Two Restaurants Came And Went On This Corner Of Main Street. Delany's Picked The Slow Season To Open Anyway.

Lakewood Ranch Main Street has changed quite a bit over the years. Restaurants come and go, businesses change hands and every so often I drive through and realize something that was there forever is suddenly gone.

Lately, there are a couple of new names worth knowing about.

Delaney’s Public House

Delaney’s Public House opened this summer in the former McAllister’s space on Lakewood Ranch Main Street. And, I know it's bad, but I actually forgot there was a  McAlister's at Main Street. In Charlotte, that was my go-to lunch spot. I ate there at least twice a week.

It’s an Irish pub, and from everything I’ve seen, they didn't just hang a shamrock on the wall and call it Irish. The owners brought in furniture from Ireland, used Irish-born woodworkers for the bar and are sourcing some of the food directly from Ireland. I think that is really cool. 

They also aren't new to the restaurant business. The group behind Delaney’s operates several other restaurants, including Allswell at Waterside Place.

I haven't been yet, so I'm not going to tell you what to order or pretend I have a favorite thing on the menu. 

Kuro Sushi

Another change on Main Street is Kuro Sushi, which took over the former Hana Sushi Lounge space.

Kuro is from the same restaurant group behind Korê Steakhouse at Waterside Place and JPAN Sushi & Grill in Sarasota, so this isn't their first restaurant in the area either.

Again, I'm not your restaurant critic. If I eat there and love something, I'll tell you. I can say that I eat the same thing at any sushi restaurant (no not cheater California rolls) -- yellowtail rolls and miso soup. Until then, I'm simply telling you what's new.

Main Street Keeps Reinventing Itself

That's really what interests me about Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

It's been around long enough now that it doesn't feel like one of the brand-new commercial areas popping up around Lakewood Ranch. There are businesses that have been there for years, others that have disappeared and spaces that have gone through several different versions.

And somehow Main Street still feels like Main Street.

You've still got the movie theater, restaurants, shops, outdoor seating and the lake right there in the middle of it all. You can park the car and walk around, which isn't something you can say about every commercial area around here.

Now Delaney’s and Kuro are simply the newest additions to the mix. Will I eventually have an opinion about them? Probably.

But they should at least get a chance to feed me first. 😂