Mediterranean cafe and wine bar Ruya opens in Grand Central District

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Mediterranean cafe and wine bar Ruya opens in Grand Central District

A new coffee and wine lounge in the Grand Central District offers locals a taste of Mediterranean flavors and Moroccan-inspired hospitality.

Ruya, from the Arabic word ru’yah, meaning “vision” or “dream,” opened on Saturday, October 11th, at 2200 1st Avenue South, serving coffee, aromatic mint teas, sangria, beer, wine, and pastries in a cozy, art-filled setting.

The 1,650-square-foot space was formerly home to If I Brewed the World, a microbrewery that closed earlier this year.

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St. Pete’s largest indoor Halloween market debuts next month with 50+ vendors, Labubu tattoos, and spooky lattes

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St. Pete’s largest indoor Halloween market debuts next month with 50+ vendors, Labubu tattoos, and spooky lattes

Spooky season is creeping in early this year, and St. Pete is about to get its biggest dose of Halloween spirit yet.

On Saturday, October 11th, the debut of the Spooky Island Market will transform Coastal Creative in the Grand Central District into a tropical-meets-haunted bazaar unlike anything the Sunshine City has ever seen.

From noon to 5 p.m., more than 50 local vendors will take over the venue at 2201 1st Avenue South, creating an eerie indoor gathering inspired by the haunted resort from the 2002 Scooby-Doo movie.

Guests can expect a pumpkin patch, oddities, spooky photo ops, Halloween-inspired installations, and plenty of exclusive treats designed to give you goosebumps.

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Southern Grounds to open cafe and restaurant on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete

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Southern Grounds to open cafe and restaurant on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete

Southern Grounds and Co., a Jacksonville-based coffeehouse franchise focused on building community around high-quality food and drinks, is expanding to downtown St. Petersburg.

The bright, modern coffee shop will open Monday, August 18th next to The Melting Pot inside the newly built two-story building at 695 Central Avenue.

St. Pete’s coffee scene continues to grow, with each shop offering a unique experience. Southern Grounds aims to be more than just a coffeehouse, blending elements of a tapas bar and restaurant to create a co-working-style community gathering space.

The new 2,430-square-foot location features a clean white aesthetic accented by colorful, Florida-inspired murals painted by local artist Matt Kress. The open floor plan offers a mix of couch and table seating designed to encourage connection and conversation.

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Mazzaro’s is expanding with Zagara, an authentic Sicilian gelato and granita shop in St. Pete

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Mazzaro’s is expanding with Zagara, an authentic Sicilian gelato and granita shop in St. Pete

The family behind St. Petersburg’s iconic Mazzaro’s Italian Market is about to sweeten the city once again.

This August, they’ll debut a new Sicilian-style gelato and granita shop called Zagara, located just steps away from their beloved market on 22nd Avenue North.

Named after the Italian word for “orange blossom,” Zagara will be housed across the street from Mazzaro’s at 3001 22nd Avenue North, inside the same building as Casa di Mazzaro, a specialty kitchenware store and tea shop.

“We visited Sicily last year and were inspired by the old-world markets, their style of gelato, and wanted to introduce it to St. Pete,” said Cindy Richmond, owner of Casa di Mazzaro and sister of Mazzaro’s owner, in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We discontinued our cooking classes at Casa di Mazzaro in October to replace the kitchen space with this new concept.”

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The Nolen, a 23-story condo tower in downtown St. Pete, opens to residents

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The Nolen, a 23-story condo tower in downtown St. Pete, opens to residents

After nearly three years of construction, residents have started moving into the Nolen, a 31-unit luxury condominium tower in downtown St. Pete.

Located at 126 4th Avenue Northeast, the community has sold 30 of its residences, with just one home still available. Closings began last week, and 80% of homeowners are expected to move in over the next few weeks.

The Nolen was developed by DDA Development and Backstreets Capital, the same team behind The Salvador, which opened in 2017. They are also currently developing The Central, a 2.1-acre mixed-use project in St. Pete’s EDGE District.

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Local coffee shop Sugar Baby quietly opens inside concrete design studio in Warehouse Arts District

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Local coffee shop Sugar Baby quietly opens inside concrete design studio in Warehouse Arts District

Coffee and concrete may seem like an unlikely match, but two local businesses are making it work.

After opening to rave reviews in Seminole two years ago, local coffee shop and café Sugar Baby has quietly debuted a new location inside a concrete design studio in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District.

Every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors can stop by Form43, located at 2621 Fairfield Avenue South, to grab a drink from Sugar Baby’s new coffee bar and wander through the 2,880-square-foot space filled with modern art installations, concrete furniture, and tropical greenery in concrete planters.

The new setup is more than just a pop-up. It’s a true collaboration between two local businesses with a shared vision of blending art, design, and community.

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St. Pete's smallest wine bar launches new coffee concept in downtown St. Pete

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St. Pete's smallest wine bar launches new coffee concept in downtown St. Pete

The smallest wine bar in St. Pete is now also the tiniest coffee shop in town.

The 18-seat Bar Chinchilla recently expanded with the launch of Cafe ‘Chilla, a morning coffee bar tucked inside its intimate space at 439 1st Avenue North.

Cafe ‘Chilla offers a menu of espresso drinks, cold brew, matcha, and specialty lattes from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Bar Manager Lynsey Carlson shared with St. Pete Rising that the idea stemmed from a desire to create a separate cafe-like experience during the morning when the wine bar is typically closed.

“We wanted to offer something for the morning crowd, especially those attending farmers markets and local events,” Carlson said.

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Pete’s Bagels opens new drive-thru in restored historic building in south St. Pete

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Pete’s Bagels opens new drive-thru in restored historic building in south St. Pete

After two years of extensive restoration, Pete’s Bagels has officially opened its newest location in the historic 1926-built Harbordale Standard Oil Station located at 2439 4th Street South in south St. Pete.

The 320-square-foot building, which is considered St. Pete’s oldest gas station, now has an drive-thru stocked with a menu of bagels and bagel sandwiches and coffee from local roaster Look Alive Coffee.

The opening comes several years after former City Councilman Robert Blackmon purchased the property in November 2019 for $125,000 and undertook an extensive restoration with plans to transform it into a boutique drive-through café.

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Sanctum Apothecary debuts coffee, tea, and herbal elixir bar in St. Pete

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Sanctum Apothecary debuts coffee, tea, and herbal elixir bar in St. Pete

The sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tea now fills the sacred space of Sanctum Apothecary, a family-owned herbal wellness shop in St. Pete’s Euclid-St. Paul neighborhood that focuses on healing the mind, body, and spirit.

Since opening in 2022 at 1903 12th Street North, Sanctum Apothecary has become known for its herbal remedies and handcrafted products. The shop has now quietly added a tea, coffee, and herbal elixir bar to complement its existing offerings.

“It can be intimidating to walk into our shop without knowledge of herbal benefits,” said co-owner and energy herbalist Adam Hubbard in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “This new bar invites people to grab a seat and let us prepare the right blend for them, whether it’s to help cool or warm their body or calm their mind.”

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First Look at St. Pete Athletic: The massive 45,000-square-foot sports and social club coming to St. Pete

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First Look at St. Pete Athletic: The massive 45,000-square-foot sports and social club coming to St. Pete

A 45,000-square-foot industrial space tucked in St. Pete's Warehouse Arts District will become a massive urban country club featuring 14 pickleball courts, a private social club, bars, and much more.

Construction workers are actively building the new bougie paddle sports club dubbed the St. Pete Athletic Paddle & Social, located at 680 28th Street South inside The Factory, a 90,000-square-foot arts and culture hub situated on the Pinellas Trail.

The club, as first reported in 2024, is slated to open later this year to both members and the public. It will occupy 30,000 square feet of existing space on the west side of The Factory property and 15,000 square feet in a new building to accommodate more pickleball courts.

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