In case you missed it, Mortar & Pestle permanently closed in Tampa neighborhood Seminole Heights last week. The neighborhood cafe and bar, which took to social media to announce the news, will start leasing its former home at 6310 N. Florida Ave. to a different restaurant.
“With mixed emotions, we would like to announce that today will be our last day of business,” reads the Feb. 10 post made to Mortar & Pestle’s Facebook page. “Through much thought, we will be leasing out the space to another restaurant.”
The Mortar & Pestle food truck will still make an appearance at upcoming prearranged events (Land O’ Lakes brewery In the Loop and c.1949 host the mobile kitchen this weekend) — and possibly even “at another stationary location.”
In the Facebook announcement, there was no mention of the hurdles Mortar & Pestle faced soon after opening in 2017. The damage left behind by Hurricane Irma and the Seminole Heights serial killer were too much for the cafe and bar to overcome in its infancy, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, so it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last summer.
Mortar & Pestle didn’t plan to close back then, though. And that’s probably a good thing, because judging by the post’s comments, the cafe and bar gained a following for coffee and brunch (farewell, chicken and waffles and unlimited mimosas) as much as service. Clearly, this place will be missed.
