New restaurant with Latin, Southern food & tequila, whiskey room to replace American Grill

A new restaurant that combines Latin and Southern cuisines is coming to the South Vero Square plaza.

The Twisted Lime Restaurant & Bar is expected to open in January at the former location of Arturo’s American Grill on U.S. 1 in Vero Beach.

It’s the third Treasure Coast restaurant created by Gary Sofen, who opened 2nd Street Bistro in downtown Fort Pierce in 2012 and Island Beach Bar & Restaurant in Ocean Village on South Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce in 2021.

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Arturo’s American Grill closed Oct. 29, Sofen said, and he was in there the next day to begin construction for the new restaurant. He wants to open quickly to catch the busy season.

The Twisted Lime Restaurant & Bar will be like 2nd Street Bistro with an outdoor bar, live music, a private party room and brunch on weekends, he said.

However, the food and the concept will be different, he said. The new restaurant will have a tasting room with 50 different tequilas and 50 types of whiskey.

In 2020, Sofen opened Lake Oconee Bistro in Eatonton, Georgia, a week before the coronavirus pandemic shut down businesses.

The new restaurant will be run by managing partner Kevin Foster, and the chef will be Ryan Fitton, who’s currently at Island Beach Bar & Restaurant.

Before it was Arturo’s American Grill, the location had been Blue 42 Sports Bar & Grill, JR’s American Bar & Grill and YNOT Restaurant & Night Club.

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at [email protected]. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New restaurant: Twisted Lime to replace American Grill in Vero Beach