Last March, celebrated local chef Chris Ponte shared plans to open a new St. Pete version of his popular South Tampa Italian restaurant Olivia, and now it’s ready to debut.

The new 5,600 square-foot Olivia St. Pete will officially open to the public on Tuesday, Jan. 21, on the ground floor of the 36-story Ascent building at 225 1st Ave. N.

Like the original Tampa location, Olivia St. Pete (stylized “OLIVIA”), centers around the James Beard semifinalist’s selection of house-made pastas, craft cocktails and decadent entrees, like pizzas, squid ink pasta and porcini mushroom-rubbed filet mignons, to name a few.

Besides the two Olivias, Ponte also owns a few other local favorites, including Ponte in Midtown, On Swann and Bare Naked Kitchen. He’s also currently working on a new waterfront restaurant in Tampa with Bob Bashman, known for founding Outback Steakhouse and PDQ.

Olivia St. Pete is currently taking reservations.

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This article appears in Jan 9-15, 2025.