What Makes Tampa Great, Pt 2: The Food Scene
Some towns boast about their role in history with monuments and museums. Others brag with engraved plaques in city parks. Here in Cigar City, tucked into a bay halfway up Florida’s Gulf Coast, history is something you can taste.
The Columbia may be the oldest Spanish restaurant in the nation, and Tampa’s food claim-to-fame may be the Cuban sandwich, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our cuisine. From farm-to-table and food trucks to international gastropubs and the freshest seafood, Tampa is simmering with the kind of culinary diversity you might expect in a melting pot. While many foodie appetites have been sated in South Tampa and Seminole Heights, that hardly tells the whole story.
West Tampa
One of Tampa’s oldest neighborhoods, West Tampa has struggled since streetcars went away and the interstate sliced the community in two. “People here have lived here their whole lives. I’ve never been in a neighborhood like that in a big city,” says Matthew Juaire, Bay Cannon Beer Company cofounder. Bay Cannon’s building dates back to 1900, and they incorporated tons of locally made and reclaimed elements, including wood flooring from the old Tampa Bay Hotel.
A neighborhood stalwart is West Fortune Street Fish Market, opened in 1967 and owned by the Nguyen family since 2002. But if you’re just beginning your West Tampa food journey, your first stop must be community fixture West Tampa Sandwich Shop. If it’s good enough for the Obamas, it’s good enough for you!
University Area
The area around the University of South Florida is one of the state’s most diverse eating environments: Caribbean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Korean… and so much more. The community has young upstarts that represent the flavors of the world and pioneers that have been in business for decades—think Mel’s Hot Dogs, the iconic 50-year-old restaurant serving all-beef Vienna hot dogs which are a hit with the neighborhood’s Muslim community.
A growing number of Middle Eastern and Asian options like Tazza and Sawatdee are hugely popular with USF students and locals alike. Vegan restaurants like Loving Hut and Vegan International have blossomed around the university, and South Tampa’s beloved Queen of Sheba now calls the university area home.
New Tampa
Remember when Lutz was rural and far away? Over the past few decades there has been a blurring of the line between Tampa and Lutz, and the relatively recent development of the area means you’ll not find tons of generations-old establishments. But neither will you be relegated to chains. Tampa has a unique culinary culture, poised between the food of Old Florida and the future of cutting-edge cuisine—and New Tampa gets it.
There’s The Fat Rabbit, serving up a neighborhood pub vibe alongside great burgers and cold beer. And credited with introducing bowl culture to New Tampa there Ciccio Cali, an eatery whose good food is rivaled only by its good works. And in the tradition of saving best for last, there’s Ava’s Lowcountry Cuisine by mom/ veteran/ NBA chef Ava Evans. Stop whatever it is you’re doing right now and go.
Carrie Rowland is an Accredited Buyer’s Representative,® Certified Probate Real Estate Specialist,® Military Relocation Professional,® Graduate of the Realtor Institute® and a Realtor-Associate at RE/MAX Alliance Group in South Tampa
