It’s been a stressful week, and if we survive it, we’re going to eat a Spam slider after downing a couple Navy Grogs at St. Petersburg’s new tiki bar. News about “Burnt End” leads a very hearty and heartwarming round of Tampa Bay restaurant news. Get that fuzzy feeling daily by bookmarking cltampa.com/food. Read more about all of these items by clicking through the links.
Now open
Burnt Ends Dr. BBQ opened a tiki bar on the second story of its St. Pete restaurant, and before you groan about “another tiki bar” know that at Dean Hurst is in charge of the drink. Hurst not only brings his 30-years of spirit-directing from Tampa Bay spots like Bern’s Steak House, Haven and the Epicurean Hotel, he’s also a Tiki-expert. Hurst ran the bar program for five years at The Hukilau, a weekend party at Ft. Lauderdale’s currently closed Mai-Kai Restaurant and created St. Pete Beach’s Sunset Tiki Party (see his "Jungle Bird" pictured above). To soak up some of the booze, Burnt Ends has a Polynesian-influenced food menu with Spam sliders, a pupu platter with fresh grilled fruit, fried shrimp, burnt-end bao buns, Hawaiian pork ribs, chili garlic edamame and pork belly satay. 101 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. burntendstikibar.com
Fresh Kitchen New Tampa is the home of the 10th location for the Tampa-born chain known for keto-centric public (or vegan or gluten-free) build-your-own bowls with numerous protein, base and veggie options. 8648 Hunters Village Rd., Tampa. eatfreshkitchen.com
Prohibition Kitchen and Tap After lots of teasing Prohibition Kitchen and Tap is finally open at Whiskey Cartel’s Dunedin lot which sat vacant after the unexpected death of Lucky Dill’s Jason Mitow. Menu items at the “Southern comfort gastropub (with a twist)” include open face chicken and waffles, a smokehouse platter with brisket, pulled pork, and a quarter rack of ribs; and a snickerdoodle spiced apple cobbler for dessert. 1600 Main St., Dunedin. prohibitionkitchendunedin.com
Supernatural Food and Wine The old Nojaks location—run by the same owners, but it's a different team and unrelated to Nojaks—keeps slinging good food thanks to a menu that mainly around fresh sandwiches (chicken salad, BLT, turkey and ranch) and salads (Thai crunch, Italian, chopped). Keeping with the vegan vibe the Nojaks built, there are vegan options like the roasted chickpea salad sandwich and the Hubmarine vegan cold cut sub named after its neighbor The Hub. There are sides galore and great bulk takeout options for those still working downtown. And of course, there is wine, and beer, available, too. 305 E Polk St., Tampa. supernaturalfoodandwine.square.site
Wat Mongkolratanaram Buddhist Temple While it’s not yet-reopened for in-person dining by the river, Tampa’s Thai Temple now has a Sunday drive-thru option in the Palm River-Clair Mel neighborhood. It’s cash-only, masks required while in the car and works by sending volunteers to your car to take your order. For now, the menu includes beef, pork, and vegetable noodle soup, pad thai, chicken, vegetable, and shrimp fresh rolls, empanadas, crab rangoon, and of course, iced thai tea and coffee. 5306 Palm River Rd., Tampa. 813-621-1669 or 813-522-1993. wattampainenglish.com
Coming soon
Bird & Bone Richard Hales is turning Tampa’s Pop ‘N Sons diner into a location for his recently-shuttered Miami concept. 4812 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. gratefulhospitality.com
CocoAddiction Miami-based artisanal chocolatier is bringing its wares across Alligator Alley and onto St. Pete Beach. An opening date is TBA, but CocoAddiction is known for having innovative bonbon dessert flavors like their signature salted caramel bonbons, pure mango, and pistachio. The chocolate shop sells spreads, chocolate hazelnut cake and Madeleines, too. 344 Corey Ave., St. Pete Beach. cocoaddiction-mia.com
Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta To Go The Italian pasta franchise opens its first U.S. location this spring on the 600 Block of downtown St. Petersburg where diners will soon be able to nosh on a wide variety of fresh pastas and homemade (and made-from-scratch) sauces served in to-go boxes within minutes. Dal Moro’s plans to open more locations in Southwest Florida before expanding across the country.ˆ
Fit Bowl Co. Superfood Bar. Davis Islands’ tiny superfood hallway and service window will upgrade by opening a second location, in mid-April, at a Sparkman Wharf shipping container formerly home to Blind Tiger coffee. New items have been promised, so prime yourself for quick, healthy bites like acai bowls, smoothies, vegan soft serve and even adult treats like prosecco and sorbet floats. 615 Channelside Dr., Tampa fitbowlco.com
Island Fin Poké Complete with Dole Whip, the Carrollwood location of this fast-casual poké bowl franchise opens in May. 12913 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa. @ifpccarrollwood on Facebook
Sauvignon Wine Locker & American Trattoria Details on the wine list, chef and menu are still scant, but ownership describes itself as “ …an American midsize restaurant that focuses on fresh seasonal food prepared by our executive chef along with an expertise on wine and beer.” It opens next month at the former home of A Taste For Wine on the second floor of downtown St. Pete’s historic First Block building. 241 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. sauvignonstpete.com
The Scott Hogg Batch coffee and cocktails are on the menu when this new hotel bar opens next month at the historic Cordova Inn, caddy corner from Williams Park. Cocktails on the menu include The Cordova Martini, which features local ingredients like Banyan Reserve vodka, The Scott, The Burg, and an espresso shot made with Hogg Batch’s signature coffee blend. Pair a cocktail with one of their appetizers or small dishes. 253 2nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg. cordovainnstpete.com
ICYMI
Krispy Kreme will reward those who are vaccinated with a free doughnut All you have to do to get a free glazed doughnut to anyone is show your COVID-19 vaccine card. Remember there’s no vaccine against diabetes! Multiple locations krispykreme.com—Colin Wolf
Tampa Bay coffee community calls on supporters to help out roaster and barista Luis Espel During Tampa’s water main break saga, when coffee shops across the area had to all but shut down due to non-potable water, Espel was there thanks to Alert’s self-contained, filtered water system. But now he needs our help after featuring his clavicle in a bicycle crash. As of publishing, the GoFundMe is just over its $10,000 goal, but we all know that unexpected expenses always come up when recovering from a major accident. gofund.me/a51c5a8e
Wizards of Beer While it’s not officially a Harry Potter beer festival, the party is all but guaranteed to turn into one. The traveling event—put on by the same people behind Ybor’s new haunted speakeasy experience—comes to Orpheum in Ybor City on April 3. Because of COVID-19 and the uncertainty of what the hell local coronavirus ordinances and enforcement are even going to look like next month, Wieczorek said that only 300 people will be admitted into Orpheum—that’s just a one hippogriff hair above 40% of the venue’s normal capacity. Orpheum, 1915 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. eventbrite.com—Ray Roa
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 Mar 25-31, 2021.