Walk east from almost any block in Parkland Estates and you end up on South Howard Avenue within ten minutes, whether you're headed to dinner, a drink, or just to see what's still standing from last year. That walk has looked different every few months in 2026, and if you've been paying attention to which door goes where, you've probably noticed the same name keeps showing up on the paperwork.
Three Openings, One Operator
SoHo Saloon ran at 410 South Howard Avenue for fourteen years before closing abruptly in March. By May 11, the space had reopened as Good Luck Chuck's, a retro bar built around 1970s, 80s and 90s music rather than the late-night club format the address had carried for over a decade. Two months later, on July 23, a second address a few doors down opened as Howard & Platt, a restaurant and cocktail bar with sushi, smashburgers, steaks and a brunch menu that includes a crab cake benedict.
Both spots trace back to Disser Hospitality, the same group that opened Sunset Rodeo next door to Howard & Platt in 2025. That's three addresses on one short stretch of the avenue, all under one operator, all turned over or opened within about sixteen months. The properties involved:
- 410 S Howard Ave: SoHo Saloon (closed March 2026) to Good Luck Chuck's (opened May 11, 2026)
- 301 S Howard Ave: long-vacant TC Choy's building to Howard & Platt (opened July 23, 2026)
- Sunset Rodeo, opened 2025, sits next to Howard & Platt under the same ownership
Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reported that Disser saw the earlier format as concentrated into two late-night windows each week, and that the new concept centers on structured programming and themed entertainment meant to fill a more consistent, weeklong schedule. Together with Howard & Platt and Sunset Rodeo, that puts three Disser concepts on the same short stretch of the avenue.
The Outlier Who Drove Two Miles To Get Here
Not everything moving onto the strip belongs to Disser. Renzo's Steakhouse, an Argentinian restaurant that had operated on West Kennedy Boulevard, opened its new South Howard location on June 12 at 122 S Howard Ave, less than two miles from its old address. The move took the restaurant into a 3,735-square-foot space, up from its previous footprint, in what had been the Avenue Blu location.
Renzo's relocation matters because it shows South Howard pulling in outside investment on its own terms, not just recycling the same operator across adjacent storefronts. An established restaurant chose to leave a working location for a bigger one on this specific street, which says something about foot traffic and rent economics that a single Disser opening wouldn't tell you on its own.
The Corner Still Waiting On A Parking Answer
The most complicated story on the strip involves a lot that isn't finished yet. The original Fresh Kitchen at 1350 S Howard Ave burned in a fire in July 2024 and was later demolished. The 0.08-acre parcel sold for $425,000 in September 2025, and Joe & The Juice, a Denmark-based chain with more than 360 locations worldwide, is now working through rezoning to build its first Tampa location there, with a planned 2027 debut.
The holdup isn't the concept. It's the same problem that constrained Fresh Kitchen when it operated the lot originally: the parcel is small, and on-site parking capacity is limited regardless of what goes into the building. Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reported that parking, not concept, is the central issue working through approval. Meanwhile, Fresh Kitchen itself isn't rebuilding on the same footprint. It's opening a new flagship a mile and a half north at 1719 W Kennedy Blvd, in the former Ducky's Sports Lounge space, at more than 4,000 square feet, making it the chain's largest location. Given the choice between rebuilding small on a familiar corner or building big somewhere else, Fresh Kitchen chose bigger and left the corner behind entirely.
What The Walk Actually Looks Like Now
None of this erased what was already working on South Howard. Bulla Gastrobar is still serving tapas and sangria. MacDinton's Irish Pub is still there for live music. Bern's Steakhouse, the 1920s-era institution with the multi-month reservation wait, hasn't gone anywhere. Green Lemon still has its regulars. What changed is what sits between those anchors: a nightclub became a themed music bar, a vacant building became a global-menu restaurant and cocktail spot, and a steakhouse doubled its footprint two miles closer to Parkland Estates.
The turnover isn't confined to restaurants and bars, either. A few blocks north, on the edge of the same walking loop toward Hyde Park Village, Ralph Lauren opened a 2,300-square-foot boutique at 1609 W Snow Ave on July 28, its only full-line store in the Tampa Bay area, filling a space that had sat vacant for more than a year after the Wine Exchange closed. Retail and restaurant turnover are happening on parallel tracks in the same half-mile radius that Parkland Estates residents already walk.
The Walk Itself Hasn't Changed
What has changed is what's behind each door and who owns it. One operator is now shaping the identity of a specific stretch of South Howard with three concepts built around music and food. An outside restaurant chose to move in and get bigger rather than stay put. A small lot at 1350 S Howard Ave is working through rezoning for a Danish chain's first Tampa location, while Fresh Kitchen builds a larger flagship a mile and a half north. None of that shows up if you're just scrolling listings for what's "new in South Tampa." It shows up if you've walked the block enough times to notice which name keeps appearing on the permits. The distance from Parkland Estates to Howard Avenue is still a five-minute walk, whichever door you're headed toward this month.
If you want more of what we're seeing change block by block in Parkland Estates and the rest of South Tampa, reach out to The Warneke Group. We track this stuff because we live here too.
