When did the plaza at 3225 S MacDill Ave. start staying open past dark? The answer is this fall. One space changed hands, and two longtime neighbors kept cooking and pouring for each other.
Palma Ceia Village has looked the same from MacDill for years: a bakery, a wine shop, a UPS Store and a run of suites around one parking lot. On the calendar it looks different now. The former Brunchery space has become a bistro that serves dinner Wednesday through Saturday. Next door, the wine shop's events rely on the bakery's kitchen. Put together, those changes make the plaza work like a single venue with several doors.
The brunch space now serves dinner
Creative Loafing Tampa reported in July that Old Heights Bistro would leave 4703 N Nebraska Ave. in Seminole Heights after more than a decade. Its last service there was Saturday, July 25. The new home was "Palma Ceia's former Brunchery space at 3225 S MacDill Ave., which is in the same plaza as Pane Rustica," with an opening planned for late August or early September.
Co-owner Philip Hutchison told Creative Loafing what drew him to the new suite:
"I got parking, new AC, everyone is nice and willing to work with me."
He and co-owner Shima had run the restaurant for nearly 11 years, and they've cooked together for 20. In the same article, Hutchison split the work this way: "He does the sushi and I do all the rest of it." In Seminole Heights the menu ran from sushi rolls and hummus to steaks, burgers, curries and ravioli, with beer, wine and sake to drink.
In July, a restaurant representative told Creative Loafing the South Tampa location would serve only breakfast and lunch for its first two years. The schedule on the restaurant's own site says otherwise. It lists lunch Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and evening service Wednesday through Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. It's closed Sundays. A weekend specials menu runs Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to close and changes weekly. The site lists the address as Suite 109 and names the location Palma Ceia, with breakfast, lunch and sushi menus posted.
That puts four dinner nights a week in a suite that used to serve brunch. Most of the change in this plaza's evenings starts here.
The bakery cooks for the wine shop
Pane Rustica isn't new. That's So Tampa's 25th anniversary profile in 2024 gave its opening date as July 15, 1999, and named Kevin and Karyn Kruszewski as the owners. That puts it past 27 years in South Tampa, and its order page lists the 3225 S MacDill address with an 11 a.m. opening.
Redneck Wine Company is in Suite 123, a few doors away. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Its October calendar shows how closely the two businesses work together:
- Oct. 15: Redneck held a five-course TOR Wine Dinner at Pane Rustica, pairing single-vineyard Napa wines with the bakery's kitchen.
- Oct. 28: A Prohibition Era wine class at Redneck, hosted by Adam Sageser in a 70s game-show format. The light appetizers came from Pane Rustica.
- Sundays: Afternoon chef pop-ups in the shop. There was an Oktoberfest German food mash-up with Chefs Noel Cruz and Joe Dodd on Oct. 4, barbecue with Chef Michael Buttacavoli on Oct. 11, and Franca's Pizza on Oct. 18, all from 2 to 6 p.m.
So the bakery provides the food and the wine shop provides the room and the bottles. With Old Heights now serving dinner four nights a week, the plaza has something to eat after 6 p.m. on a regular schedule, and not only on event nights.
How a week at 3225 S MacDill fits together
Here's how the three businesses' posted hours line up. Pane Rustica's order page confirms an 11 a.m. opening but doesn't publish a full weekly schedule, so the table leaves it out.
| Day | Old Heights Bistro, Suite 109 | Redneck Wine Company, Suite 123 |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday | Lunch, plus dinner 6 to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Thursday | Lunch, plus dinner 6 to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Friday | Lunch, plus dinner and weekend specials | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday | Lunch, plus dinner and weekend specials | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Sunday | Closed | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., pop-ups 2 to 6 p.m. on select Sundays |
The two schedules cover each other's gaps. On Wednesday through Saturday you could buy a bottle at Redneck before 8 p.m. and have dinner at Old Heights until 9. On Sunday, when the bistro is closed, the wine shop's pop-ups fill the afternoon.
The rest of the plaza handles errands. The UPS Store, location #314, is in Suite 129, and Palma Ceia Air Conditioned Self Storage is in Suite 135.
November in the plaza, in order
The busiest stretch of the season starts Sunday, Nov. 1. Redneck lists its Sunday pop-ups and Saturday events as RSVP only and free. The anniversary tasting and the holiday tasting are ticketed.
- Sun., Nov. 1, 2 to 6 p.m.: Franca's Artisan Pizza Pop-Up at Redneck. RSVP only. At the October Franca's pop-up, Redneck offered vegan options and gluten-free dough with 48 hours' notice.
- Sun., Nov. 8, 3 to 6 p.m.: Redneck Wine's 15th Anniversary Tasting, $175. The shop promises more than 300 wines, with at least two bottles over $50 at every table. There will be tables for French, Italian, Argentinean, Spanish and Oregon wines, plus Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy stations. Pane Rustica handles the food, and Kevin from the bakery is bringing back "Kevin's Grillin' Pop-up Spot."
- Sat., Nov. 14, 2 to 5 p.m.: Saturday Sip N' Shop at Redneck. RSVP only.
- Sun., Nov. 15, 2 to 6 p.m.: Franca's Artisan Pizza Pop-Up returns. RSVP only.
- Wed., Nov. 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Kicking Off the Holidays Seated Tasting, $75. Seats are limited, and Pane Rustica is providing light bites. It's a Wednesday, so Old Heights starts dinner service at 6 p.m. while the tasting is underway.
- Sat., Nov. 21, 2 to 5 p.m.: Saturday Sip N' Shop. RSVP only.
- Sun., Nov. 22: A Game Day Wings & Wines Pop-Up with Chefs Noel Cruz and Joe Dodd shows up on a third-party event listing without a time or RSVP details. Check Redneck's own calendar before you plan around it.
The Nov. 8 tasting takes up part of the parking lot, and Redneck's ticket page warns that parking will be very limited. The shop suggests Uber, Lyft or a designated driver. If you're coming for a Sunday-afternoon UPS Store run that day, plan for a fuller lot than usual.
A few blocks north on MacDill, and one stop in Hyde Park
The holiday calendar continues up the street. Milly's, at 2718 S MacDill Ave., is hosting two ticketed classes run by The Charming Stylist. Evergreen Elegance, a holiday wreath-making class, is Saturday, Nov. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. General admission is $105, registration is required in advance, and guests may bring wine or cocktails. Merry Mischief, a Grinch-inspired centerpiece class, is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. for $125, also with advance registration. The wine shop at 3225 is open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays, so you can pick up a bottle on the way.
For a bigger outing, Hyde Park Village holds its Holiday Happening on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. There will be live music, Tampa City Ballet and Santa, with the tree lighting at 7:45 p.m. The Fresh Market at Hyde Park Village runs on the first Sunday of the month, which this season means Nov. 1 and Dec. 6, with more than 90 vendors. On Nov. 1 the market and the Franca's pop-up fall on the same day, which makes for a full Sunday without leaving South Tampa.
Back at 3225 S MacDill, the plan for any week this fall is simple. Have lunch at Old Heights any day but Sunday, dinner there Wednesday through Saturday, and save Sunday afternoon for Redneck's pop-ups. On Nov. 8, the bakery and the wine shop host the plaza's biggest event of the year.
Harvey Petty has watched South Tampa plazas like Palma Ceia Village change over more than 25 years, and he pays attention when a storefront changes hands and the street's schedule shifts with it. If you own a home near MacDill and want to know what's selling around you this fall, Harvey Petty can walk you through it. Start with a free home valuation.
