April 17, 2026

New French bistro and bakery Cafe Riviera to open on St. Pete Beach

April 17, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

A new restaurant is bringing the feel of a French seaside café to Pass-a-Grille.

Cafe Riviera, a French bistro and bakery, is preparing to open at 116 8th Avenue, just steps from the beach and next to Grace, a popular modern American restaurant.

The concept takes over the former Paradise To Go space, which previously operated as a takeout-only spot.

Owner Veronica Alfonzo is reworking the small footprint into a full-service restaurant with indoor seating and an open kitchen.

“It’s going to be a full-service restaurant with seating and an open kitchen where you can see your meals being prepared,” Alfonzo said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “Before, it was just takeout. We want to create more of an experience.”

The café will have approximately 20 seats, with Alfonzo also exploring the possibility of adding outdoor seating in the future, pending city approval.

Alfonzo brings several years of experience in French cuisine, having worked in the restaurant industry for about seven years, including at a well-known French restaurant on Anna Maria Island.

April 17, 2026

Urban Stillhouse acquires Warehouse Arts District property, plans renovations this summer

April 17, 2026/ Kyla Fields

After six years in the Warehouse Arts District, the team behind Urban Stillhouse is doubling down on the concept with a property purchase and a fresh round of renovations.

The 16,000-square-foot restaurant and bourbon bar at 2232 Fifth Avenue South will undergo a series of updates aimed largely at refreshing the space.

According to a deed filed with the Pinellas County Clerk earlier this week, owner Meredith Koko purchased the site for $8 million.

Public records show Koko, through America Neat LLC, financed the acquisition with a $6.4 million loan from Pinnacle Bank. An additional $2.5 million construction loan from the same bank will help fund the upcoming renovations.

“We’ve been open for six years now, and it’s been amazing, but there’s definitely been some wear and tear on the restaurant,” Koko said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “So we’re going to do a big overhaul of the interior—mainly cosmetic updates and new decor.”

April 16, 2026

New owner takes over cluster of Central Avenue storefronts in downtown St. Pete

April 16, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Several retail properties along Central Avenue in the EDGE District are now under new ownership.

Dallas-based investment firm 90Ten has acquired a collection of Central Avenue properties, including 965 Central Avenue, the former home of Flagship Bank; 1027 Central Avenue, occupied by Ashe Couture Boutique; 1029 Central Avenue, home to Matter of Fact and Skyway Media; and 1033–1041 Central Avenue, which houses Poppo’s Taqueria, Sans Market, and Pure Green Juice Bar.

The properties were purchased for $8.5 million from Eastman Equity, which has owned most of the portfolio since 2015, with the exception of 1033–1041 Central Avenue, which was acquired in 2021.

“We love the charm of the block, the walkability, and retail,” Tripp Russ, managing partner at 90Ten, said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “For us, we want to keep tenants in place and the buildings there.”

April 15, 2026

Yo-Mama Fried Chicken, a new restaurant from Salem’s Fresh Eats, opens in south St. Pete this weekend

April 15, 2026/ Kyla Fields

A new concept from popular, late-night spot Salem’s Fresh Eats is making its debut in St. Pete.

Fast-casual restaurant Yo-Mama Fried Chicken will soft open at 1735 34th Street South this Saturday, April 18th.

When asked about the inspiration behind the new concept, Salem Gharsalli, founder and CEO of Salem’s Fresh Eats, replied with a smile, “I just really like fried chicken.”

He explained that the fried chicken at other fast-food restaurants didn’t meet his standards, so he decided to convert the former Salem’s location into a new, chicken-centric concept.

In 2021, a new Salem’s was built next door at 1701 34th Street South, leaving the former restaurant space available for Yo-Mama’s new buildout.

April 14, 2026

Crooked Cup Cafe to bring a neighborhood coffee shop to Central Oak Park

April 14, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

A new neighborhood coffee shop is in the works in Central Oak Park, with two first-time operators hoping to create a laid-back, community-driven space just outside the bustle of downtown.

Crooked Cup Cafe is expected to open this July at 4130 5th Avenue North, in the former home of Tasty Treats Bakery.

Owners Sidney Mrak and Vanna Thackrah are currently renovating the roughly 800-square-foot space into a cozy cafe with an outdoor patio.

“We want it to feel like a home away from home,” said Thackrah in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “A place where people can come every day, hang out, work, and really feel like part of something.”

The location, tucked into a pocket of Central Oak Park, played a huge role in developing the concept.

April 14, 2026

Burger Monger opening new South Pasadena location next month

April 14, 2026/ Kyla Fields

Burger Monger is expanding in Tampa Bay, with a new location set to open in South Pasadena.

The local burger chain will take over the former Kelly’s Roast Beef space at 1530 Pasadena Avenue South, which closed in January after about two and a half years in business.

The 3,890-square-foot restaurant is scheduled to open Monday, May 4th.

Burger Monger is known for its one-third-pound patties made from a proprietary blend of ground chuck and sirloin, often using Akaushi beef, known for its rich marbling.

Customers can build their own burgers or choose from a lineup of house favorites.

Popular options include the Steakhouse Burger, topped with a pepper-crusted patty, bacon, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, Dijon mustard, and a battered onion ring, and the Peppered Pig, stacked with two patties, provolone cheese, bacon, grilled ham, onions, jalapeños, lettuce, and peppercorn ranch.

Build-your-own burgers come with dozens of add-ons, ranging from fried eggs, avocado, mac and cheese, and grilled pineapple to more traditional toppings like lettuce, tomato, and pickles.

April 13, 2026

Apartments planned as part of HSN campus redevelopment in north St. Pete

April 13, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

Plans for the former Home Shopping Network campus in north St. Pete are starting to take shape.

The 65-acre campus, located at 2501 118th Avenue North, served as the HSN’s headquarters for nearly five decades before its parent company announced plans in early 2025 to move operations out of state.

HSN listed the property for sale last April.

Then in March, St. Pete Rising reported that the property was under contract with Greystar, the nation’s largest multifamily housing owner, manager, and developer.

Shortly thereafter, plans were filed with the City of St. Pete for the eastern 41 acres, where a 400,000-square-foot industrial park is proposed.

At the time, there were no details on what would be built on the remaining 24 acres.

Now, a newly submitted application to the Southwest Florida Water Management District reveals what’s planned for that portion of the site: a garden-style apartment community with a unit count in the high 300s, with at least 40% of the units set aside as affordable housing.

April 13, 2026

DalMoros Fresh Pasta to Go moving to the Jannus Block in downtown St. Pete

April 13, 2026/ Brian Zucker

A new restaurant is coming to one of downtown St. Pete’s most active nightlife blocks.

DalMoros, which serves fresh pasta made to order, will open in a 1,100-square-foot space at 204 1st Avenue North, on the corner of 2nd Street North and 1st Avenue North across from Olivia.

The space was previously home to Moon Mountain, which closed earlier this year after about two years in business.

DalMoros first opened in May 2021 at 653 Central Avenue and has since outgrown the space.

The plan was originally to relocate just a few doors down to 683 Central Avenue, but after months of delays, ownership decided to pivot to the Jannus Block instead.

DalMoros is now hoping to reopen at the new location on May 1st.

April 10, 2026

St. Pete seeks developer for three-acre Commerce Park site along 22nd Street South

April 10, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

The City of St. Pete is taking another run at redeveloping a stretch of land along 22nd Street South.

On April 6th, the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Commerce Park site, a roughly 3.03-acre collection of 19 city-owned parcels just north of Interstate 275 in the Deuces corridor.

The land, directly across from the Manhattan Casino, is appraised for around $4.5 million and has been the subject of multiple redevelopment plans over the past two decades, none of which have fully panned out.

City officials are now looking for a mixed-use project that activates 22nd Street South through commercial and retail uses, provides mixed-income housing with both rental and homeownership opportunities, and maximizes allowable density.

When the land was first assembled starting in 2007 under the administration of Rick Baker, the goal was to create a manufacturing and industrial hub that would generate jobs in South St. Pete.

The city spent years buying up parcels along the corridor with the idea of attracting employers and building out an employment center.

Then the Great Recession hit, and things stalled.

April 10, 2026

Sober Bar opening next month in downtown Gulfport with zero-proof cocktails

April 10, 2026/ Kyla Fields

A new café and bar is coming soon to Beach Boulevard in downtown Gulfport.

Sober Bar, serving specialty coffee, zero-proof cocktails, kava, and other functional beverages, is preparing to open next month at 3062 Beach Boulevard South.

Owners Sean Hawthorne and Collin Horton have spent the past several months renovating the roughly 1,400-square-foot space, the former home of Anani Bistro, into a moody, New Orleans speakeasy-inspired lounge.

The concept combines elements of a traditional bar with a menu that skips alcohol altogether, instead leaning into functional drinks and a more social, lounge-style atmosphere.

The idea first started as a pop-up in 2025, with Hawthorne and Horton serving drinks at markets across Tampa Bay.

Gulfport’s Tuesday Fresh Market quickly became one of their regular spots, and it didn’t take long to see the demand was there for a permanent storefront.

“With the name Sober Bar, we want it to elicit some curiosity with our customers because the words ‘sober’ and ‘bar’ seem like two conflating ideas,” Hawthorne said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “I discovered the kava industry about five years ago when I decided to go sober for a while. I was looking for some sense of community and I found it at these kava bars.”