Bare Naked Kitchen Although it was supposed to open in fall of 2021, its staff told Creative Loafing that the new fast casual restaurant celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 17. Bare Naked Kitchen is now open in the building that formerly housed Lauro Ristorante—a fine dining Italian restaurant that closed in 2014. The menu features stacked bowls, salads and pizzas—with cauliflower crust options for all you gluten-free folks out there. Kitschy names also occupy the salad menu, with offerings like the “Freekish” and “Eve’s Temptation”—with herb chicken, kale, romaine, apples, toasted walnuts, crispy quinoa and honey cider dressing. For this new concept, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse and PDQ Bob Basham has teamed up with Chris Ponte—the local chef behind culinary standouts like, Olivia, On Swann, and Ponte Tampa. 3915 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. eatbarenaked.com
King of the Coop The King has come to Tyrone. St. Pete’s first King of the Coop opens on Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. Across from the Tyrone Mall, the hot chicken joint will only be take-out and credit or debit card only until further notice. Uber Eats and EZ cater options are available, too. St. Pete’s offerings will mirror the menu of other King of the Coop locations across the Bay, with fat chicken sandwiches ranging in spiciness—from naked to “Coop’s Fury,” its signature Nashville hot with added habanero. Besides chicken sandwiches, King of the Coop also features chicken and waffles, hot chicken-topped fries and mac and cheese, and chicken tender baskets. Slides include coleslaw, collard greens, fries, hush puppies and mac and cheese. 6928 22nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. kingofthecoop.com
Coming soon
4 Rivers Smokehouse The popular Florida-based barbecue chain 4 Rivers Smokehouse will bring its 15th locato to Lakeland’s Shoppes at Lake Miriam Crossing.This storefront is expected to open later this year with 4,279 square-feet of space, enough for 87 guests to dine in Curbside, drive-thru, delivery, and catering will also be offered. Heralded as one of the “South’s Best BBQ Joints” by Southern Living, the smokehouse will serve classic dishes to a Lakeland community anticipating its arrival. Guests can enjoy the 18-hour smoked angus brisket, pulled pork, and burnt ends. Homestyle sides such as baked cheese grits, smokehouse corn, and smoked jalapeños can be found on the menu as well. 4747 S Florida Ave., Lakeland. 4rsmokehouse.com
Bakes and Wakes It won’t open for another month or so, but owner Scottie Freeman says that folks keep stopping by, intrigued by the building’s bright rainbow exterior. Rolled ice cream, shaved ice, bubble tea and baked goods will be the stars of the menu, while novelties like toys and magic tricks will be for sale in the retail portion of Bakes and Wakes. And for the adults— bongs, pipes, and everything you’d expect to find at a typical smoke shop will also be available for purchase in its own separate room, away from the kid-friendly areas. There will also be espresso drinks and build-your-own ice cream sandwiches on the menu, although Freeman eventually plans on incorporating more breakfast items—and even a cereal bar—once Bakes and Wakes is fully up and running. And since he’s a diehard fan of the ’90s rock band Ween, you might even see hot dogs or “Ween-ers” available at this eclectic ice cream parlor. 2148 49th St. S, St. Petersburg. Bakes and Wakes Fat Lenny’s World Headquarters on Facebook
Fazoli’s One of the nation’s largest Italian fast food chains, is reopening its location in Plant City on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 10:30 a.m. Launched in 2017 and temporarily closed due to renovations, the newer Fazoli’s will serve freshly prepared pasta entrees, Submarinos sandwiches, salads, pizza and desserts—along with its unlimited signature breadsticks. 238 W Alexander St., Plant City. fazolis.com
Florish Keith and Jill Sedita want to push back on the misconception that vegan food is bland or boring. And that myth-busting starts on March 1, when Florish celebrates its grand opening. Expect fresh ingredients like herb-roasted vegetables and homemade cheeses and sauces with comforting classics like pizza and bowls. Located across from Plant High School, the 1,500-square-foot space was home to the now-closed Mirro’s Pizza location in South Tampa. 2307 S Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. eatatflorish.com
Good Night John Boy St. Pete Rising says this Cleveland-originating ’70s-themed dance club will open in the old Ringside Cafe. Cleveland-based Forward Hospitality Group will open the 4,000 square-foot nightclub together with Beth McLeod, a former meteorologist at Fox 8 News. McLeod’s boyfriend Bobby Sotka is in charge of operating the club. In terms of music, Good Night John Boy will stick to all of the expected pop hits of the 1970s, but also feature modern artists that incorporate disco nostalgia into their sound—think Silk Sonic, Doja Cat, Daft Punk and Dua Lipa. McLeod told SPR that St. Pete’s newest nightclub will play ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” as often as every half-hour. 16 2nd St., St. Petersburg.
Halelife Bistro Since debuting in 2017 Halelife Bakery and its three locations have become kings of the gluten-free world, PETA even calling its tiramisu one of the best vegan desserts in the U.S. Halelife’s latest leap is into the world of sit down dining will open this summer. According to owner Laura McCutcheon, her first bistro has been in the works for over two years, and will be the only gluten-free, vegan, and allergen-free eatery in Tampa Bay. Everything on the menu of this self described “foodie oasis” will be free of dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. 2460 5th Ave. S, St. Petersburg. @halelifebistro on Instagram
Lord Hobo Brewing Co. The plan is still subject to approval from Tampa City Council, but Boston-based Lord Hobo Brewing Co. wants to open its first Florida location in Tampa Heights in between Joe Haskins Bike Shop and Metropolitan Ministries and across the street from Grand Cathedral Cigars, Plans show an outdoor biergarten, kid-friendly recreation area, and rooftop bar. 2304 N Florida Ave., Tampa. lordhobo.com
Sweetgreen The “Starbucks of Salad” has plans to open a third Tampa Bay location on the ground level of The Pearl apartments in Tampa Heights. Permit-obsessed Tampa Tomorrow points out that the latest Sweetgreen is supposed to be 2,711-square-feet, which is slightly bigger than the South Tampa location. Architectural plans posted to the City of Tampa’s Acela portal early this year show plans for a 572-square-foot patio with seating for about two dozen people. As previously reported, the chain has an ambitious mission, which includes becoming carbon neutral by 2027, and Sweetgreen’s menu includes bowls for days, salads, a hot honey chicken plate, plus sides like buffalo cauliflower and focaccia bread. 301 W Palm Ave., Tampa. sweetgreen.com
Tiff’s Treats The Pearl, a mixed-use development located across the street from Armature Works in Tampa Heights—will soon become Tampa Bay’s hub for warm cookies when Tiff’s Treats opens in late April. In addition to its 10 signature cookies, Tiff’s Treats also sells fresh brownies, as well as ice cream sandwiches for in-store pick up. Flavors of its signature warm cookies include chocolate chip, sugar, Snickerdoodle, chocolate chip pecan, peanut butter, white chip almond and oatmeal raisin. And as expected, Tiff’s Treats will also deliver milk to accompany your cookies. 2121 N Massachusetts Ave., Tampa. cookiedelivery.com
Closed
Ground Foods Cafe Tampa plant-based foodies will have to find another place for fat plates of penne alla vodka after Ground Foods Cafe closed this week. Owners said, “we have made the decision to close the cafe permanently for many reasons, but the most important reason is that we need to be back home in NJ with our friends and family.” In late 2019, Greg and Krissi Koodish opened Ground Foods Cafe in Seminole Heights, and were immediately met with rave reviews of their organic and vegan Italian dishes. 6428 N Florida Ave., Tampa. groundfoodscafe.com
ICYMI
Celebrity Chef Alton Brown says the breakfast sandwich at Tampa’s Supernatural is ‘best I’ve ever had’ Food Network and Cooking Channel Chef Alton Brown was town for a Feb. 9 appearance at the Straz Center, and it seems he’s taken a liking to some of downtown Tampa’s two best places to eat and get tipsy. Brown, 59, visited Supernatural Food & Wine yesterday and told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that chef Wesley Roderick’s bacon, egg and cheese brekkie sando is “The best I’ve had. The best ever.” He also visited the Hub where he ordered a Buffalo Trace and PBR.
Hillsborough county votes to explore suspending fines for Bearss Groves Farmer’s Market After receiving more than 1,000 emails from concerned residents, Hillsborough County Commissioners voted unanimously today to explore options for suspending fines for Bearss Groves Farmer’s Market. What the commissioners really wanted to do was vote to stop the $200 a day fine, along with suspending $160,000 in back-owed fees. But they were informed during the meeting that it was not within their power to do that. 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd, Tampa. @bearssgGroves on Facebook—Justin Garcia
Three Tampa Bay restaurants listed among Yelp’s ‘Top 100 Pizza Spots’ in nation In honor of National Pizza Day online Karen complaint aggregator Yelp released its “Top 100 Pizza Spots in the U.S.,” and three local joints made the cut. St. Pete’s Noble Crust was ranked no. 56, Eddie & Sam’s NY Pizza in Tampa was ranked no. 63, and Clearwater’s Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza was ranked no. 96.—Colin Wolf
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2022.