St. Pete's 900 Block of Central Is Filling In Daytime First

"It should be a place where someone comes, eats, hangs out," Ariana Duksa told St. Pete Rising, talking about the bakery she plans to open in the old Union Trust bank at 895 Central Avenue. "They can come on a daily basis."

The same goal fits most of what's arriving on this stretch of the EDGE District. Look at the hours on the new places between 895 and 945 Central and most of them are daytime businesses: espresso at 8 a.m., a farm-to-table café that closes at 3 p.m., a pinball bar sold as a day pass, a jewelry shop, and a bakery with a basement built for working. The one real dinner menu on the block isn't due until January. For the rest of 2026, the newest version of the 900 block is something you'll see on a Saturday morning, not a Saturday night.

The Block, in the Order It Opens

Here are the addresses, starting with what's already serving and ending with the biggest project.

1. 945 Central, Café Bavaro. Opened inside Bavaro's on Friday, October 16. It serves breakfast and coffee Friday through Sunday, 8 to 11:30 a.m.
2. 937 Central, Casa Origen. A farm-to-table café and restaurant that set its soft opening for Saturday, October 24, with breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner is planned for early January.
3. 915 Central, The Lucky Flipper. A pinball bar aiming for early December in the former Machine Shop Barber Company space.
4. 907 Central, August Mae. A jewelry and lifestyle shop hoping to open by the end of the year.
5. 895 Central, The Sourdough Co. The bakery is moving into the 1926 Union Trust bank building and hopes to open in early 2027.

The openings start at the west end of the block and move east toward the bank, which is also the slowest project because of permitting and construction.

Two Breakfasts on Two Different Schedules

The two places open right now both serve breakfast, but they don't keep the same days, and that shapes how you use them.

Café Bavaro is a weekend operation. It runs inside the Bavaro's dining room before the restaurant's regular lunch service starts at noon. St. Pete Rising reported a menu of cappuccinos, flat whites, cortados and Americanos, plus cannoli and tiramisu lattes, matcha, a limoncello refresher and mimosas, along with bagels, breakfast plates and sandwiches. "This has been in the works for a while, and we are excited about finally executing it," Kaleigh DeSousa, manager of Bavaro's St. Pete location, told the outlet. The family tried the concept at its Clearwater Beach location first. The Café Bavaro website lists St. Pete hours as Friday through Sunday, 8 to 11:30 a.m., closed Monday through Thursday. On a Tuesday, that corner is lunch-only.

Casa Origen keeps a longer daytime window. I Love the Burg's first look described opening weekend as counter service only, with a handful of dishes, organic coffee, fresh smoothies and homemade gluten-free pastries. If you knew the space before, the outlet says you'll barely recognize it. The long bar is gone, and the inside is now three small rooms, one of them looking into a fully rebuilt open kitchen. Out back, the patio leans into a rustic farmhouse look. The rebuild took more than a year. The menu started with only four items while the team got settled, so the version you find this month is still a soft opening. The owners post updates on Casa Origen's Instagram.

For a weekend morning on the block, here's the order that works. Get espresso at 945 before 11:30, walk two doors to 937 for a smoothie or a late breakfast on the patio, and you've used both new spots before Casa Origen closes at 3.

December Adds Pinball and a Shop

The next two openings stretch the block's day, and both are built for coming and going.

The Lucky Flipper is owner Matthew Scott's 1,600-square-foot pinball bar. St. Pete Rising reported plans for 16 to 18 pinball machines, three to six classic arcade cabinets, and a bar focused on local and Florida-made beer. The machines span superheroes, dinosaurs and horror movies. Scott wants the room bright and approachable, branded in coral and teal with a roseate spoonbill.

The pricing is what makes it fit a daytime block. Admission is planned at $14 for the day, with unlimited play and the freedom to leave and come back. Scott is also considering date-night discounts, memberships and military discounts. With a day pass, you can play a few games, walk to Casa Origen for lunch, and come back in the afternoon without paying twice.

August Mae is going into a 736-square-foot storefront at 907 Central, between Fusillo Pasta and Sunshine City Paint. Owner Cory Lawler is planning water- and tarnish-proof demi-fine jewelry in 14-karat gold-filled and sterling silver, permanent bracelets and necklaces, build-your-own charm jewelry, and in-house engraving. The shop will also carry apparel, candles, glassware and small home goods. "I want it to be an experience," Lawler told St. Pete Rising. If it opens by year-end as hoped, it will be a gift stop on the block during the holiday season.

The Bank Building Sets the Pace

The building at 895 Central explains why the block is filling in gradually. The Union Trust bank went up in 1926, during St. Pete's first big real estate boom. It has been empty since NationsBank, now Bank of America, moved out in 1996. Several plans came and went. St. Pete Rising notes that a 2023 announcement for J. Fiore's Contemporary Steakhouse there never happened.

The Sourdough Co. now plans to use nearly 11,000 square feet across the ground floor, mezzanine and basement. Once again, the layout is built around daytime. According to St. Pete Rising, the basement is meant to be quieter and moodier, for people who want to work or settle in with a coffee. The former bank vault will be open daily as seating. The extra room will also host private events and collaborations with other businesses. You'll still order at the counter, but with more breakfast and lunch choices than today's sandwich- and wrap-focused menu, plus more grab-and-go and retail items.

Duksa plans to keep the high ceilings, arched windows, exposed brick and the vault. She's considering walnut, marble and gold finishes and hopes to display historic photos, checks and other items from the building's bank years. She told the outlet the move came partly because the bakery's lease at its current spot wasn't secure and it needed room to grow.

Opening is targeted for early 2027, and Duksa noted that permitting and construction could move that date. Until then, The Sourdough Co. stays open daily at 1113 Central Avenue, two blocks west.

Where the Evenings Are for Now

Because the new places keep café hours, nights on this part of Central still run on what was already here.

At the far end of the block, Grassroots Kava House at 957 Central hosts Trivia Night from 7 to 9 p.m. The EDGE District events calendar lists it on these Thursdays:

• November 12
• November 19
• November 26, Thanksgiving night, as currently listed
• December 3

A block and a half west, Bar Mezzo at 1049 Central has been pouring cocktails since its soft opening in November 2024. It's the upscale sibling of Intermezzo, from owner Jarrett Sabatini, as Creative Loafing reported when it opened.

The first new dinner service on the 900 block will be Casa Origen's full menu in early January, with natural wines and sustainable beer planned alongside it. Farther east, Acropolis Greek Taverna is returning to downtown at 475 Central with a new underground lounge. Co-founder Sam Waez is planning a grand opening in mid-December, per St. Pete Rising.

Until January, a night on the 900 block means trivia at 957, a cocktail at 1049, or pinball at 915 once The Lucky Flipper opens.

The 900 block will look different again by the time the vault opens. If you live near the EDGE District and want to keep up with what's changing within walking distance of your front door, including the homes on the blocks around it, Skyler Warden sends that kind of block-by-block update in his newsletter. Let's Connect.