Soon you won’t have to travel far to eat like you are in Puerto Rico. WEPA, St. Petersburg’s first authentic Puerto Rican restaurant, opens to the public this Saturday March 16th in the Warehouse Arts District. Located at 2149 3rd Ave South, WEPA is situated directly across the street from 3 Daughters Brewing.

“WEPA” (pronounced weh-pah) is a Spanish colloquialism used to express excitement, similar to “Wow!” or “Oh Yeah!” And as customers take their first bite of food, owner Jean Totti hopes to hear this exclamation all day, every day.

The menu at WEPA is inspired by Totti’s memories of growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he spent many afternoons by his mother’s, aunt’s and grandmother’s side in the kitchen. Many of the dishes available at WEPA come from hand-written recipes passed down over three generations. “Working with these recipes for months, we’ve selected a range of dishes that will represent our culinary history,” Totti adds. 

With a plethora of grilled cheese, burgers, and pizza in Downtown St. Pete, it’s not always easy to eat healthy — especially if you are in a hurry. A new fast-casual restaurant from Tampa is hoping to change that. SoFresh will be opening this summer on the ground floor of 200 Central Avenue, Downtown St. Pete’s tallest office tower, in a space recently vacated by Subway.

The addition of SoFresh is one of many upgrades the office tower has planned for 2019. “As they embark this year on a multi-million dollar renovation to the building, our leasing team felt that SoFresh would be the perfect addition to the building and Downtown St Pete,” says Wendy Giffin, director at Cushman & Wakefield, the tenant representative.

“SoFresh is locally owned, offers healthy and creative fresh bowls and wraps with pressed juices and smoothies and creates a good mix of dining options with our other two great restaurants at the building, The Mill and the Craft Kafe,” says Giffin.

Can we take a moment to appreciate all of the new cuisine that has come to Downtown St Pete recently? Over the past few years, Iberian Rooster introduced us to Portuguese fusion, 11 Chicks brought us Venezuelan, Renzo’s specializes in Argentine asado, and Avocado Valley serves Middle Eastern fare. By the end of February, a Puerto Rican eatery named WEPA! will open. And in late 2019, Baba, a Greek-Lebanese restaurant and bakery from the owners of Bodega will join the Grand Central District.

But perhaps most exciting is the introduction of Indian cuisine in the EDGE District. For the past four years, Lokesh Vale has operated The Twisted Indian, one of the most popular food trucks in St. Petersburg. Over the years, the truck has gained a loyal following and become a staple of the Saturday Morning Market and Localtopia.

Today marks the next step in The Twisted Indian’s journey as Vale pulls back the curtain on a new pop-up storefront located at 1113 Central Avenue inside Baum Avenue Market (or BAM for short), a multi-concept space showcasing local makers of fresh fare. At long last, we no longer need to wait until Saturday to enjoy The Twisted Indian’s delicious food.

In 2016, Pete Boland and Ian Taylor opened The Galley, a nautical-themed tavern, at 27 Fourth Street North in Downtown St. Pete. At the time, the location was a risk due its proximity to Williams Park, which had earned a reputation for being a homeless hangout. However, being St. Petersburg natives, Boland and Taylor felt an obligation to help clean up the corner. 

And it worked! Over time, the PSTA bus hub relocated, WiFi was added, and the mayor started a monthly food truck rally in the park. Although there is still work to be done to clean up Williams Park, great strides have been made over the past few years. No doubt the opening of The Galley helped catalyze these efforts.

It didn’t take long for The Galley to become a favorite among locals either. “I pop by often, for lunch, meetings, or a quick pilsners-and-policy chat with other patrons,” said Councilwoman Gina Driscoll. “It’s such a popular neighborhood spot sometimes I have trouble finding a seat!” In fact, you’ll occasionally find me at the bar enjoying the cuban sandwich, fried ravioli and a frosty Guinness.