Bacon Bitch closes in St. Pete, Tampa gets a new sandwich spot, and more local food news

Openings

Gateway Subs A new up-and-comer in St. Pete's sandwich scene has just crossed the bridge to Tampa. Gateway Subs recently debuted its first Tampa location inside of downtown’s Duckweed Urban Grocery at 803 N Tampa St. The popular, ever-expanding local brand offers a variety of both classic sandwiches (spicyItalians, tuna salad, turkey and bacon), as well as a few unique "Gateway Original" options. A few of these sammies include the "Cool Ranch Rider" with buffalo chicken breast, bacon, hot peppers and crushed Doritos and "Da Beast," with roast beef, mayo, Swiss cheese, onions, banana peppers and horseradish aioli. Wraps and salads are also on the Gateway menu. Gateway Subs also offers an exclusive "sandwich of the month" offering, although it's still unsure what June's special will be. Tampa’s newly-opened outpost marks Gateway Subs’ fourth Tampa Bay store, with other stores in Historic Kenwood, Pasadena and on 4th Street North in St. Pete. Owners Grant Strayer, Brandon Ruditz, and Morgan Zook opened their first location in 2021 with a goal of "bringing transparency and quality back to the restaurant industry," according to Gateway's website. 803 N Tampa St., Tampa. gatewaysubs.com

Closings

Bacon Bitch A popular brunch restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg (with a somewhat contentious reputation) recently closed its doors. After about 4 years at Bodega's former location at 1122 Central Ave., Bacon Bitch has closed. “Sad to inform you that this location has closed. Bacon Bitch locations continue in Orlando (UCF), South Beach (Miami Beach) and Bayside (downtown Miami),” a sign on Bacon Bitch’s closed doors read. “We are sorry about the short notice and we will miss St. Pete. Best Wishes!” While it's not exactly sure what day Bacon Bitch closed its doors, it seemed to have quietly shuttered sometime within the past two weeks. Although Bacon Bitch is still listed as "open" on Google with its normal hours, all signs of its St. Pete location has been taken off of its website. The abrupt closure has not yet been addressed on any of the restaurant’s social media pages either. St. Pete’s Bacon Bitch location made its debut in the fall of 2020. It was known for its menu of breakfast sandwiches, avocado toasts, salads, burgers, BLTs, plus champagne, beer, wine, daytime cocktails and sangrias for its “thirsty bitches.” While some were captivated by its quirky and “bitchy” service, neon signs and straightforward brunch options, others detested the Miami-based business for animal abuse allegations that date back to 2017. 1122 Central Ave., St. Pete. baconbitch.com

Events

Uncharted Ales Tour Tampa’s Brew Bus, which is perhaps the ultimate designated driver, promises guests of its upcoming “Uncharted Ales Tour” that they’ll experience “all the best breweries off the beaten path.” Pinellas County’s Gulfport Brewery + Eatery, Mastry’s Brewing Company, and Bayboro Brewing Company are all stops on June’s Uncharted Ales Tour, a monthly beer tour that Brew Bus hosts in efforts to showcase smaller, more in-the-cut breweries throughout the greater Bay area. “This tour focuses on breweries that you wouldn’t necessarily see or visit in your everyday travels, but still offer some of the best beer in the Tampa Bay area,” Brew Bus writes about the June installation of its monthly Uncharted Ales Tour. The cost of a ticket includes a round trip shuttle service from Cigar City Brewery’s Tampa taproom, at least an hour at each brewery stop, waters and koozies for each attendee. Brew Bus’ Uncharted Ales Tour happens on Sunday, June 2 from noon-4 p.m., starting at Cigar City Brewing at 3924 W Spruce St. in Tampa. Tickets cost $40 per person and can be purchased by calling (813) 990-7310. brewbususa.com [event-2] Meet the Chefs Every summer, Creative Loafing hosts Meet the Chefs as a kicking off party for Tampa Bay Restaurant Week, and 2024’s rendition is right around the corner. A cocktail-style sampling event, guests can indulge in small bites and beverages from a variety of participating restaurants and bars and also get a chance to chat with popular Bay area chefs (when you’re done chewing, of course.) Meet the Chefs returns to downtown Tampa’s The Vault (611 N Franklin St.) on Thursday, June 6 from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. While the entire lineup of participating restaurants, bars and brands have yet to be released, a few local eateries you can expect at Meet the Chefs this year include: Caracara, The Tides Seafood Market, Birch and Vine, Bright Ice, The Brisket Shoppe, Gin Joint, Melting Pot Social, The Brinehouse, Sea Salt and Good Intentions. Meet the Chefs (and Creative Loafing’s annual “Food Issue”) helps kick off Tampa Restaurant Week every summer, which runs from June 13-23 this year. Dozens of restaurants on both sides of the Bay are participating in festivities by offering an exclusive “Restaurant Week” prix fixe menus and/or cocktail specials. meetthechefstampabay.com [event-1] Cody’s 30th Anniversary Tour Cody’s Original Roadhouse, a popular Florida-based steakhouse chain, has been dishing out fried cheese logs and buffalo shrimp for three decades now. All Tampa Bay Cody's locations ( Bay Pines, Bradenton and Tarpon Springs) celebrate with a huge birthday party on Tuesday, June 4 with live music, specials, and other festivities in tow. Cody’s Original Roadhouse will also offer discounted food and drink specials all next week, too. codysoriginalroadhouse.com

ICYMI

Gulfport's Golden Dinosaurs gears up for annual ‘Chick-Fil-Nay’ Pride month fundraiser Each June, Gulfport’s resident vegan eatery Golden Dinosaurs begs the question: “Do you love fried chicken sandwiches and hate homophobes?” To celebrate Pride month every summer, Golden Dinosaurs offers its Chick-Fil-Nay sandwich all month-long, a plant-based take on a popular dish from a particular chicken chain with Conservative Christian roots. The sammie features housemade seitan fried “chicken” between two brioche buns with pickles, a riff on Chick-Fil-A sauce that has “notes of honey mustard and a smoky tang,” and the option to add cheese. At the end of the month, a dollar from every Chick-Fil-Nay sandwich sold is donated to Metro Inclusive Health, a St. Pete-based not-for-profit healthcare organization that offers LGBTQ+-friendly medical services. Besides obviously valuing an ethically-vegan approach to food, Golden Dinosaurs is one of the many small businesses in Pinellas County that spend Pride month—and the 11 other months of the year—proudly supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Golden Dinosaurs owners Audrey and Brian Dingeman have held their Pride month fundraiser for the past few years, and have been able to give about a thousand bucks to Metro Inclusive Health every summer. The choice to make a plant-based chicken sandwich the center of its Pride fundraiser was to oppose what many LGBTQ+ activists over the years have considered blatant homophobia from Atlanta-based chicken chain Chick-Fil-A.

Amidst the temporary closure of its Ybor City storefront, Nana’s Restaurant & Juice Bar has been hosting plant-based pop-ups throughout Tampa Bay. It pops up at Brandon’s Vine Vegan (2080 Badlands Dr.) on Sunday, June 2 with its beloved bang bang broccoli and lentil meatloaf. Nana’s will also be dishing walnut-based empanadas, mac and cheese, cornbread and more from 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Globally-inspired bistro and bar Tropez recently announced the immediate closure of its downtown St. Pete restaurant at 437 Central Ave. “It is with a heavy heart that we have to confirm the rumors you have heard about us closing. This was a very difficult decision that came about due to the constant rise in supply cost, competitive wages, the loss of foot traffic on Central Ave , the construction, while paired with minimal parking,” Tropez's ownership wrote on social media earlier this week. “We want to thank all of you for the memories over the years and look forward to seeing you when you stop in for a visit at Little Philly in Grand Central.” Tropez opened its downtown St. Pete brick and mortar in 2019 and was known for its spread of eclectic small plates and weekend brunch offerings.

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