Sanford's Suffering Bastard Tiki Bar Closing, Moving to Orlando's Mills 50

Suffering Bastard, the speakeasy tiki bar tucked inside Tuffy's Bottle Shop & Lounge at 200 S. Myrtle Ave. in downtown Sanford, will permanently close its doors on April 30, 2026, according to an announcement the bar made on social media. Owners Arthur Booth and Julian Burgos plan to reopen the concept at 828 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando's Mills 50 neighborhood, a former Balloon World retail space purchased by Minesh Patel in 2022, though no specific opening date beyond "before the end of the year" has been announced.

Suffering Bastard opened in spring 2019 after a December 2018 preview in the Orlando Sentinel described Burgos and Booth's vision for a rum-forward escape in the heart of downtown Sanford. The bar takes its name from a classic cocktail that, despite its tiki-adjacent reputation, is traditionally made with cognac and gin. "A traditional tiki bar, it has to make you feel like you're escaping to a different place," Burgos said at the time. The interior, crafted by an artisan known as Typhoon Tommy, features handmade and hand-painted weapons mounted on walls covered in textiles and woods. "It makes it our own," Burgos said of the decor.

The move consolidates Booth and Burgos's hospitality footprint in Mills 50, where the pair have already built two other concepts. Death in the Afternoon, their absinthe-focused bar described as the "friendly neighborhood absinthe house" with a moody speakeasy atmosphere, opened in September 2023 at 930 N. Mills Ave. in the former Retromended Vintage space. Lorelei Wine Bar, a Mediterranean-style spot featuring small plates from Chef Eric Norvelus and outdoor patio seating, followed in spring 2025 at 737 N. Thornton Ave.

Burgos had previously co-owned Bitters & Brass, another Sanford bar that has since closed. The April 30 closure of Suffering Bastard would mark the end of Booth and Burgos's presence in Sanford entirely, shifting the duo's full portfolio to central Orlando. The Sanford location is expected to remain operational through that final date, giving regulars roughly six weeks from the social-media announcement to make a last visit to South Myrtle Avenue before the rum drinks move east on the 417.