Yup, you read that right. After a bit of a delay, opening day for SoHo Capital’s Heights Public Market has arrived.
On Thursday, the anticipated amalgam of food and drink stalls — operated by local restaurateurs, chefs and other pros within the industry — is expected to launch in Tampa Heights — with some tenants debuting as early as 7 a.m. — at the restored, former streetcar storage and maintenance facility that is Armature Works, a 70,000-square-foot whopper of a project that will offer a shared workspace, rooftop social area and two restaurants, in addition to the market and multiple event spaces, once complete.
The market’s partnerships have allowed it to reel in 13 tenants at 1910 N. Ola Ave.: Ichicoro Imoto (mod-casual ramen shop); Union by Commune + Co. (community-driven coffee and tea bar); Fine & Dandy (craft cocktail emporium focused on package sales, cocktail kits and classes); BnB (boutique butcher and barbecue joint showcasing fine charcuterie and cheese); Ava (rustic, wood-fired pizzeria with pies, panini and salads); Inside the Box (Metropolitan Ministries-run contemporary American cafe and specialty grocery store highlighting area-made items, plus a community garden); O Cocina Taqueria (street-style tacos, bowls and sangria slushies); Swami Juice (holistic takeout like acai bowls, cold-pressed juice and smoothies); Graze 1910 (retro eatery dishing all-day breakfast and comfort food favorites); Cru Cellars (sommelier-led wine bar); Astro Ice Cream (small-batch confections made-to-order with liquid nitrogen); Zukku Sushi (custom sushi rolls, burritos and poke bowls); and Hemingway’s (Cuban soul food that puts a fresh spin on classics).
And that’s not including the Rotating Stall, where a new restaurant is planned every four months. Two popular food trucks — Surf and Turf and Empamamas — are the first and second occupants.
Alongside these signature offerings (it’ll be tough to go hungry here), the market features an interactive kitchen to further its collaborative mission. Show + Tell is set to host a lineup of educational cooking classes, pop-up dinners and corporate team-building activities, in conjunction with Heights Public Market tenants.
CL got to roam around inside the lively market — whose open floor plan allows guests to easily flow from one concept to the next — during a soft opening on Wednesday night. There’s still some work to be done on Astro Ice Cream, but most of the stalls, which were serving throughout the preview, look like they’re ready for business.
During this sneak peek, one of the Armature Works restaurants, the BE-1 Concepts-run Steelbach, also had its doors open for guests to peruse. While there’s no official word on when the Southern-inspired kitchen and chophouse with farm-fresh ingredients will premiere, we suspect it’ll be sooner rather than later.
“Pull a seat up to the bar or the countertop. You can go look outside, in the courtyard,” said SoHo Capital Director of Events Taryn Bruck of the market in late 2016. “There’s so many different areas that you can just kind of hang out, eat your food, have your coffee, whatever it may be, and be comfortable.”
She ain’t kiddin’. Let the food comas commence.
The Heights Public Market is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
