Ahem. How long have you known “That Mexican Place,” Nueva Cantina, has a South Tampa location planned — and not told me? Well, ICYMI, the St. Pete-born Mexican restaurant’s second outpost has set its sights on South Tampa; specifically, the former Love’s Artifacts Bar & Grille space at 4918 S. MacDill Ave. The longtime Love’s closed its doors last month.
There’s no word yet on a launch date for Nueva Cantina Tampa. However, a trio of local muralists, the Vitale Bros., are in the process of transforming its walls into something special.
Diners familiar with the St. Pete location — an eclectic, laid-back neighborhood find opened almost two years ago — can look forward to the same lineup of contemporary Mexican cuisine, in addition to Sunday brunch. The weekly specials, including $3 tacos on Tuesdays and an all-day happy hour on Saturdays, aren’t going anywhere, either.
• Metro Diner is apparently also expanding across the bay. Established in Jacksonville, the restaurant chain expects to bring its modern interpretations of breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites to 4011 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Back in 2016, the first Tampa Bay location for Metro Diner — revived by founder-chef Mark Davoli and his family 18 years ago — opened along St. Petersburg’s Fourth Street North. There are 20-plus sites throughout the state at this point, including two in Sarasota.
The menu offers a wide assortment of something-for-everyone dishes no matter when diners decide to drop in. Think everything from huevos rancheros and the signature chicken and waffles to the famous meatloaf plate and Cajun chicken pasta.
According to its website, Metro Diner South Tampa is “coming soon.”
• On Tuesday, downtown Brooksville’s Mountaineer Coffee announced that a permanent shop is in the works for downtown New Port Richey. Yup, after opening a temporary location inside Journey Church’s Main Street storefront to get a feel for the NPR community earlier this year, the specialty coffee shop and roastery owned by Daniel Pritz plans to move into its own space on Bank Street, close to Sim’s Park.
A good way for fans of Mountaineer Coffee — which has gained a loyal following since the flagship debuted in 2016 — to stay updated on the NPR location’s progress? Its Instagram page.
New Port Richey is anticipating another kind of newcomer, too. Initially scheduled to open at 5800 Main St. in January and now sometime in the spring, Cotee River Brewing Company is downtown NPR’s first brewery, named for the Pithlachascotee River that flows through Pasco County.
While its headquarters is being built out, the brewhouse and taproom is perfecting beer recipes to ensure they’re ready when the time to brew in-house, on a larger scale, comes around. Cotee River’s first finalized signature beer is the Main Street Pale Ale.
• Get excited. In Brandon, there’s a “coming soon” banner up for Sa Ri One B.B.Q & Sushi at 1025 W. Brandon Blvd. The future home of Sa Ri One — which specializes in Korean barbecue — is where The Rack and, most recently, the short-lived S Bar operated.
• And some quick bites to finish up our most hearty meal: In March, Tampa’s Flavors Indian Cuisine celebrated its grand opening. Another boba tea cafe from Quickly debuted locally, but this time in Temple Terrace. Ordinance One recently started pouring craft beer and wine for downtown New Port Richey, with the goal of eventually brewing on-site. And Palm Thai, fka Orchid Thai, is doing a large menu of Thai classics in Tampa Palms.
This article appears in May 10-17, 2018.
