Forbici heads to St. Pete, Datz in South Tampa closes, and more local foodie news

Openings

Zydeco Brew Werks at MOSI When taking your kiddos to Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry, you’re typically limited to juice boxes and PB&Js for sustenance. Well, one popular Ybor City brewery is about to change that in a huge way. Located at 4801 E Fowler Ave. near the University of South Florida and Busch Gardens, MOSI will soon debut an outdoor taproom and food truck from Ybor City’s Zydeco Brew Werks—the second location for the New Orleans-themed brewery. Zydeco’s General Manager Josh Henneman tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that MOSI’s newest hospitality concept is just a few weeks away from making its debut, slated to open sometime in August. Zydeco Brew Werks at MOSI will feature an outdoor bar loaded with the brewery’s most popular beers, an 18-foot food truck next to the museum’s miniature golf course, four TVs and shaded seating under its amphitheater awning (where the IMAX theater once was)— which will soon host a variety of live entertainment, too. After the hospitality concept opens next month, parents will be able to sip on lagers and IPAs while their kids enjoy the outdoor ropes or mini golf courses. Zydeco’s newest outpost will open when the MOSI opens at 10 a.m., but will continue to serve beer and burgers long after the museum closes at 5 p.m. 4801 E Fowler Ave.,Tampa. ​​zydecobeer.com

Lolita’s Wine Market After months of build out at its new St. Pete location, Lolita’s Wine Market reopens inside of the Warehouse Arts District’s historic Seaboard Train Station this weekend. Known for its extensive wine selection and loaded charcuterie boards, Lolita’s also offers an expanded menu of Latin-inspired tapas and entrees at its new restaurant and bar. In addition to its indoor dining room, the newly-opened restaurant now offers a first-come-first-serve outdoor dining area deemed “El Jardin.” Its former space off of Central Avenue has been closed since May in preparation for the grand reopening at its new location. Lolita’s Wine Market’s recent relocation came to no surprise, as a massive, multi-million dollar development will soon replace downtown St. Pete’s charming 1700 block—where the wine bar called home for the past 7 years. For the latest information on Lolita’s new location, head to its Instagram at @lolitaswinemarket. Reservations for its grand (re)opening weekend are highly recommended. 420 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg. lolitaswinemarket.com

Coming Soon

Forbici St. Pete For the first time in several years, a new hospitality concept is headed to downtown St. Pete’s Sundial mall at 153 2nd Ave. N. According to Tampa Bay Business Journal, Forbici’s second location is slated to open sometime next year, marking the beginning of the local brand’s possible nationwide expansion. Co-owner Jeff Gigante—who operates Forbici with partner Joseph Guggino under the Next Level Brands umbrella—estimates that 30-40 locations of the Italian restaurant could eventually open throughout the country. St. Pete’s upcoming Forbici will take up 7,000 square-feet, and will include an indoor-outdoor bar, as well as a 3,000 square-foot shaded patio. The concept will open out of Locale Market’s former parcel, which closed in early 2020 after now-defunct plans for Sundial’s food hall were announced. The South Tampa restaurant is known for its menu of hearty pastas, main plates of seafood, chicken, veal and steak, and a variety of both square and round Roman-style pizzas. Its menu of modern Italian fare is joined by a spread of expected cocktails, imported and local craft beer and a variety of wines. 153 2nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. eatforbici.com

Closings

Datz & Dough Folks driving down S Macdill Avenue will soon miss the tongue-in-cheek phrases on Datz’s sign, because the South Tampa restaurant recently sold to new owners. Datz and its accompanying dessert shop Dough will close to make way for the new property owner’s concepts. The Tampa Bay Business Journal says Datz owners Roger and Suzanne Perry recently sold their South Tampa parcel for $6.1 million dollars and that the building’s new owners will revamp the former Datz space into another restaurant and replace the former bakery with a new retail concept. TBBJ adds that Datz and Dough will “wind down their operations at some point in the next several weeks,” but did not include an official closure date. A Dough employee, however, told CL that yesterday, July 20, was actually the bakery’s last day in operation, and that South Tampa’s Datz will be open until Aug. 29. In addition to South Tampa’s Datz, there are additional locations in downtown St. Pete and Riverview, which will both stay open. The Tampa-based restaurant—founded in 2009—is known for its whacky culinary creations and Instagrammable eats like breakfast carbonara pasta, Nashville chicken doughnuts and “trash can” nachos. 2616 S MacDill Ave., Tampa. datztampa.com

 Events

Beerfest 2023: Beerassic Park Each summer, downtown’s historic Tampa Theatre hosts a movie-themed fundraiser that features craft beer samples, small bites and tons of costumed fun.This year’s tongue-in-cheek theme is Beerassic Park, paying homage to the popular film franchise about the beloved Mesozoic beasts. Tampa Theatre’s BeerFest returns on Saturday, July 29 from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. This event will feature samples of craft beer and light bites from a variety of Tampa Bay-based breweries and restaurants including Woven Water Brewing, Corner Club, Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque, Common Dialect and Independent Bar & Café, alongside many more. Guests are welcome to dress as their favorite “Jurassic Park” character or in dinosaur-themed costumes. There are two ticketing tiers for 2023’s BeerFest available on tampatheatre.org: a general admission “grand sampling” for $55 and a “premium sampling” for $75. Tampa Theatre members can purchase discounted tickets from either tier. Although next weekend’s event won’t feature any full-length screenings of “Jurassic Park” films, a representative from Tampa Theatre tells CL that clips from various movies from the “Jurassic Park” world will be on display throughout the party. 711 N Franklin St., Tampa. Tampatheatre.org Gabby Bakes x Elevenses ‘90s-themed pop-up Gabby Duncan of Gabby Bakes and Jade Yelvington of Elevenses Co. teamed up for pop-up back in May, and a line wrapped around the V.M. Ybor bakery for a few hours until they both sold out of their quirky baked goods and beverages. The dynamic duo is back for another ’90s-themed, all-vegan pop-up happening on Saturday, July 22 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (or until sold out). “Our first event together went so swimmingly that we decided right then and there to do this again fairly soon, and the time has come,” Duncan writes on Instagram. “Plus the ‘90s provides seemingly endless inspo, so gonna keep the vibes goin.” Duncan will dish out from-scratch Pop Tarts, cosmic brownies and other pastries, while Yelvington will sling her prized vegan macarons, soft pretzels, cinnamon buns and colorful “Power Puff Girl”-themed drinks. These specialized pop-ups are some of the best ways to indulge in extremely unique, one-off creations from some of Tampa’s most proficient bakers. 1001 E Columbus Dr., Tampa. @gabbybakesllc on Insatgram.

Busch Gardens Bier Fest Anyone riding those hot ass roller coasters at Busch Gardens this summer is certainly brave, and the park is rewarding them with a stein of ice-cold beer. For the six consecutive year, Bier Fest takes over the amusement park, allowing guests to sip over 60 beers from IPAs and pilsners to lagers and ales, in addition to indulging in Oktoberfest-inspired eats from Busch Gardens’ various hospitality outposts. New pub-inspired bites include braised pork shank, a spicy mustard-topped bratwurst on a pretzel bun, savory onion pies, dark beer doughnuts and chicken schnitzel with brown butter spätzle, alongside many other dishes. While access to Fest-ivities is included in the price of admission, its various food and drink offerings are available for purchase throughout the park. In addition to these exclusive food and drink experiences, Busch Gardens hosts a variety of live entertainment Friday-Sunday on its Coke Canopy to help celebrate 2023’s Bier Fest. Bier Fest 2023 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay runs from July 21-Sep. 4 and is included with park admission.10165 N McKinley Dr., Tampa. buschgardens.com ICYMI

Tampa Bay’s first Dutch Bros drive-thru coffee has plans to open in South Tampa One West Coast-based coffee chain (with a cult-like following) has its sights set on the Sunshine State, and recently filed permits to open its first outpost in South Tampa. According to construction plans and a rezoning application filed this month on The City of Tampa’s permitting website, a 950 square-foot, drive-thru Dutch Bros is planned for South Tampa’s Sun Bay South neighborhood. The plans also state that the Dutch Bros location will offer no in-store seating and will serve customers strictly through its drive-thru. The popular coffee brand is known for its iced lattes, smoothies, teas, sodas, milkshakes, frozen blended coffees and energy drinks—all from the convenience of its drive-thru. Signature drinks include the “Golden Eagle” Dutch freeze blended with vanilla and caramel and the aptly-named “9-1-1” loaded with six shots of espresso, half and half and Irish creme syrup. This proposed Dutch Bros would be the Oregon-based company’s first outpost on this coast of Florida. There are several Dutch Bros locations planned for Jacksonville and the greater Orlando area, although none have made their debut yet. Dutch Bros was founded in 1992 in Grants Pass, Oregon and started franchising across the northwest in 2000, its website states. The coffee brand now operates over 800 locations throughout the U.S. 3616 W Ballast Point Blvd., Tampa. dutchbros.com

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This article appears in Jul 20-26, 2023.