French brasserie coming to Water Street Tampa
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 22, 2021

A French restaurant concept has signed a lease for a large street-level retail space in Water Street Tampa.

The restaurant, Boulon Brasserie, will occupy 7,097 square feet on the ground floor of office tower Thousand & One, which sits along Channelside Drive near Amalie Arena. It joins Naked Farmer, a fast-casual, health-focused restaurant, on Thousand & One's first floor.

Boulon Brasserie will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner when it opens in summer 2022, according to a news release from Next Level Brands. The Tampa-based restaurant company was formed in 2020; it is also the parent company of Union New American, a full-service restaurant under construction in the city's Westshore business district.

Restaurateur Jef Gigante, real estate executive Andrew Wright and attorney Joseph Guggino are partners in Next Level Brands.

"Our vision of immersive dining is the perfect complement to the experiential nature of Water Street Tampa," Gigante said in a statement.

Dining experiences are a major focus for Strategic Property Partners, the developer of Water Street. SPP is controlled by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment LLC, the investment fund of Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates.

Food and beverage concepts will occupy 60 percent of the retail space in Water Street's first phase — and that doesn't include GreenWise Market, the specialty grocer store from Publix Super Markets Inc. that sits at the corner of Channelside and Beneficial drives. SPP has recently announced deals with Tampa-based Cru Hospitality for a new sports bar and wine shop. Restaurateur and Ocean Prime proprietor Cameron Mitchell will open the first Florida location of The Pearl in Water Street, and Wagamama, an Asian fusion restaurant with locations in Boston and New York, will also open its first Florida location in Water Street.