HOLMES BEACH – The Rod & Reel restaurant is now open as a landlocked affiliate of the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria that awaits replacement after its destruction by Hurricane Milton last year.
Within 15 minutes of officially opening on Nov. 21 at 8 a.m., Oliver “Oli” Lemke’s new 60-seat restaurant at 3246 East Bay Drive was more than half full and many patrons were longtime Rod & Reel Pier regulars.
Offering indoor and outdoor seating and serving breakfast until 11 a.m., The Rod & Reel is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The menu is essentially the same as the old Rod & Reel Pier menu and includes fried clam strips ($16), grouper sandwich or grouper Reuben (market price), the Pier Burger ($15), the Oyster Po’ Boy sandwich ($26) the Pier Hot Dog ($9), grouper, garlic grouper and Mexican grouper dinner entrees (market price) and much more.
Featuring a large mural of the old pier, the iconic Rod & Reel Pier sign, engraved pier planks and artifacts recovered from the hurricane debris and old photos, the restaurant interior pays homage to the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria that was badly damaged by Hurricane Helene and mostly destroyed by Hurricane Milton. Four video screens hanging under the recovered pier planks display live video footage of the remains of the old pier and Tampa Bay.
Lemke said he felt a mixture of excitement and relief as he watched his new restaurant fill with joyful customers.
“It took eight months to get this place ready and it was only possible through the tremendous effort of everybody on the team who helped create this,” he said. “People know The Rod & Reel Pier and we said we’d do this as a substitute for the time being. It will keep us attached to the community and every bite counts. The money you spend here is going toward the rebuild of the pier. Everybody wants the pier back and we’re determined to do that.”
Holmes Beach residents Tina and Rich Niemeyer were among the first to arrive Friday morning.
“I had the sausage and cheese omelet. It’s wonderful,” Tina said.
“We’ve been going to The Rod & Reel Pier for Sunday breakfast for 11 years. We were devastated when the pier was lost. We’re glad this open and we’re glad to be here on opening day,” Rich said, noting their Sunday morning tradition will resume.
Holmes Beach residents Dennis and Carol Groh were also happy to be eating a Rod & Reel breakfast again.
While enjoying an omelet, Dennis said, “It’s great. Just like I remember. We’ve been coming to the pier for 50 years. This is our chance to relive some memories.”
While enjoying breakfast, Indiana natives Tom and Lisa Cates discussed their deep family ties to The Rod & Reel Pier. The pier was built in 1947 and Tom’s grandfather purchased a lot on nearby Fern Street in 1948 and built a cottage that housed Tom and his family many times during their visits to Anna Maria.
“The Rod & Reel was a mainstay when we came to the Island,” he said.
After Tom’s grandfather passed away in 2012, the family sold the Anna Maria property but the Island visits continued.
“We’ve been coming here multiple times a year for all my life,” Tom said. “Lisa and I just bought a home in Anna Maria and we’re thrilled that they’re going to rebuild the pier. We’re 100% behind the Rod & Reel. It’s very emotional for us because so many of our relatives came here and it was a dear part of our tradition.”
“We’re just thrilled for the Rod & Reel,” Lisa said. “We counted it up and we’ve brought 14 families here over the years.”
Cortez resident Shirl Hannigan and Bradenton Beach resident Keith Bomeline enjoyed breakfast while sitting at the new L-shaped bar that’s embedded with old pier photographs.
“I’m excited, and their lunch menu is awesome, too. We used to bicycle to the pier every Saturday and have their chowder and $1 beers,” Hannigan said.
“It’s great to be back. It’s been a long time and the place looks fantastic,” Bomeline added.
Lemke owns and operates a brewery and four restaurants in Germany and he bought The Rod & Reel Pier from German businessman Mario Schoenfelder in 2023. After a successful opening weekend in Holmes Beach, he returned to Germany and left The Rod & Reel’s daily operations in the hands of Manager Adina Vasquez.
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