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The 30 hottest new restaurants in Tampa Bay right now

By CL Staff on Fri, May 28, 2021 at 3:43 pm

Now that you're fully-vaxxed, eating at restaurants is back, and a lot less scary. But Tampa Bay's dining scene has changed considerably since you've hunkered down. From new Korean-fried chicken spots, beach eats, brisket, BBQ, and vegan options, plenty of new and exciting restaurants are now on the menu. So, to get you all caught up, here are the best new local eats to open their doors so far this year.

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Kuba Cocina

7525 Blind Pass Rd., St. Pete Beach, (813) 599-4526
St. Pete Beach restaurant serving modern Cuban cuisine with a soul food spin from Chef chef and owner Felicia “Phe” Lacalle. Menu items include lobster empanadas, salchipapa, Cuban fried rice, plantain-crusted snapper sandwich and, of course, Cuban sandwiches. A second location in Seminole Heights is under construction.

Riveters

2301 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, (813) 559-1450
As an ode to Rosie the Riveter, servers sport red bandanas and denim tops and are referred to as the bar's "Rosies." The restaurant shoots for an elevated sports bar menu alongside a lineup of healthier options, with menu item names continuing with the theme–Munition Mussels, Hellcat Wings and Propaganda Poutine.

Haiku

808 N Franklin St., Tampa, (813) 644-5787
An Instagrammable Asian-fusion hotspot in Downtown Tampa. Besides unique bar offerings like lychee smoked old fashioneds, think Japanese tapas–duck bao buns, hamachi crudo, and tebasaki wings.

Caddy’s on Madeira Beach

14050 Gulf Blvd., Madeira Beach, (727) 308-7888
Popular beach bar’s newest location on Madeira Beach. Expect Florida fare like smoked fish spread, grouper nuggets, and, of course, frozen fruity drinks.

The Nest at Caracara

720 Broadway, Dunedin, (727) 221-5444
A hidden French cuisine restaurant that you get to by going through Caracara. There’s only 30-ish seats in this tiny spot that serves elevated fare like a French dip made with beef tongue, onion jam, thyme, goat cheese.

Sal y Mar

3650 Midtown Dr., Tampa, (813) 692-3330
Rooftop restaurant and bar located in Midtown Tampa. Inspired by the Riviera Maya town of Tulum, the menu includes tapas, such as citrus crab cakes and carne asada street tacos and entrees like pan-seared grouper and chipotle-charred chicken.

Santoro’s Pizzeria

1329 W Cass St., Tampa, (813) 687-7100
West Riverfront Jersey Shore-style pizzeria that serves slices and whole pies–round and square. There’s also sandwiches, salads, and desserts like Italian ice and Nutella pizza.

Bamb Bao

516 N Tampa St., Tampa
Delivery-only concept from the Bamboozle fam bringing Bao Bun sliders, dumplings, chicken wings, and fried rice to your door–through UberEats.

The Job Site Custom Stuffed Burgers

2063 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-873-6844
Grand Central stuffed burger joint with options like The Crane, which comes stuffed with cheese, sweet plantain, and sautéed onions and topped with guacamole, a sunny side-up egg, bacon strips, homemade crispy onion, and homemade BBQ sauce on toasted ciabatta bread.

The Nosh Pit

4040 Park St. N, St. Petersburg, (727) 954-0757
Jewish deli classics: knishes, lox, all-beef hot dogs, egg creams, black and white cookies, latkes and matzo ball soup from the owners of The Wheelhouse.

22 South Food Hall

642 22nd St S, St. Petersburg, (727) 592-1267
The latest food hall concept to open in the Tampa Bay area is inside the Manhattan Casino in St. Pete's historic Deuces neighborhood. Betterway BBQ, Irie Mon Jamaican Grill, Shokkan Sushi, and VJs are among the first restaurant tenants.

Brisket Shoppe

4004 Henderson Blvd., Tampa, (813) 605-4005
Dining options for this barbeque shop are drive-thru, pick-up, or sitting outside at a few tables. Located in the second location of retail shop Grill & Provisions, the Shoppe is only open three days a week, Thurs.-Sat., and closes when they sell out–so go early.

Sammy + Paco’s

2735 5th Ave N, St. Petersburg (727) 329-9783
Owners of Lolita’s Wine Market opened this Kenwood breakfast and lunch stop named after a couple of cats. Unique offerings include carrot cake oatmeal, tres leche french toast and not your average avocado toast.

Xtreme Tacos

5609 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa, (813) 304-2639
Much-anticipated Seminole Heights brick and mortar location for the popular Mexican fast-casual restaurant. There are eats for both omnivores and vegans like tostadas, sopes, loaded fries and nachos. There’s even vegan queso.

Lucky Lizard Taphouse

14953 Gulf Blvd., Madeira Beach, (727) 954-8618
This “beach chic” bar is open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday offering30 beers on taps, plus an assortment of bottles and cans to choose from. The menu includes ceviche, street corn dip, sandwiches and a rum cake of the day.

Salty’s Sandwich Bar

3121 Beach Blvd. S, Gulfport, (727) 239-7072
Salty's serves up a lineup of deli and specialty sandwiches. Diners can snag indoor seating to escape the heat, or opt for outdoor dining on the front patio or side courtyard which are both pet friendly.

Pin on Cafe

1100 Central Ave. N, St. Petersburg, (727) 329-8510
Asian fusion fast-casual restaurant with bites like chicken red curry cake, spicy tuna onigiri, and crispy coconut waffle served with a scoop of ice cream.

Bayou Bodega

241 E Davis Blvd., Tampa, (813) 513-5478
Natural wine bar and tapas restaurant on Davis Island serving small plates like garlic shrimp with manzanilla, crawfish mac, roasted sirloin with house-made chimichurri, and bread pudding with Caribbean fruit. Plus international wines from France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Czech Republic.

Corner Club

1502 E Sligh Ave., Tampa, (813) 232-1482
Former dive bar now coffee, cafe, and beer and wine bar. Chef Suzanne Crouch cooks up buffalo chicken yakitori, papas bravas and a lemon curd, blueberry Dutch baby on during weekend brunch. Plus, it's still got boiled peanuts, cheese ballz, and a foosball machine.

Burnt Ends

1101 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg, (727) 443-7227
Tiki bar connected to the Datz Company’s Dr. BBQ restaurant with Polynesian-influenced food menu featuring Spam sliders, a pupu platter with fresh grilled fruit, fried shrimp, burnt-end bao buns, Hawaiian pork ribs, chili garlic edamame and pork belly satay. Cocktail program ran by tiki-expert Dean Hurst formerly of Bern’s Steak House.