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10 Tampa Bay restaurants that are now selling groceries and pantry items

These Tampa Bay restaurants are doing double-duty as grocery stores during the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Cru Cellars is selling pantry staples and grocery items along with wines and food to-go.
Cru Cellars is selling pantry staples and grocery items along with wines and food to-go. [ Courtesy of Cru Cellars ]
Published April 7, 2020|Updated April 7, 2020

When Urban Brew and BBQ owner Andy Salyards was forced to shut down his St. Petersburg restaurant, he knew he had to retool his business plan. Now, in addition to offering his Southern-leaning menu to-go, the restaurant is doing double duty as a grocery store, selling anything from toilet paper and cleaning supplies to ground beef and chicken thighs to a growing list of regulars.

As Tampa Bay shoppers become increasingly wary of crowded grocery stores, restaurants still grappling with the loss of dine-in business are jumping into the grocery store game to stay afloat. From spots offering gourmet spreads and homemade pastas to cleaning supplies and produce, here are 10 local restaurants now selling grocery and pantry items.

Bay Star Restaurant Group

Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores is offering curb- and dockside pickup of grocery and pantry items.
Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores is offering curb- and dockside pickup of grocery and pantry items. [ SCOTT KEELER | Tampa Bay Times ]

Several restaurants in the local group are now selling fresh fish and seafood, steaks, produce and select household items from a new grocery concept coined Fresh Market. Customers can order food items to-go by calling the restaurants and then opting for either curbside or dockside pickup or delivery, within a certain area. At Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores and Island Way Grill, Rumba Bar & Grill and Seaweed in Clearwater, customers can shop at the markets inside the restaurant or call in and have an employee put together a grocery order for pickup.

On the list: Oranges, avocados, fresh fish and seafood, hand-cut steaks, bleach, disinfectant and toilet paper.

Multiple locations. baystarrestaurantgroup.com/curbside-pick-up-delivery.

Cru Cellars

Along with a streamlined to-go menu (giant charcuterie boards, bucatini carbonara and steak frites) and wine survival kits (12-bottle packs of house wines selected by Cru staff), the Palma Ceia wine merchant and restaurant now offers an easy online ordering system for pantry and grocery items, the proceeds of which go toward helping to provide free groceries for the store’s staff. Each “Build Your Own Kit” grocery bag includes one roll of toilet paper, a daily baked dessert for two and a Cru snack pack featuring cheese, charcuterie and fixings.

On the list: Homemade brownies, eggs, pretzel buns, chicken, eggs and bleach.

2506 S MacDill Ave., Tampa. (813) 831-1117. toasttab.com/cru-cellars-palma-ceia.

Related: Is the takeout model working for local restaurants? It depends.

Da Sesto Italian Restaurant

The Pinellas Park restaurant is selling its full Italian menu to-go, as well as pantry items that range from fresh pasta and sauces to Italian cookies, vinyl gloves and bottles of olive oil. Diners can order online or by phone and decide between curbside pickup or delivery, which helps the restaurant’s out-of-work servers earn extra cash.

On the list: Fresh pastas and homemade sauces, Italian bread, racks of lamb, meatballs, balsamic vinegar and vinyl gloves. Also available are Italian wines by the bottle, beer and cocktails to-go, including the “Quarantini” made with limoncello, triple sec, vodka and elderflower liqueur.

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7201 66th St. N, Pinellas Park. (727) 209-2695. order.dasesto.com.

The Epicurean Hotel

The Epicurean Hotel in Tampa is now selling gourmet pantry staples and groceries to-go.
The Epicurean Hotel in Tampa is now selling gourmet pantry staples and groceries to-go. [ Courtesy of Pezz Photo ]

From Tuesdays through Sundays, the South Tampa Hotel offers curbside pickup from a retooled market featuring a long list of gourmet pantry items including smoked fish dip and shawarma spices, caramelized onions and shelf staples like pasta, rice and beans. A selection of dairy products includes cheddar cheese, milk and eggs. The market also stocks hard-to-find essentials like paper towels and toilet paper. A daily list of available items is posted on the hotel’s website, and customers can call in their order and pick up the bags curbside.

On the list: Smoked fish dip, Delmonico steaks, seasoned chicken wings, baba ganoush, cavatelli pasta and bolognese sauce. Cocktails-at-home kits (Bayshore Gimlets and Epic Mai Tais) feature liquors and fixings for 20 cocktails you can make at home.

1207 S Howard Ave., Tampa. (813) 999-8700. epicureanhotel.com/gourmetmarket.

California Pizza Kitchen

The national chain’s new CPK Market is selling groceries and meal kits to-go from its International Plaza location in Tampa. Meal kits include a make-your-own cheese or pepperoni pizza kit, lettuce wraps and taco boxes, while a long list of general pantry items includes everything from meat products and dairy to produce and pasta. Shoppers can order online for home delivery or fill out a pantry checklist and pay curbside.

On the list: Make-your-own pizza and taco kits, milk, cranberry and apple juice, ribeye steak, salmon, Italian chicken sausage, key lime pie and red velvet cake.

2223 N West Shore Blvd., Tampa. (813) 353-8155. cpk.com/Event/Index/CPKMarket.

Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill

The Tarpon Springs waterfront restaurant is offering curbside and dockside takeout Tuesdays through Sundays, including dishes from an abbreviated menu (crab cakes, tuna poke and fried Brussels sprouts) and a pantry list of meats, seafood, produce and dairy. A selection of 32-ounce batched cocktails to-go includes sangria and margaritas. Shoppers can view the menu online and order directly by phone at (727) 934-4047 or by texting their orders to (727) 270-5925 before picking up within the hour.

On the list: Lemons, limes, shiitake mushrooms, heavy cream, crab cakes, smoked mahi spread, pork tenderloins and key lime pie pints.

937 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs. (727) 934-4047. rustybellies.com.

Related: Tampa Bay restaurants try to adapt to an unprecedented crisis

4 Rivers Smokehouse

Along with a selection of their barbecue standbys (brisket sandwiches, pulled pork dinners), the Carrollwood and South Tampa locations of the Florida chain are selling grocery and hard-to-find household items like paper towels and toilet paper for drive-through pickup Mondays through Saturdays. Customers can order online, through the 4 Rivers app or by phone.

On the list: Paper towels, disposable plates, toilet paper, ground beef, half chickens, black beans, milk and spaghetti.

623 S MacDill Ave., Tampa, toll-free 1-844-474-8377; 14330 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, toll-free 1-844-474-8377. 4rsmokehouse.com.

The Social NPR

In addition to a limited to-go menu (flatbreads, mac and cheese fritters, short-rib tacos), the New Port Richey gastropub is selling a selection of grocery and pantry items, from hot dog buns and taco shells to 20-ounce bagged cocktails. Grocery orders can be made by calling in and picking up between noon and 8 pm. Tuesdays though Sundays.

On the list: Pineapples, apple juice, ground beef, hot dogs and buns, American cheese, tortilla shells, toilet paper, white bread and bottled water.

5650 Main St., New Port Richey. (727) 834-8137. thesocialnpr.com.

West Ybor Barterhouse

West Ybor Barterhouse.
West Ybor Barterhouse. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

The trendy Ybor restaurant is selling $35 meal kits to-go that feature a selection of three choices of proteins: chicken, pork or beef. The kits serve two people and include all the accoutrements that would have accompanied the dish in the restaurant, like potatoes or broccoli and a chimichurri or romesco sauce. Diners can place orders by phone and can also order pantry items — eggs, bacon, milk and other staples — if those orders are placed 48 hours in advance.

On the list: Chicken, pork and beef meal-kits, eggs, bacon and milk.

1811 N 15th St., Tampa. (813) 542-1710. barterhouseybor.com.

Urban Brew and BBQ

The St. Petersburg restaurant offers groceries daily though curbside pickup and delivery. To order from the grocery list, customers must first email the owner at andy@urbanrestaurantsgroup.com to get placed on a daily newsletter, which updates customers on what items are available that day, from strawberries and sweet potatoes to chicken nuggets and pantry staples like flour and sugar. Customers that opt for home delivery help employ servers from the restaurant. Once the order is delivered, customers can tip the server directly through their personal Venmo accounts.

On the list: Strawberries, squash, sweet potatoes, ground beef, pork butts, brisket and chicken nuggets.

2601 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. (727) 623-9823. urbanbrewandbbq.com.