Old Vines Brings Two Distinct Dining Experiences to Naples

Old Vines Brings Two Distinct Dining Experiences to Naples

Chef Brooke Kravitz didn’t set out to open just one restaurant in Naples—she took the plunge and opened two. At the intimate Old Vines Supper Club, Kravitz works alongside Chef de Cuisine Sophia Kiasi to craft seven-course tasting menus, interactive dinners, and wine-forward pairings. Up at Mercato, Kravitz oversees a more expansive à la carte format that brings daytime energy and crowd-pleasing variety to a lively neighborhood setting.

While the tone and tempo of each location are different, the thread that ties them together is constant: thoughtful food, seasonal focus, and a team-first approach to everything they do. “We thought Naples would be a great place to open restaurants because the culinary scene right now is ever-changing and evolving,” Kravitz says. “We’re really seeing a renaissance—so why not be part of it?”

A Chef-Driven Supper Club Built on Seasonality

“Old Vines Supper Club is our intimate chef tasting menu restaurant,” says Kravitz. “We specialize in prix fixe seven-course tasting menus as well as wine dinners and some other fun interactive experiences that feature local seasonal ingredients that we change out throughout the year pretty consistently.”

The space is tucked away, with just 30 seats and a reservation-only model. “It’s small, it’s intimate, it’s kind of a hidden secret, and it’s kind of how we like it,” she says. The menus rotate roughly every six weeks. “Our cuisine is based on New American or anything that we want to discover within a menu,” says Kiasi. “We’re going into our late summer right now, so we are focusing on the summer veg and fruit that come along with it.”

Kravitz agrees: “We love that challenge because that’s what drives us and keeps us going. We don’t want to cook the same thing night in and night out for 12 months straight.”

A Tasting Menu That Fosters Curiosity

The experience unfolds over two hours, with guests choosing between two options for each of five courses. “What’s great about our tasting menu is that there are two options in each course,” says Kiasi. “You don’t need to eat something you’re not comfortable with, but if you want to try something different, we encourage it.”  

“We’re trying to create an experience where you might try something you haven’t had before,” she adds. One example? Foie gras ice cream. “I think people are hungry for something a bit more unique.”

Tuesday and Wednesday Events

Tuesdays and Wednesdays offer their own special experiences. “On Tuesdays, we’ve been taking an interactive approach with the guest,” says Kravitz. “One week we have a magician who comes and interacts with every table... another Tuesday, Chef Sophia will choose two or three dishes from a tasting menu or wine dinner and demonstrate that in front of our guests.”

Kiasi loves the one-on-one element. “I come out and I have my own table to cook with, and I will be in front of the guests to be able to interact with them one-on-one, where they actually get to see the chef,” she says. “Our goal is to kind of keep it new and fresh, always having rotation with the seasons.”

Meanwhile, “on Wednesdays, we do a wine dinner, where we feature a different winery. Our wine director, Zach, is also a wealth of knowledge. For those experiences, we feature everything around the wine. So, first we decide which wines we're pouring and then we curate a menu,” Kravitz adds.

A Second Home at Mercato

“Up at Mercato, we’re open seven days a week. We do brunch on the weekends. We have lunch as well,” says Kravitz. “The vibe is a little more lively and active throughout the day. We have a full bar there, whereas down here we’re just focused on our beer and wine pairings.”

While the tasting menu changes on a six-week rotation, Mercato’s larger menu has more room to stay rooted in crowd favorites. “Up at Mercato, our menu has about 40 items on it,” Kravitz explains. “We keep about 50% of our staples and then rotate the other 50% of the menu out seasonally.”

A Team Effort

Kravitz and Kiasi first met in Kennebunk, Maine—Kravitz spotted Kiasi leading service at a tasting menu restaurant and was reminded of herself. “I saw her expediting and running the service there, and I was just like, ‘I think she needs to move down to Florida.’”

They now split responsibilities across both restaurants and describe their partnership as collaborative and fluid. “We’re always bouncing ideas off each other,” Kiasi says. “We inspire each other to do different things.” “Operationally, we were both athletes when we were younger, so the kitchen feels like teamwork”, Kravitz adds.

Together, the two restaurants offer different experiences, but one clear point of view. “There aren’t many people doing what we’re doing,” Kravitz says. “Our guests keep coming, and they love it. We’re excited to be part of the trend…we like making people happy.”

For a dining scene that rewards originality, ONLY Paradise will do.