On a Tuesday morning in late September, Carlos Carrillo and Adam Hendricks were adding more coats of bright blue paint to the low building at 4815 N Nebraska Ave., Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reported. The roadside sign was already up. It reads "Coco's" in tropical lettering, with "Tampa Made. Cuban Inspired." underneath.
The paint is fresh, but the name has been around for decades. That fits what's happening on this stretch of Seminole Heights in 2026. Nebraska Avenue spent the summer losing businesses that had been there for a decade or more. At the same time, the places opening or getting a second life on Nebraska and Florida avenues are bringing older Tampa names with them.
Four Plans in Nineteen Months at 4815
The corner Coco's is taking over has had a busy run since spring 2025:
- Nebraska Mini-Mart, from Proper House Group, set March 30, 2025 as its last day after more than six years at the address, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
- King of the Coop, Joe Dodd's Nashville-style hot chicken concept, reopened there in mid-April 2025 with a new menu. Creative Loafing reported its Seminole Heights closure on Sept. 11, 2025.
- Nebraska Roadside was announced in June 2026 as a family-oriented food and entertainment concept. Orlando-based Kevin Zepf was behind it, Tampa's Pep Rally Inc. was handling design and branding, and the hope was to open in fall 2026. By early October, the Times reported that the project "never came to pass."
- Coco's: In the Heights is next. Carrillo and Hendricks have been targeting an opening by the end of October.
The concepts that came and went at 4815 were built for this one spot. Coco's comes with a following elsewhere in Tampa.
The Name Coming Up Nebraska
Creative Loafing's report starts with the early-morning lines. Around 4 a.m. on weekdays, workers queue at Coco's Sandwich Shop in Palmetto Beach, and by about 6 a.m. there's a line at Coco's on 40th Street. The outlet calls the brand Carrillo and Hendricks run a "nearly 40-year-old Tampa food scene staple." The Tampa Bay Times says the Seminole Heights spot is the pair's second concept, after Coco's at 40th Street in East Tampa's Jackson Heights. The Times places the 40th Street shop in the same tradition as Brocato's and West Tampa Sandwich Shop.
Seminole Heights is getting a more dressed-up version than the original. Carrillo told the Times his vision for the space is "Havana nights." Here's what's planned, based on both outlets' reporting:
- Sandwiches: The Tampa Cuban, The O.G. Cuban, The Midnight Special medianoche, and a palomilla steak sandwich
- Beyond sandwiches: handmade devil crab, Cuban-style bowls, tacos, loaded tostones, salads, and empanadas, plus beer and wine
- Coffee: cafecito and fresh-ground espresso, which Carrillo says you can order even though they won't be printed on the menu
- Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Carrillo told the Times he'd like to add breakfast in the new year.
- Patio: live music Thursday through Saturday evenings, regulation cornhole, and giant Jenga. The ping-pong table is staying.
The team put about $100,000 into the space, according to the Times. That covers tile throughout an indoor dining room for roughly 24 guests, tiled bathrooms and kitchen, and new kitchen equipment. Carrillo also told Creative Loafing, "All sauces are made from scratch."
Something is already on the calendar for this Saturday, Halloween night. Coco's plans to show a movie on the lawn from 8 to 10 p.m. so kids can "get their candy crazies out," as Creative Loafing put it. The opening date was still a target in the most recent reports, so check Coco's own social channels before you walk over.
July 25, on Two Avenues
One Saturday this summer shows both sides of what changed. On July 25, Old Heights Bistro served its last meal at 4703 N Nebraska Ave. after nearly 11 years. Philip Hutchison and co-owner Shima ran it, and Creative Loafing quoted Hutchison: "He does the sushi and I do all the rest of it." The bistro chose to move, and Hutchison listed his reasons. "I got parking, new AC, everyone is nice and willing to work with me," he told the outlet. The new home is the former Brunchery space at 3225 S MacDill Ave. in Palma Ceia, which will serve breakfast and lunch only for its first two years. The bistro's website now lists the MacDill address, Suite 109, along with menus and hours.
About two miles north that same afternoon, Jug & Bottle Dept. was throwing its 11th anniversary block party at 6203 N Florida Ave., from noon to midnight.
A third longtime business was already on its way out. In early July, Brian and Kelly Fenstermacher announced they were closing Southern Brewing & Winemaking at 4500 N Nebraska Ave. They opened it as a homebrew supply store in 2008 and added a full brewery, winery, and taproom in 2011. Their farewell note, as quoted by Creative Loafing:
"Every great chapter eventually reaches its final page, and ours has been an incredible one. After three decades in the brewing industry, we've decided it's time to retire."
A LocalShops1 roundup gives Aug. 15 as the last day. In a 2014 interview that Creative Loafing revisited, Brian Fenstermacher described the business plainly: "I have no aspirations of getting bigger than we are. Just getting better at what we do."
Neither departure looks like a business that failed. One owner retired after three decades in the industry. The other moved for parking and better air conditioning. Both took a long-running owner-operator off Nebraska Avenue in the same summer.
The Shop People Thought Had Closed
Jug & Bottle shows how a long-running business can get a second life. Jessie Wohlers took over the shop in February 2025. She told Creative Loafing that customers still sometimes walk in and say, "Hey, I thought you closed?"
It hasn't closed, and it now holds a second Seminole Heights name. Ichi Koroshi Ramen, which brings back Ichicoro's food, operates inside Jug & Bottle under owner Choun Yeh. The Tampa Bay Times reported in April 2025 that it had just opened. Wohlers summed it up for Creative Loafing: "We're bringing two legacy businesses into the future in a thoughtful way."
The Addresses Still Waiting on an Answer
Not every space on the corridor has a named next chapter. Here's what the latest reports say about four key addresses:
| Address | Most recent occupant | Latest reported status |
|---|---|---|
| 4815 N Nebraska Ave. | Coco's: In the Heights | Targeting an end-of-October opening |
| 4703 N Nebraska Ave. | Old Heights Bistro, through July 25 | Closure report named no successor |
| 4500 N Nebraska Ave. | Southern Brewing & Winemaking | Closure report named no new use |
| 4101 N Florida Ave. | Angry Chair Brewing | Open; business listed for sale in April |
Angry Chair Brewing is the one to keep an eye on. In April 2026, the Tampa Bay Times reported that the business was offered for $3 million, nearly 13 years after it opened. According to the listing details Creative Loafing reported, the sale covers the equipment, branding, and recipes but not the building. The brewery rents its 14,300-square-foot space at $25,000 a month on a lease that runs through 2027. In the meantime, it's still pouring. Its taproom page shows current hours and a tap list updated Oct. 24, 2026. If a new owner takes over, Angry Chair would join Jug & Bottle as a familiar name with someone new behind the bar.
On the Neighborhood Calendar
- Through Saturday, Oct. 31: The Seminole Heights Great Pumpkin Patch runs at 6111 N Central Ave. Hours are posted on the pumpkin patch page.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 to 10 p.m.: Coco's: In the Heights plans a Halloween movie on the lawn at 4815 N Nebraska Ave.
- Sunday, Nov. 8, and Sunday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The Seminole Heights Sunday Market takes place at American Legion Post 111, 6918 N Florida Ave.
The Coco's team kept the ping-pong table at 4815, and Jessie Wohlers kept the Jug & Bottle name at 6203. I look for the same kind of keeper detail in a Seminole Heights home. If you're curious what your bungalow on these blocks might be worth, or what to keep and what to change before you sell, James Heeley would be glad to walk through it with you over a Cuban coffee. Let's Connect.
