Greenlane coming soon to St. Pete, Craft river cruise announces debut, and more Tampa Bay food news

Openings

Neighborhood Joe A Crescent Heights favorite recently reopened its doors in a brand new space less than half a mile from its flagship location. Neighborhood Joe was located at 2609 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N and recently moved down the street next to Trip’s Diner in St. Pete. The plant-based cafe celebrated its soft opening last week after two months of being closed while transitioning locations. The cafe boasts an all-vegan breakfast and lunch menu of “egg” Benedicts, tempeh omelets, sandwiches, smoothies, soups, salads and baked goods—with a variety of gluten-free and allergen-friendly options, too. The newly-reopened Neighborhood Joe also offers a spread of teas, coffees and espresso-based drinks. The cafe and lunch spot left its flagship location—where it's been since its debut in 2017—in mid-December 2023 and its team has spent the last two months building its new cozy space out. St. Pete's Neighborhood Joe is now open in Crescent Heights from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-3 a.m. on Sunday. 2325 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N, St. Pete. @neighborhoodjoe on Instagram

Craft Craft, a new, highly-anticipated river cruise experience in downtown Tampa, is ready to finally set sail. Last week, parent company Yacht Starship announced that reservations for dinner and cocktail service aboard Craft are now open, with the first voyage set for March 8. “As we get closer to launching Craft, the river cruiser far exceeds our expectations and vision,” said Troy Manthey President and CEO in a press release. “I am confident locals and visitors will be equally as impressed with the culinary and cocktail river journey we’ll take them on!” Billed as Tampa’s first dining river cruise, Craft was initially announced last September, and is essentially a two-hour European-style river cruise up the Hillsborough River, beginning from the Channel District at the StarShip dock adjacent to Sparkman Wharf. At 130-feet in length and featuring only 11-feet of air draft, the upscale dining ship will be the largest commercial vessel currently on the Hillsborough, all while still being able to pass under five of the river's lowest bridges. crafttampa.com

Coming Soon

Greenlane St. Pete A health conscious fast-casual spot that promises much more than "rabbit food" will soon make its debut in The 'Burg. Reps for Greenlane say the restaurant just broke ground on its first St. Pete location at 8001 4th St. N, and will soon be neighbors with other nearby restaurants like Green Pagoda, Noble Crust and St. Pete Bagel Co. St. Pete's first Greenlane is slated to open sometime this spring, although there’s no debut date set in stone. Greenlane—which recently received some TMZ coverage due to regular customer and football star Rob Gronkowski aka "Gronk"—is known for dishing out healthy “salads and wraps at fast food prices.” The local chain opened its first location off of Gandy Boulevard in 2023 and is continuing its Tampa Bay expansion with St. Pete’s upcoming Greenlane drive-thru. Like its flagship location in Tampa, St. Pete’s 1,200 square-foot Greenlane will feature a drive-thru and pick-up window, but no dining room. Its salads, smoothies and wraps will also be available via delivery apps like Uber Eats, as well as through catering orders. Notably, everything on Greenlane’s health-oriented menu costs $10 or under, with its most expensive wrap/salad starting at $9.49.  8001 4th St. N, St. Pete. Gogreenlane.com

Zen Noodle Bar A popular Asian restaurant is expanding its Tampa footprint this spring. Earlier this week, Zen Noodle Bar took to social media to announce the opening of its second Tampa location at 3019 W Waters Ave. out of the former Token Ramen Kung Fu Tea space. A representative of the restaurant tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that its newest location is slated to open sometime this May or June, although the debut ultimately depends on how its build-out goes. Patrons of Zen’s Temple Terrace restaurant can expect a similar menu from its upcoming Tampa location, which includes a variety of East and Southeast Asian fare like dumplings, bao buns, spring rolls, banh mi, stir fried noodles, pork adobo and bulgogi beef bowls. Its soup selection is also quite extensive, serving everything from expected entrees like pork belly ramen and chicken pho to more specialty items like bo bun hue, a spicy Vietnamese soup served with beef shank, tendon and sliced ribeye. 3019 W Waters Ave., Tampa. @zennoodlestampa on Instagram

Events

All the best events happening during Tampa Bay Beer Week 2024 Tampa Bay Beer Week 2024 runs from March 1-10 this year, and the Bay area-wide celebration is filled with nine days worth of festivals, unique beer releases, pop-ups from out-of-town breweries and tap takeovers that cater to all palates—whether you’re into funky ferments and barrel-aged beers or crispy lagers and straightforward ales. Head to tampabaybeerweek.com for more information on its multitude of beer-centric events happening in March.
ICYMI

Tampa Filipino restaurant Lucky Tigre is moving, but remains open in SoHo for now West Tampa is about to come into some good fortune. Best of the Bay-winning Filipino sari-sari store concept Lucky Tigre is looking forward to opening a new location in West Tampa in the next month or two. Owner Julie Sainte Michelle Feliciano and her team have signed a lease on a property at 1713 Albany Ave. (across the street from a private park owned by Tampa's strip club king Joe Redner), according to Lucky Tigre social media and public records, but the building on the lot needs plenty of love before its doors open. Until then, Feliciano has also purchased a food truck which will reside on the same property to fund build-out costs for the actual building. The menu for the food truck is going to be slightly different from Lucky Tigre’s current menu since it will have better equipment and more capacity. The restaurant doesn’t yet have a name but once it gets up and running Feliciano wants it to be modeled after a classic Filipino diner. theluckytigre.com—Suzanne Townsend

Feeding Tampa Bay is taking applications for the next class of ‘Epic Chef’ competitors For the last eight years, nonprofit Feeding Tampa Bay has spent its summer putting local chefs through the thrilling gauntlet of its “Epic Chef” competition. The “Chopped”-style cooking tournament hosted at the Epicurean Theatre in South Tampa asks culinarians to create unique dishes with secret ingredients, revealed at showtime. In 2024, selected chefs will participate in a kickoff reception, plus preliminary rounds (July 22 & 29) that’ll send the winner to the “Epic Chef” finale on Monday, Aug. 5. The winner will receive the renowned Marty Blitz Award—named for the famed chef of Tampa’s Mise en Place—along with a $5,000 prize and custom knife roll. And for the first time ever, Feeding Tampa Bay is opening up applications to anyone who thinks they have what it takes to make it to the finale showdown and take home the “Epic Chef” crown. Only four chefs will be selected for the competition, and applicants must be 18 years old and come from one of the 10 counties where Feeding Tampa Bay provides food insecure families and individuals with much-needed relief. feedingtampabay.org—Ray Roa

27 Black-owned restaurants in Tampa Bay everyone should visit There's plenty of praise to pass around when it comes to Tampa Bay's restaurants. But any examination of our local dining scene isn't complete without recognizing our rich history and tradition of Black-owned bars and restaurants in the region. Since February is Black History month, here are some incredible spots you should check out. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is currently offering a ticket deal for both its Brunched event on March 9 and Margarita Wars tasting and competition on May 10. For a limited time, folks can purchase joint GA tickets for $90 and VIP for $130 each, saving upwards of $20-$40 if you're looking to attend both events.

Sip Fresh, a California-based juice and smoothie company, recently announced its expansion to Central Florida. There’s no exact timeline for the opening of Sip Fresh’s new locations in Orlando, Sarasota and Tampa just yet, but locals will eventually be able to (healthily) indulge in its variety of smoothies, fruit bowls, shaken teas and more.

From now until March 21, folks can snag any of Fuzzy Taco Shop’s OG tacos for just $1 with the purchase of any item from its newly-added “Primo Baja” menu category, which boasts items like  fish tacos, birria bowls or its “California Heat” tacos. A press release says that the promotion is limited to one $1 taco per Primo Baja item. Make sure to confirm if your local Fuzzy’s is participating in this month-long promotional deal.

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