The most-anticipated new restaurants coming to Tampa Bay this fall

Juno & The Peacock and cocktail lounge Pluma

400 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg
Two new concepts will soon debut from the former 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House location in downtown St. Petersburg. On Aug. 23, the space will welcome a new cocktail lounge called Pluma, and a new full service restaurant called Juno & The Peacock, featuring "new American coastal cuisine" for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. According to a press release, the menu at Juno & the Peacock will span everything from dry-aged steaks, to seafood towers, seared grouper, crab cakes and more. Over at Pluma, the lounge's focus is on light bites and cocktails, as well as a "curated wine selection highlighting over 1,400 choices primarily sourced from New World regions." Collectively, the two spaces will accommodate up to 268 guests with both indoor and outdoor seating.
Rendering via Lou Hammond Group

New Seminole Heights Food Hall

4205 N Florida Ave., Tampa
If you’ve driven by Florida Avenue’s former Little Care Bears daycare recently, you may have noticed the speedy construction happening on the Seminole Heights building. The owner of NYC-based chain Champion Pizza Hakki Akdeniz tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that a brand new food hall is slated to open out of the former plaza at 4205 N Florida Ave. While recent permit-related documents acquired through Accela state that the upcoming food hall will be called “Hikari,” ownership says that its name may be subject to change.
Photo by Kyla Fields

Slim Charmer

2706 Central Ave. , St. Petersburg
The folks behind St. Pete favorite Wild Child are opening a new sister concept called Slim Charmer. The new 800-square-foot space will focus on cocktails and small plates and will open right next door to Wild Child. Slim Charmer is aiming for a late October debut, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
Photo via Wild Child Restaurant & Cocktail Bar/Facebook

Bonchon

308 E Fletcher Ave., Tampa
Bonchon, arguably one of the best South Korean fried chicken chains, is on its way to Tampa. The new Tampa location has been rumored for over a year now, and over the last couple weeks, Bonchon started posting multiple job openings. But according to the company, the new outpost will finally make its debut in the USF area. As of now, no exact opening date for the Tampa location has been announced, though there's some speculation it may open mid to late August.
Photo via Bonchon/website

Sparrow Rooftop

1234 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
The Edge District's newest hotel, Moxie St. Pete, will soon have a rooftop restaurant and bar. Sparrow Rooftop aims to open in October of this year, and will offer up an Asian-fusion cuisine and craft cocktails in a sleek 4,000-square foot space with unobstructed city views.
Photo via Moxie St. Pete/website

Green Lemon St. Pete

4400 4th St. N St. Petersburg
A beloved Tampa modern Mexican institution Green Lemon is looking to tacover the Bay. The Ciccio Restaurant Group (CRG) told St. Pete Rising that Green Lemon will open a new St. Pete location at 4400 4th St. N in the former home of Baytenders Oyster Bar & Steamers. While no exact opening date was given, the new 150-seat, 2,580-square-foot space space hopes to debut by this fall, according to the blog.
Photo via Green Lemon/Facebook

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse

4342 W Boy Scout Rd.
A new and shiny Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar will debut in Tampa on Sept. 9. Opening literally next door to the original location, the new flagship restaurant boasts 13,000-square-foot of space, with a wine bar with 2,700 international and domestic wines, new cocktail offerings, acoustic ceiling tiles to mitigate noise, live music, and more.
Courtesy of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse

Bar Mezzo

1049 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
A downtown St. Pete favorite is expanding its footprint in the Edge District this year. Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails (1111 Central Ave.) took to social media last week to announce the debut of its sister concept Bar Mezzo, which will boost the cafe’s already-stellar reputation for cocktails and spirits up a notch. While Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails operates as a coffee shop during the day and laid-back lounge with simple beverages at night, the upcoming bar across Central Avenue will focus on upscale spirits, seasonal drinks, housemade syrups, infusions and cocktails on tap. Bar Mezzo will open at 1049 Central Ave. out of the former St. Pete location of Independent Bar, which closed its doors in late 2022. Since Bar Mezzo will boast an extensive, yet rotating cocktail list, Intermezzo will continue to focus on beer, sparkling wine and coffee cocktail options during its evening service. Sabatini told ILovetheBurg that he wants Bar Mezzo to boast a “a mid-century Italian design,” while remaining comfortable, intimate and relaxed. Bar Mezzo’s space is slightly larger than Intermezzo’s at 1,600 square-feet, with additional seating on a large, covered patio. Bar Mezzo is slated to open its doors sometime during the late summer or early fall.
Photo via independentbarstpete/Facebook

Maru and O-ku

2909 W Bay to Bay Blvd, Tampa
Two new restaurants are opening soon in South Tampa, and they both have a focus on fresh seafood and seasonal ingredients. Tampa Bay Business Journal says that Charleston’s Indigo Road Hospitality Group will debut Japanese-Peruvian concept Maru out of Bayshore Gardens' rooftop space in late 2024. An upscale sushi spot, O-ku, will follow, set to open on the ground floor of the building slated in early-2025. These two new restaurants will share the South Tampa complex with Counter Culture, Chef Jeannie Pierola’s celebrated restaurant known for its rotating selection of modern plates.
Photo via maru/website

Bosphorous

1246 Central Ave., St. Peterburg
Bosphorous, a popular Turkish restaurant in the Orlando area, will soon open a new location in Tampa Bay. The concept has signed a lease to debut within the new mixed-use Edge Collective in St. Petersburg. While no exact opening date was given, Bosphorous will open on the ground floor in a large 5,000 square-foot space previously occupied by Furnish Me Vintage, sometime during the Phase 1 opening of the development.
Rendering via Story Studio for Architecture

Stormrunners Tavern

3128 Beach Blvd. S, Gulfport
A new concept in a familiar building is getting ready to open its doors in downtown Gulfport. While Stormrunners Tavern occupies the ground floor as a casual bar and restaurant, its second floor will be dubbed the “Crow’s Nest,” an open-air bar and patio that features prized views of Boca Ciega Bay. An outdoor dog bar called Bark Gulfport will also be located on the premises, complete with a tiki-style thatched roof and a turfed area for pups to play on. Stormrunners’ ownership includes Dave Burton of Tampa's Soho Sushi and GenX Tavern, plus Dog Bar owner Fred Metzler and Ian Taylor and Joey Frasco of downtown St. Pete’s The Galley.
Photo via stormrunnerstavern/website

No View Bar

6708 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach
No View Bar, a new Mexican-inspired restaurant and bar, will open adjacent to Grillin N Chillin in St. Pete Beach. According to St. Pete Rising, the concept will share the kitchen and dining space with the established barbecue joint, and will focus on seafood and Mexican-inspired plates. No View is aiming for a September opening date.
Photo via Grillin N Chillin St. Pete

Lara

Ybor City
It’s been well over a year since seasoned Tampa chef Suzanne “Suz” Lara announced the opening of her debut concept that pays homage to her newly-acquired last name, but watchers of the local dining scene haven’t forgotten about the unique bar, kitchen and marketplace. After taking a slight pause to deal with some personal circumstances earlier this year, owner and Executive Chef Lara says that her concept's opening is chugging along. The 41 year-old chef tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Lara’s doors are slated to open sometime this fall.
Photo by Skyler June

Pepper Lunch

4699 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park
Back in June, Japanese fast-casual concept Pepper Lunch announced that its first Tampa Bay location hopes to open in Pinellas Park by September. Tampa-based Majestic Restaurant Group—which operates Zukku concepts across the Bay area along with Lings Dumplings and the Han Hand Roll Bar—will own and operate Pinellas Park’s Pepper Lunch. The group has also signed on to open 10 more locations in and around Tampa Bay, Orlando and Gainesville over the next five years.
Photo c/o Papper Lunch

Cook Out

5501 E Fowler Ave., Temple Terrace | 16215 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa
A Tar Heel favorite will soon make its debut in the Tampa Bay area. North Carolina-based fast food chain Cook Out will open locations in Temple Terrace and Carrollwood, according to Hillsborough County property records. The popular 35-year-old chain has over 300 locations mostly in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Mississippi. The two new Tampa outposts will be among Cook Out's first locations in Florida. Last year, the company announced plans to open spots in Tallahassee and Pensacola areas. For the unfamiliar, Cook Out is known for its "trays," or combos, which includes everything from burgers, barbecue, corn dogs, quesadillas, milkshakes, and more.
Photo via Cook Out/Facebook

Highland House

1050 Palm Blvd., Dunedin
A historic golf club is wrapping up its multi-million dollar renovations later this year, but you won't need a decent swing to enjoy its on-site restaurant. Highland House, a new concept from the Dunedin-based Feinstein Group, will be the resident restaurant at the new-and-improved Dunedin Golf Club—which both members and non-members alike can enjoy. The Highland House’s grand opening is slated for Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.
Photo via thedunedingolfclub/Facebook

The Huntsman

200 Central Ave. No. 100, St. Peterburg
A new restaurant headed to one of downtown St. Pete's most bustling blocks aims to expand the palate of diners throughout The 'Burg. The Huntsman—a new American concept that focuses on ethically-sourced wild game and "farm & stream-to-table" fare—hopes to debut out of The Mill’s former space at 200 Central Ave. No. 100 during the third or fourth quarter of this year. With an appetizer menu of small plates like wood-fired bone marrow, grouper tartare, and fire-roasted oysters alongside entrees like boar and rabbit cacciatore, moulard duck cassoulet and seafood jambalaya, the upcoming restaurant will feature a wide spread of familiar dishes with an eclectic, wild bent.
Photo via themilldtsp/Facebook

Hales Blackbrick Hyde Park

1809 W Platt St., Tampa
A popular Drew Park concept is heading south—to Hyde Park, that is. Hales Blackbrick—a modern Chinese restaurant helmed by Tampa native Chef Richard Hales—will debut a second location in Hyde Park sometime this fall. The new spot plans to offer the same menu of dumplings, fried rice, noodles and stir-fried veggies, plus protein-packed plates like Peking duck, General Tso-style alligator, char siu pork belly, bison ribeyes and 40-oz tomahawk steak served with Hunan sauce. While its Raymond James Stadium-adjacent, Drew Park location pays homage to the building’s diner roots with refurbished booths, checkered tiles and retro lighting, design renderings shared by Hales Blackbrick depict its upcoming Hyde Park restaurant as a bit more modern, with sleek decor and gold accents.
Photo via Halesblackbrick/Facebook

The Saint 2.0

49 24th St. N, St. Petersburg
Popular St. Petersburg speakeasy The Saint will be resurrected as something new this fall. "After four years of incredible success and demand, The Saint will be going dark sometime in November," said Pour Behavior Hospitality owner David Fischer in a press release. Fischer, who also owns the Cocktail St. Pete nightclub and The Wet Spot, said the decision did not come easy, and added that the company will be rebranding the space at 49 24th St. N "within weeks of the concept's closure." As of now, no details about the next iteration of the space have been released, other than the new bar will be "immersive."
Photo via The Saint/Facebook

Cheeky's

2823 Central Ave., St. Petersburg
A new raw bar & seafood grill is coming to St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District, and it's from local restauranteur Nate Siegel, co-founder of new American restaurant Willa’s in North Hyde Park. Cheeky's, which is expected to debut sometime in in mid-2024, plans to offer up "fresh seafood, including East Coast oysters, shrimp, fish and daily specials from local waters and the Gulf, along with piping hot bowls of chowder, fried chicken, salads and more," according to a press release.
Rendering Courtesy of Cheeky's