Tampa Bay's Best New Restaurant Openings in 2026: What's Open Now

Forbici's new dining room at Sundial still smelled like fresh paint on opening night in June. By its second weekend, the host stand was quoting 45-minute waits for a patio table. That's the rhythm of Tampa Bay's restaurant scene this year: places that were still construction sites in the spring are taking reservations now, and a few that looked like sure things back in April haven't served a single plate yet.

We first ran this list back in the spring. Here's what's actually happened since then — what opened, what slipped, and what closed for good.

Central Park St. Pete Keeps Filling In

The five-story food hall at 551 Central Ave in downtown St. Pete has spent 2026 rolling out one concept at a time instead of opening all at once, and that patience is paying off. Palm Avenue Deli, Constellation Burger, and Kojo have been open since spring, and Don Ricardo's Taqueria joined them this summer with tacos and burritos on homemade flour tortillas.

The fifth-floor members' club Night Owl still doesn't have a confirmed opening date. Neither does the promised pizza-and-pasta counter. A building this size doesn't fill overnight, though, and the concepts that have opened are already pulling a real Friday-night crowd.

Tampa Heights Is Still Waiting on Its Reboot

Back in the spring, the plan for the old Hall on Franklin building at 1701 N. Franklin St was for Uno Mas: Taqueria + Lounge, Hail Mary Social Club, and the retro dance hall Boogie Heights to all open by summer. Summer's come and gone, and none of the three has announced a grand-opening date.

That's not unusual for a $15 million build-out with three concepts sharing one address. Does it sting a little if you've been holding out for mezcal at Uno Mas since April? Sure. But when that stretch of N. Franklin finally opens, it's going to change how people spend a Friday night in Tampa Heights — worth the wait.

Lara Heads Into Year Two

Lara marked its first anniversary in February with free beer from Sky Puppy Brewing and free tacos from Birria Bros — a fitting way to close out a year that saw chef Suzanne Lara turn a 52-seat room on Ybor's Seventh Avenue into one of the hardest reservations in Tampa Bay. About 60 percent of her guests are still locals, not tourists, and that ratio hasn't budged.

Year two brings an expanded dinner menu: more seafood-forward plates, handmade pasta, and Cuban-style pork and beans alongside the Korean drunk eggs and Filipino longanisa hot dogs that made the room's name. A few blocks away, Tampa Bay Brewing Company's Ybor taproom poured its last pint in May after nearly 30 years — proof that this neighborhood keeps turning over even while its newest addition thrives.

Fisk Hasn't Lost a Step

Right next door to Michelin-starred Ebbe at 1202 N. Franklin St, Fisk is still the 18-seat fish bar chef Ebbe Vollmer built it to be, and the Michelin Guide still lists it as Recommended. The $85 set menu still rotates with what's good that week — smoked salmon eclair, crab-grapefruit salad, red snapper, baba au rhum. Eighteen seats means walk-ins still don't go well. Reserve ahead.

Forbici and Olivia: St. Pete's Italian Two-Step

Forbici Modern Italian didn't have an opening date back in the spring. Now it does — it opened June 24 in the old Sea Salt space at 183 2nd Ave N in Sundial, and it opened big: floor-to-ceiling windows, a private dining room, multiple TV-lined bars, and seating for up to 350 across a fully renovated second floor.

It's following the same path Olivia already proved works. Olivia's South Tampa original opened a St. Pete location on the ground floor of the Ascent building back in January, same chef, same house-made pastas, bigger room. Between the two, Hyde Park Italian has all but colonized downtown St. Pete this year. Go on a weeknight if you want either without a wait.

Lumbre Brings Spain to North Hyde Park

The team behind Michelin-starred Rocca didn't stop at one new restaurant this year. Lumbre opened in mid-July inside Rome Collective, the new development along North Rome Avenue, with a menu built around wood-fired grilling, paella, and tapas from chef and co-founder Nick Orr. It's a short walk from Streetlight Taco if you want to make a night of it.

Kingfish, the sushi bar planned for the same development, was supposed to follow in August. That timeline slipped — the latest word from the ownership group points to early 2027 instead. Good things come to those who wait, but don't plan an August dinner around it.

A Few More Worth Watching

The Landon opened in late March in the former 717 South space on Bayshore — one of the most recognizable restaurant addresses in South Tampa, wearing a new name and a new concept.

Cognac, the Parisian bistro from the Bacchus team in downtown St. Pete, has had a mixed first few months. Service draws consistent praise; some diners have flagged small, pricey oysters and a dining room loud enough to make conversation a project. Go for the mussels and the cocktail list, and keep your expectations reasonable on the raw bar.

White Wolf, the Italian pizzeria and market planned for Westshore Boulevard, was supposed to open in May. It's still listed as coming soon with no firm date, and so is Carnivore Club, the wood-fired chef's counter planned for the rooftop above it. A third concept teased for that same rooftop, tentatively called Salon, has no details yet either.

South Tampa also lost a longtime favorite this spring. Haven closed on Howard Avenue after its last service in May. Bern's Steak House is replacing it with Peddler + Potter Oyster House, a raw-bar-focused seafood concept — but that one isn't landing until 2027, so don't hold your breath.

Tampa Bay's dining scene doesn't sit still, and neither should this list. We'll keep updating it as things actually open instead of just getting announced. If you run one of these spots, or any local restaurant that deserves more attention, add your listing to the directory — it's free.

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