Earlier this year, Creative Loafing announced that chef Richard Hales plans to open his modern American concept Bird & Bone in the former Pop ‘N Sons restaurant, adjacent to Raymond James Stadium.

But as restaurateurs know, plans are changing.

Now, Hales and the Grateful Hospitality Group will now open Blackbrick, a modern Chinese restaurant, in the space of 4812 N Dale Mabry Hwy. rather.

“The pause in opening Bird & Bone (caused by delays in licensing) gave Chef Richard Hales a moment to study the Tampa Bay market, to live and be part of the community,” Dominique Mealey, director of marketing and branding for Grateful Hospitality Group, tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “As part of this process, he realized that Blackbrick was needed and that it was a better addition to Tampa’s ever-growing food scene.”

Although Blackbrick’s website says the new restaurant will open in February 2022, Mealey suggests it will debut in March instead.

Grateful Hospitality Group, which Chef Hales operates with his wife Jenny Hales, is behind popular concepts such as Hales Society BBQ, the recently closed Bird & Bone in South Florida, and Blackbrick’s flagship site in Miami.

Bird & Bone was supposed to continue the old-fashioned dining feel that Pop ‘N Sons carried for years, and offer a menu of American comfort classics, but Blackbrick is very different from its sibling.

Traditional Chinese cuisine with a southern twist, Blackbrick’s award-winning menu offers two different starter categories: our specialties, which “represent the chef’s style” and Chinese classics, an explicit ode to centuries of tradition. Some of Hales’ specialties include General Tso’s Florida Gator, Sichuan Cumin Beef with crispy noodles, and fried rice loaded with lobster, shrimp, Cantonese-style barbecue pork, bacon, and eggs.

And if you don’t know what to order when the Tampa Blackbird store soon opens, there’s always The Blackbrick Platter, a huge selection of cumin-spiced lamb chops, fried chicken wings, and barbecue ribs. It usually serves two people, but can be a solo dinner if you want a little challenge.

The menu also offers a huge selection of dim sum, including traditional small bites like pork and shrimp shumai and har gow’s crystal shrimp dumplings, as well as Chef Hale’s creations like the ‘style fried chicken dumpling’. Miami ”. Browse the Blackbird menu to fully prepare for its Tampa debut in a few months.

The New Orleans-born chef is no stranger to the Bay Area as he grew up here, but Blackbrick will be Hales’ very first restaurant in his hometown. Hales and his family moved to Tampa earlier this year, so their hotel group is now based on 813.

Blackbird’s only other location is in downtown Miami, nestled between the walls of Wynwood and the Institute of Contemporary Art, and has been highlighted by several news outlets, like Bon Appétit magazine.

Last year, at the height of the pandemic, Miami’s Blackbrick was featured in a special take-out episode of Food Network’s “Diners Drive-Ins and Dives,” so maybe Hales’ best friend, Guy Fieri , will also be interested in its next location in Tampa.

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