22nd Street South, the historic main street of Black St. Petersburg. It has changed a lot lately: Lorene's Fish House closed in May 2026 after 32 years, and a new bodega called LOVE22 opened in the same building that June.
Heavy's started as a soul food truck working festivals and added a takeout restaurant at 22nd Street and 9th Avenue South, a move I Love the Burg reported in February 2020 with Kendrick Scott, Robb Lancaster and Ken Rhodes behind it. The site calls the founders 'two men on a mission' to serve soul food at fair prices. The turkey wings are the dish with its name on them, beside fried pork chops, oxtails and meatloaf.
Melissa 'Melly' Gardner opened LOVE22 on Juneteenth 2026 in the building where Lorene's Fish House cooked for 32 years. She calls it a new-age bodega: a downstairs takeout counter with sandwiches, salads, juices and free coffee, a patio with a bar, and a lounge upstairs. The Cuban sandwich uses pork smoked daily, and Sundays are for soul food. Gardner told the Tampa Bay Times she wanted fresh food on a corridor with real health gaps, and that Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy, who own much of 22nd Street, mentored her.
The Brunch Munch is a soul food and wings truck parked on the Deuces at 925 22nd Street South. I Love the Burg listed it among St. Pete's Black-owned restaurants in August 2026.
Zee's started as a pop-up tent and opened a counter inside the Foodie Labs culinary incubator just before Independence Day weekend 2026. It smokes brisket and pulled pork over wood, low and slow, and also sells sausage dogs and sides. The Gabber reports it gives a share of sales to local animal shelters, and it handed over a night's tips to Friends of Strays at the Foodie Labs night market on 26 September 2026.
