Celebrity chef Fabio Viviani’s latest concept Amendment XXI will debut at Westshore Plaza

While we patiently await the grand opening of Westshore’s  Chuck Lager America’s Tavern, comes the announcement of another themed restaurant that will soon be its neighbor.

Earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Business Journal announced that Amendment XXI— celebrity chef Fabio Viviani’s latest concept—is a 7,950-square-foot bar and grill that will soon open at Westshore Plaza. The new restaurant will most likely boast a prohibition theme, hinted at by its name.

The restaurant’s name is an assumed homage to the 1933 amendment that re-legalized the sale and consumption of alcohol, ending the U.S.’s 13 year-long prohibition period.

The only other restaurant called Amendment XXI is located in Washington, and its “elevated American grub” menu contains dishes like moonshiner’s meatloaf and the  “Great Bambino” flatbread— although it’s unsure if Tampa’s upcoming restaurant is connected to the one in Washington.

TBBJ states that Tampa’s Amendment XXI will boast a menu similar to Viviani’s other concept Taverna Costale, which is loaded with hearty pastas, pizzas, and other Italian fare. 
The restaurant’s space— located at 204 WestShore Plaza— was previously home to Kingsford Fire Grille, which shuttered its doors last March, just 5 months after celebrating its grand opening.

Viviani’s most recent concept ,Taverna Costale, debuted in downtown St. Petersburg earlier this year. Its Italian-inspired small plates and extensive wine list has been helping the restaurant secure its slot as one of Central Avenue’s new hotspots.

The “Top Chef” star and restaurateur is also behind the Chuck Lager location in Wesley Chapel— in addition to more than 30 other restaurants across the country.

Viviani was previously a part-owner of Nocturnal Hospitality Group’s Osteria Bar + Kitchen, Mole Y Abuela and Shibui, but severed ties after the group’s co-owner Lanfranco Pescante made insensitive comments in light of 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, as the Tampa Bay Times explains.

This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2022.