V Modern Italian is coming to North Hyde Park's Rome Collective
A globally backed Italian concept with a Michelin-starred chef just announced a Tampa debut at Rome Collective — here's what to expect and why it matters.
On the map
The exact spot — handy for figuring out which neighborhood you're really in.
Every time I drive down N. Rome Avenue lately, there's a little less construction fence and a little more restaurant. This week the Rome Collective corridor got even more interesting: V Modern Italian — a globally-backed concept with a Michelin-starred chef attached — just announced its Tampa opening at the mixed-use development at 202 N. Rome Ave. in North Hyde Park. It's the first U.S. outpost the brand has opened in the Southeast, and by all accounts, it won't be a soft landing.
What is V Modern Italian?
V Modern Italian is set to open at Rome Collective, the mixed-use project at 202 N. Rome Ave. in North Hyde Park, run by the Fast Fine Restaurant Group.
The concept leans hard into the idea that a great dinner should be a full sensory experience — design, sound, food, and wine working together rather than independently.
Michelin-starred chef Stefano Ciotti is collaborating on the concept, which was created by Benjamin Calleja and Christian Lagerlöf. The menu spans antipasti, fresh pastas, oven-fired pizzas, and wood-fired main courses, paired with craft cocktails and wine.
Fast Fine Restaurant Group already operates in Sweden, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, and Saudi Arabia — Tampa is their first U.S. foothold.
Nashville was the first American city when it launched in May 2025, followed by Charleston this past spring. Tampa is the third.
What's the vibe?
The Nashville location transformed a former brewery into a dining area with velvet booths, a marble bar, and murals by street art duo PichiAvo. The Tampa space at Rome Collective is expected to bring similar design touches to North Hyde Park.
If you've eaten at Rocca in Tampa Heights or Bar Terroir and wondered when that level of hospitality intention would push further south and west — this is your answer. The Rome Collective corridor is becoming exactly that kind of density.
Rome Collective is quickly becoming a real dining destination
V Modern Italian isn't arriving alone.
Lumbre just threw open its doors at the Rome Collective this month. The wood-fired Spanish spot comes from Tastes Pretty Good, the team that runs Michelin-starred Rocca, Michelin-recommended Bar Terroir, and Bib Gourmand Streetlight Taco.
Before this summer, a walkable Hyde Park evening was essentially a choice among the tenants of one property owner along Village Circle. By the end of August, the same walk radius will include four wood-fire or sushi-driven rooms operated by two of the most decorated hospitality groups in the city.
Kingfish, a sushi bar and Japanese restaurant, is scheduled for an August opening — also at Rome Collective.
And per our own previous coverage, a future Tampa Riverwalk extension is planned to run adjacent to the project, which is the kind of infrastructure signal that precedes serious neighborhood value shifts.
When does V Modern Italian open?
V Modern Italian is opening this September at Rome Collective.
No exact date has been announced yet, but the restaurant is actively hiring — so the timeline appears firm.
Construction continues as Rome Collective nears completion in North Hyde Park.
Reservations aren't open yet, but following @vmodernitaliankitchen on Instagram is your best bet for a heads-up when they drop.
What this means for the neighborhood
I'll say it plainly: the N. Rome Avenue corridor between North Hyde Park and Tampa Heights is assembling the kind of dining density that historically precedes residential price movement. That's not a guarantee — real estate never is — but when a globally-operated Michelin-chef-backed concept chooses a neighborhood for its U.S. debut, it's a data point worth filing away.
If you're a buyer weighing South Tampa against something with a bit more upside, the blocks around Rome Collective deserve a serious look right now. I've been watching this corridor for months. You can check what homes in the broader Hyde Park ZIP are actually worth today at our home value tool for 33606, or if you want to talk through what's moving in the area, I'm always up for that conversation.
The restaurant hasn't opened yet. But the neighborhood already has.