St. Pete Food Hall Partially Opens
After five years in development, the five-story Central Park St. Pete food hall has partially opened this week in St. Petersburg, Florida. The new venue aims to provide a wide variety of culinary options to the city.
- The project, located at 551 Central Avenue on the former site of the Dome Grill, has been in development for six years with construction beginning in late 2021. - The initial opening on February 19th is limited to takeout and delivery from two vendors: Palm Avenue Deli and Constellation Burger. A wider soft opening is planned for February 23rd, which will include the health-focused café Strawberry Fields and the Central Bar & Beer Wall. - The 27,700-square-foot venue is operated by Hi Hospitality Group, led by founder Natalia Levey with Culinary Director Chef Hart Lowry. The group is also behind several Sarasota concepts that will have a presence in the new food hall, including Kojo and Palm Avenue Deli. - Ultimately, the five-story building will house 14 distinct concepts. These include a basement cocktail parlor called The Winfield, a full-service modern Asian restaurant named Kojo on the fourth floor, and a members-only social club, Night Owl, on the fifth floor. - Future first-floor vendors will include Don Ricardo's Taqueria, Park Pie pizza, Speaks Pasta, and Kojo Wok for Asian street food. A mezzanine level will feature a dessert café called Meadows and the frozen cocktail bar 27 North. - The project involved an extensive renovation and expansion of the original building, including the excavation of a new basement to house a speakeasy-style cocktail bar.
