St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market returns to Al Lang Stadium this weekend. Credit: cityofstpete / flickr
Openings

ro Hyde Park Village is home to a plethora of fine dining concepts, and its newest restaurant adds to the already-stacked roster. Modern Japanese and high-end sushi eatery ro is now open and accepting reservations, which can be made on its website. Ro’s kitchen will be helmed by Michelin-starred Chef Kiichi Okabe, who has worked at fine dining restaurants across the world in cities like Japan, Dubai and Las Vegas— including Singapore’s Shoukouwa, which earned two Michelin stars in 2016 under Okabe’s leadership. Throughout his long career, Chef Okabe has specialized in showcasing fresh Japanese ingredients—from lofty caviar service to multi-course omakase experiences. Patrons of the new Hyde Park concept can expect a wide spread of sushi featuring fresh seafood from Tokyo’s famed Toyosu Market, table-side Peking duck (which must be ordered in advance due to its lengthy preparation process), and an A5 wagyu entree. Other dishes include a salmon crudo, wagyu gyoza with chili ponzu sauce, flambeed lamb chops and pork belly ramen. A variety of signature cocktails joins its high-end Japanese menu. 500 W Swann Ave., Tampa. rohydepark.com

Golden Isles Brewing Co. There’s no shortage of craft breweries in Pinellas County, from larger-than-life taprooms to intimate spots with just a few taps. But a brand new, pet and family-friendly business tucked away in a quiet St. Pete neighborhood will soon add to the Bay area’s wide variety of craft breweries. Golden Isles Brewing Co. soft opens out of a refurbished gas station at 3000 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N this weekend, and will soon be adjacent to other St. Pete businesses like Pineapple Espresso, Sunset Grill and the newly-opened Calida Kitchen & Wine. Owners Angie and Jonathan Bryan, along with general manager Kyler Dressel, tell Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Golden Isles will soft open this Friday-Sunday, Oct. 6-8. “We’re definitely beer focused, but we’re not necessarily a beer bar,” Dressel says. “We’re trying to appeal to everyone in the neighborhood, so we really want to offer beverages for everyone.” In addition to a variety of Golden Isles beer—that’s brewed down the street at The Brutalist, not in-house—other refreshing “coldies” include wine, and prosecco, cold brew and kombucha on tap, organic sodas and other NA options. Of the brewery’s 15 taps, about 10 will feature lagers, pilsners, IPAs and sours from Golden Isles and other local breweries. 3000 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg. @staygolden_stpete on Instagram

Zydeco @ MOSI When taking your kiddos to Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry, you’re typically limited to juice boxes and PB&Js for sustenance. Well, one popular Ybor City brewery just changed that in a huge way. Located near the University of South Florida and Busch Gardens, MOSI recently opened an outdoor taproom and food truck from Ybor City’s Zydeco Brew Werks—the second location for the New Orleans-themed brewery. Zydeco Brew Werks at MOSI features an outdoor bar loaded with the brewery’s most popular beers, an 18-foot food truck next to the museum’s miniature golf course, four TVs and shaded seating under its amphitheater awning (where the IMAX theater once was)— which will soon host a variety of live entertainment, too. Parents can now sip on lagers and IPAs while their kids enjoy the outdoor ropes or mini golf courses. “Not only will we attract parents and their kids, but USF is on the other side of Fowler Avenue and students can walk on the bridge right to us,” Zydeco’s General Manager Josh Henneman told CL in July. “We’ll also have our food available on delivery apps so they don’t even have to leave their dorms.” 4801 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. Mosi.org

Coming Soon

Dunedin Mix A new mixed-used food hall called the Dunedin Mix is getting ready to open its doors in Pinellas County. The upcoming food hall will open at 990 Broadway, around the corner from other popular Dunedin concepts like 7venth Sun Brewing, Lucky Lobster Co. and Bon Appétit. The Tampa Bay Business Journal says the roughly 10,000 square-foot, two-story New Orleans-inspired space will feature an indoor courtyard and a “French industrialist/mixologist” carousel bar—perhaps a homage to the French Quarter’s institutional Carousel Bar & Lounge. In addition to a food hall with several local food concepts, the mixed-used space will also offer live entertainment, cooking classes and host different events, banquets and “boutique pop-ups.” According to its social media, Dunedin Mix will celebrate its grand opening sometime in December, although an exact date has yet to be determined. So far, the only food vendors listed on the food hall’s website include Polynesian concept Huli Bowl & Rotisserie and Italian restaurant Al Dente, but Dunedin Mix states that it will announce the remaining tenants in the upcoming weeks. 990 Broadway, Dunedin. Dunedinmix.com

Events

Saturday Morning Market It’s no secret that the Saturday Morning Market is one of St. Pete’s most popular recurring events—and if you don’t know, just try to find parking within a five-block radius of the farmer’s market on any given weekend. After taking its annual hiatus between seasons, the market returns to the parking lot of Al Lang Stadium this weekend with its 10,000 or so shoppers in tow. From fresh produce and meat from Tampa Bay-based farms and locally-brewed coffee and kombucha to artisan goods and live music, this market is the ideal place for a quick breakfast, casual stroll, or one-stop shop for groceries. The market features over 130 vendors slinging their best wares each Saturday, and all of its produce and readymade food vendors accept SNAP, too. Saturday Morning Market—which is technically a nonprofit—launched in 2002 and has been an integral part of the landscape of St. Pete’s ever-changing downtown area, and we hope it stays that way. 230 1st St. SE, St. Petersburg. Saturdaymorningmarket.com Magnanimous Brewing’s 3rd anniversary There’s a lot of pandemic babies out there entering their toddler years, and Tampa Heights brewery Magnanimous Brewing is one of them. This craft brewery is celebrating its third anniversary by releasing 12 beers over the course of four days at both its Tampa and Bradenton locations. Day one starts with launching four canned variants of its Juice Lord Hazy IPA, followed by a variety of barrel-aged bottles on Friday and spread of nationwide collaboration brews on Saturday— which include double dry-hopped hazy IPA releases with Tennessee’s Xul Beer Company, Northeast-based Widowmaker Brewing and Vitamin Sea Brewing, and California’s North Park Beer Company. Its weekend-long anniversary releases wrap up on Sunday with a deep dive into the brewery’s archive, where regulars and beer nerds can enjoy some of Magnanimous’ exclusive brews on tap. In addition to these dozens of beer releases, its Tampa outpost will also host food trucks all weekend-long. While Magnanimous Brewing—a Tampa Bay Beer week favorite— is celebrating three years in Tampa Heights, its Brandenton taproom opened just last year. 1410 Florida Ave., Tampa. Magnanimousbrewing.com Super Greek Festival Each year, St. Pete’s St. Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church and hundreds of its volunteers organize a massive, weekend-long celebration of Greek culture, food and history. Whether you’re attending for the wide variety of homemade food—including classic dishes like grilled gyros, souvlaki, moussaka, stuffed grape leaves, and loukoumades—or interested in the traditional performances and dance lessons, this huge, indoor-outdoor festival offers festivities for both locals and tourists alike. “Everything we do is intended to help ignite your inner “Kefi”, which describes the Greek spirits of joy, passion, euphoria and enthusiasm all in one,” the church writes on social media. In addition to food, drinks and entertainment, this party also offers a raffle (with a $10,000 first prize,) a kid’s zone for the little ones, a spread of local vendors and Greek language lessons. Admission to each day of the Super Greek Festival this weekend costs $3 or is free if you’re a child under the age of 12, active military/law enforcement, a veteran or over the age of 75. RSVPing via Eventbrite is also encouraged. 3600 76th St. N, St. Petersburg. ststefanos.org ICYMI

Iconic Tampa restaurant Mel’s Hot Dogs has new owners After 50 years, Mel is no longer behind the counter at Mel’s Hot Dogs. Mel Lohn opened his iconic hot dog spot, at 4136 E Busch Blvd, on July 3 of 1973, and put the business up for sale a few months ago, saying he was looking for someone willing to carry on his legacy. “I wouldn’t sell it to someone who’s going to change it,” said the 76-year-old Lohn to WTVT. “Where am I gonna go for a hot dog?” The exact details of the sale have not been released. But according to Hillsborough County records, HD Holding Company LLC purchased the property for $435,000 on Sept. 7. Michael Braccia of Bay Street Commercial was the listing agent. Longtime Temple Terrace residents and brothers Mark, Doug and Stephen Szabo, are the partners behind the LLC, reports the Tampa Beacon. “We knew there were some contingencies … and he wanted someone who wasn’t going to come in and change everything,” said Mark Szabo to the publication. “And I think we hit it off pretty quickly. He liked our story, you know, he trusted us, I think, that we wouldn’t do any of those things.” While the hot dogs will likely stay the same, a representative with Mel’s told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that a few small changes are in the works, like an expanded beer menu, ice cream options, and new hours, which includes staying open on Sundays.—Colin Wolf

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This article appears in Oct 5-11, 2023.

Kyla Fields is the food critic and former managing editor of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay who started their journey at CL as summer 2019 intern. They are the proud owner of a charming, sausage-shaped, eight-year-old...