Forbici Modern Italian to take over Sea Salt space at Sundial in downtown St. Pete
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Forbici will take over the former sea salt restaurant space in the sundial shopping complex in downtown st. pete | YELP
Forbici Modern Italian, one of Tampa’s most celebrated Italian restaurants, is set to open a new location in downtown St. Pete’s Sundial shopping complex.
Initially, Forbici was expected to occupy the ground-floor space previously home to Locale Market. However, the restaurant will now take over the 12,000-square-foot second-floor space formerly occupied by Sea Salt, which closed on December 31st, at 183 2nd Avenue North.
An official opening date has not yet been announced. Before welcoming guests, Forbici will renovate the space, though specific improvements are unknown.
An assortment of roman-style pizza from Forbii Modern Italian | Next Level Brands
When Sea Salt occupied the second floor space, the restaurant featured an 80-foot bar, a private chef’s dining room, and a 20-foot-tall wine tower capable of holding 6,000 bottles. The space accommodates up to 300 guests, offering both indoor and outdoor seating that overlooks the Sundial courtyard.
Renovations to Sundial’s courtyard were recently completed, introducing new seating areas and a shade pavilion to enhance the shopping and dining experience.
Forbici, known for its modern spin on traditional Italian cuisine and Roman-style pizza, is part of Next Level Brands, a Tampa-based restaurant group led by restaurateur Jeff Gigante, real estate investor Andrew Wright, and attorney Joseph Guggino.
Forbici’s existing restaurant in Tampa | forbici modern italian facebook image
The restaurant’s expansive menu is divided into starters, salads, grains, pasta, main plates, sides, and pizza. The pizza, considered the star of the menu, is a modern take on a Roman classic, featuring dough that is fermented for 72 hours and baked at high temperatures to achieve a light, airy crust. Guests can choose between square (teglia) and round (tonda) pizzas.
Paradise Ventures is actively seeking a new tenant for the former Locale Market space that Forbici was initially set to lease.
Since acquiring Sundial in 2022, Paradise Ventures has secured several new tenants, including Incanto Moda Italiana, an Italian women’s boutique; Prenuvo, a medical diagnostic imaging company; and Serotonin Centers, an anti-aging medspa.
a rendering of the reimaged courtyard of the Sundial and relation to the former sea salt space that forbici will now occupy | paradise ventures
