Rooftop restaurant and bar announced for proposed three-story food hall in downtown St. Pete

Central Park will be a three-story food hall with ten food and drink concepts. Kojo will be located On the third floor roof.

Last year, St. Pete Rising revealed plans for Central Park, an expansive three-story food hall coming to 551 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete. Today, we are excited to unveil the restaurant and bar concept that will be located on the rooftop – Kojo.

An assortment of food from kojo, opening on the third floor roof of Central Park St. pete

Kojo will feature flavors from China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea with a touch of European flair. Although the menu will include familiar favorites, such as gyoza and sushi, Kojo will stand out through the ambitious and unexpected dishes you won’t find anywhere else in St. Pete.

This will be Kojo’s second location. In February, Owner Natalia Levey opened the highly anticipated Asian-inspired eatery in downtown Sarasota to rave reviews. “People seem to be loving Kojo so far in Sarasota,” said Levey. “We cannot wait to bring this unique concept to Central Park in downtown St. Pete.”

The food menu is sectioned into small plates, bao buns, large plates, sushi, and nori tacos.

Highlighting the small plates is the Tuna Pizza, which is a crispy tortilla topped with spicy tuna, ponzu mayo, truffle oil, red onion, and microgreens.

The nori tacos are also a popular dish, consisting of lightly breaded nori, or dried seaweed, which is then flash fried to form a taco shell and filled with sushi rice and either torched teriyaki salmon, spicy tuna, or maitake mushroom tempura.

One of the most unique entrees is the Mushroom Rice Pot featuring five types of Japanese mushrooms – shiitake, maitake, enoki, wood ear and king trumpet – along with inari tofu, bamboo shoots, and a truffle emulsion. The ingredients are placed in a cast-iron pot and cooked in a 700-degree pizza oven.

Other notable entrees include Udon Carbonara, Miso Black Cod, and Tea Smoked Chicken.

The drink menu at Kojo has been expertly crafted by Beverage Director David Roth, who has worked at several award winning NYC restaurants and collaborated with industry leading restauranteurs. Once open, Roth will be joining Kojo in St. Pete.

The nori tacos - lightly breaded nori, or dried seaweed, which is then flash fried to form a taco shell and filled with sushi rice and fish

The cocktail list will feature exciting selections, including the Midori Sour made with Japanese melon liqueur, London dry gin, lemon, bitters, and a Japanese blend of spices called togarashi. Another highlight of the menu is the Lychee Martini, a combination of vodka, grapefruit, rosewater, Peychaud’s Bitters, and a lychee blend.

Kojo’s drink options also include beer, wine, Japanese whiskey, and a curated list of premium sake.

For dessert, finish the night off with the Matcha Dusted Donut Holes served with a sesame chocolate sauce and a condensed milk-matcha sauce.

The sushi bar and open kitchen at Kojo in Sarasota

Kojo in St. Pete will have a large outdoor area featuring a concept that compliments, but leans more in the direction of a fun, high volume rooftop bar, which is hard to come by in St. Pete.

The inside of Kojo will offer more booths, tables, and bar seating. In total, Kojo will have room for around 140 guests.

If the interior of Kojo’s Sarasota location is any indication of how the St. Pete outpost will look, the Sunshine City is in for a real treat. An open kitchen is framed by wood accents and is accompanied by an emerald-tiled sushi bar. Colorful sake bottles decorate the rear wall of the restaurant and wicker-shaded lights hang over custom-made wood tables from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Kojo will be just one of ten concepts at Central Park in downtown St. Pete. Another popular Sarasota restaurant owned by Levey, Speaks Clam Bar, will be located on the 2nd floor of the food hall. Speaks Clam Bar is a speakeasy turned Italian clam bar serving the freshest seafood, house-made pasta, sauces, and craft cocktails.

Tuna and torched salmon nigiri from Kojo

Central Park will also include a basement speakeasy. “The building doesn’t currently have a basement, but we recently drilled into the ground and discovered the water table sits about 25 feet below grade,” said Levey. “So, we will be able to dig a new basement to house an exciting underground bar.”

Details have not yet been revealed for the remaining seven concepts at Central Park, which will be part of a flagship food hall and world-class bar on the ground floor fronting Central Avenue.

Central Park Food Hall is the brainchild of a team spearheaded by Natalia Levey, a chef with culinary training from the Art Institute of New York. Levey has accumulated a wealth of knowledge through her travels to over 40 countries and has taught and cooked around the world. Kojo was inspired by her time spent in Asia.

Not only will Central Park bring over 150 new jobs to downtown St. Pete once open, but the construction and build out of the three-story food hall will employ many locals as well. The total project cost of Central Park is estimated to be over $10 million.

Central Park is expected to open in 2022 at 551 Central Avenue, the former home of The Dome Grill. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest news.