The team behind Ybor City’s famed pizza joint, Due Amici, is gearing up to launch their newest venture sometime next year – an upscale wine, champagne, charcuterie, and live music lounge dubbed Geo’s – located at 1730 E 7th Ave.
Despite having had the building since earlier this year, owner Geo Bunjaku tells What Now Tampa that his last meeting with the city regarding permits and licensing will be Jan 26, and that he’s hoping to open shortly thereafter.
Nevertheless, when it does open, Geo’s will feature 52 shelves, each one representing a different region of wine and champagne. Moreover, every other month a different region will be highlighted, and inspire a carefully curated charcuterie board to match.
“In Italy, they say ‘whatever grows together goes together,’” says Bunjaku, meaning the “cheese, meat, and chocolate charcuterie board is going to be very specifically paired with a wine or champagne from the same region,” adding, “we’re going to be totally different in that aspect of the business.
“We’ve been in business for over 27 years, so I think we can bring something more to Tampa.”
In addition to its “wide variety of selections and charcuterie boards,” Geo’s ambiance will be rounded out by live music each night so that patrons can “experience fine wine and champagne paired with some of Tampa Bay’s best musicians,” playing everything from jazz to soft rock, according to its website.
Capitalizing on the upscale nature of his offerings, Bunjaku is also launching a membership program and says that Geo’s will only be open to the general public for a few hours each day, after which it’ll be reserved for “certain people who enjoy, appreciate, and taste the good wine and good atmosphere.”
Though the wines will be coming from all over the world, the decor at Geo’s is entirely homegrown. A Venetian plaster wall and a mural were created by Tampa-based artist Ron Francis, while the lighting comes courtesy of a local designer, and the bar was built by a kid with autism, according to Bunjaku.
“We have some heritage and we have some history of the Tampa area.”
