On Halloween night, after trick-or-treating, a family-friendly movie is supposed to play on the lawn at 4815 N. Nebraska Ave. from 8 to 10 p.m. The owners of Coco's In the Heights told Creative Loafing Tampa the idea is to let kids "get their candy crazies out."
If you live in Seminole Heights, you know this corner. You probably also know it hasn't stayed the same thing for long. Coco's will be the fourth name tied to the lot since 2025. It's also the first in that run to come out of Tampa's old Cuban sandwich shop tradition. Its owner sums up the business model in one word, and the word is "same."
Four names on one corner
Here is how the address got here, based on reporting from the Tampa Bay Times:
- Nebraska Mini Mart ran for six years. It was a Proper House Group concept built to look like the old-school mini mart that stood on the lot in the 1950s, and it billed itself as a neighborhood "third place." It closed in 2025.
- King of the Coop, Joe Dodd's Nashville hot chicken concept, took over next and held the space for about half a year in 2025.
- Nebraska Roadside, a food trailer park, announced on social media in June 2026 that it was coming. It never opened, and its Instagram account has since been deactivated.
- Coco's In the Heights is aiming to open by the end of October.
The first three were concepts, each a themed idea built around a format: a retro corner store, a hot chicken counter, a trailer park. The fourth comes from a family that has been making Cuban sandwiches in Tampa for two decades.
Where Coco's comes from
The operator behind Coco's In the Heights, Carrillo, grew up working at his father's restaurant, Coco's Sandwich Shop on 22nd Avenue in Palmetto Beach, which has been open about 20 years. In 2019 he started Coco's Latin Cuisine as a food truck. He posted on social media where it would pop up, and it showed up in New Tampa, Temple Terrace and Apollo Beach.
The team moved into the building of Coco's at 40th Street in 2024. Because of permitting issues, they spent the year before that serving from the food truck in its parking lot. The Times places Coco's at 40th Street in the same tradition as Brocato's, Coco's at 22nd Street, Palm Avenue and West Tampa Sandwich Shop.
Carrillo described the operating philosophy to the Tampa Bay Times. He said the team isn't chasing awards. The goal is the best service and the cleanest place.
"Not everyone's going to think you had the best Cuban, but if people like it, if it's the same every single time, they will keep coming back."
For a corner whose identity has changed several times in about two years, consistency is the selling point.
What the corner will look like
The Seminole Heights menu goes a step beyond the 40th Street shop. It has loaded tostones, Cuban-style bowls, and beer and wine. The sandwich-shop roots stay in place with a Cuban, a palomillo steak sandwich and handmade devil crab. Fresh-ground espresso and cafecito won't be on the printed menu, but Carrillo told the Times you can still order them.
The renovation costs about $100,000. In the Times version, that pays for tile throughout an indoor dining room of roughly 24 seats, tile in the bathrooms and kitchen, and new kitchen equipment. Creative Loafing's list adds new umbrellas, shades, lighting and palm trees. Carrillo described the target mood as "a Havana nights kind of vibe."
Most of the space is outside, though. Around 24 indoor seats is small for a lot this size, and the patio is where the plans pile up:
- Regulation cornhole and giant Jenga
- The ping-pong table, which stays from the previous setup
- Live music on the patio Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings
- Community nights, starting with the Halloween movie on the lawn
The posted hours are Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Carrillo told the Times he'd like to try adding breakfast after the new year. His summary of the approach: "We're open to doing anything as long as people show up and the community is supporting us."
The same few blocks lost two long-timers this summer
While the corner was switching operators, two businesses a short walk south ended long runs for their own reasons. Neither had anything to do with the corner.
- 4500 N. Nebraska Ave., Southern Brewing & Winemaking. Brian and Kelly Fenstermacher opened the homebrew supply store in 2008 and added a full brewery, winery and taproom in 2011. On July 9, Creative Loafing Tampa reported their farewell note. After three decades in the brewing industry, they wrote, it was "time to retire." The note gave a window of "approximately four to six weeks" instead of a closing date.
- 4703 N. Nebraska Ave., Old Heights Bistro. Philip Hutchison and co-owner Shima served their last guests here on Saturday, July 25, after nearly 11 years. "He does the sushi and I do all the rest of it," Hutchison told Creative Loafing Tampa. The restaurant didn't close for good. It moved to the former Brunchery space at 3225 S. MacDill Ave. in Palma Ceia, which is in the same plaza as Pane Rustica. Hutchison's explanation was practical: "I got parking, new AC, everyone is nice and willing to work with me."
Creative Loafing reported the Southern Brewing news during what it called a long summer of Tampa Bay restaurant and bar closures. Owners cited causes ranging from inflation and hurricane recovery costs to changing drinking habits. The two Nebraska Avenue departures came down to their own stories, a retirement and a move. No new tenant has been announced for either address.
Put that next to the corner's history and this stretch looks different than it did in spring. The two addresses that had stayed put the longest are now empty. The address that kept turning over is about to reopen under an owner who talks mostly about consistency.
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Angry Chair Brewing was reported in April to be listed for sale at $3 million while it kept operating as usual. Its website still advertises an open taproom.
The calendar around the corner through mid-December
Coco's opening falls right in the middle of a busy stretch on the Seminole Heights calendar. Here's what's coming between now and mid-December:
- Tuesday, October 27, 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association holds its quarterly general membership meeting at American Legion Post 111, 6918 N. Florida Ave., according to the OSHNA calendar.
- By the end of October. Coco's In the Heights' target opening at 4815 N. Nebraska Ave.
- Saturday, October 31, 8 to 10 p.m. The Halloween movie on the Coco's lawn.
- Sunday, November 8, and Sunday, December 13. The last two 2026 dates for the Seminole Heights Sunday Market. It runs year-round on the second Sunday of the month, also at American Legion Post 111, according to Tampa Bay Markets.
Both outlets give "by the end of October" as a target, not a fixed date. Check the @cocosat40th Instagram account for the actual first service before you head over for the Halloween movie.
At The Waugh Group, we follow Seminole Heights block by block, including what opens on Nebraska Avenue and what sits empty. If you own near this stretch and want to know how the changes around you factor into your home's value, schedule a free consultation or request a free home valuation, and we'll walk you through it.
