Tampa Bay keeps its Michelin stars, but doesn’t add any, and more local food news

ICYMI
Tampa earns no new Michelin stars, but maintains previous years’ awards at 2025 ceremony Last Thursday, for its fourth year in the Sunshine State, the prestigious Michelin guide hosted its Florida awards ceremony, this time at Orlando’s Four Seasons Resort. For the Tampa Bay, no new stars were born—but there were bright spots, including previously-starred Tampa restaurants maintaining their status. In 2023 and 2024, five Tampa restaurants earned a Michelin star: contemporary Italian eatery Rocca, small-scale omakase spots Kōsen and Koya, Scandinavian tasting concept Ebbe and the Tampa Edition’s high-end restaurant Lilac. All those concepts retained their stars. For the first time since the guide’s 2022 arrival in the Florida, restaurants in Pinellas County are eligible to win awards. Unfortunately, no restaurants in Pinellas County snagged any stars or Bib Gourmands during the guide’s inaugural foray across the bridge. Pinellas did have a lot to celebrate, however, as the county saw St. Pete hotspots IL Ritorno, Sushi Sho Rexley and pan-Asian steakhouse Fortu added to Michelin’s “designated” list at tonight’s ceremony. Safety Harbor’s Best of the Bay-winning Tides Market also picked up a “recommended” designation in the guide.—Kyla Fields Openings
St. Pete’s Paradeco Coffee opens new location at SkyBeach Resort Paradeco Coffee has officially opened its second location inside SkyBeach Resort, offering a new spot for coffee and light bites on St. Petersburg’s southern waterfront. Located in the resort’s courtyard at 6800 Sunshine Skyway Ln. S, the new café echoes Paradeco’s signature art deco aesthetic. Open daily from 7 a.m.-3 p.m., the café serves a range of drinks and food items, like the lavender vanilla latte and the orange mocha latte, and the sourdough breakfast egg sandwich and the sweet toast.

Davis Islands’ DI Coffee Bar opens second location in Seminole Heights
DI Coffee Bar is bringing its Davis Islands vibe to Seminole Heights. The beloved café opened its second location at 6114 N Central Ave. earlier this week, taking over the former Cake Cuties Bakery space. The shop opened quietly, but that didn’t stop locals from showing up. “We didn’t push it. No soft opening, no grand opening — we just opened the doors,” owner Ramon Perez told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “And we did five times more business than I thought we would. It freaked me out.” DI Coffee Bar opened its flagship store 11 years ago on 214 E Davis Blvd. and is known for its laid-back ambiance, vibrant community feel and strong Cuban influence. Perez, a longtime Tampeño and Hillsborough High School alum, said the opportunity to open in Seminole Heights just down the street from his alma mater was both practical and personal.

This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2025.