Brick & Mortar owners to debut Latin-inspired restaurant next month in the Grand Central District

Brick & Mortar owners to debut Latin-inspired restaurant next month in the Grand Central District

After several years in the making, the team behind St. Petersburg’s Brick & Mortar Kitchen + Wine Bar is ready to debut a new concept in the Grand Central District. 

Husband-and-wife duo Hope Montgomery and Jason Ruhe plan to open a new Latin-inspired eatery, Pulpo Kitchen + Lounge, at 2147 Central Avenue in mid-June. 

Pulpo, which translates to "octopus" in Spanish, will serve a twist on traditional South American dishes and cocktails with bold and robust flavors. The restaurant was first reported by St. Pete Rising in January 2023.

"This concept has been my brainchild for the past three years to fill a void in the area. We started doing the buildout about a year ago," Ruhe said to St. Pete Rising

Read More

Hoots, a Fast-Casual Restaurant by Hooters, to Open on Downtown’s Jannus Block

Hoots, a Fast-Casual Restaurant by Hooters, to Open on Downtown’s Jannus Block

The company behind Hooters, the original “breastaurant”, will be opening one of the first locations of their new fast-casual concept, Hoots: A Hooters Joint, at 201 1st Avenue North in Downtown St Pete. The space is situated directly outside the entrance to Jannus Live and was formerly home to Jannus Market, a convenience store.

In an effort to attract a wider audience, specifically families and millennials, Hooters developed a concept called Hoots back in 2017. In addition to being fast-casual, where customers order from the counter instead of sit down for table service, Hoots also sets itself apart from Hooters by having their staff don a much more modest outfit compared to the traditional short shorts and low-cut top. Additionally, Hoots will be hiring both men and women, something Hooters has gotten flack for in the past.

Read More

Local Entrepreneurs to Transform Medical Building into Trendy Office and Restaurant

Local Entrepreneurs to Transform Medical Building into Trendy Office and Restaurant

Two local entrepreneurs, Trevor Burgess and Jon Carlon, recently closed on the purchase of five lots in Downtown St. Pete with a vision to revitalize the block into trendy office space with a new ‘Celebrity Chef’ restaurant.

TRB Development, which is controlled by Burgess and Carlon, purchased the land at the southeast corner of 4th Avenue South and 6th Street South in two separate transactions for a combined $2.3 million. The first purchase occurred on August 13th for $1.6 million for three lots along 4th Avenue South while the second purchase, for two lots fronting 6th Street South, occurred on October 4th for $670 thousand.

The site is the location of a former 5,200 square foot BayCare medical office building, which closed earlier this year. That building, and surrounding lots, will be transformed into a corporate office for TRB Development and Neptune Flood, another company controlled by Burgess and Carlon.

Read More

Greenstock to Serve Up Chef-Inspired Salads in Downtown St Pete

Greenstock to Serve Up Chef-Inspired Salads in Downtown St Pete

Downtown St. Pete is chock full of great food. Whether you’re looking to grab a slice of pizza or indulge in fine dining, the options are plentiful. Yet, there are (surprisingly!) very few places to get food that is both quick and healthy.

For years I’ve been hoping for a fast-casual salad restaurant in Downtown St. Pete and now it seems I wasn’t the only one. This fall, a brand new salad concept will be joining the downtown dining scene from local restauranteurs Erica and David Benstock, along with Brooke and Peter Boyd, owners of Hype Group and Boyd Construction, respectively.

Greenstock will be located at 449 Central Avenue in a space formerly occupied by Kalamazoo Olive Oil Company and a few steps away from IL Ritorno, a modern Italian eatery the Benstock’s opened back in 2013. 

Read More

Annata Alum to Open Restaurant and Wine Bar on Jannus Block

Annata Alum to Open Restaurant and Wine Bar on Jannus Block

Thousands of people walk down the 200 block of Central Avenue every day. Passing by Caddy’s and Mandarin Hide, then by Oyster Bar and Central Cigars. Yet I’m willing to bet that most of you have never ventured down the dimly lit corridor and up a set of stairs nestled between Five Bucks Drinkery and Del Mar Gastro Lounge. Maybe you’ve walked by it hundreds of times without even noticing it was there.

Currently the narrow passage leads to the St. Pete Tattoo Company and a recently shuttered wine bar. However, in a few months, you’ll have a reason to never pass that little alley ever again.

Chris Ciarcia, the former manager of Annata Wine Bar on Beach Drive, will debut Sauvignon: Wine Locker and American Trattoria, an all-new concept he has developed just for Downtown St. Pete, in a spot previously occupied by A Taste For Wine at 241 Central Avenue.

Read More

Celebrity Chef Announces Italian Restaurant for Downtown St. Pete

Celebrity Chef Announces Italian Restaurant for Downtown St. Pete

The First Block of Downtown St. Pete has always been a center for nightlife in the downtown core. It’s the epicenter of downtown’s wildly popular monthly First Friday event, providing a little something for everyone at bars such as Mandarin Hide, Five Bucks Drinkery, and Pelican Pub. But many people who visit the First Block often gaze across Central Avenue and see unactivated space.

On the south side of the First Block lies 200 Central, a 26-story, 295,000 square foot Class A office tower that is home to companies like iQor, Merrill Lynch, and Trenam Law, among others. The building is also the tallest office tower in St. Pete and Pinellas County.

While the ground floor was originally envisioned as retail or restaurant space, it has been used as office space for decades. Until recently, the majority of the office tower’s Central Avenue frontage was home to a Raymond James & Associates office.

However this will soon change with the introduction of a high-end Italian restaurant being developed by Nocturnal Hospitality Group and a celebrity chef from Bravo’s “Top Chef” TV show.

Read More

Brothers from South St Pete to Introduce Wine Cocktails to EDGE District

Brothers from South St Pete to Introduce Wine Cocktails to EDGE District

There is no slowdown in sight for the EDGE District. As more residents move into the neighborhood, new businesses are sprouting up left and right. Today, we introduce you to Copa, a wine cocktail lounge coming soon to 1047 Central Avenue, formerly home to Genaro’s Cafe. 

The concept is being brought to life by two brothers from South Saint Petersburg, Maxim and Sébastien Thurière. Their goal is to offer a refreshing spin on wine and beer cocktails. Besides sangria, most people have a limited experience blending wine with other beverages, but Copa wants to change that.

Maxim and Sébastien also want to redefine your definition of a wine bar. “When you think of a wine bar, you typically think of a dark, cave-like space,” says Maxim. “We want to bring an upbeat ambient vibe to the wine bar — something to attract the younger crowd.” Both Maxim and Sébastien are pretty young themselves, both under 30 years old.

Read More

EDGE District’s First Dedicated Wine Bar Opening Soon

EDGE District’s First Dedicated Wine Bar Opening Soon

Over the past few years, the EDGE District has become a hub for nightlife in Tampa Bay. The district boasts a myriad of hangouts for beer lovers and cocktail aficionados. But have you noticed what’s surprisingly missing? A wine bar! However that won’t be the case for much longer.

The neighborhood’s first dedicated wine bar, named CellarMasters, is planning to open inside of a 2,190 square foot free-standing building located at 1005 1st Avenue North, a few doors down from The Bends, a popular dive bar.

CellarMasters is the creation of local residents Ryan Rugg, a Certified Wine Specialist, and Kory Lynn, the resident Certified Sommelier. According to Rugg, “We want to provide a comfortable and eclectic experience that no other businesses are currently offering in the EDGE District.”

Read More

Better Than Sex to Bring Naughty Desserts to St. Pete

Better Than Sex to Bring Naughty Desserts to St. Pete

It’s hard to believe that one of the most prominent restaurants in Key West doesn’t serve breakfast, lunch or dinner — just dessert. And in true Key West fashion, the restaurant is very risqué.

Len and Dani Johnson wanted to create an after-dinner dessert experience, an extension of an evening in a romantic, sophisticated, and sexy atmosphere. And so in 2008, they introduced Key West to Better Than Sex, a full-service dessert restaurant offering sexy sweets in an intimately themed setting.

After much success over the past 11 years, Better Than Sex’s fifth outpost is coming soon to Downtown St Pete’s EDGE District. The exact address hasn’t been revealed yet, but owner Joshua Brush revealed to St. Pete Rising that the EDGE District location will be about 2,500 square feet.

Read More

Book + Bottle to Bring Bookstore-Bar Concept to 600 Block

Book + Bottle to Bring Bookstore-Bar Concept to 600 Block

When you consider all the retail in Downtown St. Pete, it’s amazing that we don’t have a small independent bookstore. Sure there’s Haslam’s, Florida’s largest new and used book store which opened in 1933, but you can’t really hang out there. They have no tables or chairs, no coffee or tea, no bookclubs or storytime. Haslam’s is living history, but it’s not a community gathering space.

Owner Terra Dunham has recently embarked on an adventure to bring St. Pete a new concept featuring two of her favorite activities – reading books and drinking wine. She calls it Book + Bottle. You can think of it as a bookstore with wine or a wine bar with books.

Earlier this week, Dunham signed a lease to bring Book + Bottle to the 600 block of Downtown St. Pete. Specifically, the new bookstore/wine bar will be located at 17 6th Street North, formerly Holmes Shoe Repair, right behind Wig Villa off Central Avenue.

Read More