Holy City Zoo BBQ opens in Longwood with barbecue and beer pairings

After years of development, Greg and Kristina Gaardbo opened Holy City Zoo BBQ at 190 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd., turning a Longwood storefront into a 5,000-square-foot bet on barbecue, beer and a more defined commercial identity for the corridor.

The restaurant held a grand-opening ribbon-cutting on April 7 and officially opened April 18, after Longwood city materials had already flagged the project for the first quarter of 2026. City development records identify Holy City Zoo BBQ as a sit-down barbecue restaurant and a Longwood Small Business Improvement Grant recipient, placing it squarely inside the city’s small-business and redevelopment strategy.

That matters because the Gaardbos did not arrive in Seminole County as first-timers. They spent years building their reputation in the Midwest, starting with backyard cookouts, then expanding into catering, barbecue and beer-pairing classes, and eventually opening Chicago Culinary Kitchen in Palatine, Illinois, in 2016. They sold that business in 2025, setting up Holy City Zoo BBQ as the next chapter in a larger culinary path.

The menu is built around low-and-slow smoking over cherry wood, with the meat meant to remain the centerpiece. Alongside the barbecue, the Gaardbos have leaned into Kristina Gaardbo’s Certified Cicerone background to shape a beer program designed to match the food instead of sitting beside it as an afterthought.

Pre-opening plans also pointed to a broader dining experience, including outdoor beer-garden seating, globally inspired sides and a concept that pulls barbecue flavors and techniques from around the world. Patatas bravas and Mexican street corn were among the dishes described ahead of the debut, underscoring that the menu aims to be more than a standard smokehouse lineup.

The restaurant’s arrival gives Longwood another locally grounded destination in a stretch that city leaders have been working to strengthen. With a rock-and-roll atmosphere, 1980s nostalgia and room for families, food lovers and groups of friends, Holy City Zoo BBQ is positioned as both a dining spot and a business that could help define what Ronald Reagan Boulevard becomes next. Its Chicago predecessor was described as award-winning and nationally recognized, with honors including Best BBQ in Illinois and a People’s Choice Award at Windy City Smokeout, adding to the expectations now attached to the Longwood opening.