Ciccio Restaurant Group’s newest concept, LUV CHILD, is now open in the SoHo district. The group invested more than $1 million to convert the former Lodge location into a ‘70s-inspired Cuban-Spanish restaurant with 180 seats, plus an outdoor bar and patio. Ciccio Restaurant Group says the menu is an homage to the group’s partner and executive chef Luis Flores, who emigrated to the U.S. from Central America and loves Cuban cuisine.
The steel frame of the atrium of TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’s new SkyCenter commercial development is nearing completion. Expected to be completed in mid-2020, the atrium will connect the nine-story office building to the rest of the airport via a pedestrian bridge.
SPARKMAN WHARF has announced two new restaurant concepts, both of which are slated to open early next year. Free The Cork will be a 4,000-square-foot wine bar with wines by the glass and bottle, small plates, sandwiches, cheese and charcuterie, and coffee, plus a private room and grab-and-go window. Semolina, a waterfront Italian concept by the owners of St. Petersburg’s Il Ritorno, will feature counter service for indoor or outdoor dining on its made-to-order pasta dishes, salads and freshly baked breads.
Tampa Heights has a modern Irish pub coming its way. The second location of STRANDHILL PUBLIC will open in early 2020 across the street from Armature Works, on the first floor of The Pearl. Strandhill Public’s menu includes both modern dishes and a full array of traditional Irish meals.
The TAMPA THEATRE is opening a second screening room. In an effort to modernize the iconic movie house, a microcinema will be opening in the storefront below the marquee. The $1.3 million intimate theatre will seat 40 to 50 people and be called “T2.” Construction is set to begin in early 2020.
Marriott is bringing its MOXY brand to the first seven floors of a new mixed-use, 25-story tower in The Heights district adjacent to Armature Works. The hotel will include 153 rooms and amenities like a club room, fitness center, co-working spaces, event spaces and retail space. Moxy hotels also incorporate up-and-coming artists into their spaces through an art program called Moxy Blank Canvas.
PORT TAMPA BAY’s board of directors approved the sale of a 0.45-acre parking lot it owns on Channelside Drive next to the Florida Aquarium. The Tampa investment firm StreamS Capital wants to buy the property for $4.7 million. The firm plans to build a 33-story tower with a hotel, condos and retail space, though details and a timeline for the sale’s closing and construction are not yet in place.
A new report by WalletHub ranked Tampa as the 13th best city in America for FOODIES. Rankings were based on the affordability, diversity, accessibility and quality of the city’s food offerings.
With three different event spaces to host weddings, parties and social events, TABELLAS AT DELANEY CREEK recently opened in Tampa on Causeway Boulevard. The expansive property is most notable for the massive silo that sits atop of it, and it was designed to host large events for 300 or more people. Tabellas’ executive chef is Danny Hernandez, the restaurateur behind Pipo’s and Holy Hog Barbecue.
The CROSS-BAY FERRY returned to service on November 1 and will run through April 30. It will not operate on Mondays and Tuesdays unless there is a Tampa Bay Lightning home game, and it will not run on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Gasparilla. Passengers can catch the ferry from the Tampa Convention Center on the Tampa side and the Vinoy Yacht Basin on the St. Petersburg side; when the Lightning play at home, the final trip out of Tampa will leave 30 minutes after the game ends. Tickets start at $3 for kids, $5 for seniors, military and students, and $8 for adults.
F45 TRAINING is coming to the Midtown Tampa development. The fitness studio, backed by actor Mark Wahlberg, signed a lease for a 2,500-square-foot space in Midtown. F45 is known for its high-intensity group workouts with proven results.
