Wright’s Gourmet House in South Tampa. Credit: Google Street
OPENINGS/CLOSINGS
Old Heights Bistro in Seminole Heights will close this weekend, moving to South Tampa
Old Heights Bistro is leaving Seminole Heights. After more than a decade at 4703 N Nebraska Ave., the popular neighborhood spot will serve its final guests this Saturday, July 25. The new South Tampa location plans to open by late-August or early-September in Palma Ceia’s former Brunchery space at 3225 S MacDill Ave., which is in the same plaza as Pane Rustica. – Colin Wolf
Chalawaan Thai Delish just opened inside a gas station on Tampa’s N Armenia Avenue
In Tampa, the stretch of N Armenia Avenue between Interstate-275 and Waters Avenue is known for international cuisine, be it Filipino (Lucky Tigre), South American (La Pequena Colombia, L.P.C.X, Antojito’s) or even Italian (Cacciatore & Sons). Add Thai to the flavor profile, too. Chef Sirikullaya “Layla” Martinez opened Chalawaan Thai Delish inside the Citgo gas station on 5018 N Armenia Ave. three months ago. Named after Chalawan, a folkloric crocodilian king revered in Martinez’s home provinces of Phichit, the restaurant boasts a menu broken up into four sections—appetizers, noodles & fried rice, stir-fries & curry, and desserts—with close to three dozen items to choose from. Prices range between $6 (egg rolls, pot stickers) to $18 (fried catfish in green curry sauce); Thai teas and coffees are $5. – Ray Roa
After nearly 35 years, Tampa’s Kim Bros. Korean market closes this weekend
After roughly 35 years, Tampa Korean market Kim Bros. will close its doors after this weekend—but it’s not the end of its story. Jin Cha, one of the owners, and the woman responsible for making the killer kimchi so many have come to love, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that while the lease is up here, Kim Bros. beloved foods that have grown a cult following can still be found in Temple Terrace at Soul of Korea (7612 N 56th St.), and soon inside the H Mart food court. While H Mart is moving quickly during construction across the street, Kim Bros., located at 4021 W Hillsborough Ave., is discounting everything before it ends a historic run after Sunday. – Annalise Mabe
Tampa icon Wright’s Gourmet House will open new locations in Brandon, Wesley Chapel
Two years have passed since longtime South Tampa favorite Wright’s Gourmet House was sold to the Caspers Company, and now the iconic sandwich shop and bakery will bring its popular sandwiches and sheet cakes to the suburbs. According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Wrights will open two new 15,000-square-foot locations—one at 328 Brandon Town Center Drive in Brandon and the other at Wiregrass Ranch on State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel. Both outposts will include cafes, catering facilities, a market and more. No exact opening dates were announced, but the Brandon location will debut in suCOmmer 2027, while the Wesley Chapel spot has a rough target date of 2028, says TBBJ. – Colin Wolf
FOOD EVENTS
On a Sunday afternoon, Jug & Bottle owner Jessie Wohlers, a now familiar-to-me-face, pours a glass of a crisp sauv blanc and gets right into the topic of the shop’s 11th anniversary this weekend. She discusses where the shop—located at 6203 N. Florida Ave. in Seminole Heighs—has been, its legacy and how to protect, expand and move it forward. She’s been in the neighborhood for a while, and took over the shop in February 2025. It’s no secret that the neighborhood is changing. Less than two miles away, Southern Brewing & Winery is closing after 18 years in business. Old Heights Bistro is moving to South Tampa, and there’s uncertainty about the future of the wildly-popular Angry Chair Brewing. In fact, when Wohlers took over, and even to this day, folks sometimes still walk in and say, “Hey, I thought you closed?” But far from that, Wohlers is steadily building on what’s been here, and taking the place to new heights. The little changes happen daily as Wohlers applies new paint to walls, rearranges, or gets a new fridge installed for all of the shop’s special bottles of bubbly. “We’re creating a space that allows Jug & Bottle to have a new relevance,” Wohlers told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “We’re bringing two legacy businesses into the future in a thoughtful way.” – Annalise Mabe
FOOD FEATURES
Three Tampa Bay restaurants proving that vegan eateries are staying alive
When vegan restaurant Good Intentions opened in 2022, Tampa Bay’s vegan and vegetarian dining scene looked very different. “There were a lot of vegans here; There were a lot of vegan businesses,” Good Intentions co-owner Jenny Howe told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “And that trend kind of took a step back.” In the mid-2010s, and continuing into the early-2020s, public interest in vegetarian and plant-based lifestyles grew exponentially—arguably sparked by an onslaught of documentaries and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the cost of living has reached a record high and pushback from the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Movement has fueled misinformation and negative associations with meatless diet staples like soy and seed oils. “I think that we don’t have the backing of the government like the beef and dairy industry to lobby, to make influencers eat sticks of butter and a raw piece of meat and convince hundreds of thousands of people that this is the new diet,” Howe said. – Ray Roa
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This article appears in July 23 – 29, 2026.
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