Category: Dining & Entertainment

You’ll Love It When You Find Silva’s Coffee Grind On S.R. 54 (In Front Of One-Stop Landscape Supply)!

When Angela Silva called our office a week or before Hurricane Helene hit, the first thing that stood out to me was her New Yawk accent. That’s not always so important to me, but when that accent is telling you that her and her husband Hiram (photo below) had just opened a “new caw-fee and New Yawk bagel place called Silva’s Coffee Grind” (on S.R. 54, in a tricked-out trailer in front of One-Stop Landscape Supply at 34100 S.R. 54), I was suddenly even more interested in what she had to say.

The week after Helene decimated the Gulf coast, Jannah and I went to sample what the Silvas had to offer.

And, we both came away impressed. The coffee is delicious (they get their espresso for their cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos & espresso affogatos from Coffee Latitudes) and the bagels? Oy! Legit!

“We import them from New Yawk,’ Hiram says, “but I won’t tell you where from because I know you’re gonna write about it and I want us to be the only place that has them.”

I, of course, had my bacon, egg and Swiss cheese on a toasted everything, while Jannah opted to have her bacon, egg and cheddar on a toasted croissant. Both yum.

By the time of our next visit, a few days before Hurricane Milton hit, Angela was making sure they could get an ad in this issue of the paper and I prom- ised I would tell 105,000 or so of my closest friends in Wesley Chapel a little bit about them.

We opted for a lunch sandwich this time — a delicious turkey BLT on a toasted plain bagel, with lettuce, tomato and Angela’s zesty homemade pesto cream sauce. “I like it on everything,” Hiram says. And, who could argue with him?

Hiram, who does the on-site cooking, is all about giving the people outstanding breakfast and lunch items at a fair price and he is planning to expand the menu offerings in response to people’s requests. As seen in the ad below, Silva’s Coffee Grind also features iced coffee, cold brew, iced lattes and frappes, hot and cold teas, including green tea matcha, flavored iced teas and lemonades, bursting boba tea drinks and even smoothies and sorbets — all from that one little trailer? Ya gotta try it, yo!

Silva’s Coffee Grind is open Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. & 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sat. For more info, search “Silvas Coffee Grind” on Facebook or @Silvas.Coffee.Grind” on Instagram. — GN

Jimmy John’s Opens On Wesley Chapel Blvd.

While Jimmy John’s has never been my favorite sandwich place, the company has built its reputation for “Freaky Fast” service, freshly-baked bread, with fresh meats and hand-sliced veggies on its sandwiches.

The newest Jimmy John’s in Wesley Chapel is in the same new plaza at 5478 Post Oak Blvd. as the newest Moe’s Southwest Grill and franchisee Eric Edmonds, a long-time Wesley Chapel resident, is excited about the store. “We’ve had great response from our customers already,” Eric told me. “A lot of people love Jimmy John’s.”

Maybe that’s because of actor Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) & his portrayal of Tony Bolognavich in an ongoing series of commercials but the guess here is that it’s more about Jimmy John’s over-stuffed sandwiches, including new options like the smoked cheddar bourbon club sandwiches, with turkey or roast beef, lettuce, tomato, mayo, smoked cheddar cheese and sriracha bourbon sauce. With more than 2,700 locations nationwide, the company is doing just fine.

Of course, there’s also favorites like the Hunter’s Club (top photo), with double roast beef, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes & mayo, and Charmaine’s “usual” — the Beach Club (below left), with turkey, provolone, avocado spread, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo.

Whatever sandwich you choose, you can make it a combo with Jimmy John’s own branded chips and a fountain drink. The brownies and chocolate chip cookies are pretty good, too.

The new Jimmy John’s is open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. every day except Sun., when it is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For more info, call (813) 991-7700 or visit JimmyJohns.com & please tell Eric I sent you!—GN

Eric Edmonds Jimmy Johns Sandwich Wesley Chapel

Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken Opens In The Former King Of The Coop Location On S.R. 54!

*The Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken & Wings “Mega Sando,” with cheese, waffle fries & Hangry Sauce*. *(Photos by Gary Nager and Joel Provenzano)*

Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken & Wings is now open in Wesley Chapel! The new chicken-focused, quick-service restaurant has opened on the north side of Wesley Chapel Blvd. just west of I-75, in front of The Grove, next to Brooklyn Water Bagel (in the former location of King of the Coop).

This is the eighth Hangry Joe’s location in Florida. The Wesley Chapel restaurant’s Grand Opening was held on Oct. 19, following a “soft” opening a few days before. The husband-and-wife team of Nico and Jalahany Gutierrez was on hand for the Grand Opening, making sure everything was running smoothly in their new franchise, as the line outside their location began building several hours before the new Hangry Joe’s opened.

*First-in-line Richard Coley celebrates the* *ribbon-cutting at the new Hangry Joe’s in Wesley Chapel, then enjoys his Mega-Sando*

In fact, Zephyrhills resident Richard Coley, who was first on line, said he arrived “at about midnight” in order to be first. He even brought his own comfy chair with him!

As to why Richard — who said this was his third attempt at being first on line for a Hangry Joe’s opening (he was first in Zephyrhills and third at Cocoa Beach, when he said a couple came to the soft opening the day before “and just never left”) — is so taken with Hangry Joe’s, he said, “It’s the biggest chicken sandwich I’ve ever seen in my life…and it’s delicious!”

Richard was guaranteed one of the 25 top prizes given away to the first 100 people on line — one free “Sando” per week for a year (Jannah also got one of the 24 other randomly-distributed top prizes) — and as promised, the first 100 attendees all were served within the first hour of the new Hangry Joe’s opening.

*Owner Nico Gutierrez (at* *left behind the register) helped his employees deal with the crowd at the Grand Opening*

Meanwhile, Nico, a Wesley Chapel resident for 14 years, wasn’t afraid to get behind the counter and help out both his customers and his staff. He wore a Hangry Joe’s branded polo, setting the example for his employees.

Nico also owns Code Ninjas, located in the New Tampa Center plaza at Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at New Tampa/Cross Creek Blvd.

As to why someone who has a long professional background in software engineering got into the restaurant business, Nico said, “I worked in restaurants when I was younger and knew I would eventually get back to it.” He also said he got connected with the Hangry Joe’s brand when he was invited to a Founders Dinner back in February because he wanted to learn more about the franchise. From that first meeting to opening in October, things obviously moved pretty quickly.

*The line stretched around the building by the time the new Hangry Joe’s opened.*

When asked what really sets Hangry Joe’s apart from its competition, Nico explained that it’s the Korean touch — from the way the chicken is prepared to the way it’s fried. According to the company’s website, “Founders Derek Cha and Mike Kim [both from South Korea] are the dynamic duo behind the success of Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken & Wings…,” and that, “Their meticulous approach to sourcing ingredients, like locally-raised chickens and Korean gochujang peppers, ensures that each dish is a perfect blend of heat, sweetness, and smoky goodness.” The company also prides itself on never freezing its chicken.

Unlike many fast food restaurants, the food that came out actually looked better than the pictures on the menu board! The “Sando,” their normal-size fried chicken sandwich, was plump and juicy, lightly fried, with the right amount of pickles and slaw, on a beautifully toasted bun.

The “medium” sauce had just the right amount of heat and flavor. For more extreme tastes, try the “Mega Sando” which is a huge half- pound chicken breast, and go all the way up on the heat scale to “Angry Hot,” but be aware that you’ll have to sign a waiver if you do!

In addition to sandwiches, wings and Kore- an-style nuggets, Hangry Joe’s also offers chicken & waffles, waffle fries, mac & cheese, salads and wrap sandwiches.

The new Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken & Wings is located at 27835 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Unit 102. For more info, visit HangryJoesWesleyChapel.com or call (813) 519-4997.

*Try the crispy wings with soy garlic sauce & Reese’s shake*.

Derek Cha Hangry Joes Hangry Joes Hot Chicken Jalahany Gutierrez Mike Kim Nico Gutierrez Wesley Chapel

The New Steak N Shake Opens On Wesley Chapel Blvd. With A Ribbon-Cutting!

Of course, the new Wesley Chapel Steak N Shake sells those famous bacon & cheese double steakburgers with fries, (below left) hand-spun vanilla & strawberry shakes (with or without mix-ins) and (below right)Frisco Melts with classic onion rings. (Photos by Charmaine George)

Although New Tampa’s Steak N Shake was one of the first fast food restaurants to open in zip code 33647, the long-awaited Wesley Chapel Steak N Shake — located at 5542 Post Oak Blvd., off Wesley Chapel Blvd. (S.R. 54) — is finally open following an official ribbon-cutting event on Oct. 7 (see photo below).

Owner Todd Webb and general manager Jason Good and their happy crew are now welcoming the community to Wesley Chapel’s first-ever Steak N Shake and to enjoy those famous “Steakburgers” and hand-spun milkshakes and more in the location’s all-new design, which is a much more modern look than what we have in New Tampa. The old soda fountain/diner-style bar stools are gone and in their place is a more convenient kiosk ordering and pick-up system. But yes, there is a still a drive-through window for customers who are on the go.

The Neighborhood News was on hand for the new Steak N Shake’s VIP “Friends & Family” event on Oct. 5, as well as at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but one thing is for certain — long-time fans of this 90-year-old chain with more than 450 locations in the U.S. and Europe will not be disappointed. Todd also promises the new Steak N Shake will host some great family events and will feature some cross-promotions with his The Palms Car Wash next door. He will likely keep you posted about these special events in ads in these pages.

For more information and a 20% bonus when you buy a Steak N Shake gift card at the new location, see the ad below.

Jason Good ribbon cutting Steak N Shake Steak N Shake Wesley Chapel Todd Webb Wesley Chapel

New Tampa Mochinut To Be Replaced By Box Of Cubans!

As much as most of our readers say they want them, it’s just never easy to be successful with unique concept restaurants in our distribution areas — there is always just too much competition from other chain restaurants — so you need all of the little factors to come together to “make it,” including location, quality, demand for the product, management and more.

That’s why it wasn’t much of a shock to me that the Mochinut “More Than Just A Donut” location on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just north of I-75 (in the small plaza located north of Glory Days Grill) made the announcement shown lower left on Instagram a week or so before we went to press with this issue that the New Tampa location had closed, even though the Mochinut locations in Citrus Park, Temple Terrace and on the north S.R. 56 (near Mellow Mushroom) were staying open.

Whether or not Mochinut’s light-and-airy Korean-style donuts were a hard sell for folks raised on Krispy Kreme and/or Dunkin’ Donuts, the location of the New Tampa Mochinut (the second eatery to fail there; Mahana Fresh was the first) is extremely difficult to find and get to for a lot of people, even though it is visible from BBD.

Enter: Box Of Cubans!

I happened to stop by the already-closed Mochinut location to take the exterior photo to your left when I was able to see two people sitting inside the vacant eatery. They were Marcos and his wife Onelia (“Oni”) Silverio — the owners of the Box of Cubans restaurant in Riverview, who were waiting for contractors to come in to help them get the former Mochinut location ready to become their second fast-casual Cuban eatery.

“Our Riverview location was named the Best Restaurant to Eat At in Tampa Bay by Yelp for 2023,” Marcos told me. “We’re famous for our authentic Cuban sandwiches and empanadas.”

Marcos and Oni said that in addition to those popular Cubans and empanadas, Box of Cubans also receives high marks for its outstanding breakfast items — including Cuban-style French toast (also known as Torrejas) and egg, meat (choice of bacon, ham, sausage, turkey or chorizo) and cheese and “Pipo’s Breakfast” (tender, juicy roast pork, aka lechon, sautéed onions and Swiss cheese inside a pressed fluffy egg omelet) sandwiches and more.

For lunch, try the restaurant’s signature Mojito Pork Sandwich with lechon, Swiss, sautéed onions and pickled jalapenos, the Pan Con Bistec (grilled palomilla steak marinated in mojo with Swiss, sauteed onions, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, crispy potato sticks, house cilantro sauce and mayo) sandwich or the ham croquette sandwich.

The empanadas come with a variety of fillings, from traditional chicken or beef and cheese to bacon, ham or sausage, egg & cheese, Empanada Cuban and even cheeseburger and lasagna options and more.

*The “anatomy” of a Box of Cubans Cuban sandwich. (Source: BoxofCubans.com)*

There also are black or red bean & rice Cuban bowls with one of four house proteins (Lechon, Palomilla Steak, Chicken, or Picadillo), served with three pieces of Cuban bread garlic toast made and three sweet plantains.

Bakery items will range from savory ham croquettes to cream cheese churros, flan, tres leches and even cheesecake and key lime pie. “We’re also famous for our specialty Cuban coffee drinks,” Marcos says, including café con leche and cold brew ice coffee.

He says Box of Cubans also has a cool story to tell. Marcos, who is Cuban and a lifelong Tampa native, and Oni both left other jobs to open the original Box of Cubans together in a BP gas station in Brandon in 2017. They were able to stay open and continue serving their community during Covid because the gas station was considered to be an “essential” business. Their son “MJ” (Marcos, Jr.) joined the team as COO and GM in Jan. 2023 and were looking to open a second location when the Mochinut spot became available. “We hope to be open by the end of October or the first week of November,” Marcos says. “We know the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area will love our food!

For more info, visit BoxofCubans.com.

Box Of Cubans Marcos Silverio Mochinut New Tampa Onelia Silverio