The grandiose Mahaffey Theater is set to become even more of a destination with the opening of Sonata, a fine-dining restaurant that will be managed by Ted Dorsey, who was previously the head chef at The Mill.

Located at 400 1st Street South, the restaurant will initially have a seating capacity of 300. An outdoor patio area will be added in 2024.

“Something like this really hasn't been done in the United States before,” Dorsey said, speaking to St. Pete Rising. “Under one roof, we're going to have the trifecta of performing arts, visual arts, and culinary arts.”  

A Mexican restaurant that opened in 2014 on Anna Maria Island and then added a second location in downtown Sarasota, in 2017, is coming to St. Petersburg’s west side in January.

Wicked Cantina will take over a building at 3650 Tyrone Boulevard North that was previously occupied by a Sonny’s BBQ franchise. Janice Dolan, who co-owns the business with her husband, Mike, told St. Pete Rising that they expect to open in mid-January.

“It will be ready by the first of the year,” she said. “We have musicians scheduled to start January 15th.” 

Live music, she added, is a big part of Wicked Cantina’s original Anna Maria Island location and they plan to make it a daily feature in St. Pete. The Dolans are working on developing outdoor patio space, as well, that can accommodate musicians and seating.

Mullet’s Fish Camp, the popular locally owned restaurant situated at 3901 6th Street South, will debut a new location at Tropicana Field on Friday.

In addition to all baseball home games, Mullet’s will also be open for all special events at Tropicana Field starting on Friday, November 24th with Enchant Christmas, an annual month-long winter wonderland featuring over four million sparkling lights, ice skating, festive food, and holiday shopping.

Mullet’s co-owner Nick Brown confirmed to St. Pete Rising that the eatery will have a location in the Trop’s Third Base Food Hall next to Fo’Cheezy Twisted Meltz, another local restaurant that has locations in downtown St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach.

A prime Central Avenue location that formerly housed Acropolis Greek Taverna is set to become the new home of Thirsty First, a sports bar that’s been a staple of downtown St. Petersburg’s nightlife scene since 2016.

“We've outgrown the space that we're in,” said Thirsty First owner Greg Mikurak, who also owns Ride ’Em Cowboy and is a co-owner of Whiskey Exchange. “The new space will have two floors and outdoor seating on Central Avenue. There are 70 TVs going in there — there’ll be a view from every angle."

The half-mile hop from 119 1st Avenue North to 515 Central Avenue will allow Thirsty First to triple in size and build on what’s made it the go-to sports bar in downtown St. Pete.

HaleLife Bakery opened for business on Oct. 30th at 11270 4th Street North, the former home of Brewers’ Tasting Room, which closed in May. A few days earlier, on Oct. 24th, HaleLife closed its Clearwater location but still has three other stores in the Tampa Bay region, including one in downtown St. Petersburg and two in Tampa.

The new St. Pete location is slated to become a full-fledged, bistro-style establishment in 2024, according to HaleLife’s Instagram feed. Until then, it will offer a “bistro express” menu that includes breakfast and lunch options in addition to bakery items, such as cupcakes, donuts, brownies, and breads.

Breakfast offerings include avocado toast, french toast bites, waffles, and a selection of breakfast sandwiches.