We’re only a few months into 2024, and Tampa Bay’s restaurant scene is starting to heat up.

So far this year, six Tampa restaurants were added to the 2024 Michelin Guide, Dunedin and Clearwater both got new food halls, there’s new dim sum spots, a fancy taco vendor has emerged, and more.  But we’re about to get a few more surprises.

Here are a few of the hottest new eats coming to Tampa Bay this spring and summer. 

Credit: watersttampa / Instagram
Casa Cami 2545 N Rocky Point Dr., Tampa Building permits show that Casa Cami is located on the 10th floor of Tampa’s Current Hotel at 2545 N Rocky Point Dr., right around the corner from the Rusty Pelican and The Rocky Pointe Cafe. Casa Cami will take the place of Rox, which opened in the same space back in 2019. Casa Cami’s social media says that it’s slated to debut in mid-March, although an exact opening date is not yet determined. Construction plans depict Casa Cami’s indoor bar, a full-service kitchen and a variety of outdoor seating on its sprawling rooftop terrace. According to casacami.com, Oxford Commons’ newest hospitality concept will offer a spread of tacos and salsas, salads, small plates of ceviche, snapper crudo, flautas and blistered shishitos alongside entrees like bistec with mojo butter, shrimp fajitas and green chili chicken over a sweet plantain hash. Photo via Casa Cami Credit: casacamitampa/Instagram
Ten Rooms 1536 E 7th Ave., Ybor City El Centro Español de Tampa, at 1536 E 7th Ave., was originally constructed as a clubhouse for cigar industry workers back in 1891, and will soon be home to Ten Rooms, a multifaceted hospitality and retail concept and the newest addition to the Centro Ybor complex. Described as a “dining and retail hub,” Ten Rooms will consist of a 50-seat restaurant called Bar Martinez, craft cocktail hotspot Genevieve the Cat, rotating vendor and art space The Shop at Ten Rooms and The Cafe, a daytime coffee shop and French-inspired bakery. While there’s no exact opening date set in stone, Ten Rooms is expected to soft open sometime this spring. Photo via Google Maps Credit: Photo via Google Maps
Glamper 217 Central Ave, St. Petersburg While summertime in Florida often means heavy rainfall and borderline unbearable humidity, a new bar and restaurant will soon bring the Midwest’s laidback, midsummer vibes to St. Pete. Forward Hospitality Group recently told St. Pete Rising that Glamper will be “inspired by camping, backyard cookouts, Fourth of July celebrations, and other summertime activities,” and is slated to debut sometime this summer. In addition to an extensive drink menu of craft cocktails, beers and seltzers, Glamper will also have a full-service kitchen that dishes out burgers, hot dogs, grilled meats and any other backyard BBQ-type grub. Photo via glampercle/Facebook Credit: glampercle / Facebook
Ash 1050 Water St., Tampa Last year, Strategic Property Partners announced its newest concept, Ash, which will debut on the ground floor of Water Street Tampa’s Asher building, the district’s newest residential development. The new restaurant is brought to downtown Tampa by a familiar name: Proper House Group (PHG), the minds behind Rooster & The Till, Nebraska Mini-Mart and more. PHG said that its latest concept will specialize in Italian-inspired cuisine and boast an extensive outdoor patio. Originally, the 2,400 square-foot restaurant and its accompanying 1,000 square-foot patio was scheduled to debut in the spring of 2023. As of now, the rumor is it’s ready to pop any day now. Photo via Ash/Instagram
Greenlane 8001 4th St. N, St. Petersburg St. Pete’s first Greenlane is slated to open sometime this spring, although there’s no debut date set in stone. Greenlane—which recently received some TMZ coverage due to regular customer and football star Rob Gronkowski aka “Gronk”—is known for dishing out healthy “salads and wraps at fast food prices.” The local chain opened its first location off of Gandy Boulevard in 2023 and is continuing its Tampa Bay expansion with St. Pete’s upcoming Greenlane drive-thru. Photo via gogreenlane/Instagram Credit: gogreenlane/Instagram
Zen Noodle Bar 3019 W Waters Ave., Tampa A popular Asian restaurant is expanding its Tampa footprint this spring. A representative of the restaurant tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that its newest location is slated to open sometime this May or June, although the debut ultimately depends on how its build-out goes. Patrons of Zen’s Temple Terrace restaurant can expect a similar menu from its upcoming Tampa location, which includes a variety of East and Southeast Asian fare like dumplings, bao buns, spring rolls, banh mi, stir fried noodles, pork adobo and bulgogi beef bowls. Photo via zennoodlebargainesville/Facebook Credit: zennoodlebargainesville/Facebook
Pepper Lunch Address Yet To Be Announced Japanese “experimental” fast-casual concept Pepper Lunch is expanding into Florida with three cities confirmed—and one of those cities is Tampa. Currently boasting 500 locations in 15 countries, Pepper Lunch—a teppanyaki concept where customers grill their own meats and veggies on an iron griddle—hopes to establish a permanent presence in Florida. Photo via Pepper Lunch USA/Facebook Credit: Photo via Pepper Lunch USA/Facebook
The Huntsman 200 Central Ave. No. 100, St. Petersburg The Huntsman—a new American concept that focuses on ethically-sourced wild game and “farm & stream-to-table” fare—hopes to debut out of The Mill’s former space during the third or fourth quarter of this year. With an appetizer menu of small plates like wood-fired bone marrow, grouper tartare, and fire-roasted oysters alongside entrees like boar and rabbit cacciatore, moulard duck cassoulet and seafood jambalaya, the upcoming restaurant will feature a wide spread of familiar dishes with an eclectic, wild bent. Photo via The Huntsman/Facebook
Credit: Photo via zukkusushitpa/Facebook
The Neon Lunchbox 1756 Central Ave., St. Petersburg The Neon Lunchbox is slated to the old Hideaway Cafe spot within the next few months and will soon boast a variety of themed craft cocktails, a casual food menu, local DJs and bands and tons of ’80s and ’90s pop culture-themed decor. When The Neon Lunchbox makes its debut it will join Tampa Bay’s other nostalgia-themed concepts like GenX Tavern, Central Avenue neighbor Lost & Found and 70s’-themed club Good Night John Boy. Photo via Hideaway Cafe/Facebook Credit: Photo via Hideaway Cafe/Facebook
Smalls Sliders Address Yet To Be Announced Popular franchise operating group Purple Square Management (PSM) is bringing Smalls Sliders—a new, Louisiana-based burger chain—to the greater Tampa Bay area. A press release states that the group will debut the first local Smalls Sliders at the end of 2024, and is planning to open 8 more locations over the next few years. While no specific locations have been announced just yet, PSM is looking to open future Smalls Sliders in cities like Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Lakeland, Spring Hill, Sarasota, Cape Coral and the greater Naples areas. Sliders, of course, are the star of its menu and can be upgraded with add-ons like bacon or extra meat. Other items include milkshakes, waffle fries, grilled cheese and a spicy queso dipping sauce. Photo via Smalls Sliders Credit: c/o Smalls Sliders
Rainbow Cone Address Yet To Be Announced Rainbow Cone, a popular Chicago-based ice cream franchise for people who can’t decide what flavor to order, will soon open a new location in Tampa Bay. Founded in 1926, Rainbow Cone specializes in their “world famous” five flavor “Rainbow Cone,” which features orange sherbet, pistachio, Palmer House, strawberry, and chocolate flavors “sliced” on top of each other. The menu also spans a variety of sundaes, cakes, doughnuts and milkshakes. The company did not give any specifics on exactly where or when the new Florida locations will debut. But if you can’t wait, Rainbow Cone’s first Florida location opened in Bradenton last September. Photo via Rainbow Cone Credit: Photo via Rainbow Cone
Lucky Tigre 81713 Albany Ave., Tampa Best of the Bay-winning Filipino sari-sari store concept Lucky Tigre is looking forward to opening a new location in West Tampa in the next month or two. Owner Julie Sainte Michelle Feliciano and her team have signed a lease on a property at 1713 Albany Ave. (across the street from a private park owned by Tampa’s strip club king Joe Redner), according to Lucky Tigre social media and public records, but the building on the lot needs plenty of love before its doors open. Until then, Feliciano has also purchased a food truck which will reside on the same property to fund build-out costs for the actual building. Photo by Rickey Kim Credit: Photo by Rickey Kim
Credit: Photo via Loopnet
Credit: chef_suz_lara / Instagram
Perry’s Porch 600 2nd Ave. NE, St. Petersburg The folks behind some of St. Pete’s best bars are opening a new concept that will surely boast one of the most scenic waterfront views in all of The Burg.’ Perry’s Porch is a new restaurant that will open adjacent to the St. Pete Pier and the St. Petersburg Museum of History — a space that was most recently occupied by craft beer spot Hops and Props. This upcoming concept will be a combination of open-air and indoor seating, since its name is a homage to the 20th century developer Perry Snell, who’s known for revitalizing several St. Pete neighborhoods with his unique approach to architecture, nature, and walkability. No exact opening date has been announced. Photo via St. Petersburg Museum of History
Dutch Bros sells a variety of lattes, teas, sodas, milkshakes and more. Credit: DutchBros / Facebook
Credit: eatforbici / Facebook
Noble Tavern 1650 Central Ave., St. Petersburg Noble Tavern, which is a collaborative effort between Noble Crust and Fat Beet Farm Kitchen & Bakery, is hoping to debut sometime soon. The restaurant will be located in the newly built Tru by Hilton St. Petersburg. The spot promises locally-sourced farm fresh flavors from Fat Beet Farm, and the menu will feature classic and craft cocktails, local beer and barrel fresh wines. Photo via Noble Tavern/Facebook Credit: Noble Tavern / Facebook
Fat Boy’s Pizza No exact address announced New Orleans-based pizza chain Fat Boy’s is making its way to the Bay, and the company claims to have the “World’s Biggest Pizza Slices.” The pizza chain has locations in Louisiana and Mississippi, and now plans to open 10 restaurants across the Tampa Bay region in the next few years. Fat Boy’s serves up its pizza in either a half-slice, a 10 and 16-inch pie, or a “whopping 30-inch pie.” The chain also boast wings, waffle fries, salads, meatballs, daiquiris and a full liquor bar. Photo via Fat Boy’s Pizza/Facebook
Big Chicken Locations TBA Big Chicken, the Shaquille O’Neal-owned fast casual concept, is heading to Florida in a massive way. The company recently signed a 45-unit franchising deal with Florida-based commercial hospitality development company DMD Ventures, which means we can expect Big Chicken locations in Orlando, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami in addition to Tampa Bay. There’s currently no timeline for when Tampa Bay’s debut Big Chicken franchise will open, a representative for the company told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. The casual chicken spot’s menu is a combination of Shaq’s home-cooked childhood favorites and the hottest trending flavors, chock full of chicken sandwiches, tendies and more. Photo via Photo c/o All Points PR Credit: Photo via Photo c/o All Points PR