Longwood

Holy City Zoo BBQ Debuting in Longwood

Global barbecue dishes and Texas brisket will highlight this restaurant featuring outdoor beer garden seating.

LONGWOOD, FL - Holy City Zoo BBQ, a new globally inspired barbecue restaurant from Greg and Kristina Gaardbo, is targeting an early April opening at 190 S Ronald Reagan Blvd, Longwood, FL 32750. The couple, who bring more than 15 years of barbecue experience and previously operated a successful restaurant in Chicago, plan to introduce a concept that blends traditional American barbecue with flavors and techniques from around the world.

The team is aiming to open shortly before or soon after an April 7 ribbon cutting with the local chamber.

Business Debut learned of this story first from What Now.

What to Expect

Holy City Zoo BBQ centers on what the owners call “global barbecue,” combining classic regional American styles with influences from international cuisines the couple discovered during years of travel.

Guests can expect dishes inspired by places like Mexico, Spain, Korea, and Portugal alongside traditional barbecue staples. The restaurant is expected to have more than 120 seats, with roughly 140 seats total across its indoor dining area and outdoor beer garden, and will feature an industrial space with rock-and-roll and rat rod influences, plus nostalgic entertainment like vintage cartoons and 80s music.

The menu at Holy City Zoo BBQ will remain intentionally focused, allowing the team to emphasize quality and technique across a smaller selection of dishes.

House-made steakhouse bacon is expected to be a major draw. “Our bacon is pretty amazing,” Greg Gaardbo told Business Debut, noting that it will appear across multiple dishes throughout the menu.

Other staples will include brisket prepared using traditional Texas barbecue methods, house-made pastrami, and burgers, alongside rotating specials inspired by the couple’s international travels.

The menu will also feature creative twists on familiar comfort foods. “Even something as simple as a meatball sandwich,” Gaardbo said. “But what about a smoked meatball sandwich? Let’s try something fun with it. Let’s add more depth and flavor.”

Global influences will appear throughout the lineup, from Korean-style barbecue short ribs cut plank-style to smoked porchetta and rotating dishes inspired by Spain, Mexico, and Portugal. Items like patatas bravas have previously become customer favorites and may return as specials.

The bar program will emphasize imported beer and bourbon education alongside the food menu. Rather than focusing on domestic light beer, the restaurant will highlight traditional European styles from Germany and Belgium while also supporting select local craft breweries.

The team also plans to host educational tasting experiences including beer, bourbon, and barbecue pairing classes as well as “wine and swine” dinners pairing barbecue courses with curated wines.

Opening Timeline

Holy City Zoo BBQ is targeting an early April opening, with hopes of welcoming guests before or shortly after the April 7 chamber ribbon cutting event.