Ybor City Restaurant Announces Closure After Nearly 2 Years

TAMPA, FL — A chef-owned restaurant in Ybor City is closing its doors for good before the end of the month.

The last day of service for Lara, located at 1919 E. 7th Ave., is Nov. 22, chef Suzanne Lara wrote in a social media post about her namesake restaurant on Wednesday.

“LARA was created as a love letter to Tampa — a space built around creativity, connection, community, and the belief that dining could be something more. Seeing it come to life and become a place where people gathered, created amazing experiences, shared meals, and inspired one another is something that we will always cherish,” Lara wrote in the post.

She added, “It is with a very full heart that we announce the closure of LARA. To our incredible team, our guests, neighbors, collaborators, local farmers, artists, vendors, and the Tampa and Ybor City community: thank you for being part of this journey. Your support, creativity, and belief in what we were building made LARA what it was. Some dreams are worth bringing to life, even if they're not meant to last forever.”

No reason was given for the closure.

In a separate post, she shared the following upcoming events at the restaurant, through its closing date:

• Nov. 11 - Mahjong, 7 to 10 p.m.
• Nov. 12 - Friends of Flor Fina “Over Easy” demo
• Nov. 14 - Tampa Bay Abortion Fund-raiser
• Nov. 18 - Trivia with Max
• Nov. 19 - FEED Zine release party
• Nov. 22 - final Coquito pop-up and final Lara service

The chef, a Tampa food scene veteran who previously served as executive chef at Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe, ran Cass Street Deli, and was sous chef for Rooster & the Till, opened Lara in January of 2025.

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