Rocca owners evaluating former Little Leon building in South Tampa
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 28, 2023

The owners of one of Tampa's most celebrated restaurants are evaluating a property on Henderson Boulevard to see if it could work for a new concept.

The partnership behind Rocca Tampa, an Italian restaurant in Tampa Heights, purchased the former Little Leon building for $1.15 million in early 2023, Hillsborough County property records show. The building is 2,150 square feet and was built in 1951.

Rocca's chefs have ideas for other concepts, partner Jack Murray III told the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and his group is evaluating the building to see what would be possible there. The concept under consideration would be a sit-down restaurant, and architects are working to determine how many seats the space could hold.

Little Leon, which served salads, grain bowls and homemade dressings, was open for about two years. It opened at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic and closed in late 2022.

In 2022, Rocca received a Bib Gourmand award from Michelin Guide. Its menu changes seasonally, and it is best known for its tableside mozzarella making as well as housemade pasta.