Restaurant scene sees wave of new venues in St. Pete
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 17, 2022

Several new restaurants are coming to St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach.

In downtown St. Pete, two companies with a history of success are once again bringing unique venues to the city. Crafty Hospitality is expanding its real estate investments in the Jannus Block of downtown. Hunger Thirst Group is adding another restaurant to its lineup as it prepares to open a new venue in the ground floor of Station House.

A renovation of a shopping center in St. Pete Beach has led to a wave of new tenants, the most recent of which includes a new restaurant for the area.

Where’s Jubes

Josh Cameron, owner of Crafty Hospitality, opened an Australian brewpub in downtown St. Petersburg on Central Avenue.

The soft opening of the 1,600-square-foot restaurant was on June 7 and the formal grand opening reception was held on June 15. This is the third venue the company now owns on the block. Crafty Hospitality also owns and operates Crafty Squirrel and The Oyster Bar.

Cameron said the name of the restaurant came from a nickname he received from his staff. The restaurant is currently open and serves draft beers and craft cocktails. Two more phases are planned. The second phase will feature Aussie-inspired beers and the third phase will bring food to the brewpub.

Cameron is an Australian restaurateur and has partnered with Australian brewer Brian Watson to create beers themed after their home. Watson is the creator of the SmartBrew System, which creates the high gravity wort used to make beer. Where’s Jubes will feature beers like Koolanooka Red Lager, Cocklebiddy Porter and Pleasure Point Light Pale Ale, according to the website.

The company hired PJ Callaghan Construction to restore the building. It used to be home to Lucky Dill Deli and is approximately 100-years-old. Cameron describes the interior of Where's Jubes as "a modern, industrial buildout but with the warmth of Boston’s Cheers."

Good Fortune

Hunger Thirst Group — the company behind Park & Rec, Ballpark & Rec, The Avenue, No Vacancy and Dirty Laundry — is opening a new Asian fusion restaurant in Station House.

The 6,000-square-foot restaurant is coming to the ground floor of Station House in downtown St. Pete and will include a 12-person sushi bar, a 14-seat bar and cocktail lounge with a private karaoke room, dining tables and an outdoor patio.

The restaurant will have a variety of Asian dishes and cocktails, but will be “sushi-forward.”

“I’m enjoying revitalizing the space to bring my vision alive,” founder and CEO Stephen Schrutt said about the restaurant. “Since the pandemic, there hasn't been a restaurant on the ground floor [of Station House] and I look forward to us catering a lot of those events and collaborating with the Station House team for art and fashion shows, weddings, as well as other events. I see a lot of great synergy and opportunity.”

Indian Bistro

Indian Bistro, formerly known as Deeya Indian Cuisine, is expanding from Clearwater to St. Pete Beach.

The restaurant signed a lease for a 1,200-square-foot space at St. Pete Beach’s Dolphin Village between St. Pete Elite Carts — which opened earlier this year — and Dolphin Village Liquors. The shopping center, located at 4655 Gulf Blvd., is undergoing a wave of renovations and has seen several new tenants sign in the last few months.

Indian Bistro features a variety of options including tikka masala, dal makhani and biryani. The restaurant expects to open mid-July to early August.