I don’t make it to downtown St Pete often for a night out unless I coordinate with a friend close by for a place to crash because driving is out of the question and a cab to pricey.

However when I do make one of the stops is typically the Independent.

So I was excited when I read today on the St Pete Times website that the owners are trying to open a Tampa location in Seminole Heights.

"We have wanted to expand to Tampa and noticed that the neighborhood didn't really have a neighborhood spot with good beers. We heard through the grapevine that that was something on the top of people's lists."
The City of Tampa is supposed to decide on a zoning request which successful and the purchase goes through the Independent aims to open by late summer.

Three Seminole Heights neighborhood groups support the application with restricted closing hours which should make the passage of this pretty simple.

UPDATE  1/28/09

Owners of a proposed German-style deli and tavern won initial approval from the city council Thursday to sell beer and wine. A final vote is scheduled Feb. 5.

I am really looking forward to this as a nice Seminole Heights pub is the prefect middle ground for me in Forest Hills to meet up with friends from Tampa Heights and/or South Tampa.

I somewhat wish the hours would be expanded at least till 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. A beer and wine pub with food is much different then a MacDinton's type establishment and SoHo free-for-all that these restricted hours are likely a response to.

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