Janelle Irwin Taylor
Sparkman Wharf is opening its dining garden, outdoor beer garden and lawn November 30, developers announced Tuesday. That’s later than original launch date expected this month.
Sparkman Wharf is a mixed-use development in downtown Tampa where Garrison Channel, the Ybor Turning Basin and Sparkman Channel meet. It’s part of the $3 billion Water Street Tampa development planned by Jeff Vinik’s Strategic Property Partners and Bill Gates’ Cascade Investments.
The Grand Opening will include live music, fitness events, and pop-up concepts.
All of the Wharf’s food and beverage concepts will be open including Fermented Reality, the outdoor beer garden that will feature more than 30 taps promoting Florida’s craft beers.
“We are thrilled to announce the grand opening date of Sparkman Wharf and celebrate the first of many milestones for the Water Street Tampa neighborhood,” said James Nozar, CEO of developer Strategic Property Partners, LLC. “We anticipate that Sparkman Wharf will become a focal point and gathering place not only for visitors and the neighborhood, but the city and region at large. Sparkman Wharf celebrates Tampa Bay — the culinary talent, the craft beer scene, the weather, and the waterfront, and we could not be more excited to share Sparkman Wharf with the larger community.”
Foundation Coffee will feature cold brew and espresso along with housemade gelato, acai bowls and gourmet ice pops at Whatever Pops and seafood and cocktails at Chef Jeannie Pierola’s edison’s swigamajig divebar and fishkitchen.
The Corners Pizza will feature Detroit-style pizza.
The Wharf will also feature restaurateur Dave Burton’s Flock & Stock with roadside classics and BT in a Box with Vietnamese-French fusion.
Other restaurants include Montados tapas by Mise en Place’s Maryann Ferenc and Chef Marty Blitz, Boat Run Oyster Company and the modern taqueria Gallito by Rooster & the Till chef Ferrell Alvarez.
Sparkman Wharf will also eventually be home to 180,000 square feet of new waterfront office space and 65,000 square feet of ground-level retail along Channelside Drive.
The development is named after Stephen Sparkman, a state representative from Hillsborough County and Tampa in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Sparkman Wharf celebrates the disrupters and people who do things differently to push Tampa, developers said.
Sparkman Wharf will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. It will also be open on any day there is a Tampa Bay Lightning home game or event at the Amalie Arena.
