Popular Asian-fusion food truck Shiso Crispy opening restaurant this weekend on Central Avenue
/Shiso Crispy, an Asian fusion eatery, will open this weekend at 1431 Central Avenue in the EDGE District | St Pete Rising
Shiso Crispy, a food-truck-based Asian fusion eatery, is moving from Pinellas Park to St. Petersburg’s EDGE District while simultaneously launching franchises in other cities and states.
Owner and Head Chef Ronicca Whaley, in an interview with St. Pete Rising, said she will open this weekend at 1431 Central Avenue. There will be a soft opening on Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a full opening on Saturday.
“I’ve made this a really cool, vibey spot to go hang out and eat Shiso Crispy food,” Whaley said.
The space was previously occupied by a cheese shop operated by Brooklyn South and, before that, Gracie Pasta and Provisions.
Shiso Crispy’s Bang bang Chicken served with dirty rice, crispy onions and topped with sesame seeds and green onions | Shiso Crispy
Shiso Crispy’s new location will technically be a brick-and-mortar storefront, but instead of building a new kitchen from scratch, a food truck will be parked behind the building and will serve as the kitchen.
“My customers have never had a nice place to go inside and sit down,” Whaley said. “And then we’ll have the whole backyard, patio, and Booker Creek there.”
The menu, according to Whaley, won’t differ too much from the other Shiso Crispy food trucks that operate in Dunedin and Tampa. “I’m just going to have more dumplings,” she said. “I’ll have boba tea, coffee drinks, and all sorts of refreshers, all kinds of different drinks.”
In addition to opening an EDGE District location, Whaley said Shiso Crispy, which launched in 2019, will soon expand to Miami and have a second Tampa food truck thanks to franchise agreements she recently signed.
Shiso Crispy’s blackened yellowfin tuna seared, sliced, and served with a honey wasabi cream sauce, dirty rice, and crispy onions | Shiso Crispy
The business started out as a mobile food truck, traveling to different locations in the Tampa Bay area, before setting up a permanent location at Flying Boat Brewery (now set to become Outcast Brewing) in 2020.
Whaley characterizes Shiso Cripsy’s culinary style as “Asian fusion street food … we do handmade dumplings, bao buns, and what we’re really known for is our dirty rice dishes — Bang-Bang Chicken is, by far, the best seller.”
Dirty rice, she explained, “is sushi rice with a couple of our signature sauces on it, and then you top it with whatever protein that you choose. Then it’s topped with fried onions, green onions, and sesame.”
For more information and updates, follow Shiso Crispy on Instagram.
