Half of downtown Auburndale's food and drink openings this year share one address. 117 E. Lake Ave. is the old Crave & Copper microbrewery building directly across from Downtown City Park. It was dark for two years. Since August it has been home to a modern American restaurant from the owners of one of downtown Lakeland's best-known kitchens and a wine bar with swings, gelato and caviar. A Cajun kitchen has also been announced for a third suite.
The building faces the park where the city holds its big fall events. Earlier this year, a crowd leaving a park event had very little to walk across the street to. Fall-o-Ween on Oct. 15 and FallFest on Nov. 7 are the season's two big park events, and the first fall festivals since 2024 with open dining rooms facing the park.
Two years with nothing across from the park
Crave & Copper's last day open was August 10, 2024. According to the brewery's final post, it closed after complications with a building sale and an unsuccessful effort to find a new partner.
The work that followed shows why reopening took so long. Blue Water Healthy Living reported that the dark-wood microbrewery was rebuilt over two years. The large pipes and brewing equipment came out, and the walls are now light and covered in bright citrus murals. A space built around brewing tanks became a building with several suites for different tenants. That is why one address now holds more than one business.
Who is inside 117 E. Lake Ave. now
Here is where each business stood as of mid-October 2026:
- The Abigaile. Tina and Tim Calhoon, who own Frescos Southern Kitchen & Bar in downtown Lakeland, took over the former Crave & Copper space for a modern American restaurant. It soft-opened in mid-August.
- Obscure Wine Company, Suite F. It opened Saturday, Aug. 8. This is the third location for owners Wellie Liao and Stephen Vallette, who also run the original Obscure and the restaurant Sauvage in downtown Winter Haven.
- Bebos Cajun Kitchen, Suite 101. It was announced this summer. July coverage gave an early-September target in one report and a late-September target in another. Neither gave a firm date, and our check in mid-October turned up no later report confirming an opening.
The Calhoons describe The Abigaile as a step back toward where they started. Tina Calhoon told Blue Water Healthy Living:
"The Abigaile for us is getting back to what we started out as. Being that place for everybody to get a little bit of everything."
The same report framed the opening as an attempt to anchor a new wave of small, independent businesses in Auburndale. A month later, Polk Squeeze's review of The Abigaile gave the restaurant 4.5 out of 5 overall and praised the hospitality and atmosphere. The reviewer ordered the dirty rice and eggs, an Italian focaccia and custard-stuffed French toast. Pre-opening coverage listed planned hours, but those were plans, so check current hours before you go.
The wine bar was designed around the park
Obscure's Auburndale location was set up with City Park in mind. Liao told the Winter Haven Sun that because the location sits across from the park, she wanted families to feel comfortable stopping in. A small gelato station gives kids something while parents have a glass of wine. The swings are a feature Liao said she had wanted in an Obscure location from the beginning.
The menu leans toward wine pairings. It includes charcuterie and cheese boards, a brown butter poached lobster grilled cheese, smoked salmon avocado toast, an ahi poke bowl, oysters, and pistachio affogato. There is also caviar service from Calvisius, a producer in Northern Italy. The wine list skips familiar grocery-store labels in favor of smaller producers from Greece, Slovenia, South Africa and elsewhere.
The hours matter most for event nights. The article lists the wine bar as open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. It also lists a 2 to 5 p.m. weekday happy hour.
The rest of downtown's 2026 openings
The other new arrivals this year are nearby. Baxter's Quality Meats opened a downtown storefront in March, according to an April report from ABC Action News. Aroma Indian Bar & Grill began a soft launch at 330 Denton Ave. on Sept. 21. Polk Squeeze lists its hours as 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
That makes four food and drink openings downtown this year. Two of them, The Abigaile and Obscure, share the address facing the park, and Bebos is announced for a third suite there.
Reading the fall calendar from across the street
City Park's address is 1 Bobby Green Plaza. Here is how the coming events line up with what is open across Lake Avenue.
| Date | Event | Time and place | Across the street |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Oct. 15 | Fall-o-Ween with Auburndale High School's Bloodhound Bash and Homecoming Parade | City Park, 6 to 9 p.m., road closures from 5:30 p.m. | Obscure's listed Thursday hours run to 9 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | FallFest | City Park, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Obscure's listed Saturday hours start at noon |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Havendale Christmas Parade | 7 p.m., on Havendale Boulevard | The route is outside downtown |
Fall-o-Ween is the busiest night for the block. The city's event page lists a candy trail, a haunted house, food trucks and performances in the park, with roads closing at 5:30 p.m. Plan your parking before the barricades go up. FallFest is a daytime event listed on the city's FallFest page. Its 4 p.m. finish leaves the rest of Saturday evening open on Lake Avenue.
The Christmas parade does not come through downtown. Daily Ridge reports this year's route covers about 3.1 miles of Havendale Boulevard, starting near 14th Street and ending near 42nd Street. The city's own parade page still describes the 2025 parade, so use the Daily Ridge date for 2026.
The chamber also holds smaller monthly events. Its October calendar listed a First Saturday Downtown Market on Oct. 3 and a Second Saturday Cruise-In on Oct. 10. Both dates have passed. Check the calendar for November dates before planning around them.
What the park side of Lake Avenue may become
The city is now planning more around the park. Auburndale's Community Redevelopment Agency asked firms to propose a downtown master plan. The plan would cover a splash pad, a skate park, a dog park, pickleball courts and a Wiley Drive streetscape across three identified properties. The deliverables include feasibility studies, phasing, renderings and conceptual budgets. Proposals were due Oct. 9, and the solicitation lists an anticipated contract start of Dec. 1, 2026.
This is a planning contract, so none of those amenities has been designed or funded yet. The city is planning to add more reasons to spend time around the park, and the renovated building across the street already has restaurants open.
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