Here are some of Tampa Bay's best food pop-ups, from bánh mì to barbecue (2024)

Tampa Bay’s food pop-up scene removes barriers between chefs and consumers: Without an eatery’s atmosphere, ambiance and service, the dishes are truly able to speak for themselves.

Alex’s Kitchen

Where to find it: Friday Night Street Food Market, Saigon Summer Market, Hello Friend Market, Felicitous NIght Market.
A regular at Pinellas County’s various Asian street food markets (like the Mega Night Street Food Market and Saigon Summer Market), this pop-up specializes in traditional, no-frills Laotian food like blood sausages, laab duck, grilled squid, papaya salad, beef skewers and sticky rice.
Photo via alex_kitchen.fl/Instagram

Alekos: Souvlaki & Sweets

Where to find it: The Bends
A newcomer on St. Pete’s pop-up scene, musician Alex Charos (The Venus, Alexander & the Grapes) dishes an intimate menu of Greek handhelds like chicken souvlaki—straight up on a skewer or inside a homemade pita with tzatziki, tomato and onions—as well as a “Greek Cowboy Cookie” with chocolate chips, tahini, walnuts, sesame, cinnamon and flaky sea salt. We hope Charos’ spanakopita stays on the menu, too.
Photo via alekos.souvlaki/Instagram

BackAlley Bánh Mì

Where to find it: In Between Days. @backalleybanhmi on Instagram
Owner Viet Nguyen tells CL that his mother and grandmother’s cooking ultimately inspired his specialized bánh mì pop-up. “My mom is still cooking some of the best meals I’ll ever have and I’m still chasing recipes that I remember my grandmother used to make me, but could never emulate even after trying so many times. My idea was to introduce a from-scratch, highly specialized bánh mì shop where the labor of love could be tasted in every bite,” he explains. “All the recipes were my own mother’s recipes except for the bread. Bánh mì literally translates to ‘bread’ so for me, that’s the most important part and it took me years to master.” While the Back Alley menu is constantly changing with protein options like lemongrass chicken and tofu, Nguyen hopes to offer ten different banh mi options eventually—although his Đặc Biệt (aka ‘special’) with pork cold cuts and paté will most likely be a permanent player.
Photo via backalleybanhmi/Instagram

The Bakery Box

Where to find it: Pro Kitchen Hub.
This to-go window in South Tampa features a rotating selection of goods from small bakeries and cottage kitchens each week, offering everything from specialty doughnuts and mini cheesecakes to cookies, lattes and pastries. From Monday-Saturday, clients that use the commercial kitchen and culinary incubator Pro Kitchen Hub (5226 S Dale Mabry Hwy.,Tampa) take over its Bakery Box window and run its own pop-up. Current tenants include: Peschel’s Cheesecakes, Sage’s Playground, The American Cookie Company and the newly-launched Flamingo Donuts.
Photo via Bakerybox.tampa/Instagram

Better Together

Where to find it: LPCX Cafe, Nebraska Mini Mart.
A Tampa-based pop-up from the minds of Hassan Lewis and Guillermo Quezada is not just about food—but showcases local artists, creators, entertainers, bartenders and more. Better Together events usually feature a range of different vendors and festivities, but Lewis and Quezada are usually in the kitchen whipping up unique sandwiches, like the “El Comi,” a modern take on the classic Cuban with thick-cut ham, five-spice and Szechuan-spiced pernil, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, pickles and a yellow mustard aioli. While it’s been a few months since the duo has hosted one of its multifaceted events, patrons can expect Better Together to make its St. Pete debut sometime this summer.
Photo via bettertogethertpa/Instagram

Calamansi Catering Co.

Where to find it: Food festivals throughout Tampa Bay
While this Filipino-fusion business operates mainly as a private event caterer, it has made its presence known in the local food festival and market scene. The menu is constantly changing, but a staple is certainly its prized, Filipino-style Cuban sandwich with mojo-roasted pork, atchara slaw, garlic dijonnaise and Swiss cheese.
Photo via calamansicompany/Facebook

Cipolla Rossa

Where to find it: Green Bench Brewing, Dog Bar, Bandit Coffee Co., Mezzo Market, Sunday Market St. Pete, Indie Flea
This pizza shop’s oven may be on wheels, but the rest of the setup is about as DIY as it gets. The artisan pizza pop-up offers a variety of straightforward pies (pepperoni, Margherita, veggie) on fermented dough that crisps up perfectly in owner Josh Anson's wood-fired pizza oven. A crowd favorite is its “Hot Mootz” loaded with four gooey cheeses and hot honey—and this up-and-coming favorite has been dishing it out all over town. Unlike a lot of pop-ups that happen once or twice a month (if that), Cipolla Rosa is more or less a full-time operation; head to its social media where its pop-up schedule is released each week.
Photo via cipollarossapizza/facebook

Clam Master Jay

Where to find it Ol’ Dirty Sundays at Crowbar
For Jason Rodriguez, there’s always a bag of clams within arm’s reach. “My mom’s family always had them around—clams and beer,” the native of Willingboro, New Jersey, told CL. As for the rest of his menu, spirit, and hospitality? That comes from his experiences at his playground of Philadelphia, plus travels across the Caribbean and U.S. where he’s worked at restaurants—from holes in the wall to steakhouses and resorts—in cities like Decatur, New Orleans, and as far north as Southport, Maine. Known for the sandwiches and wieners he slings at Crowbar’s Ol’ Dirty Sundays party, Rodriguez makes comfort food for the late night or cookout—but you’re gonna love whatever jawn he puts on your plate.—Ray Roa
Photo by Dave Decker

Daeback Eats

“It’s all very good,” Daeback Eats chef DK (formerly Gangchu, Ichicoro) writes about his newly-launched Korean pop-up. Based in Tampa, this pop-up slings savory galbi sandos (milk bread, Kewpie mayo, mustard, braised short ribs, perilla leaf, pickled onions, pear and cabbage slaw), bibimbap and tteokbokki. Daeback has also collaborated with other local heavy hitters like fellow Korean pop-up Pocha Truck and Trash Panda Provisions food truck.
Photo by Ricky Kim via daebakeats/Instagram

Get Along

Where to find it: Get Along’s Tampa headquarters, Jug + Bottle
This Tampa-based small business is on the sweeter side of the local pop-up scene, offering unique, ultra-fluffy doughnuts (plus, coffee and other pastries if you’re lucky.) Its flavors flux with the seasons and can be anything from blueberry goat cheese, mango Takis and strawberry basil to black sesame, maple pecan and cereal milk. Get Along is taking some time off this summer, but keep your eyes peeled for its fall pop-up schedule.
Photo via getalongtpa/Instagram

Heritage Dim Sum

Where to find it: Felicitous Coffee
You can find Meishan Lu, a fourth generation dim sum chef, almost every week at Tampa’s Felicitous coffee shop dishing stuffed bao buns, classic soup dumplings or xiao long bao, shu mai or other traditional Chinese treats. Large dumpling orders can be ordered for pick-up, too. While Heritage has been operating as a pop-up for the last three years, an up-and-coming brick and mortar may
Photo by Lauren Schoepfer

The Liberty Smokehouse

Where to find it: Two Shepherds Taproom
It’s all about the smoke for Bryan Jacobs, chef and proprietor of this pop-up which features perhaps the most perfectly-barked, juicy, brisket in Tampa Bay, plus other smoked meats, nachos, a loaded baked potato and impressive lineup of desserts.
Photo via thelibertysmokehouse/Facebook

Loko Cuisine

On any given weekend, you can probably find John LoScalzo at a Bay area brewery dishing out themed “Eggs & Kegs” brunches and other comforting eats. Known for incorporating beer in his various recipes, craft breweries like Common Dialect, 7venth Sun and Late Start Brewing have all released exclusive, Loko-themed collaborative brews over the years.
Photo c/o LOKO Cuisine

Lost Coast Oyster Co.

Where to find it: Golden Isles Brewing Company, Webb’s City Cellar, Intermezzo Coffee & co*cktails
One of the best parts about the intimate nature of pop-ups is being able to directly interact with the chef and owner(s), but at Lost Coast events, you get to chat with the folks that literally nurtured and harvested your food. The husband-wife duo behind this oyster company not only raise their own oysters, but serve them at pop-ups and private events throughout Tampa Bay. Their “Rawsome Raw Bar” features freshly-shucked, locally-sourced oysters topped with strawberry mignonette, co*cktail sauce, horseradish, hot sauce or nothing at all. “Lost Coast Oyster Company's ultimate goal is to create a locally-sourced sustainable product that preserves Florida's unique environments while reinvigorating and promoting the restoration and enhancement of our natural estuarine systems,” owners Brian and Lindsay Rosegger write on their website.
Photo via loastcoastoystercompany/facebook

Offset Sandwich Exchange

Where to find it: St. Pete Brewing Company
You never know what the Offset folks, husband and wife duo Amy and John Harrell, have in store for their next event, but the menu will most likely consist of sandwiches or other hand held items. Smashburgers, gator po’boys, bulgogi cheesesteaks and short rib grilled cheeses are just a handful of the sammies that this up-and-coming business has offered over the past two-ish years, plus a variety of soups, tacos and vegetarian/vegan options. If you can imagine a tasty combination between two pieces of bread, Offset may have it on its pop-up menu in the near future. Its owners are looking to purchase a food trailer soon to help expand Offset’s production capacity.
Photo by Jess Alba via offsetsandwichexchange/Instagram

Pasta Packs

Where to find it: Pasta Packs storefront
A bit different from the nomadic pop-ups on this list, South Tampa’s Pasta Packs is known for its deliverable Italian classics, but also for its weekend brunch services with ever-changing menus. From starters like seasonal salads and truffle mozzarella plates to classic breakfast platters, full-blown entrees and decadent pastas, Chef Nic Bryon’s weekend menus are ultra-curated and certainly pack a punch. These daytime services don’t happen every weekend (or even every month), so keep an eye on Pasta Packs’ social media for brunch or “Pasta Sunday” events.
Photo via pastapacks/Instagram

Pocha Truck

Where to find it: Jug + Bottle, Felicitous Night Market
Chef Ryan Czternastek (formerly Gangchu, currently Three Dot Dash) is in the middle of building his “dream food truck” and is hosting Korean street food-inspired pop-ups throughout Tampa in the meantime. Braised pork tteokbokki, hotteok (stuffed pancakes of the sweet or savory variety) and gimbap are regulars on Pocha’s ever-changing menu. According to his GoFundMe, Czternastek’s upcoming food truck will “showcase my interpretations of street foods, potentially incorporating a monthly rotation that highlights diverse cuisines from around the globe, complemented by unique twists of my own.”
Photo via pochatruck/Instagram

Ray’s Vegan Soul

outhside St. Pete.Where to find it: St. Pete Boxing Club
One of the OG plant-based spots in Tampa Bay, Ray’s Vegan Soul dishes out loaded plates of barbecued jackfruit, mac and cheese, Ethiopian-style red lentils, collard greens and more out of St. Pete Boxing Club each month. Pre-COVID 19, Ray’s Vegan Soul operated brick and mortar locations in St. Pete and Gulfport, but since then has offered its beloved plant-based plates at its Soul to Go” pick-up events. These first-come, first-served pop-ups usually happen a few Sundays a month in s
Photo via Raysvegansoul/Facebook

Slimey’s Burgers

Where to find it: Hawthorne Bottle Shop, Heiress Gallery, The Bends
Matt Galloway doesn’t think that you need fancy ass toppings or elaborate ingredients to make delicious food—and he’s proving that theory one Slimey’s burger at a time. A thin, crispy patty (or two) with orange American cheese, onions and pickles between two soft potato rolls—it’s utterly simple, yet nostalgic and delicious. Galloway also debuted “Slimey’s tots” at his last event—fried layered potatoes tossed in horseradish seasoning—and we hope they're here to stay. Galloway says that his pop-up started as a practical effort to feed guests at his popular house shows. “Eventually it turned into burgers and we took it a bit more seriously, barely though since it’s all sort of just supposed to be fun,” he explains. “I always wanted it to be equal parts art project and food pop-up. I love making flyers and stickers so that’s a big part of it—I enjoy making the graphics just as much as the food.”
Photo via slimeysburgers/Instagram

Smoking Danny’s BBQ

Where to find it: USPS Ybor City Processing & Distribution Center
Saul Escalante’s pop-up is known for heaping plates of BBQ (brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken), but the lifelong cook can do almost anything. The utilitarian nature of his offering is a reflection of some of his most devoted clientele, who work the overnight shift at The U.S. Postal Services Processing and Distribution Center in Port Ybor. His tent is perfect for stomach-filling post-nightclub eats, and if you’re really partying, then you can follow Smoking Danny’s to the 7 Figures strip club east of Ybor City where Escalante makes breakfast for the early birds.
Photo via smokingdannysbbq/Instagram