Next Level Brands has released the first renderings for Matilde, a 7,600-square-foot coastal Mexican steakhouse slated to open in spring 2027 on the ground floor of the Arts & Entertainment Residences at 300 W. Tyler St. in downtown Tampa. The project, first announced in May, is the latest expansion for a ownership group whose Tampa portfolio already includes Boulon Brasserie on Water Street, Forbici in Hyde Park and St. Petersburg, and Union New American in Westshore.

The numbers behind the build point to a high-volume, multi-daypart operation. Matilde will seat 195 guests indoors and 92 outdoors, plus a 40-person private dining room and a 50-seat bar. The design, developed with Montreal-based Atelier Zébulun Perron, exploits 25-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and river views, contrasting raw materials with refined detailing. Service will span four dayparts: lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, weekend brunch and dinner, and late-night bar service Thursday through Saturday — a schedule designed to spread fixed costs across more revenue hours than a dinner-only steakhouse.

Culinary director Jacob Rios is building the menu around a live-fire hearth, with premium steak cuts cooked over open flame and paired with mole, salsas and accompaniments. The same approach extends to seafood, poultry and seasonal vegetables. Dishes under development include Shrimp Aguachile Negro; Rib Eye and Pork Al Pastor Tacos; Lamb Shank Barbacoa; Hearth-Roasted Chicken with mole negro; and a Heritage Pork Chop with pipián verde. Traditional techniques and flavors — aguachile, mole, pipián, barbacoa, al pastor, salsa macha — anchor the menu architecture. A raw bar and crudo selections round out dinner, while lunch and brunch shift to casual formats: burrito bowls, chilaquiles, carne asada, conchas, churros and tortas.

The beverage program centers on agave, spotlighting tequila and mezcal alongside cocktails built on fresh-squeezed juices and seasonal Mexican ingredients. The wine list is globally sourced, with labels from Mexico, Spain and the Southern Hemisphere selected to match the menu's spice, smoke and live-fire profile — a pairing strategy that supports premium check averages in the bar-heavy 50-seat drinking space.

To develop the concept, founders Jeff Gigante and Joe Guggino, along with director of operations Heather Rivas and Rios, spent time in Mexico City, working from Roma Norte and visiting restaurants, cocktail bars, taquerias, markets and design spaces in Condesa and Polanco. Rivas is now overseeing operational development as Matilde prepares to join the portfolio.

"Matilde is a concept we've put a lot of care into, and we want it to go beyond what guests might traditionally expect from a steakhouse," Gigante said. "Our time in Mexico City helped us bring that vision into focus and inspired us to think more deeply about the connection between food, beverage and culture. We've carried that influence throughout Matilde, creating a space that celebrates those elements in a way that feels thoughtful, immersive, and distinctly its own."

The restaurant is named for co-founder Andrew Wright's Colombian grandmother, an artist and designer whose approach to hospitality shaped the concept's identity even though its cuisine is Mexican.

Next Level Brands says additional details will be announced in the coming months as the project moves toward its spring 2027 debut.