Over the last nine years, Broughton Street’s Kayak Kafé has been a hub for hungry tourists and office workers seeking a casual and fresh Tex-Mex-style lunch. As of Monday evening, the owners are trying to play off that success with the launching of a second location at 5002 Paulsen St. in the heart of Savannah’s medical district.
Brendan Pappas, who co-owns Kayak with business partner Mallie Clark, said they had been thinking about a new location for a few years but just hadn’t found the right spot.
“We were briefly interested in Pooler until we realized what a sh**show it is out there,” said Pappas. “I just didn’t have a good feeling about it, and I was personally looking for real estate in this area and I realized how few places there were to go around here.”
He said a Realtor friend told him about the small shopping plaza near Memorial University Medical Center, also home to Femme Fatale Hair Salon and new cold-pressed juice bar Savannah Squeeze, and it wasn’t long before he signed a lease and began renovations. The space will be familiar to some as the site of the former Blue Turtle Bistro, a Gaslight Group restaurant that closed its doors last year.
Kayak Midtown is at least double the size of the Broughton café and will seat more than 100 people with the addition of an enclosed outdoor patio and sleek U-shaped bar.
Although it will be bigger, Pappas said the menu will be consistent with the original, including the roasted tilapia tacos, paninis, quesadillas and freshly prepared soups and salads.
“We’re keeping our original menu. That menu is time tested,” he said. “We’ve taken things off and added things over the years and why screw up a good thing?”
However, he does want to add more dinner entrees. To that end, Pappas said customers can expect grassfed tri-tip sirloin from Hunter Cattle in Bulloch County, organic chicken and specials such as a recent jackfruit taco they did on Broughton using the exotic fruit native to Southeast Asia.
“We cook it like we do our slow-roasted pork with all the same ingredients and spices, and it creates this textured vegetable that is fantastic on tacos, and even carnivores don’t know it’s not meat,” said Pappas.
Another aspect that will stay the same is the price.
“I absolutely detest these $28 and $30 entrees, There’s plenty of places in this town to do that, so we’re probably going to reach our peak at $16 — and that’s for a grassfed special,” he said.
Pappas said he wants it to become a true neighborhood gathering spot, where people feel comfortable coming for lunch, dinner or just a drink. Hours for the new location will be Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. It will be closed Sundays.
Kayak Midtown is hoping its fresh offerings will be especially attractive to the surrounding medical community.
“We feel like we’re the only restaurant in this part of town, surrounded by hospitals and medical offices, that actually serves healthy food and a great product that’s not overpriced,” Pappas said.