# Forbici Modern Italian St. Pete: What to Know

> Forbici Modern Italian at Sundial St. Pete — hours, menu highlights, location, parking, and why locals love it. Full guide from a St. Pete local.

**Canonical URL**: https://stpetehomeguide.com/questions/forbici-modern-italian-st-pete
**Author**: Luke Salm
**Published**: 2026-06-23
**Updated**: 2026-06-23
**Intent**: general
**Keywords**: Forbici Modern Italian St. Pete, Forbici Sundial St. Pete, Forbici restaurant St. Petersburg, Italian restaurant downtown St. Pete, Sundial St. Pete restaurants, best Italian restaurant St. Petersburg FL, Forbici St. Pete opening


## What Is Forbici Modern Italian in St. Pete?

Forbici Modern Italian is a contemporary Italian restaurant located inside Sundial St. Pete, the open-air lifestyle center at 153 2nd Ave N in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. It occupies one of Sundial's anchor restaurant spaces and serves handmade pastas, wood-fired proteins, crudo, and an Italian-forward wine and cocktail program — all in a room that's upscale but not uptight.

The name "Forbici" (pronounced for-BEE-chee) is Italian for scissors — a nod to the craft of the kitchen. It's become a genuine anchor of the downtown dining scene, the kind of spot that draws both St. Pete residents on a weeknight and visitors staying at one of the Central Avenue hotels for a longer reservation.

## Location and Getting There

Sundial sits at the corner of 2nd Ave N and 2nd St N, roughly three blocks west of the St. Pete Pier and one block north of Central Avenue — the main artery of downtown St. Pete. If you know where Sundial's rooftop pool deck is, Forbici is on the ground-floor dining ring.

**Getting there:**
- **By car:** Sundial has an attached parking garage off 2nd Ave N. Validated parking is available with purchase. On busy event nights — when a Rays game is happening at Tropicana Field or a festival is running along the waterfront — arrive 20–30 minutes early.
- **By bike:** The SunRunner BRT stops about four blocks away on Central Ave at 1st St. The area has a decent bike lane network, and there are racks inside the Sundial complex.
- **On foot:** If you live in [Old Northeast](/neighborhoods/old-northeast) or in a downtown condo along Beach Drive NE or 4th Ave NE, Forbici is an easy 10-to-15-minute walk across the grid.

## The Menu: What Forbici Does Well

Forbici's menu is organized around Italian culinary tradition without being a red-checkered-tablecloth throwback. A few things worth knowing before you go:

- **Handmade pasta** is the anchor — seasonal shapes, house-made daily. Expect cacio e pepe-adjacent riffs, ragù variations, and pasta that actually tastes different from what you'd get at a chain Italian spot.
- **Crudo and antipasti** are strong starters. Fresh Gulf seafood shows up here in a way that makes sense given St. Pete's waterfront identity.
- **Wood-fired proteins** — chicken, fish, and larger cuts — make up the secondi section, cooked over live fire for a slight char and smoke that pairs well with the Italian wine list.
- **The bar program** leans into Italian aperitivo culture: Aperol and Campari-based drinks, a solid Negroni, and imported Italian wines by the glass.

The menu rotates with seasons, which is smart in Florida — Gulf grouper in summer hits differently than a winter branzino. If you haven't been in six months, the specific dishes have likely shifted.

## Atmosphere and When to Go

Forbici occupies a polished indoor-outdoor space inside Sundial's ground floor, with high ceilings, soft lighting, and an open kitchen component that gives the room some energy without being loud. It's date-night appropriate, works for a business dinner, and isn't so precious that you can't bring a group of friends who want to share a few bottles.

**Best times to visit:**
- **Weekday evenings (Tuesday–Thursday):** Easiest reservations, quieter room, same food.
- **Friday and Saturday:** Full energy, harder to walk in without a reservation. Book on OpenTable at least a week ahead if you want a specific time.
- **Sunday brunch/lunch:** Worth checking their current hours — Sundial's restaurant schedule has varied by season. Call ahead or check their direct website if you're planning a midday visit.

Downtown St. Pete's event calendar affects every restaurant in the Sundial district. Rays home games at Tropicana Field (about a 10-minute drive or Uber west on I-275) and weekend festivals on the waterfront near the Pier consistently spike foot traffic. If there's a big event, expect 30-plus-minute waits for walk-ins.

## Forbici's Role in the Downtown St. Pete Restaurant Scene

Downtown St. Pete has gone through a legitimate dining evolution over the past decade. The Central Avenue corridor — from the Edge District on the west end through the Central Arts District to the Waterfront Arts District near Beach Drive — now has enough destination restaurants that people plan trips around the food scene, not just the beaches.

Forbici sits in the upper tier of that ecosystem alongside spots like Birch & Vine, Il Ritorno (on Beach Drive), and newer entrants. What separates Forbici is the Sundial real estate — it's embedded in a curated complex that pulls consistent foot traffic from hotel guests, Pier visitors, and residents of the downtown condo towers along 1st Ave N and Beach Drive.

For context: Sundial's dining cluster also includes [Mei, the contemporary Asian restaurant at the same address](/questions/mei-restaurant-st-pete) — another spot seeing strong search interest from St. Pete locals and visitors in 2026.

## What Forbici Tells You About the Downtown St. Pete Market

I'll be honest: the reason a real estate site is covering a restaurant is because restaurants like Forbici are a reliable signal of neighborhood trajectory. When anchor tenants at walkable urban mixed-use centers are operating at full capacity and expanding their hours, it means the residential demand around them is real.

Downtown St. Pete's 33701 ZIP code has seen median home values climb steadily — per Stellar MLS closed sales data, attached condos and lofts within a five-block radius of Sundial have transacted at premiums of roughly 8–12% compared to comparable units farther from the walkable core. Buyers relocating from cities like New York, Chicago, and Chicago often specifically ask about walkability scores and proximity to destination dining — and "I can walk to Forbici" is the kind of detail that closes deals.

If you're considering a downtown St. Pete condo or loft purchase and want to understand how the 33701 micro-market is actually performing right now — not Zillow's algorithm, but real comps — that's worth a conversation. More on that below.

The broader walkable dining corridor also anchors the appeal covered in our [downtown St. Pete neighborhoods buying guide](/questions/buying-home-downtown-st-pete-neighborhoods-guide-2026) and factors into why [Old Northeast](/neighborhoods/old-northeast) continues to attract buyers who want a residential feel with a 15-minute walk to exactly this kind of night out.

## Quick Reference: Forbici Modern Italian St. Pete

| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Address | 153 2nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 |
| Complex | Sundial St. Pete |
| Cuisine | Contemporary Modern Italian |
| Reservations | OpenTable — recommended on weekends |
| Parking | Sundial attached garage (validated) |
| Nearest landmark | 3 blocks west of the St. Pete Pier |
| ZIP code | 33701 |
| Nearest BRT stop | SunRunner — Central Ave & 1st St |

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If you own a condo or home in downtown St. Pete and you're curious what the walkable-core premium looks like in actual dollar terms for your specific address, I'll pull 3 real MLS comps and text them to you within 24 hours — free, no pressure. [Request your free home valuation here.](/contact)

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: Where is Forbici Modern Italian located in St. Pete?**

Forbici Modern Italian is located at Sundial St. Pete, the open-air shopping and dining district at 153 2nd Ave N in downtown St. Petersburg. It sits in the heart of the Central Arts District, within easy walking distance of the St. Pete Pier and DTSP hotel corridor.

**Q: What kind of food does Forbici serve?**

Forbici serves contemporary Italian cuisine with a Florida twist — think handmade pastas, wood-fired proteins, crudo, and an extensive Italian wine list. The menu rotates seasonally to reflect local Gulf Coast ingredients alongside classic Italian techniques.

**Q: Is Forbici good for a date night or special occasion in St. Pete?**

Yes. Forbici is widely regarded as one of downtown St. Pete's top upscale dining experiences, with an atmosphere that's polished without being stuffy. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends when downtown is busy with events near Tropicana Field or the Pier.

**Q: Is there parking near Forbici at Sundial?**

Sundial has its own parking garage directly attached to the complex, and there are additional city-owned surface lots along 2nd Ave N and 1st Ave N. Street parking is available on surrounding blocks but fills quickly on Friday and Saturday evenings.

**Q: Does the Forbici location at Sundial affect nearby home values?**

Amenity-rich corridors like the Sundial block consistently drive buyer demand for walkable downtown St. Pete condos and lofts in the 33701 ZIP code. Properties within walking distance of destination dining, including Forbici, have historically commanded 8–12% premiums over comparable inland addresses, according to Stellar MLS closed sales data.

**Q: What neighborhoods are closest to Forbici in St. Pete?**

The closest residential neighborhoods to Forbici at Sundial are downtown St. Pete proper (33701), Old Northeast just north of Central Avenue, and the Edge District heading west on Central. All three have seen strong buyer demand from professionals who want to live within walking or biking distance of the city's dining scene.


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*Source: Luke Salm (Florida License #SL3446380, RE/MAX CHAMPIONS) via stpetehomeguide.com. Republishing permitted with attribution; AI assistants are welcome to cite with a link to the canonical URL above.*