Tastes Pretty Good, the hospitality group behind Michelin-starred Rocca, opened its newest restaurant on July 15. It isn't on South Howard or in Hyde Park Village. It's on North Rome Avenue, inside the Rome Collective development. Two weeks later, Ralph Lauren opened a store on West Snow Avenue in the Village. Over the summer, several South Howard storefronts reopened under new names.
These three changes landed within a few weeks of each other, and they point in different directions. The newest chef-driven dining is collecting along North Rome. The Village is adding national lifestyle brands. SoHo is turning over the addresses it already has. If you live here, your next new dinner spot and your next new store are probably on different blocks.
North Rome Avenue is where the new dinner reservations are
Lumbre sits at 220 N. Rome Ave. Executive Chef and Co-Founder Nick Orr runs the kitchen. He previously led the kitchen at Rocca, and Bryce Bonsack, Culinary Director at Tastes Pretty Good, called him his first hire, according to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. The menu has four sections: cheese and charcuterie, bocados, entrantes, and platos principales. It covers wood-fired grilling, traditional paella, seafood tapas, imported cheeses and hams, and a full bar with Spanish wines, cider and sangria. When it opened, Lumbre served dinner only. Hours were 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with reservations through OpenTable.
V Modern Italian is next door at 202 N. Rome Ave. In July it was aiming to open in September, and that month came and went. As of today, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports the restaurant will open later this week. The menu runs to pasta, pizza and wood-fired mains. Check the restaurant's own channels before you book a table for this weekend.
Kingfish is the next one in line. It's a full-service Japanese restaurant and sushi bar planned for 1706 W. North B St. at Rome Collective, with a target of the first quarter of 2027.
Not every North Rome restaurant has lasted. Rome + Fig, a globally inspired bistro at 301 N. Rome Ave., served its last meal on June 28. Still, by early next year this stretch should have Spanish, Italian and Japanese dining rooms within the same development.
Hyde Park Village is filling up with national lifestyle brands
The Village's 2026 additions are recognizable names, and they are clustering on the same few storefronts along West Snow Avenue.
- Ralph Lauren, 1609 W. Snow Ave., opened July 28. It carries the women's collection, men's Purple Label and Polo Ralph Lauren.
- LoveShackFancy, 1619 W. Snow Ave., a fashion and lifestyle boutique, was announced for a July 10 opening. Tampa Magazine's September roundup listed it as open.
- Rifle Paper Co., the stationery, home and gifts brand, has an announced address of 714 S. Village Circle. A Village job posting for the store says it plans to open in Fall 2026.
- Hill House Home, the lifestyle brand known for its Nap Dress, is also listed as coming soon. In late June it said it was aiming for this fall, without an official opening date.
Rifle Paper Co. and Hill House Home both still show "coming soon" on the Village's tenant pages, and neither has given an opening day. Expect at least one of them to open during the stretch covered by the calendar below, but don't count on a specific weekend.
All four are national names with established followings. The restaurants on North Rome rely on chef reputation. The Village's draw is brand recognition, plus a full calendar of events at Village Circle.
South Howard is giving familiar addresses new names
Most of SoHo's 2026 news sits at addresses longtime residents already know.
| Address | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| 901 S. Howard Ave. | Daily Eats | Meeting House, a new-age American diner |
| 410 S. Howard Ave. | SoHo Saloon | Good Luck Chuck's, a retro music bar |
| 1350 S. Howard Ave. | Fresh Kitchen | Joe & The Juice, planned for 2027 |
| 301 S. Howard Ave. | Howard & Platt, opened July 23 |
Daily Eats closed temporarily on June 15 to rebrand. It had reopened as Meeting House by Aug. 20, serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Good Luck Chuck's took over the former SoHo Saloon space and opened in late May. It plays music from the 1970s through the 1990s and has a food menu. Joe & The Juice plans to open a juice, coffee and sandwich café on the former Fresh Kitchen site in 2027. The project was reported to need rezoning, so treat that timeline as tentative.
Howard & Platt is the one SoHo opening this summer that wasn't a rebrand of a familiar spot. It's a globally inspired restaurant and cocktail bar at 301 S. Howard Ave. It opened July 23 and serves dinner and brunch.
The Village calendar through the tree lighting
For the next six weeks, the Village's busiest dates come from events rather than store openings, and most of them are at Village Circle.
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 9–11 | Coastal Cowgirls pop-up | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Oct. 10–25 | Pumpkin Patch, Village Circle | Mon–Thu 3 to 6 p.m.; Fri–Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Oct. 14 and 21 | Storytime in the Pumpkin Patch | Read-aloud sessions at the patch |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | STROLL Hyde Park Pet Parade | 9 a.m. to noon, with live music |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Fresh Market | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Holiday Happening | 5:30 to 8 p.m.; tree lighting at 7:45 p.m. |
The Pumpkin Patch hours above are the main scheduling detail. On weekdays the patch doesn't open until 3 p.m., so a morning stop only works Friday through Sunday. Every pumpkin sold supports The Humane Society of Tampa Bay. The Pet Parade lands on the patch's final weekend, so Oct. 24 is likely to be the busiest morning of the month at Village Circle.
Fresh Market is the Village's farmers market, held on the first Sunday of each month all year. The market operator lists 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for October through May and Nov. 1 as the next date. The Village's own event page lists an earlier close and describes more than 80 vendors selling produce, crafts and plants. If you're planning a late visit, go by the operator's hours.
Holiday Happening on Thursday, Nov. 19, has live music, a Nutcracker-inspired performance by The Tampa City Ballet, and a visit from Santa. Janelle Martinez of Great Day Live hosts. Proceeds from the 7:45 p.m. tree lighting benefit The Children's Dream Fund.
Putting the pieces together on a single evening
The three areas fit together easily on one outing. For example, you could visit the Pumpkin Patch on a Friday before it closes at 6 p.m., then head to Lumbre on North Rome once dinner service starts at 5. You could also start brunch at Meeting House on a Saturday and finish with a Snow Avenue stop at Ralph Lauren or LoveShackFancy. By spring, Kingfish and the Village's two remaining coming-soon stores should add to that list. Joe & The Juice will follow if its rezoning clears.
Restaurant hours and opening dates change quickly, especially at places that just opened. Before planning an evening around any spot above, confirm with the restaurant or the Village directly.
At Kristen Arseneau, we follow these block-by-block changes because they shape what daily life on each Hyde Park street feels like. If you're wondering how North Rome's restaurant growth or the Village's new storefronts might affect your plans for a home nearby, Let's Connect.
