Taking your date to Burnz on Tampa’s Howard Avenue has new meaning starting on 4/20, and the opening of the new West Tampa restaurant—along with a new Seminole Heights brewery and changes at Armature Works—is just one of 10 juicy new openings, closings and tidbits of Tampa Bay restaurant news to hold you over until next week, or the next time you log on to cltampa.com/food. Read more about all of these by finding this post by clicking through the links.
Open
Corner Club Less than six months after watching its beloved Corner Club dive bar close, residents of Tampa’s Old Seminole Heights neighborhood once again walked back through the doors on Monday. A lot’s going to be different, and you definitely can’t smoke inside anymore, but there’s still karaoke, beer, wine, boiled peanuts and cheese puffs to go along with an updated aesthetic from new owner Jeni Armstrong and new menu from chef Suzanne Crouch.1502 E Sligh Ave., Tampa. @cornerclubtampa on Instagram
K-Chicken & Bowl The Carrollwood restaurant’s fried chicken—available as tenders, wings, or in half and whole portions—can be dressed up in a slew of sauce options like peanut, white onion and honey garlic. The menu also has other Korean staples like bulgogi, bibimbap, and kimchi fried rice. Bevvies include Korean beer, corn tea, and Soju, a colorless, distilled alcohol. Just takeout and delivery via GrubHub and DoorDash for now. 14380 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. @kchickenandbowl on Instagram
Coming soon
Bento Asian Kitchen Opening at the old Ichicoro Imoto (more on that below), the Florida chain’s second Tampa location and fourth in Tampa Bay should be open in 2-3 weeks. Bento’s menu includes coconut curry tofu, spicy Sichuan chicken, shrimp pad thai and Mongolian steak. The concept’s arrival comes at a time of rapid change at the food hall. In recent months several concepts have both left—including Imoto along with Union by Commune+Co. and Kuba Cocina—and moved in or announced plans to open (Muchachas, Bake ‘n Babes, Buddy Brew). 1910 N Ola Ave., Tampa. eatatbento.com
Burnz Two miles north of Bern’s on Howard Avenue in a past location of Piquant Bakery, this West Tampa restaurant serving “authentic Caribbean, Hispanic & American cuisine in [an] elevated setting” brings new meaning to a date night at Burnz. It’s supposed to open on April 20. 1704 N Howard Ave., Tampa. burnzrbg.com
Mockingbird Brewing Kendra Conze, founder of Seminole Heights pet supply store Health Mutt is relocating and expanding, and her husband Mike—head brewer at Brew Hub in Lakeland—is coming along to open what he hopes to call Mockingbird Brewing (pending trademark). The 10-barrel facility will eventually become home to a core lineup of beers, plus foeder-aged mixed fermentation offerings and expects to be open before 2022. 5023 N Florida Ave., Tampa. @mockingbirdbrewing on Instagram
Closing
Ichicoro Imoto After opening in 2018, this location at Armature Works quietly shut down last month, but a new Ichicoro is on the way to join the flagship still slinging takeout—and offering delivery via Uber Eats and locally-owned Salt Block Hospitality—in Seminole Heights. News of the Imoto closing comes as Ichicoro’s Ane location in St. Petersburg is still temporarily closed after shuttering last March in the wake of the coronavirus. ichicororamen.com
Sophia’s Cucina + Enoteca Less than two years after opening, popular St. Petersburg Italian restaurant Sophia’s Cucina + Enoteca is shutting down at 2363 Central Ave. to make room for Nando Silvestri who’ll open the ‘Matteo’s’ Italian concept in the space. The good news for fans of Sophia’s is that Owners Alex and Kelly Rodriguez really aren’t going anywhere. The couple’s new cafe, bakery and market, Sammy + Paco's, is coming along in Historic Kenwood and slated to open this month, while their Lolita’s catering business hums along. A Lolita’s tasting room at 16 18th St. S is also open for carryout and call-ahead dine-in service.
ICYMI
Armature Works hosts a ‘Bar Monte’ Italian liqueur pop-up Amaro Montenegro is the spirit of choice at this pop-up creating signature cocktails and staging Monte Flights in concert with on-site favorites M.Bird, Steelbach, and Stone’s Throw. It runs Friday, April 16-Sunday, April 18 and Thursday, April 22-Sunday, April 25. Hours of operation are 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. There is a mandatory mask policy for guests plus socially-distanced seating and hand sanitizer readily available throughout the pop-up. 1910 N Ola Ave., Tampa. barmonte.com
Tampa Bay Taco Takeover starts on April 20, with drink and food specials across the Bay area A portion of the proceeds benefit nonprofit Homeless Empowerment Program during CL’s own 15 day Cinco de Mayo pregame. tampabaytacotakeover.com
Tampa International Airport now delivering food to passengers waiting for flights TPA to Go offers free contactless pickup and delivery ($4.99 fee), and it might be worth it, especially if you’ve got a sweet ass seat at the gate. Plus, TPA to Go will bring food to your location no matter the terminal. So, if you want Spanish bean soup or a 1905 salad from the Columbia Cafe, located in Airside E, but you’re flying out of Airside A, it can be delivered right to you. Need some New York, New York pizza from Airside A to go along with the Ulele okra fries in Airside C? No problem. tpatogo.com
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Want to know everything going on with Tampa Bay's food and drink scene? Sign up for our Bites newsletter.
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2021.