Union New American Well, after two years of hype, Next Level Brands' giant new dining concept, Union New American, finally has an opening date. Earlier this week, the company announced that Union is currently taking reservations for its first dinner service, beginning at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4 at its location within the Westshore City Center. The two-story, nearly 10,000-square-foot complex centers around a 284-seat dining area with a main bar on the first floor, and a lounge and terrace area on the second floor, which can also host live music and private events. The menu centers around a "fire hearth that uses American white oak and coal," says a press release, and covers everything from seafood light bites like yellowfin tuna tartare, and sushi options, to heartier dishes including steaks, roast chicken, and smoked eggplant enchiladas. 1111 N Westshore Blvd., Annex B, Tampa. uniontampa.com
Sweetgreen The “Starbucks of salad” opened its second Tampa Bay location this week, just a few months after debuting its first storefront. Tampa’s latest Sweetgreen celebrated its grand opening on Tuesday, March 28. The 2,300 square-foot restaurant is located at 722 South Village Cir., adjacent to other Hyde Park Village hotspots like Meat Market, Forbici Modern Italian and newly-opened bubbly bar Bouzy. The Los Angeles-based fast casual chain boasts a menu of loaded bowls, protein-packed salads and seasonal, rotating offerings. Tampa Bay’s debut Sweetgreen opened in Tampa Heights last year, while a third location is planned for St. Pete’s Edge District, although there’s no official opening timeline. 722 S Village Circle, Tampa. sweetgreen.com
Coming soon
The Lab Seminole Heights is about to gain another locally-owned specialty cafe. The Lab took to Instagram last week to announce the opening of its second full-service Tampa cafe, which will soon take over the former Blind Tiger on Florida Avenue. It will technically be The Lab's third Tampa location, since the specialty cafe and breakfast spot just launched a small kiosk inside of St. Joseph’s Hospital a few weeks ago. Co-owner Jason Barnett tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that The Lab’s upcoming location is slated to open its doors sometime in April. In addition to locally-roasted coffee from Zeal Roasters, The Lab slings Cuban toast, breakfast sandwiches, homemade pastries and chorizo burritos. While Barnett tells CL that the drink menu of its upcoming Seminole Heights spot will mirror that of its Hyde Park predecessor, it will feature a new grab n’ go section of freshly-baked bagels and tortillas. 4304 N Florida Ave., Tampa. @thelabcoffeetampa on Instagram
Closings
Fly Bar A staple of the Tampa cocktail scene is no more. Pioneering Fly Bar & Restaurant, located at 442 W Kennedy Blvd. near the University of Tampa, has closed. A call and text message to Fly ownership has yet to be returned, so it's unclear when the longtime local hotspot shuttered, but an overnight security guard outside the concept told CL workers have been moving furniture out for the last couple days. Fly's website and social media pages are also no more. It's unclear if Fly plans to give it a go elsewhere, so for now, denizens of the culture it built can still get something of a taste just a half-mile away inside Hotel Bar—also owned by Fly owner Leslie Shirah Culbreath, and located at 200 N Tampa St.—where bartenders still make some of the most exciting cocktails in Tampa Bay. 442 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa.
Events
Tampa Bay Empanada Festival From tacos to BBQ to french fries—Tampa Bay seems to have a foodie fest for just about any dish, and empanadas deserve their day, too. The Tampa Bay Empanada Festival takes place on Saturday, April 8 from noon-7 p.m. in the overflow parking lot of newly-opened Seminole Heights brewery Common Dialect. Located at 5023 N Florida Ave., Common Dialect will host next weekend’s free-to-attend foodie event, stacked with local empanada vendors and family-friendly fun. A few of the event’s food vendors include Stuft Gourmet Foods—that sells a prized Korean bulgogi chicken-stuffed empanada—The Empanada King, Sous LLC and Top Nada, alongside many more. Co-owner Kendra Conze tells CL that next weekend’s festival will also feature a DJ to help keep the party going, non-food vendors and a “Best Empanada” competition. 5023 N Florida Ave., Tampa. @brewedlifefestivals on Facebook
ICYMI
Mazzaro’s Italian Market unveils another 600-pound block of cheese this weekend Mazzaro’s Italian Market made headlines last year for its 854-pound block of cheese—and it’s once again unveiling another slab of the good stuff. The popular Italian market will slice into the massive block on Saturday, April 1 at 11 a.m. sharp. (insert cheese pun here). Typically, a forklift is used to get the hunk of cheese into the market, located at 2909 22nd Ave N. “This cheese is Auricchio provolone, aged over one year and is over 600 lbs. Come on in and taste!,” Mazzaro’s posted on its Instagram earlier this week. The Italian market typically unveils a large slab of cheese every Christmas season, so this weekend's cheese drop is quite the surprise. 2909 22nd Ave N, St. Petersburg. mazzarosmarket.com
St. Pete’s Crumb Factory launches a new dinner service this week Starting this week, The Crumb Factory will serve a small, straightforward dinner menu from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. every Thursday-Saturday. Crumb Factory employee Jenesee Borges told CL that reservations will not be accepted during its soft launch; folks can snag tables on a first come-first serve basis. The first iteration of its dinner menu boasts a small selection of flatbread pizzas, salads, and a few desserts alongside a variety of beer, wine, soda and coffee. Patrons can choose between its Reuben, roasted tomato or lemon ricotta flatbread pizzas, or opt for small plates from its tapas selection, which include dishes like baked brie-stuffed pastries, a loaded charcuterie board or ground beef empanadas. Desserts include baked goods like cookies and biscottis, in addition to treats like creme brulée and key lime pie tarts. 5701 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. crumbfactorybakery.com
Meet Gabby Duncan, the one-woman-show behind vegan powerhouse Gabby Bakes Offering treats like carrot brown sugar cupcakes, banana-cardamom sponge cakes with salted caramel and vegan milk chocolate buttercream, and sweet-salty cornflake cookies, Tampa pop-up bakery Gabby Bakes specializes in masterfully-crafted treats with flavors that ebb and flow through the seasons. Thirty-one year-old Tampa resident Gabby Duncan is the one-woman-show and creative mastermind behind Gabby Bakes. With a creative style as bright as her clothes, Duncan’s painstakingly-piped flowers, hearts, smiley faces and cartoon characters have helped her build a truly recognizable brand. Duncan pops up Indie Flea and Seminole Heights’ 3 Dot Dash once a month, in addition to regularly stocking treats at Tampa’s Black Radish Grocery, Pure Kitchen and Vegan International Co. gabbybakes.com
Tampa Bay Ben and Jerry’s locations are giving away free ice cream next week After a year-long hiatus due to the pandemic, popular ice cream company Ben and Jerry’s will host its annual free cone day on Monday, April 3. From noon-8 p.m. guests can receive a free scoop of ice cream at either of the two Tampa Bay locations: 1106 Gramercy Lane, in Tampa and 409 Mandalay Ave., in Clearwater Beach. According to the company, feel free to get in line multiple times to satisfy your sweet tooth. This annual giveaway has been going down for over 40 years, The first Free Cone day was in 1979 in Burlington, Vermont to celebrate the brand's first year in business. Now 44 years later, the franchise is now in more than 35 countries and has become a household name .
Over 20 Tampa Bay restaurants ranked among Yelp's 'Top 100 Places to Eat in Florida 2023' list Florida has plenty of great places to eat, and according to Yelpers, some of the best spots are here in Tampa Bay. Earlier this week, the online review site released their annual list of the "Top 100 Places to Eat in Florida." Surprisingly, no local restaurants cracked the top 10. But Tampa Bay restos are still all over this list, with about 20% of Yelp's highest ranked restaurants calling the Tampa Bay area home. Yelp says it landed on its final list using "a number of factors," including "the total volume and ratings of reviews between January 1, 2022 and January 1, 2023. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of January 9, 2023. A few Tampa Bay concepts that made the cut include Rice & Spice, Mazzaro's, Olivia and Uptown Eats.