Juno & the Peacock
Juno & the Peacock occupies a renovated corner at 400 Beach Drive NE in downtown St. Petersburg, in the space once home to 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House, overlooking North Straub Park, The Vinoy, and the city’s yacht basins. Opened in August 2024 by Shawn and Jeanna Damkoehler, the owners behind Allelo, the restaurant and its adjoining Pluma cocktail lounge were designed by Behar + Peteranecz Architecture, with interiors by New York-based AvroKO and branding by Brand Bureau.
The name comes from Aesop’s fable “The Peacock and Juno,” and the bird’s splendid plumage informs a design that is opulent yet welcoming. AvroKO blended “mission nouveau” with a 1960s retro elegance, drawing on the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line and the region’s aviation history to guide materials and details. Inlaid terrazzo floors, brass accents, wood beams, and Venetian plaster walls finished with the help of local artists set the tone. Red booths with terrazzo tabletops line a sleek bar, and painted and sculptural peacocks appear throughout. A collection of Aesop’s fables greets guests at the host stand.
Though expansive, the plan breaks into distinct rooms that each feel intimate: a casual front room with its own bar, a main dining room beyond, a banquet room, and a bayside room overlooking Beach Drive and the water. A European-style patio extends dining outdoors toward the park. Seating up to 268 guests across Juno and Pluma, the restaurant brings a spirit of playful sophistication to one of St. Petersburg’s most celebrated waterfront blocks.
