Life may be on the up-and-up with some new businesses and events coming to Tampa Bay in 2021! Here's 18 things to keep an eye out for this year.
Sorrento Sweets New Location in St. Pete — Now Open
667 Central Ave, St. Petersburg
This sweet spot in Hype Park known for their cannolis is opening a new location across the bridge! The St. Pete coffee shop and bakery opened Tuesday and features a variety of classic Italian desserts: Florentines, Tiramisu, Napoleon and other delicious cookies and cakes, in addition to coffee, gelato and sorbet. The homemade cannolis are piped fresh to order and come in three flavors: original, chocolate and pistachio.
Hiccups & Churroholic — Now Open
13030 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa
Churros and ice cream are exactly what we need in 2021. Hiccups & Churroholic is the beautiful pairing of two California businesses making their way to Tampa Bay.
Hiccups is an Asian restaurant and teahouse that serves up boba, popcorn chicken, pho, garlic noodles and more. Churroholic is a Spanish-inspired dessert line created by Hiccups that offers specialty churros like Chocolate Almonds, Matcha Pebbles, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Sprinkle and Coconut Chocolate. If you have a big sweet craving, you can opt for a churro sundae or Churros + Ice Cream.
Get 20% off when you stop by between now and January 22.
Hatchet Hangout — January 2021
2360 Central Ave N, St. Petersburg
Hatchet Hangout is a world-class axe throwing venue opening near Downtown St. Pete—it’s the only one of its scale in Tampa Bay. This venue is 3,800-square feet and features 15 indoor throwing lanes (spaced 12 feet apart which is great for social distancing) plus a lounge area. Guests can learn from the “axeperts” and enjoy beer, wine and kombucha from the lounge. Sign up for the league or stop by to throw for fun!
This axe throwing venue and lounge offers “extreme social fun” according to owner Drew Nawoichik. It’s great for corporate team building, date nights and birthday parties. You must be 12 or older to throw axes.
Hatchet Hangout is hoping to have a soft opening in the next few weeks.
Flower Crown Kombucha — January 2021
1609 N Franklin St, Tampa
Attention Kombucha lovers! A kombucha taproom brewery is opening in Tampa—the first on Florida’s west coast and the only one in Tampa. Partners Bryan Griffin, Phil Smith and Daniel Andresen hope to educate people about kombucha while supplying a fun environment to hang out in Tampa Heights.
“It just felt like it was a major thing missing in Tampa,” said Smith, who’s been brewing kombucha for 6 years.
Flower Crown Kombucha offers a large courtyard attached to their taproom. Witness the brewing process and try 6-8 flavors of kombucha on tap at any time—you can get it by the glass, growler or the can. In the future, they hope to offer beer, wine and hard kombucha as well.
Flower Crown Kombucha plans to open its doors sometime this week.
7th+ Grove South Coming to Sparkman Wharf — January 2021
615 Channelside Dr, Tampa
7th + Grove is bringing its southern comfort food to the Channelside area! The new quick-service concept, 7th+ Grove South, will open at Sparkman Wharf in mid-January. Don’t worry—their first location in Ybor isn’t going anywhere.
Enjoy fan favorites like shrimp and grits or try new menu items, like jerk chicken collard green egg rolls, deviled egg salad and more.
RELATED | 7th+Grove in Ybor: Eat. Vibe. Flourish.
Murph’s BBQ Coming to Sparkman Wharf — January 2021
615 Channelside Dr, Tampa
Sparkman Wharf will also be home to Murph's BBQ, which will replace Boat Run Oyster Company. The new restaurant operated by SaltBlock Hospitality will serve no-frills, non-denominational BBQ style inspired by the best BBQ regions in the US. Enjoy oak-smoked meats, scratch-made sides, in-house crafted sauces and fresh squeezed lemonade.
The restaurant is named after a legendary pup—to honor Murph, this BBQ spot also offers scratch-made dog treats for your four legged friends!
Super Bowl LV in Tampa — February 7, 2021
Raymond James Stadium at 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa
The Super Bowl returns to Tampa this February! The last Super Bowl held at Raymond James Stadium was in 2009. The Weeknd will headline the halftime show.
Par Bar in St. Pete — March 2021
2253 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg
Get ready for St. Pete’s only mini-golf bar! Friends and co-owners Marcel Gruber, Kurt Campagna and Joe Taylor wanted to open a unique experience with the land they purchased in St. Pete, and they settled on a mini-golf venue where you can drink while you play.
“Ultimately at the end of the day it’s about having fun,” said Gruber. “We just wanted to create something that’s going to provide a unique experience for everybody in St. Pete.”
This will be the only mini-golf course in the city of St. Pete. The 18 holes are on the technical side with plenty of obstacles that will make for a fun challenge for mini-golf lovers. Local beers, wine and wine-based cocktails can be delivered to you while you play the course.
Par Bar will be dog-friendly and will also have a spot on-site for food trucks to stop by.
Blizzard Beach Re-Opens — March 2021
1534 Blizzard Beach Drive, Orlando
Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park is scheduled to reopen on March 7, 2021 after being closed due to Covid. More details on the water park’s reopening plan will be available at a later date.
LALA — April 2021
2324 Central Ave, St. Petersburg
LALA is a new restaurant, karaoke spot and bar that’s the perfect place to eat, sing and drink. Managing partner Lucas Herraiz wanted to create a restaurant concept based on entertainment. There will be seven private karaoke rooms where people can order food and drinks while they sing their hearts out. There will also be plenty of indoor and outdoor seating for people who just want to grab a bite. The menu will feature an elevated approach to American craft fare with French influences.
LALA is located next to Grand Central Brewhouse, which just opened in St. Pete last month. The two new businesses will share a garden and LALA will provide the food for the brewery.
Rise Koffee + Kulture — May 2021
Ybor City
The mission of Rise Koffee + Kulture is "to connect the Tampa community by brewing koffee with kulture.” Owner Cortney Alleyne wanted to find a way to utilize her Public Health degree that wasn’t a typical outlet, so she decided she would pour back into the community through a startup coffee shop.
“Rise will be an innovative and creative space for Black coffee, Black culture, Black music, Black art,” said Alleyne.
This coffee shop will collaborate with local Black-owned suppliers and vendors to provide coffee and specialty drinks, vegan espresso soft serve, loose leaf teas, fresh-baked pastries and other sweets.
Rise also wants to be an intellectual space that gives back to the community with seminars, events, pop-up shops for local businesses and a bulletin board for people to connect with one another.
Iron Gwazi Opens — Spring 2021
10165 McKinley Dr, Tampa
This highly anticipated renovation of the wooden coaster Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was supposed to open last spring but was postponed due to the pandemic.
Iron Gwazi is North America’s tallest and the world’s fastest and steepest hybrid roller coaster. Iron Gwazi is 206 feet tall, featuring a 91-degree drop. It reaches speeds up to 76 mph!
SeaWorld Orlando's Ice Breaker — Spring 2021
7007 Sea World Dr, Orlando
This arctic-themed ride was also postponed from last spring, but it will be open to the public in just a few short months!
Ice Breaker is SeaWorld Orlando’s first multi-directional launch coaster, and it will be located in the Wild Arctic Plaza. Experience a total of four launches with the first launch taking riders backward up a 100-degree tilt, making it the steepest beyond-vertical drop in Florida.
OCC Road House and Museum — June 2021
10575 49th Street North, Clearwater
The makers of the finest hand-crafted, American made motorcycles in the world are now building a restaurant, concert venue and museum to bring the Orange County Choppers experience to Florida! The one-of-a-kind destination restaurant will be decked out with a fleet of Paul Teutul Sr.’s custom choppers featured on the hit Discovery Network series “American Chopper”.
The restaurant and museum will be packed with motorcycle memorabilia Teutul has personally collected over the past three decades. The menu will feature classic American fare and there will be both indoor and outdoor seating, including a covered 25,000-square foot pavilion.
Nice Cream Shake Bar — August 2021
Tampa Bay food truck
This new food truck will serve up 100% vegan milkshakes to the Tampa bay area. Nice Cream Shake Bar’s concept is rooted in compassion for animals, humans and the planet. They hope to show that just because you’re vegan, doesn't mean you miss out on anything, especially dessert.
The menu is still in the works, but it’s safe to say it will feature some sweet deliciousness and cow puns, according to the tester shakes they’ve shared on their Facebook.
Mutts and Martinis in St. Pete — Fall 2021
2900 Central Ave, St. Petersburg
Who wouldn’t want to take their furry friend to St. Pete’s first dog water park and bar?
Natalie Conner, owner of Love My Dog Resort, has worked with dogs for 13 years and wanted to create a safe space for dogs where their owners can enjoy a drink. Mutts and Martinis places an emphasis on the safety of the animals, all while providing an exciting time for the furry creatures and their owners.
The 80ft-by-30ft water park will be a fun place for both dogs and owners to play. There are separate areas for large dogs, small dogs, puppies, etc to ensure safety while everyone is splashing around.
There is also a sports bar for people to hang out with their fur babies and grab a drink or treat. Designated quiet areas and public wifi will provide the perfect spot to work remotely while getting you and your dog out of the house.
Bacon B**** — 2021
1124 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg
If you like trendy breakfast and brunch spots, make sure to add this one to your list. This popular Miami Beach restaurant is making its way across the state to open a second location where Bodega Central used to be.
It’s the ideal spot for all bacon and breakfast lovers. Enjoy tasty breakfast sandwiches, chicken and waffles, savory plates and more.
Looking for some cocktails to go with your brunch? Make sure to check out Drunk B****, a bar serving up adult slushies, which will also open in the EDGE District sometime in 2021.
Midtown Tampa — 2021
3725 W Grace St, Tampa
Midtown Tampa is a project that’s been years in the making. The highly anticipated development sits on 23 acres of land, with 1.8 million square feet of retail and residential space.
This unique new district is experiential service-oriented and restaurant-oriented. It will showcase a mix of local and nationally recognized shops, eateries, bars, apartments, hotels and more for people to explore, all while offering a strong sense of community. There will also be plenty of art and photo-op spots displayed throughout the district.
General manager Kathy Hackshaw hopes that this will be a place where people can congregate, and leave knowing it’s their “new feel-good space”.
Midtown Tampa is opening in phases throughout 2021, with Tampa’s first dual-branded Aloft and Element Hotels being the first to open their doors. A majority of the district will be open by June 2021. Here are some other retailers and restaurants to keep an eye out for at Midtown Tampa:
- Sal y Mar (January 29, 2021) – rooftop bar offering 360-degree views of the Tampa, Westshore, and St. Petersburg skylines while serving delicious cocktails and Spanish cuisine.
- REI Co-op (March 2021) – flagship location for the co-op outdoor specialty retailer, focusing on gear, clothes and more.
- Shake Shack – this will be Tampa Bay’s first location of the iconic New York-based restaurant
- Kale Me Crazy – superfood café offering juices, smoothies, salads, and wraps. This will be Kale Me Crazy’s second Florida location
Midtown Tampa will offer valet parking and free self-parking. The valet is connected throughout the district and hotels, so if you drop your car off at one stand, you can pick it up at any other valet location in the district.
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