Pete’s new St. Pete bagel drive-thru, even better Cipolla Rossa pizza, and more Tampa Bay food news

Pizza pop-up Cipolla Rossa opens new food truck in downtown St. Pete A new spot for New York-style pizza just soft opened in The ‘Burg last weekend. Cipolla Rossa’s new food truck is parked at 2927 Central Ave. in the Grand Central District, and is already dishing out the artisan pies it’s known for. Owner Josh Anson—who is typically slinging ‘za at maker’s markets throughout St. Pete—tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that his newest venture is a collaboration with Hawthorne Bottle Shop. Anson had already been longtime friends with Hawthorne Bottle Shop co-owner Anthony Roman, so the mutually-beneficial partnership was quickly established earlier this year. Anson needed a more permanent location to sell pizzas out of, and Hawthorne Bottle Shop wanted hot food options in addition to its cold offerings. At Cipolla Rossa’s new location, Anson is now operating out of a fully-equipped food truck, a notable upgrade from his pop-up and wood-fired oven setup which was already one of the best food pop-ups in the Bay arra. With more space he’s able to expand his pizza menu to include new options like buffalo chicken and vodka meatball, in addition to classic flavors like cheese, pepperoni, margherita, bianca (or “white pizza”) and mushroom.—Kyla Fields

Pete’s Bagels opens long-awaited St. Pete drive-thru location Neighbors may have noticed more traffic at the corner of 4th Street S and 25th Avenue S. Steven Peterman certainly has. The co-founder of Pete’s Bagels opened the fourth location of his cafe at 2439 4th St. S last weekend, and the locals have been flocking. “I expected people to be excited, but there is much excitement that there’s just every person who came through was just like, ‘Thank you for opening something down here,’” Peterman told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I feel like people are just figuratively and literally hungry for things.”—Marleigh Brown

Matjoa Korean BBQ moves from Clearwater to North Tampa Matjoa is heading across the Bay to join a hub of Asian food in North Tampa. The restaurant’s last day at 3580 Ulmerton Rd. in Clearwater was June 8. A reopening date has not been announced for its new location 25 minutes away at 8568 Gunn Hwy. in Odessa. The spot opened in February of 2020, pivoting soon after from its traditional community-forward grill tables to takeout. Even without the in-house flair, Matjoa’s food was good enough to survive COVID lockdowns.—MB

Lolita’s Wine Market returns to its first location in downtown St. Petersburg St. Petersburg’s Lolita’s Wine Market is making a comeback—literally coming back to where it started. Lolita’s Wine Market opened in 2017 with a prime spot right off Central Avenue, but in 2023 it moved to the warehouse district’s Morean Center for Clay. Now, the market will return to its first location at 16 18th St. S. Aside from pouring 70 different wines, Lolita’s is known for serving tapas and showcasing local art. Owners Alex and Kelly Rodriguez told I Love The Burg that they hope to be more affordable while still offering catering, charcuterie/grazing boards and pretty much any kind of cheese you can think of.—Jani Burden

ICYMI

Tampa food critic shares their mom’s recipe for Jersey-style Filipino beef caldereta There’s not many of my mother’s recipes that are a part of my daily dinner roster—but her take on Filipino beef caldereta, a savory stew with Spanish roots, is one that I make at least once a month. This tomato-based stew is loaded with hearty vegetables, green olives and chunks of beef, but there’s a lot of different versions of this dish that span across regions, families and traditions. My mother’s take on beef caldereta—as a Filipino woman in suburban South Jersey—usually featured liverwurst from a deli counter instead of the traditional canned stuff. I typically leave out the liver, but it definitely deepens the flavors of the stew.—KF

Meet the Tampa Bay chefs and small business owners keeping the beauty of local cooking classes and workshops alive Learning how to cook can be intimidating. Some people find no enjoyment in the kitchen, get discouraged from failed attempts, or prefer to dine at one of the many great restaurants in Tampa Bay instead. Some, however, have the inkling to learn—but they might not know where to start. So how does a food enthusiast in Tampa Bay learn how to cook? Initial instincts often lead to online recipes (God forbid, AI-generated ones), Tik Tok tutorials, Instagram reels or perhaps a quick YouTube video. While these resources are free and accessible, there are countless local chefs taking the time out of their busy days to spread knowledge through cooking demonstrations, educational workshops and hands-on experiences.—KF

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This article appears in Jun 12-18, 2025.