About Us / Our Story
It started with a cook job in San Diego and ended up here. That's the short version.
The longer version: Andrew Bunin landed at a bar called Billy Bones in San Diego in 1994. Mark Phelps was the manager, Drew interviewed to be the new cook, and it was the last job interview he ever had. They spent the next decade running bars together across California and eventually Miami, where they helped build Cane's in Coconut Grove into one of the most talked-about sports bars in the city. The U's football players were regulars. ESPN filmed there. Things were going well.
But they were ready for something that was actually theirs. When a little beach bar in Cocoa Beach called Castaways came up for sale, they came up, looked around, and mortgaged a house they owned together in Miami to make it happen. In late 2004, they took the keys.
The first thing Drew put on the menu was fish tacos, something he'd picked up working the bar circuit in San Diego years earlier. The Cocoa Beach regulars looked at him like he had three heads. What the hell is this stuff? He kept making them anyway.
Twenty years later, fish tacos show up more than anything else in Sandbar's nearly 7,000 Google reviews. The regulars came around!
Mark and Drew spent the first five years rebuilding the place from the ground up. New roof, new kitchen, new bathrooms, even some AC. Then the cruise ships started rolling through Port Canaveral, and Sandbar became their first stop. Sundays became legendary. The weekends caught up. The menu grew.
Mark will tell you the philosophy has always been simple: food is longevity. Get the food right and people come for it, then you take care of the rest with atmosphere, specials, live music, and treating every single person who walks in like an honored guest in your home. Drew, for his part, has always been the fearless one. Mark will tell you that himself too.
Today Sandbar is open 365 days a year from 11am to 2am, directly on the sand at 4301 Ocean Beach Blvd. The fish tacos are still on the menu. The Hurricane cocktails have five categories now. And we just celebrated 20 years February 2025
Come see what the fuss is about. We'll be here.
(The Jerry A burger is named after Drew's dad. Order it.)
