Downtown St. Pete Development Update - Second Quarter 2017
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This quarter was packed full of groundbreakings! After over a decade of planning, construction has finally commenced on the new St. Pete pier. Construction crews have started driving piles into Tampa Bay to support the over-water portion of the pier. It will take 6 months to complete the pile driving process, however construction on the pier deck is scheduled to begin as early as October.
In other groundbreaking news, located on Fourth Avenue North between Third and Fourth streets, the Museum of the American Arts of Crafts Movement site was fenced off this quarter for site preparation. The $70 million privately funded museum will occupy 137,000 square feet and stand 5 stories tall. The museum will include a 100-seat auditorium, a resource library, a children's education center, a 300-seat upscale restaurant, a cafe, retail store and event space. The expected opening date is May 2019.
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More than five years after it was first announced, modern Asian restaurant Kojo is finally ready to welcome diners to downtown St. Pete.
Kojo will soft open Friday, November 13th, at 5 p.m. on the third floor of Central Park, the five-story food hall at 551 Central Avenue.
Reservations for the restaurant are available through Resy.
Unlike the fast-casual food hall downstairs, Kojo will offer a full-service dining experience, seating about 115 guests in its dining room and at the kitchen counter. The restaurant specializes in modern Asian cuisine, drawing on flavors from Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan.
“Full-service restaurants are really what we have been doing as a company,” Robert Castellon, Director of Operations at Hi Hospitality Group, said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “The food hall is our first step in a different direction. We created a format where guests can build their own experience. So it feels awesome to step back into our comfort zone.”
The menu at Kojo offers plenty of options for sharing, including shrimp and pork gyoza, truffled chicken wontons, and crispy chicken wings tossed in a Sichuan soy glaze.