Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's first new restaurant in nearly a decade, the roughly 200-seat flagship of the Central Hotel (Marriott Autograph Collection) in St. Pete's EDGE District. Zakarian Hospitality will also run food and beverage across the hotel and the Halcyon office tower.
InsideThe CentralTimeline
Expected opening2027
AnnouncedNov 9, 2026
Geoffrey Zakarian named to run the Central Hotel flagship restaurant, targeting about September 2027.
ilovetheburg.comMore openings in Tampa Bay
LumbreJuly 15, 2026Spanish · North Hyde Park, Tampa · Tastes Pretty GoodNareeAugust 2026Thai kaiseki tasting menu · Downtown, Tampa · Chef Ebbe Vollmer and Naree Boonyakiat (Ebbe)V Modern ItalianOctober 8, 2026Modern Italian · North Hyde Park, Tampa · Fast Fine Restaurant GroupMarcelSeptember 11, 2026European bistro, French-influenced · Historic Uptown, St. Petersburg · Jeremy DuclutTommy's ChophouseAugust 2026Steakhouse · Ybor City, Tampa · Fudi Group (Kenneth Emery)Lolita's Coastal CocinaSeptember 2026Coastal Mexican · Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Beach · Opal Collection · Opal SolHoward & PlattJuly 24, 2026Elevated American, cocktails, weekend brunch · SoHo (South Howard), Tampa · Disser Hospitality (Michael Disser)Nagi by Soho SushiNovember 2, 2026Japanese, tableside sushi, sake and whisky bar · Downtown, Tampa · Soho Sushi (managing partner Dave Burton)
See every opening in the markets we cover, from first report to first service.
Restaurant openings