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Ava restaurant to open in The Heights development in Tampa

 
The Heights project in downtown Tampa is under construction and is scheduled to open next year with apartments, market and restaurants.

Photo courtesy Soho Capital
The Heights project in downtown Tampa is under construction and is scheduled to open next year with apartments, market and restaurants. Photo courtesy Soho Capital
Published Dec. 6, 2016

Ava restaurant will open a second Tampa location next year inside the Heights, a 43-acre redevelopment project around the historic Armature Works building.

Well known for its wood-fired pizza, Ava will serve Italian fare from a pizzeria inside the Heights Public Market, a unique food hall with vendor stalls located inside the Armature Works building. Executive chef Joshua Hernandez has developed a menu of pizzas, salads and paninis made from a 900-degree, Italian-made Acunto oven.

Ava opened in South Tampa in 2014 to much acclaim. The second location will open at the Heights early next year.

"We are thrilled to bring our food to The Heights Public Market," said Michael Stewart, one of the investors behind Ava's expansion. Stewart also manages the restaurants, 717 in Tampa and The Lure in St. Petersburg.

Joe Maddon, manager of the world champion Chicago Cubs baseball team, is another investor behind Ava.

"Working with SoHo Capital gives us the opportunity to expand our customer base and to connect to the fast-growing north end of downtown Tampa," Stewart said in a statement.

Read More: The Heights project in Tampa to open next year with apartments, market and restaurants

Last month Atlantic Beer & Oyster restaurant announced it would open a restaurant at the Heights, outside near the Armature Works building, which is currently being redeveloped into a food hall, event venue and communal office space. The building, which sits at the north end of the Tampa Riverwalk near Water Works Park, is expected to open early next year. Steelbach, a full-line restaurant operated by BE-1 Concepts, will also open at the Heights.

Read More: Atlantic Beer & Oyster to open as part of the Heights project in Tampa

Soho Capital, a Tampa-based real estate firm, announced plans earlier this year to redevelop 43 acres along the Hillsborough River into a mixed-use town center that will include condominiums, apartments, retail storefronts and a unique food hall. The 73,444-square-foot Armature Works building was once a storage facility for Tampa's streetcars.

Read More: The Heights Market concept will be the first of its kind in Tampa Bay

Besides Ava, vendors inside the Heights Public Market include Ichicoro Ramen, Union by Commune + Co, Tailored Twig, Chocolate Pi, Fine and Dandy and Steelbach Ranch. More tenants will be announced before the market opens next year.

Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com. Follow @SunBizGriffin.