SaltBlock Hospitality Group recently took over the former home of Sono Café at the Tampa Museum of Art, replacing it with Riverwalk Cafe. Founders Ryan Conigliaro and Scott Roberts must like keeping busy, however, because their tide-to-table oyster cart is the most recent addition to Sparkman Wharf, Tampa’s new waterfront hangout.
Originally launched as a pop-up project last year, Boat Run Oyster Company will open within Sparkman Wharf’s intimate dining garden, where local chefs and restaurateurs are encouraged to experiment with street food-style eateries and menus.
Boat Run, sourcing sustainably raised oysters from its farm Cedar Key and beyond, expects to spotlight raw bivalves and chargrilled varieties — both freshly shucked, of course — that mingle with seasonal eats like Florida shrimp and stone crab.
“Sparkman Wharf offered a unique opportunity to take part in the exciting redevelopment of Tampa’s downtown urban landscape. We are also thrilled to collaborate with [Strategic Property Partners] and work alongside such creative and talented restauranteurs,” said SaltBlock co-founder Conigliaro in a statement.
Sparkman Wharf’s open-air biergarten, recreational lawn and dining garden — which also features Whatever Pops & Bowls, Foundation Coffee Co. and Gallito, a modern taqueria from the guys behind Rooster & the Till — have targeted an October opening. Coming along in the Channel District, the reimagined and mixed-use gathering place is part of Water Street Tampa.
This article appears in Aug 2-9, 2018.
