Suzanne and Roger Perry, renowned for giving American comfort food dreamlike, witty twists, have opened their second restaurant at 180 Central Ave. in May 2019. The Perrys celebrated a milestone by opening the first Datz store outside their well-known South Tampa flagship, which opened ten years ago. The Datz restaurant at St. Pete is next to the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art.

Local firm Harvard Jolly Architecture designed the exterior of Datz No. 2 to match that of its older brother, including red brick, reclaimed wood, and Suzanne’s custom wine-bottle chandeliers. The trademark orange color of the restaurant is also used to decorate the indoor/outdoor bar, which ought to be a wonderful compliment to the patio area. Datz at St. Pete has been added to the list of restaurants owned by the Datz Restaurant Group. Dough opened its doors in 2012 as a creative bakery on MacDill Avenue in Tampa, right next to Datz. Two years later, Roux came along with Southern-inspired Creole and Cajun classics.

The Cheesy Todd (a 1.5-pound ground brisket and short rib burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickle on two bacon-jalapeno mac and cheese “buns”), cinnamon roll mocktails, and Datchos are among the classic Datz menu items that are still available at the new location. You heard that right: cinnamon roll mocktails! Try their Instaworthy Cinny Bunny. It’s made with almond milk, cinnamon bun syrup, cold brew, whipped cream, vanilla icing, and a mini cinnamon bun. You can also have their Pombre for a more simple drink selection. This mocktail contains pomegranate juice, lime, ginger, and coconut milk.