New country bar Ride ‘Em Cowboy in the works for St. Petersburg

A new country bar and restaurant called Ride ‘Em Cowboy is coming to St. Petersburg’s Grand Central district. The muralists the Vitale Brothers were brought on and Johnny Vitale posted a picture himself this week as he painted a raven-haired cowgirl on the side the building at 2451 Central Ave.

It’s the site of the Old Key West Bar & Grill, which closed its doors on June 26.

But there’s no word yet on when the country bar expects to open. Social media posts have indicated it will be more of a bar than a restaurant, but with a light food menu and live music.

According to a recent job posting on Facebook, Ride ‘Em Cowboy was looking for line cooks and bartenders and said it will feature live country music artists and country EDM DJs.

Vitale was commissioned for the building’s mural. The main logo has a silhouette of a cowboy leaning against a palm tree. Vitale said he was inspired by images of Roy Rogers and old Hollywood movies to come up with a vintage cowgirl with pinup looks.

The work on the mural continues this week, with a postcard image being added of a cowboy riding an alligator.

“I think with Florida and a name like Ride ‘Em Cowboy we wanted more of a kitschy version,” Vitale said. “It’s going to have a real fun vibe.”