Rippers Credit: Cleveland Street Alliance

OPENINGS/CLOSINGS

Lumbre, the latest restaurant from local Michelin-starred group, opens in Tampa this week

A new modern Spanish concept from the folks that brought you Michelin-starred Rocca, Michelin-recognized Bar Terroir, and Michelin Bib Gourmand Streetlight Taco, is opening this week in the North Hyde Park area. Lumbre, the latest concept from local hospitality group Tastes Pretty Good, will officially open its doors on Wednesday, July 15. Located in the Rome Collective development, at 220 N Rome Ave., the new Spanish restaurant will be led by Executive Chef and Co-Founder Nick Orr, who previously helmed the kitchen at Rocca. – Colin Wolf

Group behind Tampa’s Michelin-starred Rocca will open new Clearwater restaurant

Rippers, a new American-style restaurant from the team behind Michelin-starred Rocca, is moving into Clearwater’s historic Telephone Building on Cleveland Street.   Located on the ground floor at 534 Cleveland St., Rippers will be Tastes Pretty Good Hospitality Group’s first Pinellas County concept, and is also the first to move into the Telephone Building. Built in 1914, the Telephone Building is the first fully-restored historic landmark completed by the Cleveland Street Alliance’s coordinated restoration initiative, which is focused on reactivating the Cleveland Street corridor. Rippers will focus on American classics like burgers, wings, sandwiches, fries, milkshakes and its signature deep-fried “ripper” hot dogs, which they cook “until it rips,” says a press release. – Colin Wolf

New Italian restaurant led by Michelin-starred chef coming to Tampa this fall

Hyde Park’s Rome Collective is getting another restaurant from a Michelin-starred chef. Fresh off the recent opening of Lumbre, Nashville-based Fast Fine Restaurant group announced it’s bringing V Modern Italian to the Tampa development in September. The name uses the fifth Roman numeral, as Fast Fine co-founder Benjamin Calleja said in a statement, “V Modern Italian was created on the belief that exceptional dining should engage all five senses, creating moments that linger long after the last bite.” Collaborating on the menu is Chef Stefano Ciotti, who’s maintained a Michelin star at his restaurant, Nostrano, in Italy for nearly a decade. – Selene San Felice

Tampa Bay’s first Cook Out officially opens near USF

Popular North Carolina-based fast food chain Cook Out has opened its first Tampa Bay location in Temple Terrace. Located at 5501 E. Fowler Ave., the new Cook Out outpost soft-opened Thursday, but officially celebrates its grand-opening July 17, in the roughly 3,272 square-foot building formerly home to a Boston Market. Cook Out’s menu centers around a variety of American-style fast food offerings with over 40 milkshakes, fresh char grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ, chicken, corn dogs, quesadillas, hushpuppies, fries and more. – Colin Wolf

Years after suffering extensive hurricane damage, Gulfport coffee shop officially closes

On July 9, GulfPerk Coffee Bar owner Elliot Sutton announced the permanent closure of the beloved Gulfport café in a post on the shop’s social media pages. “The plan was always to reopen GulfPerk. Unfortunately, that just isn’t how things turned out,” Sutton wrote. “I’m sad to say that GulfPerk, officially, will not be reopening.” Nearly two years have passed since Hurricanes Helene and Milton swept through Tampa Bay. GulfPerk has remained closed since those storms, with Sutton holding onto hope that the shop might one day reopen. – Abby Baker/Gulfport Gabber

Seminole Heights’ Southern Brewing & Winemaking is permanently closing

In a long, summer where local restaurants and bars are seemingly dropping left and right, Southern Brewing & Winemaking is now the latest to call it quits.  Owners Brian and Kelly Fenstermacher posted a farewell note on social media yesterday, thanking patrons for their business and announcing that it’s simply “time to retire.” “Every great chapter eventually reaches its final page, and ours has been an incredible one,” reads the post. “After three decades in the brewing industry, we’ve decided it’s time to retire. In the coming weeks, Southern Brewing & Winemaking will close its doors.” Located at 4500 N Nebraska Ave., the homebrew supply store first opened in 2008, and in 2011, the Fenstermachers debuted the full-scale brewery, winery, and taproom.  – Colin Wolf

EVENTS

St. Pete Pier hosts the Tampa Bay Ice Cream Festival this weekend

I scream, you scream and a lot of sugar-high kids will probably be screaming at this event. Tampa Bay Ice Cream Festival brings more than 30 ice cream vendors from around the state to the St. Pete Pier’s Family Park on Sunday. There’s no cover to get in, but frozen treats are for purchase à la carte. Participants can vote for their favorite flavors to win the People’s Choice Award, while a panel of undisclosed judges will award Golden Ice Cream Trophies to ice cream makers for Best Hard Ice Cream, Best Soft Serve Ice Cream, Best Non-Dairy Frozen Treat and Best Overall. – Selene San Felice

FOOD NEWS

‘We are heartbroken’: Bern’s Steak House chef Chad Johnson has died at age 47

South Tampa restaurant goers were met with sad news this seek as Bern’s Steak House told followers that its executive chef, Chad Johnson, died this week. The Tampa Bay Business Journal said the unexpected death happened Wednesday. Property and voter registration records indicate Johnson was 47 years old. He is survived by his wife Ashley and two daughters. In a statement, David Laxer, Owner and President of Bern’s, wrote that the restaurant was closed last Thursday night as the team and Johnson’s family grieved. “Today, we reopen knowing this is what Chad would have wanted: for us to come together, welcome our guests, and continue the gracious hospitality he cared so deeply about,” Laxer added in a statement shared today. “There is no way to replace the impact Chad had on our team.” A cause of death has not been shared, and Laxer asked for privacy for Johnson’s family and Bern’s team. – Ray Roa

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This article appears in July 16 – 22, 2026.

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