The pier has anchored the mental map of Olde Naples for a century and change. For the next several months, it is a construction site. In January 2026, a groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of reconstruction on the Naples Pier, and the project's completion deadline is now Nov. 15, 2026. That single fact reshapes how a resident walks the neighborhood this summer, because the daily loop that used to end at the pilings now has to end somewhere else.
That somewhere else is the two commercial spines a few blocks inland. Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South are absorbing the foot traffic, and both have spent the past twelve months quietly retooling their tenant mixes. The story of the summer is not that downtown is quieter. It is that the balance of who eats where, and at what price point, has shifted in a way you can only see if you have been walking these blocks for years.
The pier is off the board until November
The rebuild is real construction, not a cosmetic pass. Approximately 460 feet of the pier was damaged significantly, with about 140 feet of the end sitting at the bottom of the Gulf, along with the shelter at the end and over 30 pilings. The construction contract was awarded to Shoreline Foundation Inc. for $23.5 million, with an 18-month construction duration once the Notice to Proceed was given.
The new structure will also read differently when it reopens. The renovated Naples Pier will feature an underwater camera for marine life observation and a police and beach patrol office with restrooms, while food concessions will be replaced by a portable cart. If you are a resident who used to grab a coffee at the concession before a morning walk, that habit is not coming back in its old form. Plans include expanded fishing areas, bench bump-outs along the walkway to reduce congestion, and a raised gazebo feature near the end of the pier, which suggests the reopened pier will lean harder into strolling and fishing and less into being a snack stop.
What actually opened on Fifth this year
Fifth Avenue South did not spend the off-season waiting. A run of openings has pushed the avenue into a shape that longtime residents will notice in the day-to-day, not just the winter guidebooks.
| Opening | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barrio Taqueria | Fifth Ave S | Hours 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, counter-service Mexican |
| All Too Well Gourmet Sandwiches | Corner of Fifth Ave S and Eighth St S | Launched Feb. 12; Chicago-born deli concept |
| PJK Neighborhood Chinese | 835 Fourth Ave S | Early February launch in the former Ristorante Ciao space, a new creation from Paul Fleming, the name behind P.F. Chang's and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse |
| Le Colonial | 445 Fifth Ave S | French-Vietnamese, debuted Dec. 14 at 457 Fifth Ave. S. |
| LoLa 41 | 560 Ninth St S | More than 5,000 square feet with a 1,844-square-foot courtyard, third location after Nantucket and West Palm Beach |
| Ocean Garden | 375 13th Ave S | A second concept from Mediterrano's Milos Ljubenovic in the former Le Lafayette space |
| Tiny Kitchen | 524 Park St | Targeting a late May or early June opening, serving Argentinian street food from a 680-square-foot space near Fifth Avenue South |
Read that list twice. The interesting move is not the arrival of another fine-dining room. It is the appearance of a counter-service taqueria and a sandwich shop on the same block as Ocean Prime. That is a deliberate rebalancing, not an accident, and the district itself is saying so out loud.
"We're seeing the thoughtful evolution of Naples' iconic Fifth Avenue South, known for its elegance and world-class hospitality," said Meg Stepanian, executive director of the Fifth Avenue South Business Improvement District. "The addition of more accessible and affordable options alongside its high-end offerings strengthens the district's appeal, whether you're celebrating a milestone dinner, grabbing coffee with friends or making a quick lunch stop. This creates a more resilient business environment. It's not about replacing luxury; it's about complementing it."
The pipeline behind these openings is not slowing. A three-story mixed-use building with a new restaurant and condominiums received final approval to redevelop a one-story retail space on Fifth Avenue South when the Naples Design Review Board voted unanimously Oct. 22 to approve Avenue 31 at 472 Fifth Ave. S., planned between the Del Mar and Osteria Tulia restaurants, owned by Stefano Frittella, a prolific restaurateur who also owns Bice, Caffe Milano, La Trattoria and Vergina on Fifth. Sava, from the Sails team, is targeted to open near the end of the year in adjoining downtown space that formerly was a dental office at 303 Fifth Ave. S., taking its name and inspiration from Pavicevic's Montenegrin grandmother.
Third Street South is playing a different game
Where Fifth is broadening its price band, Third is doubling down on what it already does well. The July calendar reads like an argument for staying in Olde Naples this summer rather than driving north.
The Saturday market is the fixed point. The nationally recognized Third Street South farmers market was first established in 1994 and today reflects the participation of nearly 60 vendors, the majority of whom are local agriculturally based businesses. It began as a seasonal venture over thirty years ago and has become a year-round Naples institution, running every Saturday from 7:30am to 11:30am. You will not find national chains or franchises; the market connects local growers and independent merchants with local consumers. In practice, that means the market is one of the few downtown venues where the resident-to-visitor ratio actually tips in summer, because the snowbirds are gone and the vendors are still there.
The other reason to stay on Third is the summer pricing, which is not marketing puffery but a real seasonal reset. A short list of what is on the table right now:
- Campiello at 1177 Third Street South: daily 3–6 p.m. at the bar, glass of pinot noir and your choice of pizza for $30; daily 5–6 p.m. two-course Early Dining Menu for $42.
- Barbatella at 1290 Third Street South: lunch at the bar for $16.95 including a glass of house wine; daily 4–6 p.m. three-course menu for $29.
- D'Amico's The Continental at 1205 Third Street South: daily 5–6 p.m. three-course Early Dining Menu featuring steak and lobster for $55; Thursday, 50% off bottles of wine $100 and under; Friday, Champagne & Caviar menu for $60.
Compare those to what Fifth is doing this summer at the higher end: Ocean Prime at 699 Fifth Avenue South runs a daily three-course Early Dining Menu for $68 before 5:30 p.m., and Chops City Grill at 837 Fifth Avenue South offers a Sunday-through-Thursday two-course menu for $49 with 30% off all bottles of wine, plus a Sunday 7-ounce filet mignon and lobster tail for $75. The two streets are converging on the same idea from opposite directions. Fifth is adding cheaper options underneath its luxury ceiling. Third is trimming its luxury pricing to keep locals in the seats.
A July weekend, walked
If you have out-of-town family arriving and you want to build a two-day loop entirely inside Olde Naples this summer, the pieces are here.
- Saturday morning at the Third Street market behind Tommy Bahama, 7:30 to 11:30. Coffee at Tony's Off Third after.
- Lunch on Fifth. Barrio for tacos, All Too Well if the group wants sandwiches, PJK if you want the newest sit-down room in Olde Naples.
- Afternoon at Cambier Park. The park offers the Arthur L. Allen Tennis Center, five shuffleboard courts, two bocce courts, a softball field, a band shell, a covered pavilion, open green space, and a children's playground, and is also home to the Naples Art Association, housed in the von Liebig Center.
- Dinner on Third at Campiello or Barbatella during the early window, using the summer pricing.
- If the timing lines up, Independence Day kicks off with a 9 a.m. parade down 5th Avenue South featuring floats, marching bands, and classic cars, with evening fireworks launching at 9 p.m. over the Gulf. Artis-Naples fills the middle of the summer with a variety of live music events, including chamber music, jazz concerts, and the Festival of Great Organ Music from July through August 2026.
None of that requires the pier. That is the point.
What this means for the next twelve months
Two data points are worth holding together. Fifth Avenue South is deliberately widening its price band under BID guidance. Third Street South is running the deepest summer dining discounts in recent memory to hold local traffic. Both are doing this while the neighborhood's most photographed piece of infrastructure is fenced off through November. When the pier reopens, the tenant mix downtown will not snap back to what it looked like in 2021. The casual tier on Fifth is now built in, the courtyard at LoLa 41 is a permanent piece of the Ninth Street corner, and Avenue 31 is under construction between Del Mar and Osteria Tulia. What you see on the sidewalks this July is the new baseline.
If you own a home in Olde Naples and are curious what these shifts mean for the value of walking-distance real estate before the pier reopens and the buyer pool re-anchors, Naples Coastal Living tracks the block-by-block changes closely. Request a Private Market Update to see how the summer's tenant changes are reading in current transaction data.
