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Openings & Closings

Tampa gets a Chipotle drive-thru, St. Pete's Avid Brewing is closing, and more Tampa Bay foodie news

Wine, coffee and buckets of mimosas head to Cru Cellars this weekend, too.

By Kyla Fields and Min Craig

Dec 9, 2022

Openings Acapulco Taqueria Acapulco Taqueria is now open out of its original location in West Tampa...

Tampa gets a Chipotle drive-thru, St. Pete's Avid Brewing is closing, and more Tampa Bay foodie news

St. Petersburg's Mixers at Old Key West Bar & Grill is for sale

The 3,420 square-foot space is listed for $649,000.

By Kyla Fields

St. Petersburg's Mixers at Old Key West Bar & Grill is for sale

St. Pete’s Chief's Creole Cafe expands hours and adds vegan options

This southside staple is known for its spread of Southern comfort food.

By Kyla Fields

Chief's Creole Cafe

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Lucky Tigre

1101 S Howard Ave. Ste B, Tampa, 813-761-2088
Lucky Tigre, Tampa's first Filipino 'sari-sari' counter, opened back in October, and has been selling out on a daily basis ever since. Covered in vintage Filipino magazine advertisements, your titas and titos will certainly enjoy the menu, which spans everything from beef and pork dumplings, to steamed boa buns, and traditional rice dishes.
Photo by Rickey Kim

Tampa Bay's 25 best new restaurants of 2022

Pisces Sushi and Global Bistro
Competing with Haku Vodka
piscessushibistro.com
799 Highland Ave, Dunedin, FL 34698

All the bars and restaurants competing at Tampa Bay's 2022 Highball Cocktail Competition

Tampa Bay Hotel opens, 1891
When tycoon Henry Plant brought his railroad to Tampa in 1884, he found a pathetic hardscrabble town of 700 people. But in the years after the railroad connection, Tampa’s elite clamored for Plant to open a luxury hotel in his latest terminus. On Feb. 5, 1891, Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel opened with a grand ball. At 9 that evening, the capacity crowd enjoyed an opera. Then Mayor Herman Glogowski led a grand procession to the dining room for a reception and dancing. At 11, a buffet offered oysters, fish, cold roasts, salad and desserts. The party didn’t wind down until 1 a.m.; the guests slept on couches and chairs in the lobby, as the bedrooms had not yet been furnished.
The Tampa Bay Hotel frequently made headlines, especially during the Spanish-American war when journalists and generals commiserated from the veranda’s rocking chairs. The kitchen served up lavish meals with menus written entirely in mangled French. But with a short tourist season of just four months, the hotel never really flourished. The old Tampa Bay Hotel is now home to the University of Tampa and the Henry Plant museum.

Photo via Burgert Brothers/USF

Breaking bread: A culinary history of Tampa in 10 meals

Hector’s Mexican Food
3121 E Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-234-3646
Looking for a midnight snack? Hector’s extensive menu will get you right each and every time. Find this hidden gem close to two other Tampa gems: Sanwa Farmer’s Market and basically across the street from Esther’s Cafe.
Photo via Hector’s Mexican Food/Google

23 under-the-radar Tampa Bay taco spots you need to try before you die

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