Local foodies have plenty to look forward to in the coming months.

While 2023 has already seen some incredible new restaurants pop up, there’s about to be even more to dish out. That’s right, there’s plenty on the culinary horizon here in Tampa Bay, including a new high-end Japanese steakhouse, savory donuts, rooftop cocktail lounges, and more. 

Here are a few of the hottest new eats coming soon to the Bay. 

Beacon 510 Water St, Tampa A press release says that JW Marriott Tampa Water Street’s new rooftop bar Beacon is the “tallest public rooftop bar in Tampa” and the second tallest in the state of Florida. A rep for JW is still working to tell Creative Loafing Tampa Bay exactly how many feet in the sky Beacon is. It’s slated to debut sometime in September at 510 Water St., although an exact grand opening date is yet to be determined. Photo via JW Marriott

Best Asian Restaurant

Fortu
Finalists: Yummy House, Hawkers Asian Street Food Credit: Photo via Fortu/Instagram
Credit: C/o Michael Brannock
Dutch Bros sells a variety of lattes, teas, sodas, milkshakes and more. Credit: DutchBros / Facebook
Shuckin Shack Oyster Bar No exact address announced Shuckin Shack Oyster Bar is about to become Wesley Chapel’s newest edition to bring fresh seafood to the ‘burbs. The seafood chain is expected to debut in summer 2023 and plans to have a casual atmosphere that focuses on local history and fishing culture. “Many people have passed in and out of our doors enjoying succulent local oysters and shrimp, shared local fishing or surfing stories and spent time just talking about the friendly beach comber atmosphere inside,” Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar’s website reads. Photo via Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar/Facebook
Sal Rosa Kitchen + Bar 601 N Florida Ave, Tampa Replacing the historic hotel’s former restaurant Bizou Brasserie is a brand new, Caribbean-inspired concept called Sal Rosa Kitchen + Bar, which will be the signature restaurant of the historic Le Méridien boutique hotel after its grand opening sometime this fall. The hotel says its new restaurant will “feature a mix of Island Latin cuisine and Caribbean themed cocktails.” According to Le Méridien’s website, the restaurant will also have an on-site cafe and dessert shop that will serve a variety of specialty drinks from Illy Coffee, gelatos and pastries. Photo via SalRosaTampa/Facebook Credit: SalRosaTampa / Facebook
Yard House 450 Channelside Dr, Tampa Popular beer bar chain Yard House is looking to open in downtown Tampa. Yard House features plenty of classic bar bites, as well as an extensive selection of vegan dishes made from plant-based brand Gardein. But most importantly, the big attraction here is the extensive beer list, which features over 100 beers on tap. The concept is owned by Darden Restaurant Group, which also owns Olive Garden, The Capital Grille, and LongHorn Steakhouse. As of now, no opening date has been determined. Photo via Yard House/Facebook Credit: Photo via Yard House/Facebook
Yard House 4801 E Fowler Ave, Tampa MOSI will soon debut an outdoor taproom and food truck from Ybor City’s Zydeco Brew Werks—the second location for the New Orleans-themed brewery. Zydeco’s General Manager Josh Henneman tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that MOSI’s newest hospitality concept is just a few weeks away from making its debut. Zydeco Brew Werks at MOSI will feature an outdoor bar loaded with the brewery’s most popular beers, an 18-foot food truck next to the museum’s miniature golf course, four TVs and shaded seating under its amphitheater awning (where the IMAX theater once was)— which will soon host a variety of live entertainment, too. Photo via Zydeco Brew Werks Credit: Courtesy
Caribou Coffee 701 Central Ave., St. Petersburg Caribou Coffee is making its way to the Gulf Coast, and its first Tampa Bay location will soon have a home on Central Avenue. Its menu consists of expected coffees and lattes with various flavors, in addition to breakfast and lunch sandwiches, bagels, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and baked goods. While the Bay hasn’t had a standalone Caribou Coffee location yet, folks might remember a few of its caffeinated beverages as Einstein Bros. Bagels locations used to carry its products. Photo via Caribou Coffee Credit: Caribou Coffee / Facebook
King State 15 8th St., St. Petersburg As is tradition for very popular local concepts, beloved Tampa Heights coffee shop and brewer King State will attempt to open a new outpost across the bridge. The new King State location will open within the Harlan Hotel at the new COHatch co-working space. “So many rad people working on this project and we’re so thankful to be bring the Bruce to the Burg. Full kitchen, full service, full liquor, full coffee, 16 taps, full party time,” said King State in a post. Rendering via King State
Kosen 307 W Palm Ave.,Tampa Bento has a stall at Tampa Armature Works, but the owners also want to bring New York and Tokyo flavor to a new concept across the street. Kōsen’s chef, Wei Chen is an alum of New York Japanese restaurant Masa, a three-Michelin star establishment. Last September, reps for Chen shared plans to do an 18-course reservation-only omakase, which includes 12 nigiri pieces ($250/person). Kosen’s private omakase room will be able to accommodate 10 people at the sushi counter, and a separate dining room can fit 25 people. A 10-course, $150 per person tasting menu will be available, too. Since its announcement back in July, Kosen is still set to open sometime in 2023. Photo via Omei Restaurant Group Credit: Photo via Omei Restaurant Group
Salty Donut Multiple Locations Tampeños can now anticipate the grand opening of not one—but two—Salty Donut locations, heading to both Seminole Heights and Hyde Park Village. Salty Donut’s Hyde Park Village location will reside at 1519 W Swann Ave., adjacent to popular eateries like On Swann, Timpaño Hyde Park and bartaco, while the Seminole Heights brick and mortar will open at 5808 N Florida Ave. near 3 Dot Dash. The Salty Donut is known for its rotating menu of both sweet and savory doughnuts, with popular flavors like chocolate cookie crunch, traditional glazed, strawberry milk cake and caramel toffee crumb. Photo via The Salty Donut Credit: The Salty Donut/Facebook
Vela 5232 Bridge St., Tampa Cru’s Westshore Marina space will close and reopen as Vela—although exact closure and grand opening dates aren’t set in stone yet. “We’ve learned to tailor each concept to its neighborhood which is why this summer, we’re closing Cru at Armature Works and we’re transforming our Westshore Marina location into a brand new concept called Vela,” said owner Jennifer Bingham last July. “Vela means ‘sail’ in Italian and it’s inspired by its waterfront marina location.” Photo via Cru Cellars
Blind Tiger 1823 E 7th Ave., Tampa After almost 10 years, the original Blind Tiger Coffee Roaster has outgrown its location. Owner Roberto Torres has signed a new lease in Ybor City, where Blind Tiger will take over the space formerly home to dive bar Boneyard, which closed last month after nearly three decades in the historic district. The original Blind Tiger has been open in its 1,300 square-foot, location at 1901 E 7th Ave. just a block away since 2014. The move nearly doubles the space for the coffee business, with 4,000 square feet. A rep for Blind Tiger told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that their team worked with Boneyard’s owners to continue the dive’s legacy, adding that the new space will feature an upstairs speakeasy, be much larger and featuring an expanded menu that includes happy hour drinks, appetizers etc. Blind Tiger is aiming for an end of year debut. Photo via blindtigercoffeeroasters/Facebook Credit: Photo via blindtigercoffeeroasters/Facebook
Bavaro’s 468 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach Pretty soon—and we mean this playfully because Dan Bavaro has not announced any kind of aggressive expansion—there may be a Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria in every corner of Tampa Bay. Clearwater Beach’s Bavaro’s will open out of a 1,800 square-foot parcel at 468 Mandalay Ave. by the end of 2023 (fingers crossed). The beach-adjacent space—which formerly housed a real estate office—will undergo about $1 million dollars worth of renovations before making its debut. Owner Dan Bavaro told TBBJ that his “company is building an infrastructure for statewide expansion,” which may include additional airport locations throughout the Sunshine State. Bavaro’s first made its Tampa Bay debut in 2009, claiming to be the “first traditional Neapolitan Pizzeria in the state of Florida.” Alongside ‘za baked in traditional wood-fired ovens, the Italian restaurant also dishes out roasted Gulf oysters, charcuterie boards, salads, soups, classic pastas and desserts like cannolis, tiramisu and Nutella pizzas. Photo via bavarobrand/Facebook Credit: bavarobrand / Facebook
Credit: eatforbici / Facebook
The H 1504 S Howard Ave., Tampa Just when you didn’t think it was possible—Hyde Park will soon get a little bougier. The Tampa version of Orlando’s popular The H steakhouse is planned for the parcel of land that most recently housed seafood restaurant CopperFish, which closed in 2014 after facing over $700,000 in permitting violations from the City of Tampa. Since The H has only recently filed its construction and design plans, it’s unsure when the high-end restaurant will open its doors in Hyde Park. The steakhouse’s flagship restaurant in Orlando is known for its variety of meats–from dry-aged ribeye, NY strips and racks of lamb to kebabs, Japanese wagyu and filet mignon—in addition to a spread of seafood-based dishes, pastas and caviar service. Appetizers include small plates like baked bone marrow, octopus carpaccio, burrata with confit tomatoes, grilled calamari and a variety of salads. Photo via FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture Credit: FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture
Credit: chef_suz_lara / Instagram
Late Start Brewing 1018 E Cass St., Tampa Tampa-based company Late Start Brewing started building out its upcoming location last spring, and plans to debut sometime this year. Formerly a convenience store, the almost 2,500 square-foot building will feature a dining room and bar area that will accommodate 50 people, with outdoor seating with picnic tables for approximately 50 more people. Late Start is no stranger to Tampa and is currently located inside of Pour House in the Channelside District, where you can sip on the brewery’s collaborative ales, lagers and stouts. Photo via Late Start Brewing/Facebook
Credit: Photo via St. Petersburg Museum of History
Credit: Noble Tavern / Facebook