Chopped cheese has finally arrived in downtown Tampa.
Bodega Bus, the new late night mini-mart and smoke shop with vape, hookah and legal hemp products, has soft-opened at 505 N Franklin St. and is serving a limited menu that includes chopped cheese, smashburgers, chicken and steak over rice, and loaded hot dogs.
The halal beef is a 81-19 sirloin-chuck mix, Zatar Shukri told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay as he worked on sandwiches from a kitchen awaiting its finishing touches. Business hours and menu prices have yet to be finalized, but last Tuesday we paid $16.38 before taxes for a chopped cheese sub with onions, green peppers, and jalepeños all served with hand-cut fries cooked in beef tallow.
Shukri—who runs the shop with his wife Margi Shukri—said Bodega Bus will also have a “bring your own bag” special where a customer brings in chips before the kitchen adds chopped beef, melted cheese, any veggies, and Shukri’s special sauce.
Bodega Bus will look familiar to longtime denizens of downtown Tampa, as it’s in the same parcel as the former Taco Bus, with a new graffitti/airbrush paint job. Taco Bus closed downtown in 2025, but still runs eight locations throughout the Bay area.
The Bodega Bus concept is owned by the Shukris’ relative Khalil Mohammad who previously told CL that he worked in delis and corner stores in Buffalo, New York to prepare for running the Tampa spot.
“It won’t taste just like New York, it’ll taste better,” Mohammad told CL.
Zatar Shukri said that instead of the sazón sprinkled on most chopped cheeses, Bodega Bus utilizes a special blend of Mediterranean seasonings.
“We’re adding our own little kick to it,” Mohammad added.
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in June 25 – July 01, 2026.
