Credit: Photo via Hooch and Hive/Facebook

OPENINGS/CLOSING

Seminole Heights’ 3 Dot vegan kitchen will close this month
After six years slinging community-craved fake chicken sandwiches, 3 Dot Vegan Kitchen will say goodbye to Seminole Heights. The vegan kitchen at 6203 N Florida Ave. is located inside of Jug & Bottle Dept, which announced a search for a new owner last July. With Jug & Bottle’s end coming at the end of this month, 3 Dot (formerly known as 3 Dot Dash) is also moving on, but expressed gratitude to its followers. “It was all of you lining up around the block for a fake chicken sandwich that pushed us into Jug, running a line to the door every night once we opened up. Even when the pandemic took that from us you continued to deal with remote ordering & obnoxious food delivery fees through all of it. Thank you for that,” 3 Dot wrote on social media.—Julia Saad

Dave’s Hot Chicken will open new location in Pasco County this spring
The fried chicken boom in Tampa and St. Petersburg is headed north and crossing county lines once again Pasco County will soon be home to Tampa Bay’s fourth Dave’s Hot Chicken location, Ian Liberman, local franchise owner, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Liberman, together with his brother Adam, also owns local Fuzzy’s Tacos locations and previously announced plans to open eight arms of the west coast chicken chain in the Bay area. The second Dave’s Hot Chicken in Pasco—located at 13446 Pine Gap Spur in Odessa— will open in April and join the other located at Wiregrass Mall, plus two more in Tampa. – Julia Saad

Trader Joe’s opens new location in Palm Harbor on Thursday
Palm Harbor residents will now be able to scoop their favorite Trader Joe’s snacks a little closer to home. The new grocery location in Highland Lakes Plaza is set to open its doors at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12 right after cutting the ribbon by its sliding doors, according a statement from the company. As previously reported, the location will be the fifth in the Tampa Bay region. The plaza sits in between Nebraska Avenue and W Lake Road, the second location in Pinellas County. Trader Joe’s is famous for its cult-like following and online snack reviews. Its employees, found in tropical and Hawaiian type button ups, are praised for their friendly demeanor. – Julia Saad

Tampa bar and music venue Hooch and Hive to close in 2025
Hooch and Hive has spent the last six years working on a well-earned reputation for being a surefire spot to catch local and touring bands on nearly any night of the week. That work ends on Jan. 1. In a statement to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Hooch and Hive’s “Spiritual Janitor” Dean Rosenberger wrote that the venue finds itself unable to continue in its current location. “Unfortunately, as the saying goes, ‘money talks,’ and we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to host live music here,” he added. Hooch’s last show before the new year will be the Brokenmold Entertainment Annual Holiday Party set for Friday, Dec. 27. There are just two shows announced at Hooch for 2025, and they will have to find new venues. – Ray Roa

Downtown Tampa breakfast spot First Watch reopens this month
Demolition can’t stop breakfast. Downtown Tampa’s new First Watch 4,000-square-foot location at 400 N Tampa St., one block south of its original spot, is set to open on Monday, Dec. 23, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The previous location was on the first floor of the Dohring building, which was demolished in early 2023. Kolter Urban, the new owners paid over $11 million for the parcel where they have started construction of the Tampa One condo tower. – Julia Saad

REVIEWS

Mighty Fine raises the bar with refined, yet unpretentious, pub grub at Tampa’s Late Start Brewing
The recently-opened Late Start Brewing and its culinary counterpart Mighty Fine live at the quiet northeast corner of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, where Ybor City meets the Channel District. Late Start Brewing had a long-awaited opening last September after hoping to debut in 2022. Mighty Fine—helmed by longtime Florida chef and native Tampeño Nathan Hardin—has been a welcome addition to the local food scene. Refined bar grub is offered at lunch and dinner, alongside breakfast options of tacos, bowls and of course, churros; throughout the unassuming brewery menu, Hardin’s fine dining experience and penchant for detail shines. Late Start offers a variety of fruited sours, citrusy IPAs and dark porters that complement Mighty Fine’s spread of burgers, sandwiches and shareables. While most breweries in Tampa Bay shy away from in-house food service and opt for third party food trucks instead, the symbiotic relationship between Late Start Brewing and its 300 square-foot open kitchen makes for a seamless dining and drinking experience—the simple execution of two menus that were designed to work in tandem together. – Kyla Fields

Dave Portnoy stopped by Ybor City’s Due Amici for a ‘One Bite’ pizza review
Barstool boss and Michigan football broker Dave Portnoy visited Tampa Bay last spring and reviewed a slew of pizza spots. Now it appears he’s back in town for more “One Bite” reviews. In a Dec. 12 Instagram post from Barstool Sports, Portnoy says he was in Tampa to “find a bunch of guys” for former Bucs coach Jon Gruden’s Quarterback Camp. He also found time to stop by Ybor City’s Due Amici Pizza & Pasta Bar, which is located at 1724 E 7th Ave. For those unfamiliar with the “One Bite Pizza Review,” the short video segments consist of the 47-year-old ordering a cheese pie and actually taking several bites before rating the pizza on a scale of 1-10, decimals and all.

EVENTS

Pocha Truck and Gai-jin will host a Japanese convenience store-themed pop-up in Seminole Heights
The newest place in Tampa to get steaming bowls of ramen, fried chicken sandwiches and traditional Japanese skewers isn’t a brick and mortar restaurant at all. On Tuesday, Dec. 17 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m., both Pocha Truck and Gai-jin—run by longtime friends and veterans of the local hospitality industry—host a convenience store-themed pop-up in Seminole Heights. Food will be served outside of Jug + Bottle (6203 N Florida Ave.) on a first come, first serve basis, and some items may sell out pretty quickly. “I just want to have fun and take food less seriously, and I thought a convenience store-themed event would be really fun to do,” Ryan Czternastek of Pocha Truck says. “This Konbini Night series was also an excuse to finally get these guys (talking to Kyle and Aubrie) to finally start their own concept.” “Ryan definitely held our hand over the finish with our first event a few months ago. All of us used to work for Ichicoro, and we share a passion for Japanese and Asian food in general,” Aubrie Casiano—who runs Gai-jin with her husband Kyle—tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “We have that same no frills, simple approach to food.” – Kyla Fields

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to Tampa Bay this week
Oscar Mayer’s world-famous Wienermobile will be doggin’ around town all this week. According to the processed meat company, the hot dog-shaped car will spend the remainder of this week cruising around Tampa Bay, with stops at various holiday parades and grocery stores.

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