Central Ave’s 600 Block Just Got Better as The Lure Ono Pivots to Mexican Street Fare

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Central Ave’s 600 Block Just Got Better as The Lure Ono Pivots to Mexican Street Fare

UPDATE: JULY 6, 2022 – PERMANENTLY CLOSED – Some items now available at The Lure, 661 Central Ave

When The Lure Ono originally launched in December 2020 they paid homage to the location’s former tenant, Central Melt. They concentrated on creative versions of grilled cheese. The word ono means delicious in Hawaiian. The interior vibe and the original menu took inspiration from Hawaii as well with items like grab & go sushi, and Spam sliders.

They have now revamped the menu to focus on Mexican Street Food, while keeping a few of the favorite sandwiches. Lori, Haley and I recently spent part of an afternoon working our way through the menu. It’s a quaint space with counter service, and takeout.

To sum it up, the Lure Ono has all of the crowd favorites with all of the most sought after proteins (and vegetarian options), and all of the popular incarnations. They have carne asada, birria style beef, carnitas, tinga chicken, spiced shrimp, bronzed red grouper, and Impossible meat. Preparations include burritos, quesadillas, bowls, and of course tacos, which you can get “gringo style”, or Mexican style. Gringo style is lettuce, tomato, and cheese, and Mexican style is cilantro and onions. You also have a choice between soft flour or soft corn tortillas.

All of the food is pure comfort and bursting with flavor. The meats are juicy and flavorful with the topping fresh and bright, and the seasoning is spot on. Here are some of the items we had and loved.

Carnitas Taco (Photo by Haley Haman)

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Carnitas (pulled pork) Taco (Photo by Haley Haman)

Queso Dip with Chorizo (Photo by Haley Haman)
Queso Dip with Chorizo (Photo by Haley Haman)

 

Carne Asada & Tinga Chicken Tacos (Photo by Lori-Brown)
Carne Asada & Tinga Chicken Tacos (Photo by Lori-Brown)

Carne Asada – seasoned flat ironed steak. Tinga Chicken – shredded roasted chicken, chilis, tomatoes adobo, onions.

Smashed Burger Melt (Photo by Haley Haman)
Smashed Burger Melt (Photo by Haley Haman)

Smashed Burger Melt – organic grass-fed angus chuck, pepper jack cheese.

Quesabirria Tacos (Photo by Haley Haman)
Quesabirria Tacos (Photo by Haley Haman)

Quesabirria – Birria style cooked beef folded into a corn tortilla with melted cheese. Served with a side of consomé for dipping. Topped with cilantro and onions.

Nachos with Queso & Shrimp (Photo by Haley Haman)
Nachos with Queso & Shrimp (Photo by Haley Haman)

 

Nachos (Photo by Lori Brown)
Loaded Nachos (Photo by Lori Brown)

 

The Rich Ono (Photo by Lori Brown)
The Rich Ono (Photo by Lori Brown)

The Rich Ono – pulled pork, pepper jack, munster cheese. (Named in honor of owner Tom Golden’s late business partner, Richard Alday.)

The Lure Ono 685 Central Ave Downtown St. Pete
The Lure Ono 685 Central Ave Downtown St. Pete
The Lure Ono
  • Readers Rating
  • Rated 4.9 stars
    4.9 / 5 (18 )
$
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  • The Lure Ono
  • (727) 851-9862
  • Mexican Street Food, Grilled Cheese, Smoothies
    • Mon - Sat 12:00pm - 9:00pm
  • View menu
  • 685 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, US

Fast casual Mexican street food, old school counter service grilled sandwiches, fries, onion rings, pork rinds. Also have smoothies, beer and wine.

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DISCLAIMER: Kevin, Lori, Abby, Haley, Lindsey & Mahika do not dine anonymously (this would be impossible) and we sometimes get free food (though never expected). However, we dine with the locals and we support our own. You will always get honesty in a respectful manner. We do not include any large national or regional chains in our ratings and reviews. We focus on independent locally owned eateries exclusively.

PLEASE NOTE: Reviews reflect a certain moment in time. Some restaurants stay extremely consistent over many years, and some change for the better or worse. Some things that may change are: chefs, recipes, food suppliers, ingredients, philosophies, ownership, etc. We always hope that you have the same good, or great experience we had.
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