13 Tampa Bay Restaurants That Opened This Summer

A lot has changed in the Bay area over the summer, including new restaurants in the Tampa Bay. So we made a list of what opened this summer. Our friends at Creative Loafing made a handy list of the 20 new restaurants that opened over the summer, but we condensed it to the top 13 places you MUST try!

In Tampa Bay, there's so many iconic food spots to visit, but over the summer we witnessed a bunch of new restaurants open in Tampa and St. Pete. This makes deciding where to go out in Tampa a little more difficult. What do you try first? Smash burgers from King of the Coop owner Joe Dodd, or spend some relaxing time in Tampa's first kitten cafe?

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Head to the Seminole Heights food hall for its newest edition: Slide Burgers.

It's a one-of-a-kind experience where you can cuddle with a room FULL of adoptable cats and kittens, while enjoying a caffeinated beverage or sweet snack! All of the cats in the lounge are rescued and adoptable! Make sure you have a reservation before you go!

We love a good sushi spot! And they even have a late night menu!

In case you didn't know, a mochinut is “a combination of American doughnuts and Japanese mochi,” made in a variety of styles and flavors. 

One of the first spots to take over the old MacDintion's St. Pete location. Might be our new go-to seafood spot!

One of Tampa's favorite food trucks finally has it's own dining space!

This long anticipated food hall in St. Pete finally opened in mid-July. St. Pete’s EDGE District, on Central Avenue occupies the first floor of the Fusion 1560 condominium. The space hosts three full-on food concepts—an Italian restaurant, a Cuban sandwich spot and a Colombian-inspired eatery—and houses a 40-seat bar.

A new Australian-centered brewpub, Where’s Jubes serves its in-house brews alongside local favorites on a grill-focused menu. They have some great drink specials too!

A southern Italian inspired spot, Bonu’ Taverna opened in June. Their menu includes a variety of authentic Italian dishes and "Pinsa," a style of pizza we don't see too often.

Okay, so this spot may not be new to Tampa, but it did upgrade its location to Channelside. It even got a new Lightning mural on the side of the building. Making this the perfect pre-game and photo op spot!

Residents of Wesley Chapel are happy they don't have to go all the way to Channelside to enjoy a day shopping and eating in the popular shipping container trend. Krate hosts 55 container concepts, an outdoor stage and play area.

Not long after opening a Tampa Heights coworking and event space, Elevation Coffee Roasters moved to a new Carrollwood location and now shares a space with Flower Crown Kombucha.

An iconic seafood market off Gandy has now expanded to a bar and restaurant.