LARGO — Bogey’s Tavern, a Prohibition-era, golf-themed bar and restaurant, will hold its grand opening Aug. 24 in MJ Village Plaza at 300 E. Bay Drive, directly across from the main entrance to Largo Central Park.
Owners Pam Dufour and Matt D’Ottavio cleared their final hurdles this month.
“We are here tonight because we are celebrating that we passed all our inspections, and we have all our licenses, and we are 100% ready to open,” Dufour said in an Aug. 9 Facebook video shot at the Belleair Hideaway in Belleair Bluffs, which the couple called one of their favorite new spots in the area. “We just have a bunch of training to do, but otherwise we are good to go.”
The pair then toasted the venture.
The tavern arrives as Largo’s downtown district and the surrounding area ride a business and economic upturn, driven by projects such as the $85 million Horizon West Bay mixed-use complex, which opened this year, and roadway upgrades planned for the busy East Bay Drive corridor.
Dufour and D’Ottavio, a married couple and longtime hospitality industry veterans, told the Beacons in June 2025 that they were fulfilling a promise made on their wedding night 20 years earlier to open a place of their own. They said then that they had found the perfect site in the sprawling plaza just outside downtown, near Missouri Avenue.
Bogey’s will serve lunch and dinner six days a week, plus what Dufour described as an “authentic Sunday brunch” featuring mimosas and eggs Benedict. The menu will pair New England staples — cod, haddock, Rhode Island calamari and handmade fried dough — with steaks, chops, burgers, pasta and chicken dishes.
“We’re a destination place for a sit-down dinner,” she said.
Dufour, a Massachusetts native, said the tavern will carry a “vintage 1930s or ’40s speakeasy tavern” theme, with dark woods and warm colors.
“I get a little bit of my love for nostalgia from New England, and growing up there sticks with me,” she said. “But every time we go out here, we can’t find a place that has a similar vibe.”
D’Ottavio, a New York native and Air Force veteran, said the couple plans to work with the city and nearby Largo High School on special events as they fold Bogey’s into the community.
“We’re putting a significant investment in this,” he said. “And it’s really an investment in the community.”
During an Aug. 12 visit, the two were putting finishing touches on the space, meeting with vendors and interviewing prospective employees. D’Ottavio said they will host two private soft openings before Aug. 24 to get their staff up to speed.
The patio will stay dark a while longer.
“We have 42 seats on the patio and 46 inside, plus 21 more at the bar and 18 in our private dining room,” he said. “So, we’ll keep the patio closed until this heat dies down and open it up sometime this fall.”
D’Ottavio said they plan to book live acoustic music indoors and on the patio, much like the Belleair Hideaway.
“We have a little bit of trepidation getting into this,” he said. “But we think we know what we have, and we’ve heard there is excitement building for us to open. So, that is really energizing us to get open soon.”
For more information, visit bogeystavernlargo.com.