Chef Chris Ponte announces opening date for modern Italian restaurant OLIVIA in St. Pete

Olivia will open at the ground floor of the ascent tower in downtown st. pete | st. pete rising

Tampa Bay's prestigious Chef Chris Ponte has set an opening date for OLIVIA, a modern Italian restaurant coming to downtown St. Pete.

The 5,550-square-foot restaurant, which was announced in March 2023, will open on January 21st on the ground floor of the recently completed 36-story Ascent apartment and hotel tower at 225 1st Avenue North.

OLIVIA’s flagship Tampa location debuted in 2019 in Tampa and has garnered a loyal following for delivering all the authentic flavors of a traditional Italian trattoria with innovative, modern touches from the mind of Chef Ponte, a past nominee for the highly prestigious James Beard Foundation Award.

Ponte, who also owns Ponte in Midtown, and On Swann and Bare Naked Kitchen in Tampa, previously said the St. Pete OLIVIA will be similar in most ways to its South Tampa counterpart, but there could be a few new additions to the menu.

olivia will serve authentic Italian dishes as well as pizzas, pastas, and cocktails | st. pete rising

The St. Pete outpost will seat roughly 180 diners, including an expansive outdoor patio fronting 1st Avenue North.

The restaurant will include a dough room with large windows into the dining room, allowing guests to observe OLIVIA’s chefs baking fresh breads and pastries.

A well-stocked wine vault and full bar will activate the central core, surrounded by various seating styles in a modern urban chic atmosphere, accentuated by warm lighting and elegant paneled columns.

Ponte worked with locally based general contractor Reno Boyd Building Co. and Tampa-based architect firm api(+) to design the new restaurant space.

See more renderings here.

Be sure to follow OLIVIA on Facebook and Instagram for the latest announcements.