St. Pete’s Grand Central District is getting a new tenant, and it already has a cult-like following in Tampa Bay.
When House of Vegano makes its move to 1990 Central Ave. later this year, it will be neighbors with other downtown hotspots like Cage Brewing, Pinellas Ale Works and fellow vegan business Good Intentions.
The building used to house the Awakening Wellness Center, which luckily already had a kitchen and grease trap, making House of Vegano's build out relatively painless.
While its menu will eventually expand with the larger location, top-selling sushi offerings like the Volcano Roll—complete with lion's mane and king oyster mushrooms, cucumbers, avocado and veganized spicy krab—will certainly be on the menu at House of Vegano 2.0.
Another popular roll is the Adriana “Vegano” Sparkle ll, a homage to the Best of the Bay-winning drag queen. This loaded sushi roll comes with house-made "toona" tartare, vegan eel sauce, butter-poached "sckallop," cucumber, avocado and is topped with edible 24-karat gold leaf.
Although Tatham doesn't have professional cooking experience, her fruit and veggie-filled sushi rolls have certainly put House of Vegano on the map as one of St. Pete's most exciting eateries.
Her upcoming Central Avenue restaurant will boast a more upscale feel with muted earth tones instead of the existing location's brightly-colored decor. Tatham will also triple the size of her team, looking to hire 10-15 more employees compared to the 3 working at her current space.
While a Japanese theme will still run through the vein of House of Vegano's menu, Tatham hopes to incorporate more of her Jamaican background into some dishes, utilizing ingredients like plantains, beans and rice and vegan jerk chicken.
Craft cocktails, mocktails, another signature flavor from Beech Kombucha, and desserts from popular Tampa baker Gabby Bakes will join her eclectic, plant-based menu. Appetizers like seaweed salad, edamame and crispy rice will compliment the ever-growing selection of sushi rolls.
House of Vegano opened its flagship brick-and-mortar out of Body Electric's studio last spring, after slinging its prized vegan sushi at local businesses like Black Radish St. Pete and events like the annual VegFeast.
Although Body Electric closed its St. Pete athletic facility a few months ago, House of Vegano will continue to operate out of its space at 655 31st St. S until its eventual move. Tatham mentions that Body Electric's closure only effected House of Vegano's business for a few days and has been able to retain her regular customer base.
Since opening House of Vegano last year, Tatham has greatly expanded her menu to not only include more elaborate sushi rolls, but exclusive veganized versions of ramen, tom kha gai soup, lion's mane mushroom skewers, loaded dumplings, and more.
House of Vegano's test kitchens—which cost $39.99 per person and happen every Monday—are the best way to sample Tatham's newest plant-based creations.
"I've really been enjoying the test kitchens and they've been well received by customers, too. We'll typically take ingredients that we already use and turn them on their head to create something new," Tatham explains.
She tells CL that the test kitchens will continue at the new Central Avenue space, with the possibility of evolving them into an omakase-style, pre-fixe tasting menu.
For the latest information on the popular vegan sushi spot and its new restaurant's build out, follow its Facebook or Instagram at @houseofvegano.
House of Vegano's new 2,300 square-foot restaurant is slated to open by the end of 2023, according to owner and head chef Thalia Tatham.
"Expanding to Central Avenue has always been the plan, but the universe said 'no' last year," Tatham says with a laugh. "Our first location has been a great spring board for us and has given us the opportunity to build a good reputation with our customers."
"Expanding to Central Avenue has always been the plan, but the universe said 'no' last year," Tatham says with a laugh. "Our first location has been a great spring board for us and has given us the opportunity to build a good reputation with our customers."
When House of Vegano makes its move to 1990 Central Ave. later this year, it will be neighbors with other downtown hotspots like Cage Brewing, Pinellas Ale Works and fellow vegan business Good Intentions.
The building used to house the Awakening Wellness Center, which luckily already had a kitchen and grease trap, making House of Vegano's build out relatively painless.
While its menu will eventually expand with the larger location, top-selling sushi offerings like the Volcano Roll—complete with lion's mane and king oyster mushrooms, cucumbers, avocado and veganized spicy krab—will certainly be on the menu at House of Vegano 2.0.
Another popular roll is the Adriana “Vegano” Sparkle ll, a homage to the Best of the Bay-winning drag queen. This loaded sushi roll comes with house-made "toona" tartare, vegan eel sauce, butter-poached "sckallop," cucumber, avocado and is topped with edible 24-karat gold leaf.
Although Tatham doesn't have professional cooking experience, her fruit and veggie-filled sushi rolls have certainly put House of Vegano on the map as one of St. Pete's most exciting eateries.
Her upcoming Central Avenue restaurant will boast a more upscale feel with muted earth tones instead of the existing location's brightly-colored decor. Tatham will also triple the size of her team, looking to hire 10-15 more employees compared to the 3 working at her current space.
While a Japanese theme will still run through the vein of House of Vegano's menu, Tatham hopes to incorporate more of her Jamaican background into some dishes, utilizing ingredients like plantains, beans and rice and vegan jerk chicken.
Craft cocktails, mocktails, another signature flavor from Beech Kombucha, and desserts from popular Tampa baker Gabby Bakes will join her eclectic, plant-based menu. Appetizers like seaweed salad, edamame and crispy rice will compliment the ever-growing selection of sushi rolls.
House of Vegano opened its flagship brick-and-mortar out of Body Electric's studio last spring, after slinging its prized vegan sushi at local businesses like Black Radish St. Pete and events like the annual VegFeast.
Although Body Electric closed its St. Pete athletic facility a few months ago, House of Vegano will continue to operate out of its space at 655 31st St. S until its eventual move. Tatham mentions that Body Electric's closure only effected House of Vegano's business for a few days and has been able to retain her regular customer base.
Since opening House of Vegano last year, Tatham has greatly expanded her menu to not only include more elaborate sushi rolls, but exclusive veganized versions of ramen, tom kha gai soup, lion's mane mushroom skewers, loaded dumplings, and more.
House of Vegano's test kitchens—which cost $39.99 per person and happen every Monday—are the best way to sample Tatham's newest plant-based creations.
"I've really been enjoying the test kitchens and they've been well received by customers, too. We'll typically take ingredients that we already use and turn them on their head to create something new," Tatham explains.
She tells CL that the test kitchens will continue at the new Central Avenue space, with the possibility of evolving them into an omakase-style, pre-fixe tasting menu.
For the latest information on the popular vegan sushi spot and its new restaurant's build out, follow its Facebook or Instagram at @houseofvegano.
