RESTAURANT NEWS | FLORIDA
Lumbre Wants Tampa to Eat More Jamón and Better Paella
LUMBRE | MAP | INSTAGRAM
By Eric Barton
Photos by Melissa Santell
6:35 a.m. ET, July 15, 2026
AUTHOR BIO: Eric Barton is editor of The Adventurist and a freelance journalist who has reviewed restaurants for more than two decades. Email him here.
Nick Orr has spent nearly a decade helping build one of Tampa’s most decorated restaurant groups. Now he’s finally getting a restaurant of his own.
Lumbre opens today in North Hyde Park with a menu centered on Spanish cooking, live fire, imported ham and cheese, and paella prepared to order. It’s the latest restaurant from Tastes Pretty Good Hospitality, the group behind Michelin-starred Rocca, Bar Terroir, and Streetlight Taco.
Charcuterie
Orr was culinary director Bryce Bonsack’s first hire and helped open and run the kitchen at Rocca. Lumbre marks his first ownership role, giving him the chance to turn years of studying Spanish food into something more permanent than a well-stamped passport.
His interest began while cooking alongside a family friend from Zaragoza. In 2024, Orr traveled through Madrid, San Sebastián, Barcelona, and Valencia, and trained on traditional grills in Getaria, the Basque coastal town known for cooking whole fish over charcoal.
That education shows up most clearly in dishes that don’t require much explanation. The kitchen will bake pan de cristal daily for pan con tomate, fry croquetas filled with jamón Ibérico and béchamel, and serve tortilla de patatas with the soft, custardy center.
Pan con tomate
The menu is divided among cheese and charcuterie, bocados, starters, and larger plates. Spanish imports include Cantabrian anchovies, six-month Manchego, Valdeón blue cheese, chorizo, and pata negra: acorn-fed Ibérico ham aged for 48 months. Seafood will hit the open-fire grill, while paella will be made to order with a layer of crisp socarrat along the bottom.
Grilled dorada
Churros
Dessert continues in Spain with torrijas served with poached plums and whipped yogurt, churros with chocolate and dulce de leche, and Basque-style cheesecake with poached pears, goat cheese, and shaved Garrotxa.
Lauren Shlemon, whose Tampa résumé includes Boulon Brasserie, Oak & Ola, and Ford’s Garage, will oversee the dining room as general manager.
Lumbre will serve dinner Tuesday through Sunday, staying open until 10 on weeknights and 11 on Friday and Saturday. Sangria seems like the sensible place to begin.
Ming and Courtney Pu open TANA, a Taiwanese New American restaurant.
By ERIC BARTON
