New gastropub in downtown Fort Myers serves craft beer, burgers, more with laid-back vibe

Keith and Mashelle Towles are off to a great start.

Their Voodoo Brewing Co. opened Saturday, April 6, at the southeast corner of First and Lee streets in downtown Fort Myers.

“It was what we were hoping for, but a little better than we expected,” Mashelle said of that first weekend. “We were steady all day, both days. And we’ve had the most positive feedback on social media and in-house.”

Voodoo offers award-winning craft beer and elevated pub fare in a laid-back, vibrant, industrial space.

“We have a community-driven approach,” said Mashelle. “That’s why there are no TVs. We want you to put down your phones — after you order — and meet your neighbors.”

The Towles’ Voodoo franchise is the first in Florida for the Meadville, Pennsylvania-based company.

There are five corporate locations — all in Pennsylvania — and 17 franchises, including sites in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Ohio (the first Voodoo Brewing pub opened in Cleveland in 2012).

Keith, a Southwest Florida native, took over his father’s company, Towles Corp. of Southwest Florida, 30 years ago.

After COVID, the home-building business “just wasn’t fun anymore.”

“We started looking for other businesses,” he said. “I kept looking at bars and restaurants online. Because of algorithms, the Voodoo franchise kept popping up. It’s more our speed. The brewery scene is different and a good fit. It’s more of a family atmosphere. We didn’t want a late-night bar.”

The couple, who live in downtown Fort Myers, looked all over Lee County but ultimately settled in their neighborhood.

“The city does an awesome job of bringing events here,” Keith said. “At the end of the day, we knew this would work out best for us.”

They took over the spot vacated by Sol of Life: Salt Cave & Tibetan Tea Parlour in November 2022 and began the build-out in April 2023.

Signature and local craft beer on draft

They’ve created a colorful, funky, trendy-casual gastropub (complete with a dry-erase wall to sign and decorate) and plenty of indoor and dog-friendly outdoor seating. Seat yourself (most tables are high-tops) and place your order by scanning a tabletop QR code or at the bar.

Twenty-plus beers are available on draft, including eight signature Voodoo brews, led by Lacto-Kooler, a green-colored Berliner Weisse-style sour ale selected as the official beer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando.

Keith said Good Vibes, a West Coast-style IPA, was another best-seller, adding that “word is going around that this place has a really good vibe.”

“It’s really all draft here,” Keith said. “They give a little leeway for guest taps. Those will rotate. Same with Voodoo beers. We will have flagships, seasonal and spontaneous ones they’ll drop on us as they come up.”

There are ales, IPAs, wheat, red, hard seltzer and lagers that, depending which you order, come in a 4-ounce taster, 12-ounce tulip, 16-ounce pub pints and footed pilsners and flights.

All Voodoo beer is brewed at the company's two breweries in Meadville and shipped down.

Craft cocktails, shooters, mixers and solo spirits are also available.

While beer is a big draw, the food more than holds its own.

A menu full of scratch-made or signature items

You’ll find a menu full of aptly named dishes like the Foodoo and Good Vibes burgers, Voodoo nachos, charvooderie board and best-selling Voo-dill pickle pizza with home-made roasted garlic pesto, shredded Galbani mozzarella, thick-cut pickles and Voodoo dill seasoning.

“We fell in love with that pizza right away,” Mashelle said.

“It was a huge seller over the weekend,” added Keith. “Along with the chicken wings and pub pretzel.”

You’ll also find bowls, sandwiches, mussels by the pound, salads, wraps, desserts and a kids menu.

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“Everything is scratch, from fresh cut fries to the tortilla fried in-house every day,” said Nate Cillo, culinary director of Voodoo Brewing Co. “We’re building a reputation for pub fare at a high level. Everything is scratch or signature.”

“We had a lot people thanking us for gluten and vegan options,” Mashelle said. “We’ll dive into it even more with weekly specials.”

Voodoo is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday,  11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed Mondays.

“We’re really excited to finally be open,” Mashelle said. “We’re open to any criticism as we work our way through this. I want to welcome everyone with open arms.”

Voodoo Brewing Co., 2400 First St., Unit 100, Fort Myers; (239) 789-1391; ftmyers.voodoobrewery.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram

Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Voodoo Brewing opens in downtown Fort Myers with beer, burgers, more