One of the earliest visions of Water Street Tampa — a bar and restaurant that opens up the Marriott to the Tampa Riverwalk — is almost a reality.

Anchor and Brine, a seafood and cocktail haunt from chef and restaurateur Richard Sandoval, will bring a coastal flair to the Marriott Water Street’s lobby bar and patio. The new restaurant — and the renovations necessary to create the concept — are part of a nearly $50 million overhaul to the 719-key convention hotel that is almost complete.

Anchor and Brine’s soft opening is tentatively set for Sept. 19.

The Marriott’s patio, which had been elevated several feet above the Riverwalk, now opens up to the water and invites the public in, said Ron McAnaugh, the hotel’s general manager.

“Before, we had that railing that said, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t come in here,'” McAnaugh said.

Anchor and Brine has 134 seats between its indoor and outdoor spaces, featuring teakwood tabletops and wicker furniture. There are light gray concrete bars and a color palette of shades of blue, green, cream and gray, with pops of yellow throughout.

The Marriott Water Street is one of the original anchors of the $3 billion, 9 million-square-foot Water Street. While several towers — including a 26-story JW Marriott and Edition Tampa, a 27-story hotel-condo — are under construction, the Marriott Water Street was built in 2000 as the city’s convention hotel.

Developer Strategic Property Partners bought the Marriott in 2014, months before the initial reveal of its vision plan for a new urban district in downtown Tampa; the hotel has become the western bookend to Water Street.

The renovations to the hotel, which included its rebranding from the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina to Marriott Water Street, are a preview of what’s to come in Water Street: Buildings designed to maximize the sidewalk-level experience for pedestrians and hotel amenities meant as much for locals as tourists.

Earlier this year, the Marriott debuted a new restaurant, the Garrison Tavern. With the opening of Anchor and Brine, the hotel’s longtime Waterside Grill will transition to a breakfast-only restaurant, with event space for lunch and dinner. That renovation will also include that restaurant’s patio, which is separate from the Anchor & Brine patio space.

“Anchor & Brine, the Marriott Water Street’s Long-awaited Riverwalk Bar and Restaurant, Opens Soon ” – Tampa Bay Business Journal