What will the corner of US 41 and Golden Gate Parkway look like by next spring? For Coquina Sands, Coastland Center is the closest place to run an errand or grab a quick dinner on the far side of the Trail. Over the past year, its restaurant ring has been changing hands one building at a time.
The direction is clear. A Mexican restaurant, a pizza place and a Caribbean-themed chain have closed or moved out. Coming in are a Mediterranean steakhouse, a Brazilian steakhouse and a surf-and-turf raw bar. All three are being built at the same time, and none is on a fixed calendar this season.
Three replacements, one menu direction
Here is each turnover as it stood in the latest local reporting from late September 2026.
| Former tenant | Incoming concept | Where | Status in late September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncle Julio's | Atlantic Forge Mediterranean Steakhouse | 2096 Ninth St. N., northwest corner of the mall | Build-out underway, early 2027 opening anticipated |
| Aurelio's Pizza | Rodizio Grill Brazilian steakhouse | 2048 Tamiami Trail N., inside the mall | Listed as "Coming Soon" |
| New outparcel | Oar & Iron Raw Bar & Grill | Macy's parking lot at US 41 and Fleischmann Boulevard | Under construction |
| Bahama Breeze | No replacement | 2088 Ninth St. N. | Vacant |
That table comes mostly from one source: Tim Aten's reader-question column in the Naples Press, which the paper's archive dates September 25, 2026. A Naples resident had written in to ask what was going into the Uncle Julio's and Bahama Breeze buildings. The answer covered most of the mall's north and west edges.
The mural wall facing the Trail goes white first
The first change you'll see from US 41 is at the Atlantic Forge building, because its most recognizable feature faces the road. The Naples Press reports that the expansive, colorful mural on the western wall of the former Uncle Julio's will be repainted white, with the new restaurant's name in gold letters.
Uncle Julio's closed in February after about three and a half years in the freestanding building. The Naples Design Review Board gave final approval to Atlantic Forge's façade, landscaping and signage changes on August 26. The building's scale, footprint and site layout stay the same. The plans remove the ironwork near the patio and replace agave and umbrella plants with Italian cypress trees, bougainvillea and podocarpus evergreen shrubs. The color palette is white, gold and browns.
The patio is where most of the change happens. Jason B. Taylor of Bradenton-based Taylor Studios Inc. told city staff and board members, as quoted in the Naples Press, that the improvements include "the addition of firepit tables, freestanding firepits, some planters and a built-in gas fireplace feature on the patio."
The building is nearly 11,500 square feet, which makes it a large dining room by Naples standards. The restaurant is expected to open in early 2027. That puts the patio's first full use in the cooler months after this season's holidays.
The other two rooms, at the opposite corner and inside
Atlantic Forge fills the mall's northwest corner. Oar & Iron Raw Bar & Grill is building the southwest one, in a new outparcel in the Macy's parking lot at US 41 and Fleischmann Boulevard. An earlier Naples Press report describes Oar & Iron as a surf-and-turf concept. It names RAVentures Hospitality Group as owner and operator of the brand's Florida franchises. Because it's a new building on what used to be parking, it's the one addition here that adds a structure. Everything else reuses one.
Rodizio Grill is moving into the mall itself, in the interior and exterior space that Aurelio's Pizza left. The restaurant's Naples page gives the address as 2048 Tamiami Trail N. and says the location opens in 2026. It describes a Brazilian format built around rotisserie meats carved at the table. The Coastland Center directory lists it as "Coming Soon."
So a pizza place, a Tex-Mex restaurant and an island-themed chain are giving way to three formats centered on meat and seafood. They sit at the northwest corner, the southwest corner and inside the building.
What the corner has given up
The fourth building on Ninth Street North shows the limits of this shift. The Bahama Breeze at 2088 Ninth St. N. has been empty since Darden Restaurants closed 15 of the brand's locations in May 2025. According to the Naples Press, Darden plans to retire the Bahama Breeze concept and convert its remaining restaurants to other Darden brands. The south Fort Myers location, for example, is becoming a Yard House. As of September, the Coastland building still had no plan.
Across Golden Gate Parkway, one steakhouse has already left the corner for good. Dorona, a modern Italian steakhouse run by the Aielli Group, closed in May 2025 after more than seven years at 2110 Tamiami Trail N. The space is at the southern end of the Centre Pointe retail center, on the northeast corner of US 41 and Golden Gate Parkway. Before Dorona, it housed TGI Friday's and Midtown Kitchen & Bar. The 7,380-square-foot room is being rebuilt as Northwestern Concierge Clinic, which is affiliated with Chicago-based Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Corp. That system already runs Northwestern Medicine Concierge Medicine Naples on Fourth Avenue North in Old Naples.
The intersection lost a sit-down steakhouse on its northeast side and is adding steak-focused dining rooms on the mall side. For Coquina Sands, the big dinner destinations on this stretch of US 41 are moving into the mall, and most of them are still under construction.
What's open this fall while the big rooms are built
The new places you can actually visit this season are smaller and quicker.
- Just Salad opened its second Naples location at 1993 Tamiami Trail N. on September 17, 2026. The company announced daily hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in a GlobeNewswire release.
- Gelateria Made In Italy is open in the Coastland food court, according to the mall's announcement.
- Urban Planet held its grand-opening weekend from July 31 to August 2 according to the mall's event page, and its store listing now reads "Now Open."
See's Candies also has a Coastland store listing under the heading "Opening Soon!" The mall's Santa schedule runs on three dates:
- Santa reservations opened October 5 on the Coastland Center Santa page.
- Santa arrives November 20.
- Visits run through December 24, and walk-ups depend on availability.
The mall's visit page lists its regular weekly hours.
Both edges of Coquina Sands land in early 2027
The Gulf side of the neighborhood is on nearly the same schedule. At Lowdermilk Park, a new coastal-themed playground received its Notice to Proceed on July 22, 2026. The City of Naples expects it to be finished in April 2027. According to the city's recreation projects page, plans include a multi-level lighthouse, large climbing elements, a new shelter and shaded swings, supported by a $250,000 donation from the Nommensen Family. The playground will be on the park's south end. The equipment has been ordered, and the manufacturer is working through permitting. The rest of Lowdermilk Park stays open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with beach access mats, the existing playground, the concession, restrooms and showers.
To the east, Atlantic Forge's firepit patio is expected to open in early 2027, a few months before the lighthouse playground on Lowdermilk's south end is due in April.
We follow these openings because they're part of daily life for our clients in Coquina Sands. If you're weighing a move nearby or thinking about the neighborhood as a second home, Tom & Sue Weidlich can tell you how each corner around you is changing, in English or German. Book an Appointment and we'll walk through it with you.
