New Noble Crust concept coming to downtown St. Pete

The owners of St. Petersburg’s Noble Crust restaurant have announced plans to open a new dining establishment called Noble Tavern. 

Located beneath the Tru Hilton Hotel at 1650 Central Ave., Noble Tavern will overlook Tropicana Field and is a joint venture between Noble Crust owners Jeff Strouse, Tj Theilbar, Tim Curci and Chris Sweeney and Anthony Menna, president and owner of Menna Development & Management.

Bradley Elia, Chief Marketing Officer for Noble Crust, said the 4,100-square-foot restaurant space in the Grand Central District will have an approachable, relaxed atmosphere.

“It will have a modern tavern vibe geared to everybody,” Elia said. “We plan on having live music some evenings. Guests that are looking for music, guests that want to come in and sit at the bar and watch a Rays game – it’s catered to everybody’s experience.”

“Our focus is being an everyday destination for our guests. Noble Tavern is set to have a casual fusion of creativity with an emphasis on an approachable value-driven menu,” said Tj Thielbar, co-owner of Noble Crust and Noble Tavern, in a prepared statement.

A series of renderings offer a glimpse into the design aesthetic and layout of the space. The main area will be anchored by the bar and surrounded by tavern-style booths and tables. Elia said the Noble Tavern menu is still in development, but it will be a completely different menu from Noble Crust.

“It’s going to be value-driven. We want to have the guest join us as much as they can,” Elia said. “The focus is going to be a tavern-type menu, but it’s going to be global. So you’ll see some traditional tavern fare, but you’ll see inspirations of tavern fare on a global scale.”

Noble Tavern is the third concept in the Off The Cuff restaurant portfolio, joining Noble Crust and Fat Beet Farm.

Noble Tavern will also serve craft cocktails and its full dining menu at a small outdoor bar.

Noble Crust opened its first location on Fourth Street in St. Petersburg in early 2015 and a second in Wesley Chapel in 2017. Elia said there is no set date yet for Noble Tavern’s official opening, but construction is “going well.”

“It’s been a long time coming. We want to make sure everything is perfect. That’s why we don’t have an opening date at the current time, because our philosophy right now is, ‘Let’s open when we’re ready,’” Elia explained. “We have our amazing executive chef Fernando Sanchez. He’ll be working for Noble Crust and [on the] development of the tavern menu, so having him with the team has really pushed forward the development of the tavern.”