SoHo after dark | Tampa – Creative Loafing Tampa

By Leilani Polk and Chip Weiner on Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 8:40 am

Last Friday night, a gang of good friends and I set out for SoHo to experience its illustrious nightlife firsthand.
Our adventure began with pre-gaming at Cheap, a swanky restaurant and bar bathed in muted glowing lights in hues of red and blue, its cushy seating accented by faux-fur. We nibbled sliders and shoestring fries and nursed fancy cocktails (one Acai Blueberry Cosmo, please) before making our way down to The Kennedy for the month's first edition of Forever Fridays, where the ladies get in and drink for free until 11 p.m.

There, we did a round of Lemon Drop shots. We got our red sippy cups filled up. We did some mingling and bobbing to hip-hop on the inside, and soaked up the dank wafting reggae vibes on the patio outside before finally venturing back out toward the Howard Avenue strip. 

A group consensus that popular watering hole MacDinton’s was outside the clubbier specifics of our mission, and a failed attempt to stop at The DrYnk (all we wanted was a slice of life, man) ultimately led us to our final destination — and, much to my surprise, my favorite place of the night — Hyde Park Café, party capital of SoHo and the heart of Tampa’s underground house scene.
Fridays are for Serious Soul and house music with resident Brian Busto, joined by whomever he decides to invite to the booth. (You can read the full story on HPC and its scene here.) We hung with the VIPs, got down with our bad selves to pumping house music and, at the end of the night, as we stumbled our way to the cab that had come to take us back to St. Petersburg, came to the unanimous conclusion that hanging in SoHo on a Friday night ain’t half bad.
At Cheap

Annie Orban (pictured left): “It’s a great place for a girls' night out. The sushi is really good and you can have a conversation without getting blown out by the music.”
Mireille Fernandez (right): “We wanted to grab a bite to eat and a few drinks without all the craziness. I like the Asian cowboy feel and the ambience of the space.”
Next stop for the twosome? “Sometimes we go to The DrYnk. Tonight it’s Green Lemon, formerly The Lime.”

Outside The SPOT Hookah & Cigar Bar
Jho Gonzalez, 28, originally from Colombia but a Tampa resident since 1996: “I usually frequent South Tampa a lot. A lot of the bouncers know me around here, for good reasons, not bad reasons.
“Usually I go to MacDinton’s, Yard of Ale. This place has opened up recently so I thought I’d check it out. I’m meeting a few friends here.
“It’s usually about the nightlife and usually more mature then, say, Ybor. Ybor sometimes has a lot of young kids. Usually here, a lot of these places are 21 and over. It’s not the most mature crowd, but it’s a little more mature. At least you don’t have the police here in riot gear, where usually in Ybor that’s your Friday or Saturday.”

At Hyde Park Café
Anthony Shelby comes to Hyde Park Café for its atmosphere. “It’s a chill place and a great place to hang out with friends. It’s not too crowded, you have your outdoor-ness — I like it.” Drink of choice? “Grey Goose, all the way.”
At The Kennedy
Sheila (left): “I come to the Kennedy for its atmosphere. Less drama than other places.” Her drink of choice? “Grey Goose and Ciroc.”
Jennifer Lopez, 23: “This is the only place I’ll come on a Friday. I come every first Friday [of the month]. It’s the crowd here — young and fun … all the checks come in at the first of the month, so there’s more people.” 

Full text
Since 1988, CL Tampa Bay has served as the free, independent voice of Tampa Bay, and we want to keep it that way.
Becoming a CL Tampa Bay Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.
Join today because you love us, too.
Florida’s home school voucher program could double in size next year
By Ryan Dailey and News Service of Florida
Breakfast spot Bacon Bitch abruptly closes downtown St. Pete location
By Kyla Fields
Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.
Everything we know about DreamWorks Land, opening next month at Universal Orlando
By Chelsea Zukowski
Massive ‘Catstravaganza’ comes to Tampa Convention Center this weekend
By Ray Roa
V.M. Ybor’s Newman Cigar Company factory hosts ‘Florida!’ book talk on Tuesday
By Ray Roa
Lonnie Holley and Gang Gang Dance’s Lizzi Bougatsos team up for MFA St. Pete exhibit
By Ray Roa
St. Pete Pride kicks off with Mx St. Pete Pride Pageant this weekend
By Ray Roa
HCC Ybor’s new juried members show is now open at Gallery114
By Ray Roa
Everything we know about DreamWorks Land, opening next month at Universal Orlando
By Chelsea Zukowski
FAU professor will discuss his Tampa Bay estuary book this month in St. Pete
By Ray Roa
View more issues
Read our sister publications
633 N. Franklin Street, Suite 735
Tampa, FL 33602

source