OLIVIA restaurant expands to downtown St. Pete
March 16, 2023 - Chef Cris Ponte is bringing his modern Italian restaurant concept to the Ascent St. Petersburg apartment and hotel tower. The lease at 225 First Ave. N. marks a return to Pinellas County for the James Beard Award finalist, as he opened his first restaurant, Café Ponte, in Clearwater. While the eatery closed in 2020, Ponte launched OLIVIA and Ponte Modern American in Tampa and partners on two other concepts.