Three smiling people pose inside a colorful restaurant under a bright red and white sign that reads “LUCKY.” The two women in front flash peace signs, one wearing a green apron and cap, the other in a black apron with tattoos on her arms. A man in the back raises his arms playfully. The wall behind them is decorated with vintage posters and food ads, and a green potted plant sits on the floor near the counter.
The indoor seating and air conditioning mark a big shift from the trailer, picnic tables, and tent that served as its former base. Credit: lucky Tigre/Instagram

Lucky Tigre has leveled up from a little food truck to a new brick-and-mortar space in Old West Tampa. 

The Filipino-American shop opened Sept. 3 at 1901 N Howard Ave., just a block from where its old food truck used to be. The indoor seating and air conditioning mark a big shift from the trailer, picnic tables, and tent that served as its former base. 

“Believe it or not, people really like AC in Florida,” chef and owner Julie Sainte Michelle Feliciano, 27, said over the phone with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. 

Though without it, they still liked Lucky Tigre. Feliciano recalled customers showing up for dumplings and bao even in hurricanes and record heat. 

“People still came out. But, at the end of the day, even if your food is amazing, and the things that you do are really great, it’s really freaking hot out here, and with so many other options in Tampa that do have an indoor space, you know, that’s kind of something hard for us to navigate,” Feliciano said.

In its first few weeks indoors, Feliciano said its customer base is now even more dedicated. 

“We’re way busier than we were when we were in the trailer, that’s for sure,” Feliciano said.

Originally, Feliciano and her husband, Seanissey Loughlin, planned to move inside the building next to the food truck at 1737 N. Albany Ave., but pivoted when a more accessible location became available. 

For fans, the new spot means all of the Lucky Tigre classics will stay on the menu. But the new space now allows for expansion of the menu in the future, including breakfast options. 

Lucky Tigre first gained attraction through Felciano’s pandemic pop-up, Good Fortune Baby, and later as a sari-sari counter on South Howard Ave. Its classics will stay on the menu, including coconut-ginger braised greens, spicy tocino pork dumplings with tangy garlic and soy dipping sauces, and chicken adobo bao buns. Fans can look forward to the menu’s future expansion, including breakfast options. 

With the help of friends and family, the restaurant was up and running within three weeks, working late into the night after running the food truck all day. 

“The day we closed the trailer, I clocked in at 9 am and I clocked out at 2 pm the next day,” Feliciano said.

She and Loughlin leaned heavily on their friends and family for help during the transition. With their three kids, they were ready to help whenever they could.

Feliciano is hoping the sales bump will fund work on Lucky Tigre’s outdoor patios and some parts of the dining room.

“We got kids and we’re a small business,” Feliciano said. “Times are tough, and restaurants are really freaking hard as it is once you get open.” 

But she’s got no regrets.

“AC fixes everything,” Feliciano said.

Lucky Tigre’s new location at 1901 N Howard Ave. is now open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 12 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, check out their website and Instagram. 

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UPDATED 09/29/25 12:32 p.m. Removed half a sentence about rent at the previous location.

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This article appears in Sept. 25 – Oct. 1, 2025.