Modern Mexican restaurant Green Lemon is coming to St. Pete
/A South Tampa staple for tasty tacos and margaritas is making its way to St. Pete.
The beloved modern Mexican restaurant Green Lemon plans to open a St. Pete outpost on 4th Street this fall.
The Ciccio Restaurant Group (CRG), the parent company of local restaurant concepts such as Fresh Kitchen, Taco Dirty, and Daily Eats, will debut the new 150-seat Green Lemon at 4400 4th Street North, the former home of Baytenders Oyster Bar & Steamers, which closed in 2019.
"St. Pete has an incredibly diverse eclectic culinary scene. We are super comfortable and confident with the demographics of Fourth Street where our other concepts have been successful," said CRG’s President of Local Brands Jordan Warshavsky in an interview with St. Pete Rising.
"We've been looking for a St. Pete location for Green Lemon for seven years," Warshavsky continued.
The lack of commercial inventory and premium pricing for properties extended the long-effort search until the 2,580-square-foot building became available.
Customers can expect to find all of the greatest hits at the St. Pete outpost, including the fiesta bowls, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and of course margaritas.
Start the meal with the Trio Dip offering a sampling of guacamole, queso blanco, and lime salsa.
For the main course, check out the Habañero Beef Fiesta Bowl made with spicy shredded braised brisket on a bed of your choice of rice, carrots, pico de gallo, mojo vinaigrette, sriracha aioli, and queso fresco.
The go-to taco is the Gigante, consisting of spicy buffalo-avocado glazed crispy chicken, crispy onions, pickled jalapeño, blue cheese crumbles, and a lime caesar drizzle.
Wash it all down with one of five varieties of margarita, either fresh or frozen, including the house margarita, the signature margarita, the caliente margarita, the margarona, and the skinny margarita. For an extra buck, add fresh strawberry, mango, or peach puree.
"The menu will have 80 to 90 percent of the same items, but in terms of decor, it will be more reflective of the St. Pete community with its own ambiance," Warshavsky said.
The restaurant will be across the street from Fresh Kitchen, another CRG-owned eatery serving nutritious health-conscious bowls and cold-pressed juices. Fresh Kitchen is CRG’s most successful brand with 14 locations and three more on the way.
It's also near CRG's Cali St. Pete, which opened nearly 20 years ago at 190 37th Avenue North, and Jay Luigi, a fast-casual Italian trattoria that debuted in 2022 at 3201 4th Street North.
Warshavsky said the 4th Street corridor is one of the best-performing locations for the Fresh Kitchen and Cali brands.
"It's a privilege to open a restaurant in this community. People expect fresh food and excellent hospitality. We were waiting for the perfect opportunity," said Warshavsky, adding that the group may open more restaurants in St. Pete.
In addition to CRG’s collection of St. Pete restaurants, the group operates a handful of restaurant concepts in Tampa, such as Water + Flour, Taco Dirty, Sweet Soul, and Luv Child.
The group also owns CAMP, a high-end fitness and yoga studio, located in Tampa.
Follow Green Lemon on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news about the future St. Pete location.