With windswept views of the Gulf of Mexico to the west and the Pass-a-Grille Channel to the east, the rooftop terrace at Moon by Malio’s invites you to take in the vast beauty of Florida’s coast. The coastal Mediterranean-inspired seafood restaurant opens Thursday in the heart of Pass-a-Grille inside the Berkeley Beach Club.
Owner and operator Derek Iavarone said at the restaurant in September that his team has always kind of had an eye on Pass-a-Grille.
Moon is Malio’s little sister, owner and operator Jen Iavarone said. This is a way for them to show off Derek’s heritage, their family’s heritage and how they eat at home.
The Iavarones’ home overlooks Boca Ciega Bay and the full moon figures prominently in their backyard, she said. Their daughter’s middle name is Moon, and they have always been empowered by the moon, like a little feisty when it’s full.
In addition to a place to watch immaculate Florida sunsets, Moon by Malio’s rooftop will also host full moon parties. To start, rooftop access will be only for guests who make reservations.
Corrie Deitrich is the executive chef of all Malio’s concepts, and Dina Kuchkada is the sommelier at Moon. Dietrich was the executive chef at Oakland’s Restaurant and Marina in the Hamptons, New York, before making her way to Florida.
Expect seasonable, local (when available), and customizable seafood towers with a caviar service option. Dishes include stuffed squash blossoms with basil herb crema and grilled citrus; fresh handmade pastas like tagliolini and ravioli; lighter, prime beef bolognese topped with a prime filet; Snapper Scottato al Limone with artichokes, capers, fennel and lemon brodo; and Polpetta di Pesce con Crema Verde with herbaceous green sauce and garden slaw.
Derek Iavarone’s mother’s biscotti with pistachio gelato, panna cotta, and individual lemon and elderflower bun cakes round out the opening dessert menu, Dietrich said.
On a friends and family menu, cocktails like the Blood Orange Collins with Malfy Blood Orange Gin, Giffard Blood Orange, elderflower, lemon, simple syrup and soda featured. Moon will also pour Seedlip nonalcoholic spirits.
The wine list is heavy on European offerings, namely from the Mediterranean, alongside a selection of California wines.
“We want people to feel at home,” Jen Iavarone said. “We want them to feel comfortable and cozy.”
At 3,500 square feet, Moon is the smallest of the group’s three concepts, featuring around 200 seats between its three areas. The Iavarone’s also have Malio’s Beach House in St. Pete Beach and Malio’s Prime Steakhouse in downtown Tampa.
Tampa native Jen Iavarone was a wardrobe stylist in Hollywood, California, before she moved back and married Derek in 2010. Through the late ‘90s and aughts she worked on Super Bowl commercials, music videos and in film, she said.
Through Jen Iavarone’s keen eye the dining room is fashioned elegantly with collected ephemera evoking the sea with coastal southern Italian influence. The space suggests a family’s living room with high ceilings, warm lighting, beachy color tones, rattan furniture and comfortable seating.
“Coastal chic,” Derek Iavarone said.
The building at 109 Eighth Ave. once housed The Dewey, a modern beach cuisine restaurant from the team behind Tampa restaurant Mise en Place. It opened in 2019 with the Berkeley Beach Club and was forced to shutter in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
Moon is not technically part of the Berkeley Beach Club, but the restaurant will provide space and some priority access for the club’s guests.
Derek Iavarone is a third-generation Tampa Bay restaurateur. His father, Malio Iavarone, is originally from Naples, Italy, and opened the first Malio’s on South Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa in 1969, the year Derek was born. Malio Iavarone and his wife, Shirley, shuttered the iconic spot in 2005. Derek and Jen Iavarone reopened it in 2007 in downtown Tampa’s “beer can building,” officially known as Rivergate Tower.
Derek’s grandfather, Carmine Iavarone Sr., opened Carmine’s in Tampa off West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, formerly Buffalo Avenue, in the late 1940s, Derek Iavarone said. His cousin, Carmine Iavarone Jr., owns and operates what has now evolved into Carmine’s Ybor.
Moon is the second concept the Iavarones have opened in less than two years. Malio’s Beach House debuted in February 2025, and they are looking south for their next venture. Maybe in Longboat Key or Sarasota, a couple of years down the road, they said.
“I have a great love for the water and the ocean,” she said.
“We like beach towns,” he said.
“We have a rich heritage, you know, we’re trying to carry it on.”
109 Eighth Ave., Pass-a-Grille. moonbymalios.com.
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