While not exactly a clone of The Parrot Bar & Grill, the new spinoff—K.C.’s Parrot 41—embodies the spirit of the colorful old bird. Two miles east on Tamiami Trail, the new Parrot provides die-hard patrons and staff of the former bar and grill a taste of the same burgers and beers in a familiar laid-back atmosphere.
Parrot 41 bar and restaurant opened Thursday in Courthouse Shadows at 3340 U.S. 41 E. The new local hangout replaced That Taco Place, which closed last December in that East Naples building that also has been home to Crooked Shillelagh Celtic Kitchen & Drinkery, The Gavel Grill, Chrissy’s Courthouse Tavern & Bistro and even an Arby’s drive-thru many years ago.
The new venue, staffed by about 80% of The Parrot’s original team, brought in a healthy turnout of longtime customers on rather short notice via social media, said Patrick Daly, the original co-owner of The Parrot. “We got a lot of regulars,” Daly said. “It was all people who had been to the old establishment many, many times. Some of them I hadn’t seen in a while. Some of them were regulars until the bitter end. They came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I was there on the last day. I wanted to be here for the first one.’ There’s a lot of love and I was very happy. It made me realize how great my customers really are. I really appreciate all the support I’ve gotten the last couple of weeks and months.”
Daly wanted to recreate the same Key West-vibe that attracted locals to Dockside Boardwalk, where The Parrot operated from October 2010 until last September, when it was evicted after losing a court case to extend its lease with the new owners of the rustic waterside strip in Naples. His regulars were impressed with Parrot 41’s large circular bar and its indoor-outdoor atmosphere, he said. “I got a lot of positive feedback about the place, about the vibe and about the feel,” he said. “A lot of people were saying, ‘It’s like I’m coming home again.’”
The new digs are in the shadow of a four-story apartment complex being built to replace the former Courthouse Shadows shopping center demolished last year. In addition to honoring memories of The Parrot, the new venue’s name is a tribute to Daly’s late wife, Karen Coakley Daly, whose childhood nickname was K.C.
Daly’s goal, of course, is to recapture the same feeling as his original. Parrot 41’s menu eventually will be similar to The Parrot’s offerings, but just not immediately. “We’re opening up with a limited menu,” he said. “The menu that we’re opening up with now is just a single-page menu that is primarily burgers and chicken or fish sandwiches. It’s all just a sandwich menu right now and some appetizers just to ease into it. We’ll start adding to it as we go along. Maybe Monday or Tuesday we’ll add fish tacos back or quesadillas or something. Again, I want the kitchen to ease into it. We’re considering this as kind of a soft opening over the next week.”
The new place is open only for dinner and late night now from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, but lunch service will be added soon. “Hopefully by mid-May, we’ll be open for lunch. We’ll have it together then,” Daly said. “We’ll probably start out with just specials.”
A larger kitchen and more seating will allow Parrot 41 to do even more than the traditional menu, Daly said. “The one thing I like about this location is that the kitchen is very well equipped, so we’ll be able to stick with the same menu that I and my chefs have designed over the past 10 years, but we’ll be able to do some other fare for lunch specials, like maybe some ribs, maybe some lasagna, whatever,” he said. “There are a lot of different things we can do. The last location, the kitchen was very, very small and there was not a lot we could do.”
Daly eventually plans a 15-minute lunch option to quickly serve workers of area businesses, including employees at the nearby Collier County Government Center. “I think we’re going to have a really strong lunch group because we’re right across the street from the courthouse. So, when we do get open for lunch in another week or two, we’ll have a strong lunch group,” he said. “I think with the location there on 41 with all the building and development that’s going on all around there, I think we’re going to have a pretty strong happy hour.”
Even after just the first night, Daly sees an opportunity with his nighttime crowd. “It’s got a really nice vibe to it,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a place the service industry folks from Fifth and Third Street are going to want to come to and hang out after their shift is over. We got a bunch, a dozen or so different restaurants last night when they closed up and their staff came in.”
Evolving changes at Parrot 41 are still expected throughout the summer because of supply chain delays. “A lot of the furniture I wanted to get I haven’t been able to get because there are long, long waits for it,” Daly said. “So, we’ll probably be updating furniture as we go along. I’d like to add booths to the dining area to make it a little more private. For all those things the delivery time on them is pretty far out.”
Additional locations for Parrot spinoffs with other business partners also are down the road but Daly said he cannot provide details yet. “I’m in the tire-kicking stage right now for North Naples. I’m still looking up there,” he said. “I’ve got enough on my plate right now with this place to get it up and running.”
As far as the vacated space of the original Parrot at 1100 6th Ave. S. in the Shoppes at Dockside, Massimo “Max” Puglielli hopes to launch his new Sea Monkey Tavern & Grill there by the end of May. Sea Monkey’s outdoor dining petition is on Wednesday’s agenda for consideration by Naples City Council. It’s the final hurdle that has delayed opening of the new venue for months, said Puglielli, who has operated Mino Italian restaurant and pizzeria at Dockside since 2016. Sea Monkey seeks approval for 21 tables and 87 seats outdoors.
