Beach Gardens location is slated for a 2023 opening, but it hasn’t happened quite yet according to my colleague Liz Balmaseda at The Palm Beach Post.

More about Tap 42: Popular restaurant known for boozy weekend brunches coming to Palm Beach Gardens

Tap 42’s design is a seamless fit for Mercato, incorporating a brighter palette than AZN with furnishings somewhat reminiscent of neighboring The 239 and Hamptons Social’s high-end casual décor.

“We’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make our move over to the Gulf Coast. We’ve always had our eye on the Naples market and when the opportunity arose for a prime location at Mercato, we jumped all over it,” said Tap 42 Partner and Vice President Alex Rudolph in a media statement.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Popular Mercato fusion restaurant is closed; who's taking the space?