Modern Asian restaurant Kojo opens this weekend at Central Park in downtown St. Pete

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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, with seating 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.

The menu offers plenty of options for sharing, including shrimp and pork gyoza, truffled chicken wontons, and crispy chicken wings tossed in a Sichuan soy glaze.

Other starters include tuna pizza, served on a crispy tortilla with truffle ponzu mayo, and crispy rice topped with fatty tuna, green chile, and yuzu.

Tuna Pizza

truffle ponzu mayo, crispy tortilla, shaved red onion, micro greens

Torched Hiramasa

with kishu umeboshi and shiso

Torched Salmon Nori Tacos

topped with garlic teriyaki sauce and lemon zest

Crispy Sweet Potato Bao Bun

sweet & spicy gochujang glaze, pickled vegetable slaw, torn herbs

Crispy Tofu Bites

sweet & spicy gochujang glaze, sesame seeds, green onion

One of Kojo's more unusual offerings is its crispy nori tacos, which use fried seaweed in place of a traditional tortilla. The menu features four varieties filled with spicy tuna, torched salmon, Hokkaido scallops, or maitake mushrooms.

Sushi lovers will find a selection of maki rolls, nigiri, and sashimi. Rolls include the Kojo Roll with spicy tuna and torched salmon, a brown butter crab roll, and a shrimp tempura roll with aji amarillo and yuzu.

For heartier dishes, Kojo serves Shanghai noodles with seared pork and shiitake mushrooms, miso black cod, and gochujang-glazed lamb chops. The restaurant also offers several cuts of wagyu beef, including skirt steak, ribeye, and a 48-ounce tomahawk.

Kojo's beverage program includes an extensive sake collection, Japanese whiskies, wine, beer, and specialty cocktails.

Among the cocktails are a Lychee Martini made with vodka, grapefruit, and rose water, a Midori Sour with Japanese melon liqueur, gin, and togarashi, and a Modern Mai Tai made with five-spice-infused Jamaican rum.

Lychee Martini

vodka, grapefruit, lychee blend, Peychaud’s bitters, rose water

Murasaki Ball

tequila, ume, house-made lime cordial, grapefruit soda

Midori Sour

Japanese melon liqueur, London dry gin, lemon juice, egg white, togarashi

Adjacent to Kojo is Bar Hana, a tropical-inspired bar that will offer indoor and outdoor seating with rooftop views of downtown St. Pete. The bar will serve tiki-inspired cocktails, including daiquiris and mai tais. An opening date for Bar Hana has not yet been announced.

Kojo originally opened in downtown Sarasota in February 2021 under restaurateur Natalia Levey, whose Hi Hospitality Group also developed Central Park. Plans for a second Kojo location in St. Pete were announced later that year, long before construction on the food hall was complete.

Kojo's arrival marks the opening of the final restaurant concept at Central Park, which made its long-awaited debut in February 2026 and has gradually opened its restaurants and bars over the past nine months.

The 27,700-square-foot venue now includes seven first-floor food concepts: Palm Avenue Deli, Constellation Burger, Strawberry Fields, Don Ricardo's Taqueria, Park Pie Pizza, Kojo Wok, and Speaks Pasta.

Dessert café Meadows and frozen cocktail bar 27 North occupy the second floor, while The Winfield, an intimate 22-seat cocktail parlor, is located in the basement.

Following Friday's debut, Kojo will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are encouraged.

Follow Kojo on Instagram and Facebook for more information about the restaurant's opening in downtown St. Pete.