There’s a particular kind of restaurant group that you watch and think, at some point, surely they’ll run out of ideas or goodwill or both. And then they announce something new and you realize, no, they’re just built different.
Tastes Pretty Good, the Tampa-based hospitality group behind Rocca, a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in Tampa Heights, and Streetlight Taco, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient on Henderson Blvd, has just announced their next move. They are opening Lumbre, a Spanish restaurant coming to the Rome Collective in North Hyde Park.
Future diners can expect wood-fired grilling, traditional paella, tapas featuring pristine seafood, and imported cheeses and hams. Lumbre means “fire” in Spanish, and given this group’s track record, that name is doing a lot of work.
The team behind Tastes Pretty Good brings more than 75 years of combined experience to concept and has built a portfolio that reads like someone dared them to win a Michelin recognition for every major cuisine on the planet and they said, “Sure, let’s start with Italian and Mexican and see how far this goes.” They also recently opened Bar Terroir, a French bistro on Henderson Blvd, which means they’re now covering Italy, Mexico, France, and Spain in the span of a few years. At this rate, someone should check whether they have a map of Europe on the wall with pins in it.
Rendering via Tidal Construction Group
The Rome Collective is a nearly 40,000-square-foot retail development at the northwest corner of North Rome Ave and North A St in North Hyde Park, just west of downtown Tampa, and it is shaping up to be one of the more exciting new destinations in the city. Lumbre landing there is the kind of anchor that makes a neighborhood sit up and pay attention.
The menu concept alone deserves a moment of appreciation. Wood-fired grilling paired with traditional paella and tapas is a combination that manages to be simultaneously casual and deeply serious about flavor. These are dishes that require patience, skill and a genuine respect for Spanish culinary tradition. Given that this group has already proven they can do that for Italy and Mexico, there’s little reason to doubt they can pull it off here.
Lumbre is currently hiring for all positions. If you’re passionate about hospitality and want in on the ground floor of what looks like another serious addition to Tampa’s dining scene, send your resume to careers@lumbretampa.com. An opening date hasn’t been announced yet, but follow them on Instagram for updates.