New Chinese Restaurant Opening Soon in Hyde Park

Modern Chinese restaurant Hales Blackbrick is set to open a second location in Hyde Park this fall, offering more opportunities for fans to enjoy its Sichuan- and Cantonese-inspired dishes.

Approximately a year and a half after the original Hales Blackbrick opened in Drew Park, the restaurant will expand to 1809 W. Platt St. The flagship Tampa location, which opened in November 2022 at 4812 N. Dale Mabry Highway, replaced the former Pop ‘N Sons Diner.

The anticipation for the Drew Park opening was high, fueled by the success of Chef Richard Hales’ Miami restaurant, Blackbrick Chinese. Opened in 2013, Blackbrick Chinese received critical acclaim and was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” It also earned a spot on Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants list in 2014.

Hales Blackbrick’s menu features a range of Chinese dishes divided into sections like dumplings, appetizers, chef’s specialties, and tasting menus. Highlights include Sichuan-style dan noodles made with pork, bucatini noodles, sesame, and peanut sauce, as well as Cantonese-style barbecued pork (char siu) and a Hong Kong-style dim sum service on Sundays.

Chef Richard Hales, originally from Marrero, Louisiana, grew up in Tampa and trained in New York under renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Hales’ culinary journey took him around the world, working in various Asian countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali, Korea, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. He later moved to Miami, where he opened several restaurants, including Sakaya Kitchen, Blackbrick Chinese, Bird & Bone, and Society BBQ. Hales, who is half-Filipino, has always felt a strong connection to cooking Asian cuisine.

While Miami’s original Blackbrick Chinese has closed, it is slated to reopen in 2025, according to Hales’ assistant, Debbie Hunter. There will be no changes to the original Tampa location, which will remain open.

An exact opening date for the new Hyde Park location has not been provided yet.