Vegan sushi heads to St. Pete, new breweries on the way, and more Tampa Bay foodie news

From vegan sushi and ramen to salty nuns serving up loaded brunch platters, these past few weeks of foodie news in Tampa Bay have been a blur. You blink once and there’s already a new brewery in your neighborhood—like the newly-opened Olde Florida Brewing Company in Largo or Late Start Brewing's upcoming location in downtown Tampa.

Opening

Dang Dude The chef behind the Tampa heavy-hitters Nebraska Mini Mart, Rooster & the Till and Gallito Taqueria recently debuted his newest restaurant, and its tasty Asian street food might have you saying, “Dang Dude…” Expect to see small plates like pork dumplings with scallions and fried shallots alongside vegan and gluten-friendly dishes like chilled sesame noodles and garlic chive tempura with Malaysian chili-roasted shiitake mushrooms. 615 Channelside Dr., Tampa. dang-dude.com

La Segunda Bakery & Cafe The air in St. Petersburg's Crescent Heights neighborhood is about to smell like fresh-baked Cuban bread. After teasing a fall 2021 opening, the legendary Ybor City bakery and cafe has announced that its St. Petersburg location will open to the public on Monday, March 21. Expect a menu loaded with La Segunda classics— including its Media Noche and Tony's Turkey sandwiches, guava pastries and cafe con leches. 2436 4th St. N, St. Petersburg. lasegundabakery.com

House of Vegano Located inside of the Body Electric Athletic Company in St. Petersburg, House of Vegano celebrates its grand opening on Monday, March 21. Owner Thalia Thatam tells CL that although her most popular rolls will be featured on the restaurant’s menu, future patrons can expect a full spread of ramen, poke bowls and dumplings too. “I wanted to create a space where being vegan is not just an option—but the complete focus.” Thatam says. “ I think that the health-conscious atmosphere of Body Electric will really fit with our menu and overall aesthetic.” Everything is 100% vegan, and guests will have the unique opportunity to make each dish on the menu both gluten and soy free if requested. 655 31st St. S, St. Petersburg. Houseofvegano.com

Salty Nun St. Pete’s newest restaurant is a combination of two of Gulfport’s most beloved businesses—brunch powerhouse Stella’s and the recently-closed neighborhood bar Salty’s. Guests can expect live music several nights a week, a loaded breakfast and brunch menu—with dishes like double-stuffed french toast and chorizo biscuits and gravy—as well as extensive outdoor seating from Grand Central’s newest eatery. 2501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. facebook.com/SaltyNun

Huey Magoo's Chicken tender franchise Huey Magoo's recently debuted its first Tampa Bay storefront in Pinellas Park—right down the street from Jollibee and PDQ. With a chicken tender basket serving the typical fixings, Huey's submits itself as another candidate for best chicken tender in the vast (and highly saturated) tendie market throughout the Bay. 4590 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park. hueymagoos.com

Olde Florida Brewing Company While the newly-opened brewery—located in the heart of Largo—is still working out some details, it currently offers its house brews in pints, half pints, and flights; growler refills will be available soon. Olde Florida Brewing Co. currently has blonde and brown ales, IPAs, amber ales, brown IPAs, coffee stouts, milk stouts and goses—with ABVs ranging from 4.5%-8.7%. 1158 7th. St. N, Largo. facebook.com/oldefloridabrew

Coming Soon

FLocale Pizza, craft beer and Nashville hot chicken tendies will all live under the same roof when King Of The Coop, Westshore Pizza and Rock Brothers Brewing Company’s new concept opens in Seminole Heights on Wednesday, March 23. FLocale’s 8,500 square-foot space will feature a 40-foot bar and almost 200 seats. The space was previously home to The Refinery—one of Seminole Heights’ most popular restaurants, up until it closed in the summer of 2019. 5910 N Florida Ave., Tampa. facebook.com/officialflocale

Yard House According to the Tampa Bay Times, plans for the project were recently filed by Water Street Tampa developers Strategic Property Partners. The location, which would be the first for Tampa Bay, is Amelia Arena-adjacent. 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 portably, the big attraction here is the extensive beer list, which features over 100 beers on tap. 450 Channelside Dr.,Tampa. yardhouse.com

Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille St. Petersburg is just a few months away from its second Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille location, which will soon take over the former Green Iguana building in the Jungle Terrace neighborhood. Guests can expect Doc Ford’s signature tropical-inspired menu, packed with fresh seafood and Caribbean flavors when its newest restaurant debuts this summer. Popular dishes include panko-fried shrimp, seafood paella, seared mahi mahi and Yucatan baked oysters. 8790 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg. Docfords.com

Late Start Brewing According to a post from the Late Start Brewing Instagram, the “Tampa born-and-bred” company just started buildout on its upcoming brewery in downtown Tampa. The roughly 2,500 square-foot building formerly housed a convenience store and market. Building plans and city records show that the proposed use includes an in-house food service, as the brewery will debut later this year. 1018 E Cass St., Tampa. latestartbrewing.com

Closing

El Gallo De Oro Restaurante West Tampa just lost a staple that's been serving up stacked Cuban plates since 1987. Co-owner Julissa Salgado took to Facebook Live to announce the closure of the popular Cuban restaurant, which her and her husband took over from her parents in 2012, as WFLA states. She says that El Gallo will reopen outside of Tampa soon, although there is no new location confirmed. "We want to move somewhere where they don’t have any Spanish food, and take a little piece of West Tampa wherever we go," Salgado said to her former customers.