Blind Tiger Coffee to open new downtown Tampa location

Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters is opening a location in downtown Tampa.

The cafe is opening at One Tampa City Center on 201 North Franklin Street in December, according to owner Roberto Torres. The space will be designed to make more room for people to social distance, Torres said, even at full capacity.

Blind Tiger will also make use of more natural lighting and have a bar with non-alcoholic beer and biodynamic wine, a natural form of winemaking that excludes added sugars and preservatives.

The downtown Tampa tower is connected to the Hilton hotel. The new coffee shop location is also central for commuters from Seminole Heights, Westchase and Ybor City who may be familiar with Blind Tiger, Torres said.

“Every hotel has a coffee shop and a bar,” Torres said. “And we have the opportunity to be both.”

Blind Tiger offers a variety of health and wellness products, like the organic wine and a range of dairy alternatives. The site will also have a commissioned mural from local artist group Pep Rally Inc.

Blind Tiger was founded in 2014 in Ybor City and will have nine locations across Tampa Bay by the end of the year. Two more are set to open but Torres hasn’t announced locations yet because lease terms are still in negotiations.

“We want to bring the gospel of good coffee to downtown,” Torres said. “There’s a ton of people who love our brand.”