A city can never have too many rooftop bars, right? Hope so, because there’s a really nice new one in Midtown Tampa. St. Pete’s also in line for a new gay bar that promises “stiff drinks, hard liquor and raging good times.” Have a look at the latest local foodie news below.
Openings
Mango’s Cafe and Specialty Store To kick off February, family-owned Mango’s Catering Services opened a storefront in Temple Terrace. The location has everything from Caribbean options to burgers,chicken sandwiches, egg rolls, and vegan options,” according to a Facebook post. Mango’s Drip Burger or the vegan Hawaiian meatballs, plus Mango’s merch including aprons, spices, and shirts are all available Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. or during the “Brunch and Vibe” event that happens every fourth Sunday from noon- 4 p.m. 9718 N 56th St., Temple Terrace. mangoscateringservice.com
Sal Y Mar rooftop bar Midtown Tampa Rooftop bar Sal Y Mar is officially open and ready to party. Located on top of the dual-branded Aloft and Element Hotel in Midtown Tampa, the Tulum-inspired spot’s tapas heavy menu includes cajun shrimp corn fritters, chipotle-charred chicken, and, most importantly, a mason jar cheesecake. The upscale space has inside and outside seating and 360-views of Tampa Bay. Hours are 4 p.m.-midnight Sun.-Thurs., 4 p.m.- a.m. Friday and Saturday. Seating is first come, first served—so no reservations, people. Also coming to Midtown Tampa: Shake Shack, Bella Brava and a REI retail store. 3650 Midtown Dr. 8th Floor, Tampa. salymarrooftop.com
Coming soon
Cocktail St. Pete I Love the Burg says David Fischer, owner of St. Pete’s The Saints speakeasy and interior design firm Zazoo’d, is opening a new bar in St. Pete’s Grand Central District near indoor/outdoor bar Grand Central Brewhouse and Sophia’s Cucina + Enoteca. On Facebook, the spot is described as a gay bar, and online its tagline promises stiff drinks, hard liquor and raging good times. An opening date is TBD, but the website says hours of operation will be Tuesday-Sunday noon-3 a.m. 2355 Central Ave., St Petersburg. cocktailstpete.com
Outer Banks Boil Co. North Carolina-based lowcountry seafood restaurant Outer Banks Boil Company said it’s opening franchise locations in St. Pete Beach (this month at the Dolphin Village Shopping Center) plus two others in Clearwater Beach and Riverview (TBD). “Lowcountry” boils feature seafood like shrimp and crawfish, sausage, and veggies cooked together in a large pot of water and spices. Several other Bay area restaurants already offer low country-style cooking, inclduding Ava’s Lowcountry Cuisine in Lutz, Shrimp & Co. in Ybor, or Salt Cracker Fish Camp in Clearwater. In addition to the boils, the restaurant will feature pulled-pork bbq, coleslaw, cornbread muffins, and key lime pie as options. 4655 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. outerbanksboilcompany.com
Xtreme Tacos Xtreme Tacos' much-awaited Seminole Heights brick-and-mortar is finally open. A soft opening happened last week, and Sofie Warrenbrand, who co-owns Xtreme with Uzi Ramirez, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that a big announcement would happen after that. Good timing, too, because Feb. 23 marks four years in business for Xtreme. Xtreme Tacos became popular when it opened its first location at 310 E Waters Ave., winning a Best of the Bay award for its massive Stoner burrito, but had to close a little over a year after landlord issues. It quickly moved to mobile, in the form of a bright red food truck usually hopping between 7venth Sun Brewery and C. 1949. Xtreme’s South Tampa location opened in 2019 but has since closed, again because of landlord issues. 5609 Nebraska Ave., Tampa. xtremetacos.com
Closed
Brass Tap (Pinellas) There are still three locations to go to over the bridge, but Tampa Bay craft beer bar chain Brass Tap closed its Tyrone Square Mall location—which opened in 2016—last month. The franchise’s Carrollwood, Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass, and close-to-Midtown locations are still open, and you can tip the Pinellas location’s staff online. This closing comes after the closing of the company’s Brandon restaurant in 2019. For those of you still shopping in person, Tyrone Square Mall still has plenty of food and drink options including the chains Bonefish Grill and every dad’s favorite—Hooters. brasstapbeerbar.com
ICYMI
Chef from downtown Tampa restaurant Cena defeats Food Network's Bobby Flay Last Thursday, Channelside restaurant Cena was closed for dinner service so that friends and family could celebrate chef Michael Buttacavolli's appearance, and win, on the Food Network’s competition show “Beat Bobby Flay.” Butta served the meatballs sandwich style with Parmesan pecorino sauce. It was enough to beat Flay, a Food Network fixture who’s hosted 16 cooking shows and specials for the network. 1208 E Kennedy Blvd. Tampa. cenatampa.com
Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival pivots to virtual and in-person events this year The celebration of the leafy green is also postponed until May. Founders Boyzell Hosey and Samantha Harris are taking the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival in a different direction this year by offering attendees the option of experiencing the festival either virtually or in-person. tbcgf.org
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This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2021.