COMING SOON? Credit: Photo via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

OPENINGS/CLOSINGS

After two years of renovations, St. Pete’s Historic Manhattan Casino finally reopens

After closing its doors in 2022, the Historic Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg is finally ready for its debut.  The space, which once hosted some of the most famous Black jazz and blues performers back in the day, will open its doors at 642 22nd St. S on Sept. 19 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ceremony runs from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. and will include a rededication of the Elder Jordan statue, who was the 1925 founder of the Manhattan Casino, originally named Jordan Dance Hall. – Leif Helland

Co-owner of Armature Works wants to bring a Trader Joe’s to Seminole Heights

One of Tampa’s most prominent local developers wants to bring a popular, private-label, grocery store to his neighborhood. Armature Works co-owner Adam Harden is currently pushing to bring Trader Joe’s fourth Tampa Bay location to Seminole Heights. It all started this summer with a mysterious “Hey Joe” campaign, which so far includes a dedicated website, social media posts and even physical signage in the neighborhood. Wednesday, Harden told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he’s the person behind the effort. Harden and his kids, along with the local landscaping company J. Macias Tree Services, volunteered last Saturday to help put up a banner at the old Save A Lot location on Hillsborough Ave. – Leif Helland

Armature Works staple Graze will open a third location in South Tampa

Popular brunch and salad spot Graze will soon open a new location in Tampa’s Ballast Point neighborhood.  The restaurant took to social media over the weekend, writing “Graze 3 coming soon to Ballast Point! We are so excited to join this neighborhood and serve up delicious brunch, lunch and dinner 7 days a week.” The new post will debut a few blocks south of the new Mad Dogs & Englishmen at 5232 S MacDill Ave., which is the former Arirang Korean spot.  The original location, Graze 1910, first opened in early 2018 inside Armature Works food hall in Tampa Heights, and about a year a second location debuted across the street from Plant High School at 2217/2219 S Dale Mabry Hwy. – Colin Wolf

Rocky Point is getting a Yard House 
Yard-long beers are coming to Tampa’s Rocky Point neighborhood. According to building plans filed with the City of Tampa on Aug. 24, Darden Restaurants Inc. will convert the existing Bahama Breeze in Rocky Point into a Yard House. The plans, which call for a complete remodel of the current 12,200-square-foot space (located at 3045 N Rocky Point Dr. E.), come after Darden announced last February that it would close roughly half of its Caribbean-themed Bahama Breeze concepts, and convert the rest into other Darden properties. The Orlando-based parent company currently owns a variety of chain restaurants, including Olive Garden, Cheddars, Eddie V’s, Longhorn Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris, Capital Grille, Chuy’s, Seasons 52 and Yard House. No exact opening date was available for the Rocky Point location, or a Bahama Breeze closing date for that matter. A representative with Darden could not be reached. – Colin Wolf

FOOD EVENTS

Tampa Filipino restaurant Lucky Tigre celebrates fourth anniversary with lumpia eating contest 

Tampa restaurant Lucky Tigre has lived a lot of lives in its short four years. Born as Good Fortune Baby during the height of the pandemic, Julie Sainte Michelle Feliciano-Loughlin’s Filipino restaurant then dropped dumplings on doorsteps, then moved into the South Howard neighborhood, and later West Tampa. The spot at 1901 N Howard Ave. is settling into its now air-conditioned digs and really kicking into high gear, bolstered by multiple accolades and even an invitation to participate in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ chef series.  – Annalise Mabe

Tampa Bay Beer Week hosts ‘Halfway There’ fundraiser beer festival this weekend

Across the nation’s media landscape, food & drink writers seem eager to declare the death of craft beer. Some of those bylines actually make a good argument. As Tampa Bay Business Journal reported yesterday, a dozen local breweries have closed over the last year, with just five (including the extremely popular Late Start Brewing) opening in the same time frame “However, the area is still home to just over 100 breweries,” TBBJ added, “which sold a combined 29,000 barrels, or 900,000 gallons, in retail sales last year.” – Ray Roa

Spaddy’s marks 10-year anniversary by roasting Tampa’s favorite golfing coffee roaster

There’s a lot you could roast Greg Spadaccini about. Like how for 10 years, he’s made his extremely loyal Spaddy’s Coffee customers in Seminole Heights sit outside to enjoy the very good coffee that he’s been making for over a decade. The guy even opened an indoor country club before cooling down that cozy courtyard. And what about that golf game? The 37-year-old claims to be a scratch golfer and is always posting from the course as if he’s some kind of influencer. Someone’s bound to call Spaddy out on that at this roast of the roaster, and maybe rip on his creepy van, or mountain bike skills, too. – Ray Roa

Taste of Pinellas to return in 2027, following 13-year hiatus

It’s been 12 years since Taste of Pinellas last brought thousands to downtown St. Petersburg. But now the beloved food festival is back, sort of. Taste, as it’s often referred to, was a multi-day event with roots in Straub Park. It was last held at Albert Whitted Park in 2014. It had been held for 26 years at the much larger Vinoy Park. Now it’s set to return for one day only on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027 inside Tropicana Field. As part of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital’s 100th anniversary, this year’s event will feature 20-30 restaurants, as well as live music, says a press release.  A “show-stopping” national headliner is supposed to be named later. – Colin Wolf, CL Staff

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This article appears in September 03 – 09, 2026.

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