Why Forbici’s St. Pete expansion makes ‘perfect sense’

A popular South Tampa-based restaurant’s second location will occupy nearly double the initially planned space in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg.

Forbici Modern Italian’s ownership group, Next Level Brands, is now reimagining the former Sea Salt location in the embattled Sundial plaza. The second-floor space encompassing 12,000 square feet became available Jan. 1.

A legal battle ensued when the Sundial’s owners announced Forbici would occupy 7,000 square feet on the ground level that previously housed Locale Market. Jeff Gigante, co-founder of Next Level. believes the ordeal was a blessing in disguise.

“When we heard Sea Salt was looking not to renew, it just made perfect sense to us,” Gigante said. “It’s a bigger space. There’s private event space available. It’s got that massive patio – and a big part of Forbici’s proposition is live music.”

Jeff Gigante was raised in St. Pete and opened several local restaurants before launching Forbici and Next Level Brands. Photo: Facebook.

Forbici and Sundial stakeholders once expected the restaurant to open in the spring of 2024 and anchor the plaza’s redeveloped courtyard. However, the New York-based private equity firm that owns and operates the AMC Sundial 12 sought a court injunction to stop construction and disallow ground-floor alcohol service.

Next Level paused Forbici’s long-awaited expansion for over a year due to legal uncertainty. In September 2024, a judge denied the Carlyle Group’s request for an injunction. The Sundial’s owners – Paradise Ventures and Ally Capital Group – hope to resolve the dispute by July.

Gigante will soon start the permitting process and hopes to commence Sea Salt renovations this summer. He plans to open Forbici by the end of the year.

“I’ve always loved that second-floor location,” Gigante said. “It’s already built out beautifully for a full restaurant. I was going to have to redo and retouch every surface in the Locale Market. It was scrubbed clean.”

He said the location will allow for additional signage and “let people know we’re an anchor.” Gigante expects to spend about $5 million on renovations.

Forbici will keep Sea Salt’s 20-foot-tall wine tower, as removing it, Gigante said, is not worth the cost. He added his team would put “our own little spin” on its design.

They will, however, replace Sea Salt’s 80-foot oyster bar with communal seating. Gigante noted that Forbici’s flagship in Tampa’s trendy Hyde Park area features a lounge area that occupies nearly half of the restaurant. “We’re doing the same thing here,” he said.

The lounge will also feature high-top tables and traditional seating around the new, expanded bar, which will serve oysters. Gigante said an adjacent area would become a small specialty market with dry pasta, sauces and other Forbici merchandise.

An outdoor patio overlooking the courtyard and an 80-seat private event space will have private bars. Indoor and outdoor stages will provide live music daily.

Gigante, raised in St. Petersburg, said patrons can expect a “very approachable” 350-seat restaurant with “reasonable pricing,” particularly during happy hour. Forbici will transition from family-oriented to “a little more lively” at night and offer weekend brunches.

“It’s going to give all of the things I believe are kind of missing from the downtown St. Pete culinary landscape,” Gigante added. “Not only for people dining with us, but we’re looking for people to come to us before and after their night out.”

An initial rendering of a new courtyard bar that ignited an ongoing legal battle. Image: Paradise Ventures/Behar and Peteranecz Architecture.

The Sundial’s ownership also eagerly anticipates the plaza hosting an expanded Forbici. Mike Connor, CEO of Paradise Ventures, believes the restaurant will help an underutilized space reach its full potential.

Connor said Sea Salt’s owners, who operate three successful restaurants around Naples, rarely made the trip to St. Petersburg. “I think they thought they would at one point, but they became pretty much absentee owners.”

“It is a very important space for us – we had to have the right occupant in that space,” Connor continued. “It almost worked out perfectly that Forbici can take that space and really bring it to life.”

Gigante said the menu would mirror the Tampa location with a more coastal Italian flair, due to the Sundial’s proximity to the waterfront. He called it a prime space and repeatedly expressed his excitement to help rejuvenate the property.

Next Level will operate the courtyard pavilion, which is nearing completion, and Gigante said guests could order from any restaurant in the plaza. The public gathering space will also feature live music and yoga events.

Connor said two restaurateurs have shown “strong interest” in the former Locale Market location, and he expects to sign a deal in a couple of months. He has also identified a potential tenant for another 10,000-square-foot space upstairs.

“We’re super happy it worked out the way it did,” Connor said. “I feel good about all those things.”