Chris Ponte's new restaurant is coming to Midtown Tampa this fall

They're calling it "the second coming of Café Ponte."

• If you've eaten seriously in the Tampa Bay area in the past two decades, you know Café Ponte in Clearwater, even if you never got around to going before it closed for good during the pandemic.

Driving the news: Café Ponte's Chris Ponte, who is also behind the popular On Swann and OLIVIA, will open Ponte Tampa, a new elegant take on modern American cuisine, at Midtown Tampa.

• Think steak and seafood.
• Interior construction is officially underway, per the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and the dining room will seat around 235.
• Plans to open by November.