Continental Coming to Third Street in Downtown Naples

A couple years ago, when I was on a Bloody Mary kick, I read that Handsome Harry’s Third Street Bistro at 1205 3rd St S in Downtown Naples had the best Bloody Marys in town—and they were right.

But if you want to try one of those infamous cocktails at Naples’ finest, you’d better do it soon because according to this article from the Naples Daily News, Continental, a new steakhouse by D’Amico & Partners, plans to open this fall and replace Harry’s.

It is anticipated that Handsome Harry’s will close when its lease expires in late May, said Barbara Walker of Neapolitan Enterprises LLC, the owner and landlord of the restaurant property.

“We hope to have the new restaurant up and operating by the late fall,” Walker said. “We are very excited about it and really looking forward to it.”

This photo was taken from www.naplesnews.com

Targeted to open in November, Continental will be the second D’Amico restaurant on Third Street South. The Minneapolis-based company has operated the nearby Campiello Ristorante & Bar for 15 years. Other upscale D’Amico restaurants in the Naples area include Café Lurcat on Fifth Avenue South, D’Amico & Sons in Neapolitan Way, and Masa in Mercato.

The steak-focused Continental will feature a large selection of Kobe beef and prime cuts as well as a seafood section with daily selections of shellfish and fresh catches, D’Amico said.

D’Amico plans to keep the existing wine room, but plans a major overhaul of the rest of the restaurant, including all new surfaces and kitchen equipment—according to the Daily News article.

“Basically, every inch of every surface will be refinished,” he said. “The biggest thing we’re doing is building the covered bar and bougainvillea-covered canopies.”

If plans sail through the Naples Design Review Board, look for a major exterior revamp. Continental will be embellished in bougainvillea along the front, and plans call for the restaurant’s inside bar to be moved outdoors to the patio.

“The bar will be a lot bigger — about the same size as the bar at Campiello,” D’Amico said. “The bar right now is kind of cramped. People hang out in that area and there’s nothing to draw people to the back.”

The square footage and number of seats will remain the same. The restaurant plans 94 seats inside and 130 outdoors in a lush garden setting.

I for one cannot wait to go check it out!