Tampa

Lumbre Bringing Spanish Dining Experience to Tampa

Lumbre targets an early June opening in Tampa with shareable Spanish dining, wood-fired cooking, and immersive experience.

Image from Lumbre website

TAMPA, FL — Lumbre is targeting an early June opening at 220 N. Rome Ave., Tampa, FL 33603. Partner Nick Reader told Business Debut the team is aiming for the first week or two of June as final inspection items are completed.

The restaurant is the latest concept from Tampa-based group Tastes Pretty Good and is being developed with partner and executive chef Nick Orr.

Business Debut learned of this story first from That's So Tampa.

What to Expect

Lumbre will be a full-service Spanish restaurant centered around shareable dining, Reader told Business Debut. The concept is designed to reflect how guests eat in Spain, with a focus on experience, pacing and communal meals.

“We’re just trying to give a great experience to Tampa,” Reader told Business Debut.

Reader said the restaurant will seat about 125 guests and feature a bright, open space with large windows, natural materials and regional design influences. “Our goal would be to let you kind of feel like you’re eating in Basque region or Madrid or Barcelona,” Reader told Business Debut.

He said the experience is intended to go beyond food. “It’s not just about the food, but it’s about the experience and what you’re in,” Reader told Business Debut.

The menu will lean heavily into traditional Spanish cuisine, with a focus on tapas, paella and wood-fired cooking, Reader told Business Debut.

“We’re super excited,” Reader told Business Debut. “It’s a Spanish full-service restaurant with a heavy focus on traditional shareable appetizers, tapas, paella.”

A custom-built wood-fired grill from Spain will serve as a centerpiece of the kitchen, used for imported fish, meats and pork dishes, he said.

Guests can expect dishes such as Jamón croquetas, tortilla de patatas, and pan con tomate, along with shrimp preparations and Iberico pork. Reader said the restaurant will also feature a rotating selection of large-format paellas, including options like a sherry-lacquered, wood-grilled Cornish hen paella with artichokes and saffron alioli, all designed for the table to share.

“It was really important to us to just have the experience like you would when you visit Spain,” Reader told Business Debut.

He added that Orr spent six months training in different regions of Spain ahead of opening to help shape both the food and service style.

Ownership and Concept Model

Lumbre is part of the Tastes Pretty Good restaurant group, which includes Reader, Jack Murray, Bryce Bonsack and Greg Proechel.

Reader told Business Debut the group’s approach is to develop concepts led by internal team members who have grown within the company.

“The idea of Tastes Pretty Good, our restaurant holding company, is it’s less about our ideas,” Reader told Business Debut. “It’s people that have worked for us ideally for five years and they’ve proven themselves.”

He said the group then helps bring those concepts to life. “They have a dream to open something, and then what we do is if we like the idea and can put it to a business plan, then we help provide the capital, the infrastructure and the support to be successful,” Reader told Business Debut.

Reader noted that Orr has been with the group for more than seven years and was one of its earliest hires, joining prior to the opening of their original concept, Rocca. He later became a chef partner and has been involved across multiple concepts, with Lumbre representing a continuation of that long-standing collaboration.

Opening Timeline

Lumbre is targeting an early June opening, Reader told Business Debut. He said the team is currently working through final inspections ahead of launch.

Reader also shared that additional concepts from the group are in development. White Wolf, a southern Italian concept, is targeting a September opening, while Carnivore Club, an upstairs concept focused on meat-forward dishes, is set to open March 4. He added that Kingfish, a Japanese sushi concept, is planned for early next year, with timelines to be finalized.

Hours

Lumbre plans to operate 5 p.m. — 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 p.m. — 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Reader told Business Debut. Sunday and Monday hours are to be announced.