South St. Pete’s Tchotchke expands with a next door pub

Matthew Firosz. Facebook.

Tchotchke opened last year in the former spot of the long-lived Munch’s Restaurant and Sundries in south St. Petersburg. 

Owner Matthew Firosz has decided to expand his “modern diner” concept with a new pub called The Green Room. It began to serve customers six weeks ago, he told the Catalyst.  

Located at 3920 6th Street South, the bar is adjacent to the diner in a small retail strip. It offers craft beers, wine and an assortment of spirits including over 50 bourbons. Its drink menu includes selections from local breweries such as Tampa-based 81 Bay Brewing Co. 

Firosz credits his restaurant experience as inspiration for opening Tchotchke and The Green Room. Before coming to St. Pete, he owned and ran a pub called Nepo 42 in Portland, Oregon for 18 years.

“We have 127 local breweries in Portland proper and I’ve just been trying to kind of take that philosophy here,” he explained. “If we support [community businesses], they support us and everybody supports one another.” 

Tchotchke. Photo provided.

In addition, he said, “Cool neighborhoods need cool places for people to hang out.”

The Green Room also has its own food menu and shares a kitchen with Tchotchke. Food offerings include chicken wings with homemade jalapeño poppers, Thai sticky ribs, burgers and mac and cheese. 

Firosz believes Tchotchke and The Green Room are ways to reflect on Munch’s history. 

Tchotchke, in particular, keeps the diner tradition alive. A breakfast and lunch establishment, it serves Munch’s staples such as eggs benedict with fried green tomatoes alongside original creations. The decor of the restaurant even pays tribute to its past with classic pictures. 

The Munch family originally opened their southeast St. Pete restaurant in 1952. Photo: Bill DeYoung.

“I really feel like it’s a turning of the page of the legacy of Munch’s,” he explained. 

Munch’s was open for 70 years. Larry Munch, who worked at the restaurant since he was a teenager, inherited the business from his parents. When his mother retired, Munch bought her out of the business. 

Munch’s received national attention when celebrity chef Guy Fieri shot an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives for the Food Network there in 2011. 

Munch closed his family’s restaurant December 30, 2022 and retired. He sold the strip in 2023 for $1.6 million to Cato Holdings, LLC,  a real estate ownership company, which leases part of the property to Firosz. Tchotchke debuted in spring 2024.

The Green Room location was formerly occupied by tenant Phillips Air Conditioning & Heating. 

The pub is open from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. daily.

Tchotchke/The Green Room website