Pick Of The Week 1: Blue Fin Japanese Restaurant!
For those who complain about all of the chain restaurants that have opened in Wesley Chapel, one thing you should realize is that already we have quite a few excellent non-chain Japanese places — and you can add one more to that already-impressive list.
Blue Fin Japanese Restaurant has finally opened at 6034 Wesley Grove Blvd., next to Treble Makers in The Grove, and offers great Japanese specialties, from a huge assortment of sushi rolls to the excellent gyoza dumplings pictured top left (and other appetizers), to large portions of chicken teriyaki with fresh veggies, hibachi (but not prepared tableside) filet mignon and many more. It is open every day for lunch and dinner and serves beer, wine and sake.
For more info, call (813) 803-4709 and please tell Lawrence, the owner, that I sent you. — GN
Windy City Pizza Replaces Full Circle Pizza In Pebble Creek!
If you’re a fan of authentic deep-dish Chicago-style pizza but you haven’t yet tried the new Windy Cindy Pizza that opened recently in the former Pebble Creek Collection location (at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa, a mile or so south of the Pasco County line) of Full Circle Pizza — what are you waiting for? I brought the large Chicago deep dish pie with pepperoni & sausage pictured above to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus & everyone raved. I’m not from Chicago, but this deep dish is legit!
Tim and Matt, the owners, are both originally from Chicago (and previously owned Windy City on N. 30th St., near USF, and promise that their deep-dish and thin-crust Chicago pizza is authentic, as are the Chicago Italian beef sandwich and Windy City nuggets (fried homemade pizza dough served with pizza dipping sauce) and more.
For more info, call (813) 388-5844 or visit OrderWindyCityPizza.com. — GN
It’s Chick’n, Not Cluckin’
Last issue, we told you that the former location of Hardee’s on Wesley Chapel Blvd. (next to Goodyear Auto Service) was going to be come a new chicken restaurant called Cluckin’ Fun, but we were only half-right.
The banner sign that had been up came down because the building was being re-painted, but according to the leasing agent, the new non-chain fried chicken place will actually be called Chick’n Fun, and also said that it should be ready to open within the next 45 days. — GN
Lüfka Refillables Hosts A Chamber Ribbon Cutting!
Congratulations to co-owners Danielle Howard (right in photo) and her mom Gail Sickler (center), who hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event on Sept. 23 at their new Wesley Chapel location of Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store at 27221 S.R. 56.
Lüfka, founded by Kelly Hawaii (left) and her husband Parosh in Seminole Heights in 2019, offers eco-friendly personal care (Jannah loved the handcrafted soap I bought for her) and cleaning products, including many refillable and zero-waste items.
For info, call (813) 596-9376 or visit lufka.com. — GN
Pick Of The Week 2: Green Market Cafe!
Located next door to Lüfka (at 27225 S.R. 56) is the sixth location of a Tampa Bay-area chain called Green Market Cafe.
Green Market definitely could have been included in our most recent issue’s “Healthy Food & Drink” story, with its menu of salads (like the almond chicken salad in the first photo), healthy bowls, wrap and other sandwiches, house-made soups (like the excellent spinach feta soup Jannah and I sampled recently) and unique drink options like Kombucha and CBD-infused water.
Green Market Cafe makes it easy to order, whether online (with pick-up and delivery options), at the self-service kiosk inside the store or at the counter, and proudly proclaims that all locations buy their produce “directly from the source — our local farmers. We strive for balanced nutrition…and wholesome ingredients free of hormones and preservatives — all at affordable prices.” For more info, call (813) 803-4590 or visit visit GreenMarketCafe.com for the current specials. — GN
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