Although it was supposed to open in fall of 2021, its staff told Creative Loafing that the new fast casual restaurant celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 17. Bare Naked Kitchen is now open in the building that formerly housed Lauro Ristorante—a fine dining Italian restaurant that closed in 2014.
The Bare Naked Kitchen menu features stacked bowls, salads and pizzas—with cauliflower crust options for all you gluten-free folks out there. Its debut location opened in Tallahassee last summer, and our northern neighbors can't get enough of their signature bowls— like its “Perkfection” with Korean BBQ pork, jasmine rice, crispy shiitake mushrooms and broccoli .
Location Details
For this new concept, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse and PDQ Bob Basham has teamed up with Chris Ponte—the local chef behind culinary standouts like, Olivia, On Swann, and Ponte Tampa, which is slated to open soon at Midtown Tampa. Bare Naked Kitchen is actually located right down the road from the very first Outback Steakhouse, which opened in 1988.
This new restaurant was created with efficiency in mind, so it's built for to-go orders and third party delivery service—although dine-in seating will be available as well. You can also order for pickup or curbside directly from the Bare Naked Kitchen website.
In terms of decor, Bare Naked Kitchen has a modern and sleek feel. There are also two swings in the middle of its dining room, but you might have to compete with a kid in order to get a turn.
Bare Naked Kitchen is now open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
