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Food & Drink

25 hot new restaurants coming soon to Tampa Bay

By CL Staff on Fri, Sep 1, 2023 at 3:49 pm

Local foodies have plenty to look forward to in the coming months.

While 2023 has already seen some incredible new restaurants pop up, there's about to be even more to dish out. That's right, there's plenty on the culinary horizon here in Tampa Bay, including a new high-end Japanese steakhouse, savory donuts, rooftop cocktail lounges, and more.

Here are a few of the hottest new eats coming soon to the Bay.

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Kinjo

226 S Blvd, Tampa
Noble Rice and Koya will soon get a third sibling, creating a trifecta of high-end Japanese fare in South Tampa. While Italian-Japanese food might be a new concept to Tampa Bay’s foodies, Wafu-Italian or “Itameshi-style” cuisine has been a fine dining trend throughout Europe and Asia for quite some time. Kinjo's full-service bar loaded with wine, sake and spirits will be joined by an intimate menu of fresh pastas, crudo, sashimi, and a variety of meats and cheeses cured in-house.
Rendering via MICO Works

Ash 1050 Water St., Tampa Last year, Strategic Property Partners announced its newest concept, Ash, which will debut on the ground floor of Water Street Tampa’s Asher building, the district's newest residential development. The new restaurant is brought to downtown Tampa by a familiar name: Proper House Group (PHG), the minds behind Rooster & The Till, Nebraska Mini-Mart and more. PHG said that its latest concept will specialize in Italian-inspired cuisine and boast an extensive outdoor patio. Originally, the 2,400 square-foot restaurant and its accompanying 1,000 square-foot patio was scheduled to debut in the spring of 2023. As of now, the rumor is it's ready to pop any day now. Photo via Ash/Instagram

Ash

1050 Water St., Tampa
Last year, Strategic Property Partners announced its newest concept, Ash, which will debut on the ground floor of Water Street Tampa’s Asher building, the district's newest residential development. The new restaurant is brought to downtown Tampa by a familiar name: Proper House Group (PHG), the minds behind Rooster & The Till, Nebraska Mini-Mart and more. PHG said that its latest concept will specialize in Italian-inspired cuisine and boast an extensive outdoor patio. Originally, the 2,400 square-foot restaurant and its accompanying 1,000 square-foot patio was scheduled to debut in the spring of 2023. As of now, the rumor is it's ready to pop any day now.
Photo via Ash/Instagram

Beacon

510 Water St, Tampa
A press release says that JW Marriott Tampa Water Street’s new rooftop bar Beacon is the “tallest public rooftop bar in Tampa” and the second tallest in the state of Florida. A rep for JW is still working to tell Creative Loafing Tampa Bay exactly how many feet in the sky Beacon is. It’s slated to debut sometime in September at 510 Water St., although an exact grand opening date is yet to be determined.
Photo via JW Marriott

Fortu

332 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg
A new upscale Asian fusion dining experience is coming to downtown St. Pete. Set to serve “elevated Pan-Asian cuisine,” the steakhouse will take over the old Ceviche location on Beach Drive. From Japanese whiskeys to wagyu beef, Fortu plans to emphasize on quality. The spot plans to open any day now.
Photo via @forturestaurant/Instagram

Streetlight Taco

4004 Henderson Blvd., Tampa
Chef-partner Michael Brannock tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that his debut restaurant, Streetlight Taco, will open its doors sometime this fall—hopefully September. Located at 4004 Henderson Blvd. in South Tampa’s Palma Ceia neighborhood, this “hyper-traditional,” 2,500 square-foot restaurant will boast a capacity of about 100. Brannock's partners in Streetlight Taco are Jack Murray and Nick Reader, two of the managing partners of Rocca, the modern Italian restaurant that took home one of Tampa’s first Michelin stars earlier this year.
Photo via Michael Brannock

DutchBros / Facebook

Dutch Bros

3616 W Ballast Point Blvd, Tampa
One West Coast-based coffee chain (with a cult-like following) has its sights set on the Sunshine State, and recently filed permits to open its first outpost in South Tampa. A 950 square-foot, drive-thru Dutch Bros is in the works for South Tampa’s Sun Bay South neighborhood. Currently, Ballast Point Car Wash occupies that parcel of land, but if Dutch Bros’ plans are approved, the wash will be razed for the coffee shop’s new development. The popular coffee brand is known for its iced lattes, smoothies, teas, sodas, milkshakes, frozen blended coffees and energy drinks—all from the convenience of its drive-thru. Signature drinks include the “Golden Eagle” Dutch freeze blended with vanilla and caramel and the aptly-named “9-1-1” loaded with six shots of espresso, half and half and Irish creme syrup.
Photo via DutchBros/Facebook

Shuckin Shack Oyster Bar

25026 Wesley Chapel Blvd, Wesley Chapel
The North Carolina-based restaurant is known for its menu of seafood favorites like po’boys, shrimp and grits, lobster grilled cheeses and shrimp, snow crabs, mussels and clams by the dozen or half-pound. Family-style options include its "Low Country Boil" of steamed shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn and its "Saul T Steam Pot" loaded with oysters, clams, snow crab legs and shrimp. And since oysters are the star of the show, they can be ordered raw, steamed or charbroiled at Wesley Chapel’s soon-to-open Shuckin’ Shack. A full menu of specialty cocktails—including raw “oyster shooters”—joins its spread of casual, seafood-heavy fare.
Photo via Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar/Facebook

Sal Rosa Kitchen + Bar

601 N Florida Ave, Tampa
Replacing the historic hotel’s former restaurant Bizou Brasserie is a brand new, Caribbean-inspired concept called Sal Rosa Kitchen + Bar, which will be the signature restaurant of the historic Le Méridien boutique hotel after its grand opening sometime this fall. The hotel says its new restaurant will “feature a mix of Island Latin cuisine and Caribbean themed cocktails.” According to Le Méridien’s website, the restaurant will also have an on-site cafe and dessert shop that will serve a variety of specialty drinks from Illy Coffee, gelatos and pastries.
Photo via SalRosaTampa/Facebook

Yard House

450 Channelside Dr, Tampa
Popular beer bar chain Yard House is looking to open in downtown Tampa on Oct. 9. Yard House features plenty of classic bar bites, as well as an extensive selection of vegan dishes made from plant-based brand Gardein. But most importantly, the big attraction here is the extensive beer list, which features over 100 beers on tap. The concept is owned by Darden Restaurant Group, which also owns Olive Garden, The Capital Grille, and LongHorn Steakhouse.
Photo via Yard House/Facebook

Yard House

4801 E Fowler Ave, Tampa
MOSI will soon debut an outdoor taproom and food truck from Ybor City's Zydeco Brew Werks—the second location for the New Orleans-themed brewery. Zydeco’s General Manager Josh Henneman tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that MOSI’s newest hospitality concept is just a few weeks away from making its debut. Zydeco Brew Werks at MOSI will feature 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.
Photo via Zydeco Brew Werks

Caribou Coffee / Facebook

Caribou Coffee

701 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Caribou Coffee is making its way to the Gulf Coast, and its first Tampa Bay location will soon have a home on Central Avenue. Its menu consists of expected coffees and lattes with various flavors, in addition to breakfast and lunch sandwiches, bagels, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits and baked goods. While the Bay hasn’t had a standalone Caribou Coffee location yet, folks might remember a few of its caffeinated beverages as Einstein Bros. Bagels locations used to carry its products.
Photo via Caribou Coffee

King State

15 8th St., St. Petersburg
As is tradition for very popular local concepts, beloved Tampa Heights coffee shop and brewer King State will attempt to open a new outpost across the bridge. The new King State location will open within the Harlan Hotel at the new COHatch co-working space. "So many rad people working on this project and we’re so thankful to be bring the Bruce to the Burg. Full kitchen, full service, full liquor, full coffee, 16 taps, full party time," said King State in a post.
Rendering via King State

Olivia

225 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg
Riding off the success of his new Tampa restaurant Ponte Modern American, a renowned local chef is ready to tackle his next culinary endeavor. James Beard semifinalist Chef Chris Ponte will soon open a downtown St. Pete location of popular Italian restaurant Olivia (stylized "OLIVIA"), which currently resides in South Tampa. His very first restaurant and only concept in Pinellas County, Clearwater's Cafe Ponte, closed in spring of 2020 after Ponte was unable to reach a lease renewal agreement with his landlord.
Photo via Olivia

Omei Restaurant Group

Kosen

307 W Palm Ave.,Tampa
Bento owners want to bring New York and Tokyo flavor to a new concept to Tampa Heights. Kōsen's chef, Wei Chen is an alum of New York Japanese restaurant Masa, a three-Michelin star establishment. Last September, reps for Chen shared plans to do an 18-course reservation-only omakase, which includes 12 nigiri pieces ($250/person). Kosen’s private omakase room will be able to accommodate 10 people at the sushi counter, and a separate dining room can fit 25 people. A 10-course, $150 per person tasting menu will be available, too. Kosen has yet to announce an opening date.
Photo via Omei Restaurant Group

The Salty Donut/Facebook

Salty Donut

Multiple Locations
Tampeños can now anticipate the grand opening of not one—but two—Salty Donut locations, heading to both Seminole Heights and Hyde Park Village. Salty Donut's Hyde Park Village location will reside at 1519 W Swann Ave., adjacent to popular eateries like On Swann, Timpaño Hyde Park and bartaco, while the Seminole Heights brick and mortar will open at 5808 N Florida Ave. near 3 Dot Dash. The Salty Donut is known for its rotating menu of both sweet and savory doughnuts, with popular flavors like chocolate cookie crunch, traditional glazed, strawberry milk cake and caramel toffee crumb.
Photo via The Salty Donut

Vela

5232 Bridge St., Tampa
Cru’s Westshore Marina space will close and reopen as Vela—although exact closure and grand opening dates aren’t set in stone yet. “We’ve learned to tailor each concept to its neighborhood which is why this summer, we’re closing Cru at Armature Works and we’re transforming our Westshore Marina location into a brand new concept called Vela,” said owner Jennifer Bingham last July. “Vela means ‘sail’ in Italian and it’s inspired by its waterfront marina location.”
Photo via Cru Cellars

Photo via blindtigercoffeeroasters/Facebook

Blind Tiger

1823 E 7th Ave., Tampa
After almost 10 years, the original Blind Tiger Coffee Roaster has outgrown its location. Owner Roberto Torres has signed a new lease in Ybor City, where Blind Tiger will take over the space formerly home to dive bar Boneyard, which closed last month after nearly three decades in the historic district. The original Blind Tiger has been open in its 1,300 square-foot, location at 1901 E 7th Ave. just a block away since 2014. The move nearly doubles the space for the coffee business, with 4,000 square feet. A rep for Blind Tiger told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that their team worked with Boneyard’s owners to continue the dive’s legacy, adding that the new space will feature an upstairs speakeasy, be much larger and featuring an expanded menu that includes happy hour drinks, appetizers etc. Blind Tiger is aiming for an end of year debut.
Photo via blindtigercoffeeroasters/Facebook

bavarobrand / Facebook

Bavaro’s

468 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach
Pretty soon—and we mean this playfully because Dan Bavaro has not announced any kind of aggressive expansion—there may be a Bavaro's Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria in every corner of Tampa Bay. Clearwater Beach’s Bavaro’s will open out of a 1,800 square-foot parcel at 468 Mandalay Ave. by the end of 2023 (fingers crossed). The beach-adjacent space—which formerly housed a real estate office—will undergo about $1 million dollars worth of renovations before making its debut. Owner Dan Bavaro told TBBJ that his “company is building an infrastructure for statewide expansion,” which may include additional airport locations throughout the Sunshine State. Bavaro’s first made its Tampa Bay debut in 2009, claiming to be the “first traditional Neapolitan Pizzeria in the state of Florida.” Alongside ‘za baked in traditional wood-fired ovens, the Italian restaurant also dishes out roasted Gulf oysters, charcuterie boards, salads, soups, classic pastas and desserts like cannolis, tiramisu and Nutella pizzas.
Photo via bavarobrand/Facebook

eatforbici / Facebook

Forbici

153 2nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg
Forbici’s second location is slated to open sometime next year within downtown St. Pete’s Sundial mall, marking the beginning of the local brand’s possible nationwide expansion. Co-owner Jeff Gigante—who operates Forbici with partner Joseph Guggino under the Next Level Brands umbrella—estimates that 30-40 locations of the Italian restaurant could eventually open throughout the country. St. Pete’s upcoming Forbici will take up 7,000 square-feet, and will include an indoor-outdoor bar, as well as a 3,000 square-foot shaded patio. The concept will open out of Locale Market’s former parcel, which closed in early 2020 after now-defunct plans for Sundial’s food hall were announced.
Photo via eatforbici/Facebook

FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture

The H

1504 S Howard Ave., Tampa
Just when you didn't think it was possible—Hyde Park will soon get a little bougier. The Tampa version of Orlando's popular The H steakhouse is planned for the parcel of land that most recently housed seafood restaurant CopperFish, which closed in 2014 after facing over $700,000 in permitting violations from the City of Tampa. Since The H has only recently filed its construction and design plans, it's unsure when the high-end restaurant will open its doors in Hyde Park. The steakhouse’s flagship restaurant in Orlando is known for its variety of meats–from dry-aged ribeye, NY strips and racks of lamb to kebabs, Japanese wagyu and filet mignon—in addition to a spread of seafood-based dishes, pastas and caviar service. Appetizers include small plates like baked bone marrow, octopus carpaccio, burrata with confit tomatoes, grilled calamari and a variety of salads.
Photo via FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture