Downtown Tampa is about to get a new late-night lifeline in the form of Bodega Bus, a bodega-style deli built into a painted school-bus façade that plans to sling chopped cheese, smashburgers and other comfort food from a to-go window until 4 a.m. Owners say the operation will lean on halal, high-grade beef and house-cut fries cooked in beef tallow to give the sandwiches a distinctly local twist.
What Bodega Bus Will Serve
Owners told Creative Loafing Tampa that Bodega Bus is aiming to open in about a month, with a menu centered on halal chopped cheese sandwiches and smashburgers made from high-grade beef, even dropping wagyu as a reference point. They also said they are hunting for a local bakery to supply the bread.
In addition to the food, the storefront will feature a smoke-shop counter that the owners say will stock vapes, hookah and cannabis products.
"It won't taste just like New York, it'll taste better," owner Khalil Mohammad told Creative Loafing Tampa. He added that he plans to bring in Brooklyn bodega personality Rahim Mohamed, better known as The Ocky Way, for the grand opening. Mohammad said relatives Zatar and Margi Shukri will help run the business, and that the family already operates a string of Cali Smoke Shops across Hillsborough County.
State Filings Show Who's Behind the Bus
Public business records identify the venture as CALI'S BODEGA BUS LLC, listing Khalil Mohammad as an authorized member and registered agent, according to BizProfile. The filing uses the Franklin Street storefront as the company's principal address and shows the LLC was formed earlier this year.
Replacing a Downtown Late-Night Staple
The Franklin Street window previously served as a downtown Taco Bus outpost, although map listings now flag that particular address as permanently closed, according to MapQuest. Taco Bus's official website continues to promote several other Tampa-area locations, suggesting the local chain has pulled back from Franklin Street while a new bus-themed tenant pulls in.
