Last June, celebrity chef Fabio Viviani was preparing to open La Pergola, a highly anticipated Italian restaurant slated for downtown St. Pete, when one of his business partners became embroiled in scandal. After cutting all ties with Nocturnal Hospitality Group, Viviani is ready to announce an all-new restaurant concept for downtown St. Pete -- and this time, he’s in full control.

“I’ve learned that I need to be in charge, not a management company,” says Viviani. “Now that the project is in my hands, I can control everything from the operations to the culture.”

Taverna Costale will be a coastal Italian restaurant and bar with an emphasis on local seafood. It’ll also feature made-from-scratch pasta, pizza, and high-end cuts of prime and dry-aged steaks. The new restaurant will debut this winter on the ground floor of downtown St. Pete’s tallest office tower located at 200 Central Avenue.

“I want Taverna Costale to be a place you’ll visit multiple times a month,” says Viviani. “You can take a date out for a nice steak dinner and an expensive bottle of wine or meet a group of friends for pizza and a beer.”

Viviani is also committed to keeping St. Pete local. “We love to support the community. When possible, we will be buying our seafood from local fishmongers and our produce from nearby farms. Creating a restaurant that has a high local influence is really important to us.”

In addition to great Italian fare, Viviani promises a fantastic cocktail program and an impressive selection of Italian wine.

The décor, he says, will be casually refined. “We don’t want to be a higher-end restaurant with a white tablecloth and a butler at the table,” Viviani laughs. “It’ll be a comfortable and classy atmosphere.”

As well as indoor seating, the 5,900 square foot restaurant and bar will have sidewalk seating along Central Avenue, lobby seating inside the 200 Central office building, and an indoor/outdoor bar located in a covered courtyard that will be shared with the neighboring Craft Kafe. In total, Taverna Costale will seat 230 guests.

Fabio Viviani grew up in Florence, Italy, where he owned and operated several concepts before his 27th birthday. Although successful, he decided to move to California in 2005. He catapulted onto the celebrity food scene three years later when he appeared on the 5th season of Bravo’s Top Chef, where he was voted “fan favorite” by viewers.

Today, Viviani owns and operates over three dozen restaurants in the United States ranging from drive-through fast-casual to sit-down high-end steakhouses.

To help run Taverna Costale, Viviani has brought on two partners, Brian Henry and Anthony Sandstrom. The trio has known each other for years and opened the successful Chuck Lager’s American Tavern in Wesley Chapel three years ago. 

“We are very eager to open Taverna Costale in St. Petersburg,” says Viviani. “Florida, and St. Pete especially, is an up-and-coming area filled with residents who love to eat.”

You may not need to wait much longer to enjoy Viviani’s newest venture. Buildout has already begun. Earlier this week, plywood barriers went up around a portion of the future Italian taverna. Barring any major setbacks, Taverna Costale is set to open this winter at 200 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete.