Island Vibes, Whitney’s LBK

“2020 was a great year to make a lot of mistakes and not offend anybody permanently,” says James Brearley, co-owner of Whitney’s, that all at once iconic yet terrifically modern dining oasis lingering so casually cool at the northern tip of Longboat Key.

He’s referring to the fact that a restaurant’s first year is usually its toughest, filled with figuring out what works and what might get you 86ed, but let’s get this straight: With a menu that boasts charred oysters, ricotta donut holes, and an outstandingly appointed beverage menu by the irrefutable leaders in cocktail curation, Gin & Luck, as well as an extraordinarily Instagramable aesthetic and service with a genuine smile, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone offended by what Whitney’s has to offer.

Longboat Key has long given locals a reason to take a nice drive. It’s one of the loveliest coastal roads in Florida, which, in turn, makes it one of the loveliest coastal roads in the country. Now Brearley, a real estate developer, and co-owner Joseph V. Chillura, a Tampa banker, have given Longboat one of the few things it’s been missing.

“The area really needed a hip, casual taco joint,” says Brearley. “The Key didn’t have a quintessential beach type of place. All of these LBK restaurants are outstanding and perfect, but we lacked a spot that was relaxed and vibey—a fresh-off-the-beach, bring-your-sandy- feet type of place.”

Though some other local joints undoubtedly contest that they, too, are happy to take sailors fresh from the shore, sandy feet and all, Brearley is right. Even Longboat’s long-standing waterfront hangouts, like the beloved Mar Vista, have a certain sophistication about them, and wonderfully so, but Whitney’s offers something a little more aligned with whatever that feeling is when you are sun-kissed and sunscreen-slicked, searching to slide into a wooden booth and suck down something frosty.

Make no bones about it: Whitney’s is as chic as it gets, with every detail so thoughtfully tended to, but this former ’50s gas station just has that intangible energy that makes it more of a retreat than a restaurant.

“At the end of the day, we’re a 2,100-square-foot gas station. In a lot of restaurants, that’s the size of the kitchen,” explains Brearley.

When Brearley and I dive into what makes this little hangout such a draw, he gives insight into what’s always tugged on the heart of humanity: refuge. In other words, this is the kind of place where one can find peace. Peace being fish tacos and a boozy beverage, of course. But with chirping birds, lush greenery, live music, a fire pit nestled into seashells, and that salty Gulf breeze on your skin, I’d say Whitney’s qualifies as some type of sanctuary.

“Driving around in the ’50s was so different than today,” Brearley points out. “Service stations were these little oases, usually with this mid-century design because that’s where folks would stop and be refreshed after a hot, bumpy, perilous day on the road. The fact that Whitney’s is in the middle of nowhere on this iconic road, literally across the street from the beach… Well, it’s like, here’s this surprise oasis where you can have a Golden Hour cocktail,” says Brearley. “People pull up to this random, no-signage hideaway and have an incredible afternoon with us. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, ‘I’ve been visiting my grandparents here my whole life and to suddenly find this is crazy!’”

That Golden Hour cocktail is a real thing, by the way. I’d be remiss if I didn’t circle back to the fact that Whitney’s boasts a bar program created entirely by Gin & Luck, a premium consulting company specializing in spirits that not only concocts the cocktail recipes but also comes in to train the employees on each special step of the process. There’s a lot more to it than that—way more, and I suggest you take some time to look it up—but the bottom line is, having a bar menu created by Gin & Luck would be the equivalent of having your wardrobe custom-made by Christian Dior. It’s a BFD and it further aligns with the previous points that all the elements at Whitney’s are intentional and thoughtful.

“The energy of a place reflects the energy that’s put in it,” says Brearley. “Everyone that has worked on this project was 100% committed. Even the guy that did our built-in banquettes still stops by to eat at the bar, the tile guy pops in for visits, the local surfboard shaper made a custom 1950s Whitney’s longboard with a glassed-in fin and he glassed in all of our table tops...” You get the idea.

“We were OK when we started—good, even—but it was a bit inconsistent,” Brearley explains. “We were learning and zigging and zagging as we went. But now we really feel like we’ve hit the nail on the head. I encourage people,” he continues, “if you ate there in the past, try it again. It’s a little different but it feels more right than it ever has.”

I wonder what happens in year two.

See ya there.

Whitney's LBK: 6990 Gulf of Mexico Dr, Longboat Key; 941-383-4606; whitneylbk.com