The Boathouse restaurant at 240 Florida A1A in Ponte Vedra Beach will open May 6.
It is in the former Zoes Kitchen in the Merchants Plaza shopping center.
Owners Nathan Stuart and Margo Klar own the Fish House & Oyster Co. restaurants in New Berlin, Julington Creek, St. Augustine and Orange Park.
The couple also own the Tally Fish House & Oyster Bar in Tallahassee and the Seafood Kitchen in Atlantic Beach.
They expect to open second Boathouse in about four weeks at Cat’s Paw Marina at 220 Nix Boat Yard Road in St. Augustine.
While the food is upscale the atmosphere is casual, Stuart said.
“We want it to be nice but where you can walk in there with your flip-flops and a T-shirt and eat dinner. We want to appeal to the masses. It’s not white tablecloth.”
The Boathouse serves upscale sushi ($12-$20) and a complete menu of seafood, poultry and meat including venison backstrap. Signature Plates range from $29-$40 with several items sold at market price.
The Boathouse sushi is made to order. There are 10 sushi rolls, three crispy wonton tacos, poke bowls and a selection of Nigiri, which are bite-size pieces of raw fish atop a small ball of rice, and Sashimi, which are thin slices of raw meat or fish served with soy sauce.
The Boathouse purchases its fish from Japan. The bluefin tuna and Alaskan salmon will be delivered in whole fillets that will be broken down in-house.
There are tasting options from various parts of the tuna and salmon fillets.
“The bluefin tuna on the menu that’s cooked, is coming off that same fish that we’re using for the sushi,” Stuart said.
Hours are 4-10 p.m. Monday-Friday and 1-10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Stuart and Klar will add lunch and brunch as the restaurant settles in. It will feature fish baskets and sandwiches. Lunch will be fast-casual service and feature fish baskets and sandwiches.