Tampa Bay's best new restaurants of 2021

Sal Y Mar

3650 Midtown Dr. 8th Floor, Tampa
Midtown Tampa Rooftop bar Sal Y Mar is perched on top of the dual-branded Aloft and Element Hotel in Midtown Tampa. The Tulum-inspired, 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-degree views of Tampa.

Dirty Laundry

1742 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
Stephen Schrutt, owner of Hunger & Thirst Restaurant Group—the same folks behind downtown St. Pete heavy hitters The Avenue, No Vacancy, Park & Rec and Tropicana Field’s BallPark & Rec—has opened a new cafe and speakeasy bay with a kitschy pseudo-laundromat exterior. To get in, pay a visit to the inconspicuous pay phone under the neon “Talk Dirty to Me” sign inside of the laundromat, receive the numerical password, and then punch those numbers on the pay phone keypad. A quick push on a washing machine leads you into St. Pete’s newest speakeasy concept.

Gangchu

618 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa
The latest concept from the owner of Ichicoro Ramen opened this year in Seminole Heights near 7venth Sun Brewery. Gangchu basically means, “it rocks” or “it’s the shit” in Korean, and notably features dishes like both boneless and “Gangchu chicken” wings, beef bulgogi wrap and Gangchu cheesesteak sandwiches or kimchi pancakes and fried rice and tteokbokki (aka spice rice cake). A nine-item cocktail list features drink names inspired by local thoroughfares like, Nebraska, Hanna, Knollwood, Shadowlawn, Minnehaha and more.

Willa’s and Willa’s Provisions

1700 W Fig St., Tampa
Willa’s and its companion concept Willa’s Provision debuted this year in NoHo. The trendy-casual spot dishes seasonal French and American cuisine, while its adjacent grab-and-go sibling serves up items like breakfast tacos, baked goods (carrot cake loaf!), King State coffee, ice cream, beer, wine and more.

Fado

435 5th Ave. N, St. Petersburg
Chef Rui Borges brings the Portuguese sister concept of his Orlando restaurant Lison to the ‘Burg. Menu items include pastéis de bacalhau, bife à Portuguesa (Portuguese steak) and serradura for dessert.

The Nosh Pit

4040 Park St. N, St. Petersburg
Last summer, owners of downtown St. Petersburg’s The Wheelhouse opened The Nosh Pit, a New York-style Jewish deli on the corner of Park Street N and Tyrone Boulevard. The menu hits all the marks with plenty of Jewish deli classics: knishes, lox, all-beef hot dogs, egg creams, black and white cookies, latkes and matzo ball soup. There are also plenty of vegetarian plates, including a tofu pastrami sandwich and over a half-dozen salad options.

District South Kitchen & Craft

3301 S Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa
This new South Tampa spot is the sister restaurant to District Tavern, located in the Channelside area. There are similarities between the two sister restaurants in terms of food, but District South has a slightly smaller menu that focuses on fresh, seasonal dishes—with the ever-changing catch of the day and steak of the week to set it apart from its sibling. There are no typical categories differentiating between appetizers and entrees at District South, instead the menu is separated into “snacks,” “slightly bigger snacks,” “between bread,” and “utensils required.” If you’ve ever wanted to order a literal jar of pickles for the table (or for yourself), District South has your back.

Te Invito quesabirria taco truck

400 6th St. S, St. Petersburg
The Te Invito food truck soft opened in St. Petersburg on Oct. 18 outside Lingr restaurant where Jesus Bravo’s quesabirria is also the sous chef, and you can now find it all over Tampa Bay. Earlier this year, CL contributor Daniel Guess lauded the taco master, writing “the quesabirria tacos on offer here are a glutinous mashup of Oaxacan cheese and braised beef, huge flavors in tiny packets ready to be dipped in an oh so flavorful consomme. White onion and cilantro help balance the richness of these made to order tacos.”

Yard Milkshake Bar

3301 S Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa
The Yard was featured on “Shark Tank” back in 2019, striking a deal that made opening more franchise locations possible, but ownership hasn't stopped there. The concept has plenty of other whacky creations on deck, including edible cookie dough pops, floats and scoop options. You can also create pretty much anything with the Yard’s 30-plus ice cream offerings and toppings.

The Battery

615 Channelside Dr., Tampa
Its spring opening turned into an early fall one, but a new concept from the people behind Seminole Heights’ C House opened at Sparkman Wharf in downtown Tampa’s Water Street district. The Battery debuted on Sept. 16 and has been serving menu items like a Berkshire chop, charcuterie boards and fine bourbon ever since. Other offerings include steak and potatoes, wings and stuffed jalapeños, and the lobster mac and cheese. The Battery places an emphasis on “fine bourbon” and “exquisite wine,” but also has a full-service bar.

Kingsford Fire Grille

204 Westshore Plaza, Tampa
Totally branded in partnership with the 101-year-old Kingsford charcoal company and helmed by former Salt Rock Grill Executive Chef Louis Scaramuzzi, the kitchen is focused on elevated backyard barbeque bites (chargrilled oysters, grilled fish, DIY s’mores) and, of course, smoked meats (Kansas City-style ribs, brisket, pork, chicken). The 8,000-square-foot spot has plenty of dining options: inside, an outside patio, and even by the grill pit where diners can watch the meaty action go down. And yes, the game is on every Sunday.

22 South

642 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg
In August, St. Petersburg’s 22 South Food Hall at the Historic Manhattan Casino announced a closure, then quickly backtracked and announced that a group of local investors had actually saved the concept. Well, 22 South officially reopened in October, meaning local foodies can try 22 South vendors Irie Mon Jamaican Grill, Betterway BBQ, Louie’s Italian Eatery, Haper’s Burgers, and Scratch. The food hall is effectively being saved by Collective, a group of community-minded entrepreneurs. In addition to food, 22 South—located in South St. Petersburg’s historic Deuces neighborhood—can be rented out for events and will host live music.

Ti Bamboo

9291 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg
You shouldn’t have any problem finding the place. It’s the building with the Bob Marley mural from Derek Donnelly painted on the outside, and it’s lined with red, yellow and green picnic tables. Ti Bamboo offers kid-safe eats like chicken tenders and grilled cheese, but you can also find dishes like oxtail and beans (braised oxtails and beans served alongside rice, peas and vegetables) and “escoveitched whole fish,” a whole snapper dredged in flour and deep fried, served with escovitch sauce (Jamaican pickle sauce), rice and peas, callaloo and fried plantains.

Junmai Station

325 N Florida Ave., Tampa
Junmai Station, a new concept spearheaded by the owners of Seminole Heights' Ebisu Sushi Shack, is a “one-of-a-kind Japanese food kiosk” that focuses on Onigiri—aka stuffed rice balls—that are easy to eat on the go but are still satisfying and healthy. The menu also features donburi (rice bowls), salads, and small plates such as spicy edamame.

Lingr

400 6th St. S, St. Petersburg
Last June, “Top Chef” star Jeffrey Jew officially opened his upscale-casual eatery venture and has been racking up reservations since. The Nordic and Asian-inspired restaurant dishes up high brow treats like dumplings, raw snapper, sea urchins and more. The spot also features a massive amount of outdoor seating.

Soulful Flavors Seffner

12008 E MLK Jr. Blvd., Seffner
Chef Andre Warren has rebranded his “Dub’s Kitchen,” and—depending on the day—now slings smothered pork chops, chicken & waffles, roasted chicken, a caesar salad and wings, plus BBQ fall-off-the-bone ribs, sausage, pulled pork, brisket, now crab, shrimp, oysters and lobster tail.

Datz Riverwalk Cafe

333 S Franklin St., Tampa
The newest member of the Datz Restaurant Group family is open and ready to serve morning drinks and breakfast to hungry Tampeños. Located outside of the Tampa Convention Center, the menu includes Cafe Bustelo coffee and breakfast goods including a vegan croissant-wich. There’s also booze–the “Datz-A-Mary,” mimosas and the “Morning Margarita” with tequila, orange juice, orange liqueur and lime–which is available to drink while walking in designated Riverwalk cups.

Kuba en la Playa

7525 Blind Pass Rd., St. Pete Beach
Kuba Cocina chef and owner Phe Lacalle now serves Cuban sandwiches, lobster empanadas, Cuban fried rice, salchipapa and a plantain-crusted snapper sandwich by the sea. And yes, the Seminole Heights location is still in the works.

OCC Road House & Museum

10575 49th St N, Clearwater
Tampa Bay “American Chopper” superfans now have a shrine. OCC Road House & Museum—a restaurant and entertainment that is a joint venture between Paul Teutul Sr. of Orange County Choppers and local hospitality giant Keith Overton—opened in June, serving up classic American-style food with indoor and outdoor seating.

Sammy + Paco’s

2735 5th Ave. N, St. Petersburg
Residents over in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood now have a cute breakfast cafe and bakery within walking distance of their bungalows. It’s the latest concept from Lolita’s Wine Market owners Kelly Rodriguez-Laureano and her husband Chef Alex Rodriguez. Their other restaurant Sophia’s Cucina + Enoteca closed after less than two years open.