Category: Business

Here are a couple of updates on restaurants we’ve written about before. In New Tampa, Oishi Express, a decent fast-casual Japanese place, lasted only about a year in the spot in Highwoods Preserve between Taste of New York Pizza and Lapels Cleaners (behind EggTown), as a sign in front of the location says that Namaste Express (or XP) is “Coming Soon.”

According to the restaurant’s website (NamasteXP.com), Namaste Express’ vision is to bring the varied rich flavors of Indian cuisine to cater to Tampa area communities…We will present a menu featuring authentic Indian delicacies which includes North Indian, South Indian, Street side food, kids favorites and fusion dishes (Indo-Chinese) – all crafted with fresh, locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Executed by a highly skilled chef who is specialized with decades of experience in Indian cuisine, we aim to provide high-quality, fresh, affordable and convenient flash chilled grab & go and take out options, including catering services tailored to your needs. We prioritize your dietary preferences, offering options including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices.   

Considering how many Indian restaurants there already are in New Tampa — including Saffron, Minerva, Raaga, Dosa Hut and the café inside the Taaza Mart (as well as the Nepalese Gorkhali Kitchen, which also offers Indian specialties) — we hope that Namaste XP will be able to find its footing in what has so far proven to be a difficult location.  

We do not yet know how long it will be before Namaste Express is expected to open, but we will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, according to Jon Mott of plaza developer Paradise Ventures, the new 8,000-sq.-ft. building to be called The Shoppes at Cypress Creek that will soon be home to the only Tampa-area location of Fazoli’s (since the only other Tampa-area link in the fast-casual chain on E. Busch Blvd. closed a couple of months ago) on S.R. 54, less than a mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets, should be completed within the next couple of months and turned over to the tenants, who will then have to build out their respective spaces. 

And, while Mott says that Fazoli’s is still among those tenants, he also says that Barberitos, the fast-casual Mexican place that was previously announced as the three-space plaza’s other restaurant tenant — but is still listed as “Coming Soon” at Barberitos.com — is no longer going to open in that location. Mott says that among the interested tenants to take over for Barberitos are a popular juice bar chain as well as a “well-known national taco place.” 

It seems unlikely that the taco place would be another Taco Bell, considering that there already is one less than a mile to the east, next to the coming-soon Shake Shack across S.R. 56 from the Outlets, and another on Collier Pkwy., or less than two miles west of this new plaza. There also already is a Taco Bus in the Shell gas station located between the S.R. 56 Taco Bell and The Shoppes at Cypress Creek.

Mott also says that the space between Fazoli’s and whatever restaurant takes over for Barberitos in the plaza will be an orthodontic office. We’ll keep you posted when we get any additional updates.