{"id":265286,"date":"2026-05-10T01:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T01:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/265286\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T01:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T01:10:14","slug":"cousin-vinnys-bringing-its-new-york-style-sandwiches-to-st-petersburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/265286\/","title":{"rendered":"Cousin Vinny\u2019s bringing its New York-style sandwiches to St. Petersburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hungry for more New York-style sandwiches, St. Petersburg? Good news: The wildly popular Tampa sandwich shop Cousin Vinny\u2019s<\/a> is expanding across the bay.<\/p>\n

A second location of Cousin Vinny\u2019s will open at 2063 Central Ave., said chef and co-founder Vinny Andriotti. The Grand Central District space was formerly home to Little Philly, a Philadelphia-inspired sandwich spot.<\/p>\n

Cousin Vinny\u2019s started out as a ghost kitchen in Tampa\u2019s Seminole Heights neighborhood three years ago and quickly rose to popularity. Andriotti and co-founders Russell Leone, AJ DeSimone and Jake Schmidt launched their first brick-and-mortar location on West Cass Street in January 2025. Soon after, the shop landed on the Michelin Guide\u2019s list of \u201crecommended\u201d Florida restaurants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Andriotti said expanding to St. Petersburg was a personal decision for the group. For him, a Long Island kid who was never more than 15 minutes from the beach, thenew shop\u2019s proximity to the sand is a plus. So is the Sunshine City\u2019s community vibe.<\/p>\n

What can St. Petersburg diners expect?<\/p>\n

\u201cJust great food, great hospitality, a true connection to what we\u2019re making and traditions that we grew up on,\u201d Andriotti said, \u201cand sharing them with everybody else, especially a place like St. Pete that values a community and local operator. That\u2019s something that we\u2019d like to be very much a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Cousin Vinny\u2019s has had quite a few people from St. Petersburg make the trip across the bridge for its food, according to Andriotti, in part thanks to the travel-oriented Michelin Guide. When the restaurant posted an Instagram video<\/a> asking its followers where they\u2019d like to see it open next, an influx of comments in favor of St. Pete confirmed the group\u2019s hunch that the city was the right fit for them.<\/p>\n

The creative force behind the menu, Andriotti used what he learned from working in fine-dining kitchens to elevate the traditional Italian-American dishes he grew up with. And fans of Cousin Vinny\u2019s know its lineup of East Coast-inspired sandwiches well \u2014 from chicken cutlet creations served hot on toasted Italian bread, like the signature That Louie (hand-breaded cutlet, house-made pesto aioli, roasted red peppers, mozzarella cheese), to wraps and cold combos layered on Tuscan-style schiacciata bread, a thinner, crispier cousin to focaccia.<\/p>\n

The new Cousin Vinny\u2019s will feature the same menu and counter service format that Tampa has, with the added bonus of both indoor and outdoor seating. If there\u2019s a special running at the Cass Street shop, it\u2019ll get served up in St. Petersburg, too.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg\u2019s location is smaller than the flagship \u2014 1,340 square feet compared to 1,680 \u2014 but the Central Avenue space is taller, which will allow for more storage up top. With the architectural work and design complete, Andriotti said the group now is in the process of collecting bids from contractors.<\/p>\n

The shop will likely open in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what I\u2019m longing for the most is community connection. … It\u2019d be really cool that I could walk across the street and go get some doughnuts, and then go grab a coffee, and then go sit down over here at Trophy Fish,\u201d Andriotti said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much more going around in such a defined area there for us that we can just be much more community based. And that\u2019s ultimately what this is. This is just, we had a dream and we\u2019re having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n

Meet the Food Hub<\/a>, a team of Times journalists dedicated to covering Tampa Bay\u2019s dining scene. You can support our work through our journalism fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Want food news weekly in your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Top 50 Restaurants: Check out our food critic\u2019s list<\/a> of the area\u2019s best spots.<\/p>\n

Follow our updates on the local restaurant landscape on Instagram at @tampabaytimesfood<\/a>.<\/p>\n