Forbici Modern Italian opens at Sundial in downtown St. Pete on June 24, taking over the former Sea Salt space in a 12,000-square-foot room with 350 seats, a centerpiece bar, and daily live music programmed across indoor and outdoor stages. The Tampa-based Italian concept is making its cross-bay debut at one of downtown St. Pete's most prominent restaurant addresses.
Sea Salt held the Sundial ground-floor position for years as one of downtown St. Pete's anchor dining spots. Forbici's move into the same footprint signals a deliberate market bet: the operator's Instagram describes the concept as one of Tampa's most popular Italian concepts, and the St. Pete expansion is its largest physical commitment to date. At 12,000 square feet and 350 seats, this room is built for scale from day one — not grown into gradually.
The cross-bay move follows a pattern that has defined Tampa Bay hospitality in recent years: operators establishing a Tampa foothold and then stepping into St. Pete's increasingly dense dining market. What sets Forbici's entry apart is scope. Most concepts that expand into new markets start lean. Forbici's June 24 launch enters St. Pete at 350 covers and daily live entertainment — a full-scale debut rather than a proving-ground satellite.
The live music component is the room's other major commitment. Per the operator's announcement, both indoor and outdoor stages will carry programming every day. At this volume, that requires a booking operation running alongside the kitchen — a logistics layer that few restaurants sustain without it becoming a core part of the identity. Whether Forbici runs booked acts or rotating ambient sets will determine whether the outdoor stage becomes a second revenue channel or serves primarily as atmosphere for dinner guests.
