focheezyfoodtruck727/Facebook
Although Fo'Cheezy Twisted Meltz just closed its St. Pete restaurant, it plans to open more food trucks.
Soul de Cuba Cafe A brand new cafe and restaurant with century-old ties to Tampa has quietly opened its doors in Seminole Heights. Soul de Cuba Cafe is located at 6428 N Florida Ave. adjacent to other Seminole Heights hotspots like Gulf Coast Sourdough, Rooster & the Till and Trip’s Diner. Its owners describe the eatery's fare as “Cuban criollo cuisine with Old Tampa and Ybor City sabor,” with a menu that features everything from traditional Cuban eats to Tampa-centric entrees and deserts. The cafe and restaurant soft opened in late February, but a press release says it will host an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m. Soul de Cuba boasts a traditional menu of lechon asado, Cuban sandwiches, oxtail stew and the Tampa classic crab shalah, a pasta dish that features lump crab in a Creole-style red sauce. All of its entrees have evolved from longtime family recipes that Executive Chef Roberto Puerto has put a professional twist on. In addition to espresso and cafe con leches, Soul de Cuba also offers sangrias, mojitos and N/A beverages like teas and juices alongside a Sunday brunch menu of guava and cheese French toast, scrambled eggs with pineapple and plantain hash and Cuban breakfast sandwiches. 6428 N Florida Ave. , Tampa. souldecuba.com
Coming Soon
Trader Joe’s (Palm Harbor) Trader Joe's, a popular boutique grocer known for cheap wine, snacks and hellmouth parking lots, will open its fifth Tampa Bay area store later this year. According to Trader Joe's website, the company is adding a new Pinellas County location in Palm Harbor at 33591 U.S.-Hwy 19 N. No exact opening date has been confirmed, but the California-based grocer says it expects to open the store sometime in 2024. The new outpost will be just the second in Pinellas County, and the fifth in the Tampa Bay region. Currently, the company has stores in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and most recently in Bradenton, which opened in October 2023. traderjoes.com—Colin Wolf
Closings
Fo’Cheezy Twisted Meltz The culinary landscape of downtown St. Pete is constantly changing, and one Williams Park-adjacent concept just bid the bustling district farewell. Fo’Cheezy Twisted Meltz, a fancy grilled cheese concept at 111 3rd St. N, took to social media earlier this week to announce its immediate closure. “We have enjoyed being a part of and serving the downtown community and thank you for all of the support,” ownership wrote on Facebook yesterday. “This decision was not made lightly but in doing so we are able to pursue some exciting new ventures we know you will find just as dope.” Fo’Cheezy made its debut on St. Pete Beach in 2020 and opened its second brick and mortar in downtown St. Pete in 2021. To the delight of the restaurant's regulars, its flagship location on the beach—as well as its OG food truck and newly-opened spot inside Tropicana Field—are not going anywhere. In fact, chef and owner Robert Hesse tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that his Fo’Cheezy brand—which he operates with partners Chris Arnold and Mark Cammilleri —is “not going away, we’re actually growing.” The future of Fo’Cheezy lies in the pivot to nationwide food truck franchising, a program that Hesse says will be launched soon. 111 3rd St. N, St. Pete. focheezy.com
Events
Over 20 St. Patrick’s Day parties happening in Tampa Bay in 2024 St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner once again, and it’s always the best excuse to get a little buck-wild in between the forced romance of Valentine's Day and the moral obligation of Easter and Mother’s Day. Dozens of bars, restaurants and other venues throughout Tampa Bay are throwing a wide range of parties, street festivals, brunches and even kid-friendly festivities to celebrate the beloved drinking holiday—and here are the best 20-ish celebrations we could find. VegFeast 2024 St. Pete vegan restaurant Good Intentions at 1900 1st Ave. S will host this year’s rendition of VegFeast, a celebration of local vegan businesses and the plant-based hot dogs, baked goods, seafood, burgers, sandwiches and specialty coffee that they specialize in. Just a few of the vendors that will be present at VegFeast on Saturday, March 16 include the ultra-popular Gabby Bakes, Nah Dogs, 3 Dot Dash, Vegan Halal Cart, Seasoned Green, Oh My Cod, Golden Dinosaurs and Look Alive Coffee, plus many more. The annual festival/market runs from noon-4 p.m. and there’s no cover to attend. VegFeast 2024 coincides with the 5th anniversary of Shelter Farm Sanctuary, an Arcadia-based vegan farm, nonprofit and animal sanctuary, and a few bucks tossed its way will definitely help the farm continue its noble cause of “providing compassionate care and safe shelter to animals who otherwise would have lived naturally short lives full of pain and fear.” 900 1st Ave S, St. Pete. @vegfeast_ on Instagram ICYMI
Tampa's Big John's Alabama BBQ named best barbecue in Florida by 'Southern Living' Known for its catchy and extremely true slogan of “We Be Smokin,'” East Tampa’s Big John’s Alabama BBQ received nationwide recognition this week. Southern Living magazine included the family-owned restaurant in the listing of “The South's Best Barbecue Joint In Every State”, representing the Sunshine State in this year’s installment of its annual, reader-driven ranking. “Big John’s is new to the South’s Best list but it’s hardly new to the Tampa Bay area…it still features splendid chicken, sausage, and ribs cooked hot and fast on an Alabama-style open pit with a giant brick chimney,” the magazine writes. In addition to its classic barbecued meats, Big John's—located at 5707 N 40th St. —is also known for Southern sides like mac and cheese, collard greens, roasted corn, potato salad and baked beans. Southern Living states that the readers that compiled 2024’s list were drawn to more “tried-and-true,” old-school BBQ joints versus contemporary, newly-opened restaurants. “Notably, many of the new winners this year are quite a bit older than the restaurants they replaced from last year’s poll,” Southern Living writes in its introduction. According to the BBQ restaurant’s social media, Southern Living magazine awarded Big John’s this same accolade in 2021. The history of Big John's Alabama BBQ dates back to 1968 when the late Rev. John A. “Big John” Stephens debuted his laid-back restaurant in East Tampa. Big John's Alabama BBQ is open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Sunday and is closed each Sunday.
Photos from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's Brunched 2024 Tampa Bay's premier all-you-can-eat and drink brunch party went down last Saturday, March 9, at the Tampa River Center. Creative Loafing's annual Brunched 2024 brought together a handful of local bars and restaurants including Small Giant, The Brinehouse, Daily Eats, Raw Smoothie Co., Oystercatchers, Haiku, Baby Brisket, Elevage and more, for a day of bottomless booze, egg-centric bites and live music. Tampa Riverwalk Hotel even took home the prize for best bloody mary, making the hotel back-to-back Brunched champs. As always, a portion of proceeds from 2024’s Brunched will benefit The Laundry Project, one of local nonprofit Current Initiatives’ many charitable programs. Copa, a Latin American restaurant and cocktail lounge at 1047 Central Ave. in St. Pete, took to Instagram last week to announce its rebrand and expansion. Its new Cafe Copa will open next door sometime next month, slinging coffee, breakfast, lunch and grab n’ go options during the day and Copa’s signature cocktails at night. “The additional space will also provide expanded outdoor seating, a private space for events, and a lounge area for guests enjoying hookah & cocktails,” ownership writes on social media about Copa’s upcoming expansion.
Popular cocktail bar Ciro’s has temporarily closed its doors at 2109 Bayshore Blvd. while renovations take place at the historic Bayshore Royal building. “We do not have a date for reopening but keep an eye out for updates because you never know where we might pop up…hint: hidden, but in plain sight,” Three Oaks Hospitality writes about its South Tampa cocktail lounge.
25 new restaurants coming to Tampa Bay this spring and summer We're only a few months into 2024, and Tampa Bay's restaurant scene is starting to heat up. So far this year, six Tampa restaurants were added to the 2024 Michelin Guide, Dunedin and Clearwater both got new food halls, there's new dim sum spots, a fancy taco vendor has emerged, and more. But we're about to get a few more surprises. Here are a few of the hottest new eats coming to Tampa Bay this spring and summer. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
