The owners of two popular International Drive restaurants – the Greek Taverna Opa and the Spanish Tapa Toro – will add another restaurant to their portfolio.

Katerina and Vassilis Coumbaros have announced that KAVAS Tacos + Tequila will open in September 2020 at Pointe Orlando, where Taverna Opa is located. KAVAS, which is a portmanteau of their two first names, will occupy the spaces that previously held Minus5 Ice Bar, Johnny Rockets and other retail space.

“We are excited to bring KAVAS Tacos + Tequila to the locals and travelers alike and are grateful to be able to open our doors once more in Pointe Orlando, where we have already been providing quality hospitality and entertainment for over a decade,” said Katerina.

The restaurant’s menu will pay tribute to Mexico’s rich culinary history and will feature tableside experiences. The bar menu will offer tequila flights and classic margaritas.

The new restaurant will offer dining for 400 guests, inside and outside, and will have private rooms for events.

As with Taverna Opa and Tapa Toro, KAVAS will offer nightly entertainment, encouraging diners to get up and dance.

The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner, including late night hours on weekends.

Orlando Police have arrested a suspect in the arson fire of the sandwich restaurant Beefy King.

John Cairl Huff III, 36, of Mount Dora, was taken into custody Tuesday night and is being held in Orange County jail. Bond has been set at $3,500.

Huff was apprehended at Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar, which sits across a side street from Beefy King on Bumby Avenue, after staff at the coffee bar called police to report an unruly trespasser. According to a police report, one of Drunken Monkey’s employees reported seeing Huff Monday night behind Beefy King, which is not open evenings, holding lighters. Not literally a smoking gun, but close.

Larry Hardin, co-owner of the business, said Wednesday that Huff “had been hanging around our place for several weeks,” and that he had asked him to leave several times because he was making people feel uncomfortable. Hardin also said that Huff seemed to be high or intoxicated. On Monday night, before the fire, Hardin said he told staff to let him know if Huff was still hanging around when the coffee bar closed for the night and he would call police. Instead, Huff was seen lying on the sidewalk in front of the business.

“When I heard about the fire he was the first person I thought of,” Hardin said.

Orlando Fire Department is investigating an early morning fire at popular sandwich restaurant Beefy King as a possible arson. The fire, which occurred in the early morning hours of Tues., Nov. 12, started outside the Milk District restaurant and was contained before it could spread inside, said owner Roland Smith. However, because of damage to the kitchen and interior caused while extinguishing the blaze, the restaurant is currently closed.

Smith said he received a call from OFD at about 1:30 a.m. saying that firefighters were onsite dealing with a fire in progress. As he approached the Bumby Avenue restaurant around 2 a.m., he said the building was covered in smoke. Smith describes the scene in the video below.