Casa Santo Stefano Restaurant

This project was comprised of procuring all labor, material, and equipment to remodel, renovate, and construct new building elements to create Casa Santo Stefano Restaurant, a Columbia Restaurant Group restaurant. The original building that was existing was constructed in 1925 and was home to The Ferlita Macaroni Factory.

Some of the specific elements included with this project are as follows: hand-painted slabs of volcanic stone from Mt. Etna, Sicily, a roof top bar and restaurant over looking historic Ybor City, a grand circular drive with original City of Tampa res brick, and a wine “cellar” mezzanine in the dining room showcasing the restaurants 100% Sicilian wine stock.

The entrance foyer showcases a 100-year old sculpture of “The Last Supper” built into the wall. Opposite of the sculpture there is a stained glass window built by artist Joe Testa-Secca originally displayed in Jesuit High School’s chapel. The front bar is completely custom with the bar top being another slab of the Sicilian volcanic stone. The dining room showcases a custom pizza oven from Italy as well as an eat-in expo kitchen to give guests the feeling of a “chef’s table” experience. As stated above, there is a wine “cellar” mezzanine which house all of the restaurants wine. A custom antiqued dumbwaiter was built along the side of the mezzanine as well. All of the trim and millwork in the dining room is hand-shaped mahogany.

The second floor rooftop bar/restaurant is called “Santo’s Drinkeria” and showcases a custom splatter paint scheme, an antique (operable) barber shop, a custom wave ceiling, and a tiled exterior deck. The bar itself showcases a custom fabricated drink rail system, more stained glass built into the back of the bar, custom millwork, and custom concrete terrazzo bar tops. There is also a second Italian pizza oven on the second floor.

Project Details

Project: Casa Santo Stefano Restaurant

Location: Ybor City, Florida

Owner / Client: Columbia Restaurant Group

Construction Area: 14,130 SF

Contract Value: $5,000,000

Completion Date: Fall 2020