OPENINGS/CLOSINGS
Rock & Brews in Lutz will soon be replaced by a Portillo’s
KISS-themed chain restaurant Rock & Brews debuted in Lutz back in 2020, and since then you could argue that it has indeed rock and rolled all night (well, until midnight on Saturdays) and partied every day (even on Sundays). But those Crazy Crazy Nights are coming to an end. This afternoon Rock & Brews announced on social media that the last day of service for the music-themed location, at 26000 SR-56, will be Saturday, March 23. “It has been a great honor & privilege to serve the Wesley Chapel & Tampa community,” said the restaurant in the post. “Our team is thankful for everyone’s support over the past 4 1/2 years. We look forward to serving those who rock in the future at our other Florida locations in Oviedo, Orlando, & Kissimmee.” Rock & Brews, which was co-founded by KISS legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, first opened the 7,900 square-foot spot in the Wesley Chapel Town Center back in 2020. Now, the Rock & Brews building will be demolished to make way for hot dogs. According to Pasco County records, Chicago-based glizzy chain Portillo’s filed preliminary plans on Feb. 20 to take over the lot. The chain initially announced the opening of the Lutz location in December of 2024. The new building will be slightly smaller, at 6,250 square feet, and include both indoor and outdoor seating, says the company. “We’re bun-believeably thrilled to announce that our newest Tampa-area restaurant is planned for Lutz.” Portillo’s, which already has three locations in the Tampa Bay area, did not say exactly when the new Lutz outpost plans to debut.
EVENTS
Mel’s Hot Dogs now has a ‘free beer and ice cream’ happy hour
Tampa Bay has a lot of happy hours, but until now none of them were specifically geared towards sophisticated afterwork crowds who enjoy an encased meat with their beer. Starting today, East Tampa culinary institution Mel’s Hot Dogs is launching a new happy hour, where diners can either score a free beer or a free scoop of ice cream with the purchase of any hot dog basket. The promotion will run Monday-Friday, from 3 p.m.-7 p.m., and is good for any of their 15 hot dogs, including their famous Mighty Mel dogs, chili dogs, bagel dogs, or the popular new dog Rodeo Dog (diced onion rings, bacon, barbecue sauce and cheddar cheese). Mel’s also recently started offering a “Party Pack” that feeds 12 (or one ambitious go-getter) featuring 12 hot dogs, a quart of beans, a quart of coleslaw, chips and 12 cookies for $95.99. The 53-year-old hot Tampa dog joint started offering ice cream and a wider selection of bottled beers and seltzers in 2023, after founder Mel Lohn sold the establishment to longtime customer Pam Szabo and her brothers. Mel’s, which won a Best of The Bay 2024 reader’s poll for “Best Hot Dogs,” is located at 4136 E Busch Blvd., at the southeastern corner of the Busch Gardens parking lot, and is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
VegFeast, a celebration of local vegan eats, returns to downtown St. Pete this month
With the unfortunate closures of local vegan restaurants happening across Tampa Bay (RIP Golden Dinosaurs and 3 Dot), the arrival of St. Petersburg’s annual plant-based foodie fest is quite welcome. VegFeast and its handful of vegan vendors returns to Good Intentions on Saturday, March 22 from noon-4 p.m. There’s no cover to attend the block party at 1900 1st Ave. S, but make sure to have the funds to patronize the event’s multiple food and drink pop-ups and food trucks. The resurgence of March’s vegan party in St. Pete is not to be confused with the Tampa Bay Vegfest that happens across the bridge each year. VegFeast’s vendor list includes Indie Flea favorite Gabby Bakes (which sells out at pretty much every event it pops up at), Nah Dogs, Caribbean-Southern food truck Seasoned Green, Tampa’s beloved Vegan Halal Cart, Orlando-based comfort food spot Karelyn’s Vegan and organic juice vendor Real Rootz. And for fans of the recently-closed Gulfport favorite Golden Dinosaurs, the vegan deli will be present at VegFeast 2025, presumably slinging its sorely-missed plant-based sandwiches and handhelds. In addition to VegFeast’s savory and sweet food vendors, Look Alive Coffee will also provide caffeinated beverages and host Good Intentions will offer a full brunch spread inside its 1st Ave. N restaurant. Brunch favorites at the popular vegan bar and restaurant include stuffed French Toast, shakshuka, avocado toast and a variety of omelets. 2025’s VegFeast is the sixth annual installment of the vegan block party, which was launched in 2019 by Nah Dogs and Good Intentions co-owners Jenny and Jeff Howe. – Kyla Fields
FOOD NEWS
Four Tampa restaurants were just added to Florida’s Michelin Guide
This morning, Michelin announced the addition of 14 new restaurants to its 2025 Florida dining guide, and a handful of Tampa spots made the cut. The new Tampa additions include popular grouper spot Ray’s Fish Camp, new Italian sandwich shop Cousin Vinny’s, the new Mad Dogs and Englishmen locale, and Chef Ebbe Vollmer’s new high-end seafood experience Fisk. Restaurants from Orlando, Miami and Coral Cables were also added to the guide. All four Tampa restaurants are now listed as “recommended” and are eligible to earn Bib Gourmand or Star awards at the upcoming Florida Michelin Guide Ceremony on April 17. Tampa is now home to five restaurants with Michelin Stars (Ebbe, Rocca, Koya, Lilac, Kōsen), four with Bib Gourmands (Rooster & the Till, Gorkhali Kitchen, Streetlight Taco, Psomi), and dozens of others that have been recommended by inspectors. The new additions come after it was announced last month that St. Petersburg and Clearwater restaurants will soon be included in the guide.
Here’s what the updated Michelin guide had to say about the new Tampa restaurants:
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky
This article appears in Mar 13-19, 2025.