On September 4, Kolucan Mexican Bar & Grill at 6644 Gateway Ave closed abruptly, just shy of three years after it opened in the fall of 2023. A short walk away, Tralia Pizza at 6566 Gateway Ave is a restaurant the Sarasota Herald-Tribune describes as routinely drawing crowds.
Those two addresses are part of a longer sequence. Since February, Gateway Avenue and neighboring Gulf Gate Drive have seen a pub relocate in from Siesta Key, a national bakery chain open its Sarasota store, and a local pizzeria earn Michelin Guide recognition and plan a second location. The dates are worth laying out in order.
A Sudden Closing on Gateway Avenue
Kolucan opened in October 2023 as an upscale Mexican concept and built a loyal following in the Gulf Gate corridor. Its closing on September 4 was among the losses the Sarasota Herald-Tribune included in its roundup of this year's restaurant closures, which called it abrupt. The coverage we found does not give a reason for the closing, and none is assumed here.
Its nearly three years on Gateway Avenue are part of the strip's story, and the address at 6644 is now one to watch for whatever comes next.
The Other Moves on the Strip This Year
The other changes on the strip this year began earlier and came from different starting points.
The Shebeen Irish Pub came to Gulf Gate from Siesta Key's Midnight Pass Road, where it had been operating, with a menu that includes Shepherd's Pie and corned beef and cabbage. It took over the old Sarasota Brewing Company space at 6607 Gateway Ave, and owner Eileen Carrigan planned a soft opening on February 1 and a grand reopening on February 17.
Insomnia Cookies opened its store at 2264 Gulf Gate Drive on February 21 as its 348th location nationwide and its 16th in Florida, according to Sarasota Magazine's coverage of the opening. The store offers pickup and delivery, and it keeps late hours, open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday and until 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Tralia Pizza's story runs from Gulf Gate outward. Its restaurant at 6566 Gateway Ave earned Michelin Guide recognition in 2026, according to the same Herald-Tribune report that covered Kolucan's closure. The report also says Tralia plans to open a second location in the former Original Wolfie's & Rascal House space at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts, while the Gateway Avenue restaurant remains where it began.
Here's the sequence in order:
- February 1 and 17: The Shebeen Irish Pub soft opens, then formally reopens, at 6607 Gateway Ave, relocated from Siesta Key
- February 21: Insomnia Cookies opens its 348th national location at 2264 Gulf Gate Drive
- Earlier in 2026: Tralia Pizza, already operating at 6566 Gateway Ave, earns Michelin Guide recognition
- September 4: Kolucan Mexican Bar & Grill closes abruptly at 6644 Gateway Ave, just shy of three years after opening
Read in order, the year has moved in several directions at once. A pub arrived from Siesta Key, a national bakery opened its Sarasota store, a local pizzeria's recognition is carrying it to a second address, and a three-year-old restaurant closed.
A Strip With Room for Different Kinds of Businesses
Gateway Avenue and Gulf Gate Drive hosted several kinds of businesses in the same year. The Shebeen is a pub that relocated within Sarasota. Insomnia Cookies is a national chain with a late-night format. Tralia Pizza is a local restaurant now extending to a second address. Kolucan was a single-location restaurant that had been part of the corridor since 2023. The village has room for all of these, and the mix is a large part of what makes a walk down Gateway Avenue different from one year to the next.
The closing leaves an empty address at 6644 Gateway Ave. The arrivals and expansions around it show the village continuing to add new names.
Gulf Gate is not the only walkable pocket with restaurant changes this year. Southside Village has its own, covered in Southside Village Isn't Losing Restaurants. It's Losing the Ones Built for Visitors.
Where That Leaves the Walk Down Gateway Avenue Right Now
For anyone walking Gulf Gate Village this fall, the addresses are simple to keep straight. Tralia Pizza is at 6566 Gateway Ave. The Shebeen Irish Pub is at 6607 Gateway Ave, in the former Sarasota Brewing Company space. Insomnia Cookies is at 2264 Gulf Gate Drive, with its late hours. Kolucan's former address, 6644 Gateway Ave, closed on September 4.
Gulf Gate Village is one of several pockets across Sarasota worth watching this way, and the Sarasota neighborhood page tracks the broader area if you're curious how other corridors are shifting.
If the changes along Gateway Avenue have you curious about the rest of Sarasota, RSTS Group has more local reading to explore.
