Nordic-Japanese restaurant Mei opens in downtown St. Pete from team behind Michelin-starred Kōsen

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Nordic-Japanese restaurant Mei opens in downtown St. Pete from team behind Michelin-starred Kōsen

A restaurant from the team behind Michelin-starred Kōsen in Tampa quietly opened its doors in downtown St. Pete last week.

Mei is located at 320 3rd Street South on the ground floor of the Camden Pier District Apartments, replacing Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi, which closed earlier this year after eight years in business.

Helmed by Executive Chef Alex Chamberlain and backed by Orlando restaurateurs Jimmy and Johnny Tung, Mei is a new fine dining concept combining French technique, Nordic influences, and Japanese ingredients.

Chamberlain previously served as Chef de Cuisine at Kōsen, while the Tung brothers are the founders of Bento and the team behind multiple Michelin-starred restaurants.

The restaurant is a deeply personal project for Chamberlain, named after his sister.

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Red Mesa Cantina closes after 16 years in downtown St. Pete

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Red Mesa Cantina closes after 16 years in downtown St. Pete

One of downtown St. Pete's longest-running restaurants and event venues has closed its doors.

Red Mesa Cantina announced Monday that it has permanently closed after 16 years in downtown St. Pete.

The closure also includes the Red Mesa Event Spaces located above the restaurant, which hosted weddings, corporate events, holiday parties, and other celebrations over the years.

Located at 128 3rd Street South, Red Mesa Cantina became a fixture of downtown's dining and nightlife scene, known for its tacos, queso, guacamole, margaritas, extensive tequila selection, and rooftop events.

When Red Mesa Cantina opened in 2010, downtown St. Pete looked much different than it does today.

The city was still working its way out of the Great Recession, BayWalk was struggling with vacancies, the inverted pyramid Pier was still open, and much of Central Avenue was lined with vacant storefronts, antique shops, and surface parking lots.

Many of the apartment towers, hotels, and restaurants that now fill downtown had yet to be built.

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Popular eyewear brand Warby Parker coming to downtown St. Pete

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Popular eyewear brand Warby Parker coming to downtown St. Pete

A popular eyewear brand is making its way to downtown St. Pete.

Warby Parker, known for its prescription glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and eye care services, will open its first St. Petersburg storefront at 1124 Central Avenue in the EDGE District.

The property is one of several acquired by Dallas-based investment firm 90Ten, which has spent $18.5 million in the EDGE District since December.

The new store will occupy the space previously home to Bacon Bitch, which closed in 2024. The storefront was also the original home of Bodega’s juice bar before the Cuban eatery expanded a few doors down.

While an opening date has not yet been announced, Warby Parker is already hiring for several positions, including an optical manager, licensed optician, and additional retail roles.

Once open, the location is expected to offer comprehensive eye exams, prescription updates, and the company's full lineup of eyewear products.

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Forbici Modern Italian sets opening date for downtown St. Pete restaurant

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Forbici Modern Italian sets opening date for downtown St. Pete restaurant

After nearly three years of planning and construction, Forbici Modern Italian has set an opening date for its highly anticipated St. Pete location.

The 12,000-square-foot Italian restaurant will officially debut on Wednesday, June 24th, at 183 2nd Avenue North in downtown St. Pete's Sundial retail complex.

Reservations for opening week are now available through OpenTable.

Forbici will open in the second-floor space formerly occupied by Sea Salt, which closed at the end of 2024 after nearly 10 years in business.

After a multi-million-dollar renovation, the restaurant now features an expansive outdoor patio, a private dining room, multiple TV-lined bars, and a sprawling dining space with seating for up to 350 guests.

The St. Pete restaurant will be the second location for Forbici, which first opened in Tampa's Hyde Park Village in 2019.

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Downtown St. Pete's tallest office tower, 200 Central, sells to local group

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Downtown St. Pete's tallest office tower, 200 Central, sells to local group

The tallest office building in Pinellas County has changed hands.

Feldman Equities and its partners have acquired 200 Central Avenue, the 28-story office tower at the corner of Central Avenue and 2nd Street in downtown St. Petersburg.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Tampa Bay-based commercial real estate firm announced the acquisition Wednesday and said it plans to invest more than $20 million into upgrades and improvements throughout the building.

The tower was previously owned by Third Lake Capital, a Tampa-based investment advisory firm, which purchased the property for $65.75 million in 2017, according to Pinellas County property records.

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St. Pete shut out of Michelin stars again, adds two recommended restaurants

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St. Pete shut out of Michelin stars again, adds two recommended restaurants

St. Pete restaurants again landed on the Michelin Guide’s Florida selection Thursday afternoon, though the city came away without a Michelin Star for the second year in a row as Michelin expanded its coverage statewide for the first time.

St. Pete restaurants Il Ritorno, Sushi Sho Rexley, and Fortu all retained their recommended restaurant distinctions at the Michelin Guide’s 2025 Florida ceremony.

Additionally, Michelin added two more St. Pete restaurant’s to its recommended list—Elliott Aster, the historic Vinoy Hotel’s fine dining concept, and In Between Days, a craft sake house and small-scale Japanese restaurant.

This year marked the first time the guide expanded to cover the entire state of Florida, after previously focusing on select markets including Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beaches, and St. Pete-Clearwater.

Last year marked the first time the guide considered the St. Pete market.

In all of Florida, the Michelin Guide awarded two new one-star restaurants and 10 new Bib Gourmands.

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Nightwatch, a neighborhood wine bar, is coming to the Grand Central District

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Nightwatch, a neighborhood wine bar, is coming to the Grand Central District

A new neighborhood wine bar is coming to the Grand Central District, with an expansive wine list, a large backyard patio, and a casual, laidback vibe.

Nightwatch is expected to open before the end of the year at 2817 Central Avenue.

The concept comes from Bryce Kennedy and Sydney Knowlton, the owners behind Neighborhood Wine Shop, which recently celebrated its first anniversary a few doors down at 2875 Central Avenue.

The 1,200-square-foot bar will offer a large wine selection, with roughly 250 to 300 labels planned for the bottle list, alongside around 20 to 25 wines by the glass at any given time.

Beer, non-alcoholic cocktails, and low-ABV cocktails will also be available.

“The focus will be on wines in the $70 to $120 range,” Kennedy said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “That’ll make up the bulk of the menu. That being said, if you want to come in and order an expensive Burgundy or old Bordeaux, we’ll have that too. It just won’t be the focus.”

The food menu will stay simple with cheeses, charcuterie, and bar bites offered.

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New I-275 express lanes and shared-use path open on Howard Frankland Bridge

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New I-275 express lanes and shared-use path open on Howard Frankland Bridge

Motorists now have a quicker way to travel between St. Pete and Tampa.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 27th, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) opened the new northbound I-275 express lanes on the Howard Frankland Bridge, along with a new pedestrian and bicycle trail.

The express lanes and trail are major components of the $972.5 million bridge replacement and improvement project, which began in 2020.

The new express lanes extend from 4th Street North in St. Petersburg to just north of the bridge in Tampa.

Running in the median of I-275, the lanes are separated from general traffic by barrier walls and flexible delineator poles.

FDOT contractors are expected to open the southbound express lanes over the next several nights, weather permitting.

The express lanes are currently toll-free during the ongoing testing phase. Once testing is complete, tolls will be collected electronically 24/7 through SunPass or other Florida-compatible transponders. Cash and TOLL-BY-PLATE will not be accepted.

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New social-fitness gym The Yard Gym opening this summer in the Grand Central District

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New social-fitness gym The Yard Gym opening this summer in the Grand Central District

A new social-fitness gym is preparing to open in the Grand Central District.

The Yard Gym, a fitness club focused on strength training, conditioning, and team-based fitness classes, will open next month at 2060 1st Avenue South in the former Grayspeed Cycles space.

The St. Pete franchise is owned by local resident Taylor Dove, who says the gym is targeting a grand opening on Saturday, June 13th.

The 3,264-square-foot facility will include two air-conditioned workout spaces dedicated to The Yard’s signature training programs.

One area, called RIG, focuses on strength training with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and resistance equipment, while the other area, called TURF, is geared toward conditioning workouts using sleds, cardio equipment, bodyweight exercises, and functional training movements.

The gym will also offers PAYDAY and GAMEDAY classes, which blend strength and conditioning with team-oriented and competitive workouts.

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Aerial St. Pete: Drone photos show major developments rising across St. Pete

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Aerial St. Pete: Drone photos show major developments rising across St. Pete

This quarter’s edition of Aerial St. Pete shows the progress of seven developments currently under construction in St. Pete.

With the help of AB3 Visuals, , we captured the progress on a new 33-story luxury apartment tower coming to downtown, two affordable housing communities under construction (one near Mazzaro's Italian Market and the other in the Warehouse Arts District), an apartment project rising next to the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA in the Grand Central District, a massive apartment community coming to the Skyway Marina District, a waterfront apartment development under construction in north St. Pete, and a 50-room luxury hotel rising on the beach.

St. Pete Rising looks forward to keeping you informed on St. Pete’s development scene, and we’ll continue tracking these projects as they near completion.

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