Jan NorrisThe team from Hap and Hooch is expanding to the waterfront space.
The Catch has barely closed, and already the restaurant owners who are replacing it are at work on the Lake Park property.
The lakeside spot at 766 Northlake Blvd. that was a locals’ seafood favorite will become Paradise Tavern, a cousin to the popular Hap and Hooch in Jupiter’s Bluff Square.
Co-owners Dan Newkirk and Cassidy Flannery, both from Wisconsin, are planning a September opening of what will be a three-part restaurant once walls are moved or cut out.
“We’re opening up the whole space,” Newkirk said. “We’re taking advantage of the 2,000-square-foot building.” Part of it was a storage space that may serve as a private event room called the Bait Shop. “We’re not firm on exact plans just yet,” he said.
They took possession of the place June 27. “We signed a five-year lease. No one is doing 10-year leases any more.”
As for finding a new spot for a new concept, Newkirk said the energy is high right now to grow from Hap and Hooch.
“We’re a little over a year in here and we got the itch to keep going,” he said. “We love how well-received it’s been here.”
They opened in the Bluff Square plaza in the old Surf Taco spot in April 2024. “We had a plan and stuck to it.” It’s grown into a successful locals after-beach hangout.
“We’re a five-star dive bar,” Flannery said. The place has earned fans who’ve shared online their passion for innovative cocktails and solid bar food, as well as an eclectic, modern vibe.
Cocktails are given the treatment of bar chefs. Clear ice in specific shapes for each drink, foams and freshly squeezed juices are used. They make their own coconut cream for the crystal-clear piña colada, as well.
“A lot of people were mad when they got it,” Flannery said. “It doesn’t look like the typical cocktail. We said, ‘Try it.’ Now it’s one of our signature drinks.”
Time for a change
Both men have fine-dining restaurants in their backgrounds, but it was time for a change, Flannery said. “We wanted a more casual vibe.”
“We’ve been looking around for a place,” Newkirk said. “This one just popped up. Prices for that waterfront view are outstanding. It’s very hard to find anything on the water that is remotely affordable.”
They’re drawing up blueprints for three different “moods” under the same roof, he said.
- “The Bait Shop will be a sidebar – for private events. We’ve kicked around several ideas.”
- There will be a different room with a fully set up bar, he said.
- The main dining space will remain the back deck, with 14 four-tops there, a 14-seat bar indoors, and about eight tables, he said.
All patrons will enter through the west side doors. Other than moving the main doors, and a little sprucing and repainting, the redesign will be minimal.
“We’re keeping the tiki hut on the back deck, painting inside and out. We’re putting a lot of lipstick on this pig,” Newkirk said, laughing.
On the menu
The cuisine will lean toward seafood, but their signature wings and a Kansas City-style smashburger, one that incorporates fried onions, will be available.
“The wings will have a more tropical style, befitting the location,” he said. “We’ll have a whole snapper on the menu.” They’ll source locally whenever possible. “We’ve set up relationships with commercial fishermen.”
The bar will not be an afterthought: “It will be a happy hour-driven place.”
The style from Hap and Hooch will be upheld: no beer on tap. Only cocktails are luxe here; there’s enough craft beer around elsewhere, Newkirk said.
Beer is served ice cold, the way they drink it in Milwaukee: on ice in buckets.
“We’ll have some fun tiki drinks, but we don’t want to alienate anyone, so you can get serious cocktails here.”
Live music is planned for some days. “Each room will have its own music. We’re going to be very vibe conscious.”
Parking, which was problematic with other businesses in the plaza sharing space, may be alleviated by using a furniture store’s lot nearby. “That’s unofficial,” Newkirk said.
They also will have dockage for the smaller boats that can navigate the low Northlake Boulevard bridge.
“The building owners are raising the seawall by 6 feet, adding eight boat slips. The boats won’t be too big, so they won’t obstruct the view.”
The men are excited to launch the new project. “We’re super stoked to be here. We love the area.”
While they hope to grow their Hap and Hooch brand, the Paradise Tavern will likely be a one-off, Newkirk said.
A post-Labor Day opening is planned.
“That’s if the universe opens up its portal,” Newkirk said, laughing. “We definitely think we can take on the world.”
Jan’s a journalist covering the South Florida dining scene for 30-plus years. (She knows where the bones and onion peels are buried.) She’s a Florida native, remembers the state pre-Disney, and travels frequently to visit family and friends from the Keys to the Panhandle.
