Pig Jig returns, Tampa lost a beloved biker bar, conveyor belt sushi is here, and more local foodie news

Openings

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar On Sunday, Oct. 22, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar will make its Tampa debut at WestShore Plaza. The chain will also host a grand-opening celebration on Oct. 25, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and sushi plates priced as low as $3.55. As the name suggests, the new sushi concept centers around a two-layered conveyor belt system, which moves around the room and allows guests to choose from over 140 Japanese-style dishes as they pass by the table. Besides sushi, the menu offers various soups like ramen, udon and miso, as well as sides including dumplings, fried rice, tempura, and a fairly large dessert menu spanning items like mochi ice cream, sesame balls and cheesecake. With over 50 stores across the country, the 2,734-square foot WestShore Plaza space will be Kura's first Tampa location and fourth in Florida. Between Sunday and Tuesday, Oct. 24. the new location will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Normal operating hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 on weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. 214 Westshore Plaza #C-39, Tampa. Kurasushi.com—Colin Wolf

Cinnaholic After over a year of anticipation, one South Tampa dessert hotspot is finally ready to open its doors. Gourmet vegan bakery Cinnaholic opens on Friday, Oct. 27. It will offer $2 cinnamon rolls between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on opening day, although they will be limited to one per customer. While flavors like the classic Old Skool with vanilla frosting, the cookie dough-topped Cookie Monster and caramel apple pie are a constant on its menu, Cinnaholic is also dishing out fall-inspired pumpkin cheesecake rolls, too. And if you prefer a more unique cinnamon roll, you can always create your own by selecting a flavor of frosting—which range from banana cream, crème brûlée and strawberry to cream cheese and marshmallow—and toppings like brownie bits, chocolate sauce, cookie bites, peanut butter cups and walnuts. Besides loaded cinnamon buns, Cinnaholic also offers a variety of plant-based brownies, cookie dough and bite-sized “baby buns,” in addition to cinna-cakes and cookie cakes for parties. According to its website, all of its products are “100% vegan, dairy & lactose free, egg-free and cholesterol-free.” 927 S Howard Ave., Tampa. Cinnaholic.com

Blind Tiger After almost 10 years, the original Blind Tiger Coffee Roaster has outgrown its location. Owner Roberto Torres signed a new lease at 1823 E 7th Ave. a few months ago, where Blind Tiger has recently taken over the space formerly home to dive bar Boneyard, which closed last summer after nearly three decades in the historic district. Although it wasn’t slated to open until the end of this year, Blind Tiger 2.0 has made its debut right around the corner from its flagship store. The move nearly doubles the space for the coffee business, with 4,000 square feet. In addition to serving all of its expected coffee and breakfast bites, a rep for Blind Tiger told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the new space will also feature an upstairs speakeasy, which has not opened yet. 1823 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. blindtigercafe.com

Coming Soon

Han’s Hand Rolls & Ling’s Dumplings According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, there’s construction happening on Cru Cellar’s recently-closed space and Zukku Sushi’s previous location. After these renovations, there will be enough room for Zukku Sushi 2.0 and its new sibling concepts Ling's Dumplings and Han Hand Rolls. While renovations continue, Zukku Sushi will be temporarily located next to Bake'n Babes in Armature Works’ former Bento Asian Kitchen spot. It is unsure exactly when Ling’s Dumplings and Hans Hand Rolls will officially debut. Ferdian Jap, managing partner of the newly-launched Majestic Restaurant Group, tells TBBJ that dumplings have been in high demand from their customers. Jap recently created the new parent company that will manage all concepts under the Zukku umbrella, since the company is rapidly expanding. Han Hand Rolls on the other hand is an experimental sushi counter concept where customers will witness their orders being hand-rolled in front of them. Fresh fish and seaweed will be the star of its menu. 1910 N Ola Ave., Tampa.  zukkusushi.com

Closings

Born Free Pub & Grill One of Tampa Bay’s best new music venues has abruptly closed after less than two years on the scene. On social media, Born Free Pub & Grill told followers that it has lost its lease and is closing doors this week. “We are not done with you Tampa. We will relocate to a bigger and better place and continue our mission as a home for underground arts of music and performance,” the post added. “Please keep an eye on this page as we will be needing our community’s help in the coming months.” Born Free—a biker bar located in Tampa’s Sulphur Springs neighborhood—quickly established itself as a prime venue for metal and hardcore. It hosted bands featuring members of Municipal Waste, up-and-coming bands in metal, and even tried-and-true independent favorites like Norman Westberg of Swans and Lydia Lunch. Tampa promoter Eliot Mayo of Locust Parade Booking has already launched a GoFundMe to help the Deens hit the ground running at a new, to-be-determined spot. 110 E Waters Ave., Tampa. @bornfreepubandgrill on Facebook —Ray Roa

Events

Herban Flow grand opening “Sober October,” where participants stop drinking alcohol for an entire month, started as a European charity-fundraiser trend, but some folks opt for the N/A life year-round. Whether it’s just for a few weeks or for life, newly-opened, Best of the Bay-winning N/A beverage shop Herban Flow is St. Pete’s new spot to browse dozens of zero-proof spirits, mocktails and non-alcoholic beer. Although it’s been open for a few months, the bottle shop celebrates its debut with a party and ribbon cutting ceremony alongside the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce, free drinks, complimentary snacks, raffles, giveaways, samples from different vendors and opening day discounts. And for all the alcohol-free stoners out there, Herban Flow also carries THC-infused beverages and CBD seltzers. “Celebrate with us, learn more about our mission, and discover the rich tapestry of flavors and benefits our range has to offer,” Herban Flow writes on social media. “Let’s raise a glass to new beginnings and the future of mindful drinking!” Head to the bottle shop’s website to browse its variety of unique drinks, which are organized into the categories: calm, balance, restore, immunity, digestion, sleep, digestion and energy. 6848 22nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Herbanflow.co Pig Jig 2023 While some folks might attend the annual Pig Jig music and food festival for its stacked country and folk lineup—with headliners like Brad Paisley and Amanda Shire—its impressive spread of barbecue attracts local foodies, too. Just a few of its food vendors include Fuzzy’s Tacos, Graze, The Brisket Shoppe, Wicked Oak BBQ, Chill Bros Ice Cream and Aussie Grill. Per usual, there are upgrades including some that grant ticket holders access to the giant pit BBQ competition that’s been a hallmark of Tampa Pig Jig since 2021 when it started as a backyard get together where friends raised money to help their buddy pay for his treatment for the rare and debilitating kidney disease Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). To date, according to a press release, the nonprofit has raised more than $5 million dollars for NephCure Kidney International, the only nonprofit organization supporting research, improving treatment and finding a cure for FSGS. 1001 N Blvd., Tampa.tampapigjig.com —Ray Roa Savor St. Pete The best way to discover your new favorite St. Pete restaurant returns to The 'Burg in a few weeks. This two-day celebration of local food, wine and craft beer takes place each fall, but happens at a brand new venue this year. The 11th installment of Savor St. Pete (stylized “SAVOR”) heads to Vinoy Park on Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 4-5. The festival will take place under large tents that span 40,000 square feet, with scenic views of Tampa Bay and a wide variety of food and drink samples to choose from. Tickets to each day of the festival run between $105-$135, with the pricier VIP admission offering an extra hour of sampling, access to an exclusive lounge and VIP-only drinks. Both ticket tiers include a few festival souvenirs and unlimited tastings from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Two Tampa Bay-based concepts that will be present at next month’s Savor St. Pete festival include chic rooftop bar Sal y Mar and newly-opened Mediterranean spot Allelo. Although the rest of the lineup hasn’t been released yet, we hope local restaurants like Sculley’s, Bavaro’s, Bolay, Tryst, Birch & Vine and Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille return to this year’s festival, too. 701 Bayshore Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. savortheburg.com ICYMI

Pasta Packs, a Tampa-based scratch kitchen, launches weekend lunch and nationwide shipping If you’re not familiar with Pasta Packs, each of its readymade kits comes with detailed instructions and takes no longer than 10 minutes to assemble. When it comes to labor-intensive dishes like the short rib tagliatelle—which requires six hours of braising time—it’s definitely worth the $47 for a ready-made pasta kit that makes two (sometimes three) servings. And with Pasta Packs’ recent partnership with gourmet shipping company Goldbelly, Italian food-lovers on the other side of the country can now enjoy these homemade dishes (although local customers can still pick their orders up from its Tampa headquarters.) While Pasta Packs has expanded to feed patrons throughout the country, Nic and Greg have also started to offer a unique experience that only customers in Tampa Bay have access to. The Bryons recently opened Pasta Packs’ doors for casual dine-in service and now serves lunch from noon-4 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday. While Pasta Packs classics like its pappardelle bolognese, creamy gnocchi with asparagus and cacio de pepe will always be available to order in to-go form, Nic says that his weekend lunch menu tends to ebb and flow with his creative direction, seasonal flavors and whatever unique ingredients are available in his kitchen. 4334 S Manhattan Ave., Tampa. pastapacks.com

Flor Fina, inside Ybor City’s Hotel Haya, has new lunch and brunch offerings, including a chorizo meatball sandwich ( creamy manchego cheese and an oregano crunch in-between two pieces of ciabatta), watermelon tofu bowl (served with seasoned rice, avocado, edamame, cucumber, radish, shaved red onion, lime and sesame), ceviche, and a “Cazuela de Almuerza” featuring a choice of smoked beef brisket, mojo pork, or marinated chicken and served with yellow rice pilaf, black beans, pickled red onion, avocado, napa slaw and pickled fresno chile. Two new cocktails also hit the menu. Flor Fina is open Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch. Dinner service is available Tuesday-Saturday from 5 p.m.-10 p.m., with brunch offered Saturday-Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and the restaurant’s semi-private Roosevelt Room is available by reservation. 1412 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. hotelhaya.com

Hale’s Blackbrick—a modern Chinese restaurant adjacent to Raymond James Stadium—recently launched its fall menu and its full of comforting favorites like Sichuan-style lobster, a 40-ounce Tomahawk steak with black bean sauce, stir fried lotus root, truffle fried rice and Kung Pao bison. A six-course fall tasting menu costs $85 each with the option to add a wine pairing. The Asian-fusion concept is approaching its one year anniversary, so guests can soon expect a variety of festivities and specials to launch within the next few months. 812 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. halesblackbrick.com

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