Univision personality Jose Figueroa is taking over the Winter Park Fish Co. space

It’s been a tumultuous few years for the once-venerable Winter Park Fish Company.

The seafood joint by original owners Gary Reed and Mitchell Rice opened in 2008 at 761 N. Orange Ave. to long lines, enthused crowds and critical success thanks to the pair’s ability to source quality seafood. The restaurant was closed throughout the pandemic and then, in May 2021, it got into some hot water with the City of Winter Park for failing to secure the proper permits when enclosing the front patio area.

It reopened in January 2023, but in October, a management shuffle added to the drama. Winter Park Fish Co. closed for good this July, and a couple of readers wrote in to ask Orlando Weekly if we knew what was going on.

We do! The space will soon see a new restaurant move into its spiffy digs.

Black Coffee/Cafe Negro Bistro, a Latin-ish concept by Univision personality Jose “El Negro” Figueroa, will serve cheffy breakfast, lunch and early dinner fare as well as weekend brunch. Ángel Serrano, a fixture in Puerto Rico’s food landscape, will oversee menu development — which Figueroa says is still being finalized.

And with a name like Black Coffee/Cafe Negro Bistro, a proper coffee program will also be offered, while pastries will be procured from gourmet St. Augustine bakery Crѐme de la Cocoa run by Food Network regular Nils Rowland and his wife, Bailey.

Figueroa is busy renovating the interior (a new bar and lounge area is already in place) and hopes to open later this year or in early 2025.

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This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2024.