Spring is upon us, and change is in the air, folks. From the long-awaited opening of Clearwater’s Karol Hotel’s Vantage Rooftop Bar, to downtown St. Pete Hofbräuhaus’ quiet closure, to Sunshine Kitty Catfe inching closer to its debut—the foodie scene throughout Tampa Bay is always shifting. Don’t forget to snag your little one a “Just Here for the Free Cookie" sippy cup from Publix, too.
OPENINGS
Fresh Factory St. Pete Beach’s newest acai bowl spot—with a menu featuring freshly-made juices, build-your-own acai and smoothie bowls, and small bites like salads and avocado toast—is now open, but it celebrates its grand opening on March 29. 7350 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. eatatfreshfactory.com
Hot Crab The Cajun-style seafood spot celebrated a grand opening in February. The menu—stacked with various types of po'boys, Cajun fried rice, and seafood like octopus, calamari, catfish, shrimp, crawfish, crab cakes, lobster tails, and crab— is fairly priced, too. 1390 34th St. N, St. Petersburg. Hotcrabinc.com
McArthur’s Irish Pub The Irish-inspired restaurant and bar is now open in the space formerly occupied by the veteran eatery Babalu—just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. The menu’s loaded with Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage, curry chips, Guinness stew and Irish soda bread. 9246 4th St., St. Petersburg. mcarthursirishpub.com
Publix The latest Publix supermarket opened in Tampa’s Westshore District. While we continue to watch the decline of niche organic grocery stores (R.I.P. Lucky's Market and EarthFare), Publix continues to capitalize on its cult following. 4900 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. publix.com
Smoke and Barrel If you love rustic western decor and a classic salad bar spread, then you might have to visit Clearwater Beach’s newest steakhouse to enjoy various cuts of steak, house-made barbecue sauces, stacked sandwiches and all-American appetizers. 752 S. Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater. smokeandbarrelfl.com
Steep Station Whether you’re craving tea, kava, kratom or kombucha, Steep Station's new location aims to meet all your thirst-quenching needs. Its official grand opening celebration on March 27 will feature a cornhole competition, live music, raffles and an all-you-can-drink tab for $20. 1941 W. Bay Dr., Largo. (727)-754-8532
Three Brothers New York Pizza The fast-casual joint expanded to Palm Harbor where it's serving a signature menu loaded with Italian cuisine and New York-style pizza, super-stuffed calzones, hero sandos, and pasta dishes like homemade lasagna. 3436 Tampa Rd., Palm Harbor. brothersny.com
Valhalla Bakery The vegan bakery makes its debut this Sunday at 8 a.m. at the old Baum Ave. Market where it’s teamed up with Lucy’s (fka Lucy’s Vegan Corner) to sling plant-based goods at the new storefront. 2462 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. valhallabakery.com
Vantage Rooftop Bar The Karol Hotel’s rooftop bar is now serving craft cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, small bites—and views of downtown Tampa—out of its new climate-controlled space. 2675 Ulmerton Rd., Clearwater. thekarolhotel.com
Xitochl It’s pronounced “so-cheel,” and it’s now open across the street from Armature Works. The menu consists of favorites like tacos (with homemade tortillas), queso, churros and more. 307 W. Palm Ave., Tampa Heights. Ilovexochitl.com
COMING SOON
Aroma Joe’s Later this month, Land O’Lakes gets the first sips of a Maine-based coffee chain that has plans to open 50 more shops throughout Tampa Bay over the next 10-12 years. Another Aroma Joe’s scheduled to open is located in Clearwater. 7016 Land O’Lakes Blvd., Land O’Lakes. aromajoes.com
Brioche Cafe & Bakery There’s not much on social media, but it shouldn’t be much longer until chef Badia Verona opens her cafe, which bills itself as an innovative dining concept "surrounded by good food and good times" makes its debut. 407 S. Dale Mabry, Tampa.
Lucy’s You might remember this vegan hotspot (fka Lucy’s Vegan Corner) from Baum Ave. Market, but it reopens later this month—in space shared with Valhalla Bakery—in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District. 2462 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. lucysvegan.com
Sunshine Kitty Catfe Sunshine Kitty Catfe said that it’s now hiring with plans to soft open this month so guests can hang with adoptable cats visible through a glass divider that separates the cat lounge from the coffee shop (you can pay extra to get into the cat lounge.) 1669 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. sunshinekittycatfe.com
CLOSINGS
Hofbräuhaus In October, Hofbräuhaus was facing eviction lawsuit over late rent. It looks like the joint known for pints, paddles and bratwurst has since shuttered—according to a “closed” sign taped on its door. 123 4th St. S., St. Petersburg. Hofbrauhausstpetersburg.com
ICYMI
Publix Clothing Line Forget the baby registry, if you're a diehard Publix fan, you’ll be dressing your future niece, nephew, grandchild, godchild, or child in onesies, T-shirts, bibs (currently sold-out) and sippy cups reading "Future Free Cookie Collector” and “Just Here for the Free Cookie."
EVENTS
Dunedin Seafood Festival The 10th annual festival returns to Edgewater Park to host 20 food vendors hawking eats for both land and sea lovers. Free admission, live music and a slew of seafood vendors. Sat. March 21. Noon-10 p.m. Edgewater Park, Dunedin. dunedinseafoodfestival.com
Florida Hard Seltzer Fest The Hard Seltzer Festival, which features heads back to St. Petersburg's 3 Daughters Brewing for bites, live music, and of course, hard seltzer. GA tickets ($55 & up) include a drink from every bartender and eats from every chef. Sun. April 25. 222 22nd St. S.,St. Petersburg. 3dbrewing.com
Tampa Bay Pizza Week CL Tampa Bay’s own Tampa Bay Pizza Week is back and offering locals a chance to chow down on specials for $10 and under from March 19-29. A dozen participating restaurants have been announced so far, but expect the list to double before Pizza Week kicks off in the next two weeks.
Taste at The Straz GA tickets for Taste at The Straz (stylized "TASTE @ The Straz") run $85, and include unlimited food samplings, full open bar (you have to be 21 & up, duh), specialty wine and beer tastings and live music. VIP is $150 and allows attendees early admission plus access to an exclusive VIP lounge. Sat. April 4. 1010 N Macinnes Pl., Tampa. strazcenter.org
Taste of South Tampa Tampa Garden Club is the place to be if you’re dying to try samples from South Tampa’s hottest restaurants and bars (including American Social, We Are Poke, Cask Social Kitchen and more.) Sun. March 22. $40. 2629 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa. southtampachamber.org
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This article appears in Mar 5-12, 2020.