Known in St. Pete as a caterer and mobile food concept, Treehouse BBQ is preparing to move into the brick-and-mortar restaurant space in 2026. If you’re already a fan of Treehouse’s Texas-style beef brisket and other killer barbecue offerings, the time is coming soon when you’ll no longer have to cater an event or wait for the food truck market days to get your hands on some.
That’s right: starting in January or February, you’ll be able to pop into Treehouse BBQ’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant, at 229 62nd Avenue N, in the space formerly occupied (as St. Pete Rising notes) by Pasghetti, Tasty Thai, and Green Light Sushi Bar.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a mid-January soft-opening,” owner and chef Mike Leander told What Now on Wednesday during a conversation about Treehouse BBQ’s origins and its future. “We’ve been a catering company for about five years—going into six—and we are going to continue to cater. A big part of the move was that I wanted a space of my own. We’ve been working out of a commissary kitchen, where it’s tough to do a lot.”
Expect the catering menu to remain more or less unchanged with the launch of Treehouse BBQ’s restaurant, albeit with some additional options made possible by the dedicated kitchen space. Inside (and outside) the restaurant, there will be seating for about 30 guests. The space will also feature a tasting area for prospective catering clients.
Treehouse BBQ is, in other words, bringing plenty more of its greatest hits.
“Whatever we do, wherever we are, catering or serving the public, our Texas style beef brisket always seems to take first place. People rant and rave about it,” Leander said. “I take a lot of pride in it. Brisket is not easy to do; it takes a lot of time and a lot of dedication.”
And what new items and can we expect to see on the menu? asked What Now.
“I really want to grow into starting to make our own in-house sausages from our brisket and pork. And probably even into grinding some brisket for brisket burgers. I like to do a lot of specials. My imagination goes wild when I’ve got some pulled chicken that didn’t sell on Friday, and I get to try to make use of everything and be imaginative.”
You can keep up with all things Treehouse BBQ by following @treehouse__bbq on Instagram.
