Rooftop Bar From Michelin-Recognized Team To Open in Ybor City This Fall

Tokyo Swim Club will open atop the Casa Gomez building in Ybor City this fall. The retro Tokyo-inspired cocktail bar will occupy the top floor at 1229 E. 8th Ave, with doors planned to swing open in fall 2026.

The team behind Kōsen in the Heights District is creating the new spot. Director of Beverage and Sustainability Mike Western leads the project with Executive Chef Andrew Huang.

Western has spent years at James Beard and Michelin-recognized restaurants across the country. His work at Kōsen in Tampa caught attention. Orlando restaurateurs Jimmy and Johnny Tung are backing this venture after several recent moves throughout Tampa Bay.

The open-air lounge will serve Izakaya-style dishes — think sushi, handrolls, and yakitori — crafted to pair with cocktails. Inspiration comes from 1960s Tokyo's members-only clubs, places that blended exclusivity with fun.

"The vision for Tokyo Swim Club was admittedly selfish," Western said in a release, according to That's So Tampa. "I wanted to build what I felt was missing here: high-level execution that doesn't feel pretentious, far away from corporate templates. I've always been drawn to highbrow/lowbrow ideas that exist comfortably in their own lane. Instead of chasing what we think people want, we built the place we wanted to be."

The bar aims for "exclusivity without pretense," according to the team's announcement. A covered central bar anchors everything. An extended open-air patio features striped umbrellas, greenery, and lounge seating that recalls retro resort style from decades past.

Tokyo Swim Club marks the second recent opening here. French-inspired restaurant Mise en Place just launched on the ground floor.

The building sits within Daryl Shaw's Gasworx project. Western believes the new bar will capture the area's energy while pushing what the neighborhood can offer to new heights.