Forbici Opening Second Location In Sundial: St. Pete Restaurant News

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Here's the latest restaurant and bar news in St. Petersburg area:

Playa Bowls Opens in St. Pete Beach

Franchise owners and brothers, Ethan and Jacob McGowan, have opened a Playa Bowls superfruit bowl shop in St. Pete Beach, according to a news release.

The new location opened Saturday at 4655 Gulf Blvd. in the Dolphin Village Shopping Center.

The brand specializes in bowls such as acai and pitaya, oatmeal, chia, smoothies, juices, cold brew, and more.

The brothers plan to open a second Playa Bowls location in Sarasota later this year.

“As New Jersey natives, we have been fans of Playa Bowls’ superfruit bowls and smoothies for years now,” said the McGowans. “When we moved to Florida, we knew the people of St. Pete Beach would embrace Playa Bowls as a fresh, healthy dining option for the community. As business partners and brothers, we’re fortunate to be able to bring a brand we feel personally passionate about and introduce it to our neighbors in Florida.”

Tampa Bay Drinkery Planned for Grand Central District

An upscale, late-night cocktail lounge, Tampa Bay Drinkery, is planned for the Grand Central District. It’s expected to open in about two months at 2756 Central Ave.

The concept comes from Wellington Moto, part of Grumpy Gringo Liquors management team, according to St. Pete Rising.

The bar will be open daily from noon to 2:30 a.m. It will also feature a piano player taking requests on weeknights and a three-piece band and jukebox for the weekends.

Nash’s Hot Chicken Temporarily Closes

The Nash’s Hot Chicken on Central Avenue in the Edge District temporarily closed its doors in mid-June.

The eatery’s owners told St. Pete Catalyst that it’s rebranding and will open in a larger location within 60 days of closing its original space.

Kahwa Opening in Coquina Key

Coquina Key will welcome local coffee brand Kahwa Thursday when the company’s newest location opens at 400 45th Ave. S., I Love the Burg reported.

This will be the St. Pete-based company’s 17th location in the Tampa Bay area.

The Coquina Key location will celebrate its grand opening Aug. 15 with a ribbon cutting.

Caddy's Gulfport, St. Pete Beach Abruptly Close Their Doors

Caddy’s Gulfport location at 3128 Beach Blvd. S. has closed its doors for good, according to signs posted outside the restaurant July 6 night, Patch previously reported.

“Caddy’s Gulfport has closed. It has been a pleasure serving the Gulfport community,” the signs read. “Please visit us at our other Caddy’s locations: Bradenton, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, John’s Pass and Indian Shores.”

The brand’s St. Pete Beach location wasn’t mentioned in that statement and was removed from the Caddy’s website.

An employee with the company confirmed to Creative Loafing that this location also closed.

Forbici Moving into Sundial

Forbici Modern Italian is moving into The Sundial mixed-use development in downtown St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported.

It will open in the 7,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Locale Market.

Locale, a gourmet market, closed in January 2020 and a food hall concept was initially slated to take over the space, Patch previously reported.

The restaurant’s original location is in Tampa’s Hyde Park village and sells Roman-style pizza and house-made pasta.

Forbici was created by Next Level Brands, which is led by Jeff Gigante, co-founder of the Ciccio Restaurant Group, according to Forbici’s website.