Tampa Irish pub Four Green Fields is closing its Curtis Hixon Park location—temporarily Five years after closing the original location, Four Green Fields is temporarily closing one of its downtown Tampa watering holes. On Wednesday, the Irish pub—which will keep operating daily on the border of the Channelside and forthcoming Gas Worx neighborhood—told followers that it plans to close its Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park location for renovation after this weekend. “We’re excited to share the beginning of a new chapter in the Four Green Fields story,” it wrote, adding that the bar will close on Sunday, June 8. “We invite you to join us this weekend as we celebrate the memories made and toast to what’s ahead.” In a follow-up post two hours later, the pub apologized for any confusion, adding that the closure is temporary so that it can make changes. “We expect it will only be for a couple of weeks,” Four Green Fields added.—Ray Roa

Openings

Foxtail Coffee Co. will open sixth Bay area location in Largo One of Florida’s largest coffee shop chains is adding a sixth Tampa Bay area location sometime next year. Foxtail Coffee Co.’s new location is in Largo at 4th Street SW and West Bay Drive, near Ulmer Park, according to St. Pete Rising. With nearly 90 locations in Florida, Foxtail’s sixth local location joins Bay area shops in St. Petersburg, Riverview, Clearwater and Carrollwood.—Marleigh Brown

Gulfport’s new Vietnamese restaurant is taking over the Golden Dinosaurs location Gulfport’s favorite vegan deli is gone, but a new concept is ready with more plant-based fare. V-Roll Vietnamese Rolls & Bowls will open in July and includes options that are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan along with menu items for omnivores. Owner Stephanie Nghiem (pronounced Nim) welcomes the neighborhood to build-your-own bowl, spring rolls, steamed bao buns or bánh mì—a Vietnamese baguette sandwich.—MB

St. Pete staple karaoke bar Lala opens new location in South Tampa Tampa has a new excuse to butcher Taylor Swift. After the success of Lala’s St. Pete location, Tampa’s new karaoke bar recently opened in SoHo. Lala Tampa has eight themed rooms including Nashville, Gatsby, Reggae, Studio 54, Backstage, Hip-Hop, and Red Carpet. Each room has a different holding capacity, and the largest room—Moulin Rouge—can support up to 25 guests.—Jani Burden

Raising Cane’s is opening a new location out of an old Largo Red Lobster Tampa Bay’s ongoing chicken tender war has another competitor. Raising Cane’s already has four Bay area locations and will open another in Largo where a Red Lobster closed in 2024, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The Louisiana-born chain known for tenders, Cane’s sauce and Texas toast, plans to demolish the Red Lobster and open a double drive-thru at 10500 Ulmerton Rd. in the Largo Plaza.—RR

Photos: Look inside Slim Charmer, a new St. Pete restaurant and cocktail spot that’s raising the bar on Central Avenue

Reviews

Slim Charmer, St. Pete’s carefully-curated, curious, new cocktail bar and tasting room, signals an even brighter future for the Bay area dining scene In a small, retro building located next to its sister concept, lies the nonchalantly-cool Slim Charmer—offering no signage other than a snake decal on its door and an elusive motto that beckons the curious diner. Located in an unassuming building amidst an undeniably-booming stretch of Central Avenue, this newly-opened cocktail bar and tasting room offers an ultra-curated libations list and intimate menu of small plates to match.—Kyla Fields

ICYMI

Cali, a health-centric bowl, pizza and wrap concept, has a new “Real Food Only” menu at its four Bay area locations—and a new interior at the South Tampa location at 217 S Dale Mabry Hwy. “Real Food” means the locations cook exclusively with olive and sunflower oils, while utilizing “naturally fermented sourdough for pizzas, hormone and antibiotic-free meats.” eatatcali.com
St. Pete’s new fish shack and raw bar Cheeky’s (2823 Central Ave.) has a new happy hour happening Wednesday-Sunday from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. specials include $1 off oysters (half or whole dozen starting at $9 for Connecticut Blue Points), fried grouper cheek of oyster sliders (two for $7, $8, respectively), and Florida shrimp cocktail (six for $13). Other apps start at $3-$4 (potato chips, fries, cheese plate) and go all the way up to $14-$19 (Old Bay pimento cheese, wings, Sicilian crudo). There are also discounts on select seltzer wine, frozen cocktails and more including $4.99 car bombs or “cheek clapper” house shots, along with beer-and-shot specials ($5.99), and oysters shooters starting at $4.99. Five-beer buckets on Narragansett, Stiegl, Corona and Peroni are also available.

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This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2025.