Tampa is best known for its beaches, sports teams, and tourist attractions. Foodies who’ve traveled there will realize that it also deserves attention for its impressive restaurants.
Most of them are near other popular attractions, but it’s also worth going to Tampa just for the food. You’ll find dishes inspired by the cuisines of Jamaica, Italy, Greece, and more. The city is close enough to the water to ensure that all its seafood is fresh and delicious, and it also has meaty steaks.
Like and subscribe to ViewCation for more on finding the area’s best eateries. Watch our video to learn about the best restaurants in Tampa, Florida.
Ulele
This award-winning restaurant along the Tampa Riverwalk fuses Native American and Florida cuisine. It uses a barbacoa grill to cook almost everything on its delicious lunch and dinner menu. If you want a true taste of local food, try the alligator hush puppies filled with alligator meat, country ham, corns, and jalapenos.
The Columbia
This is the oldest restaurant in Florida and was established in 1905 to feed cigar workers in Ybor City. Today, it’s one of the largest Spanish restaurants in the world. It also got the runner-up spot for Tampa Magazine’s Best Uniquely Tampa Restaurant award.
The Columbia is known for its sangria pitchers and its 1905 salad made from iceberg lettuce, ham, Swiss and Romano cheese, olives, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and a garlic dressing. It also offers traditional Spanish fare such as paella and tapas. The menu’s been the same for years. You can even enjoy a flamenco show every night of the week except Sunday.
Bern’s Steakhouse
Bern Laxer opened this steakhouse in 1956. It’s since won Tampa Magazine’s award for Best Uniquely Tampa Restaurant. It also has the largest wine collection of any restaurant. Senior sommelier Brad Dixon or wine director Eric Renaud can give you a tour of the wine cellar.
Start your meal with an appetizer. Enjoy the free crackers or order house-made potato chips with black truffle creme fraiche. Dinner options include French onion soup, Caesar salad, and steak tartar with quail eggs and rye toast.
As the name suggests, this restaurant offers a wide range of steaks aged in a temperature-controlled meat locker. Try a Chateaubriand with bearnaise sauce, a filet mingnon with sauce au poivre, or a strip sirloin with truffled herb butter.
There’s even an off-the-menu steak sandwich if you want a taste of something secret. If you have room for dessert, go up to the Harry Waugh Dessert Room for a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream.
Council Oaks Steaks and Seafood
This restaurant is part of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa. Its steaks are dry-aged on-site in rooms with walls covered in pink Himalayan salt.
You’ll even receive table-side caviar service. Make sure to get a reservation and prepare to empty your wallet.
Oystercatchers
This is another hotel restaurant found inside the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay hotel. The atmosphere is one of its best qualities. It has perfect lighting and an outdoor patio that lets you enjoy your food seaside.
The raw bar is the best place to start your meal. Next, choose from their large collection of surf and turf cooked by chef de cuisine Adrihel Rosario.
If you want oysters, get them raw on the half-shell with lemon, horseradish, and mignonette or chargrilled with spicy chilly or shrimp butter and puffed quinoa. You can also try crab served with sriracha aioli and charred lemons or pan-roasted gruber on a bed of goat cheese risotto with spinach and oven-roasted tomatoes.
Come for Sunday brunch for charcuterie boards, a caviar bar, and bottomless mimosas.
The Deviled Pig
You won’t believe how many ways you can order BBQ at this restaurant. One of the most popular is the Pittmaster Queban, a sandwich topped with brisket, pulled pork, and house-made bologna with mustard, Swiss cheese, and pickles.
Rome + Fig
This multi-cultural restaurant puts its twist on global dishes. One of its most popular is the Italian Caprese salad which uses fried green tomatoes instead of traditional red tomatoes. Its menu changes seasonally and is full of other favorites like scallops and filet mignon.
Spinners Rooftop Grill
You’ll find this 12th-floor restaurant on St. Pete Beach. It has 360-degree ocean views and floor-to-ceiling windows. If that’s not enough to wow you, the food will be. One of the best offerings is the French ceviche. It has fresh fish and lemons, jalapenos, Leche de Tigre, and plantains.
Goody Goody Burgers
This local Hyde Park Village diner has everything from delicious breakfasts to classic burgers. One of the best is the Pox, a simple but delicious option made with a hamburger, pickles, onions, and a secret sauce.
The Oxford Exchange
This English-inspired place is more than a restaurant; it’s also a shop and bookstore. Come for the Sunday brunch to be treated to tea, sandwiches, scones, and desserts. Breakfast is served all day every weekday, which gives you a chance to taste their cinnamon rolls covered in cream cheese and strawberries whenever you want.
Zukku Sushi
A streetcar warehouse built in 1910 was turned into a multi-use restaurant space. You’ll find plenty of other restaurants around Zukku, but sushi fans should make sure not to pass it by. It has a casual atmosphere and delicious food.
One of its best rolls is the lobster volcano roll that combines tuna, asparagus, crab, and avocado with a whole tempura-fried lobster tail. You can even create your own poke bowl or sushi burrito.
Noble Crust
This chain has 3 locations in Tampa and St. Pete and offers a combination of southern and Italian dining. Its seasonal menu includes fried green tomatoes topped with pimento cheese, ricotta gnocchi, wood-fired pizzas, and more.
Gigglewaters Social Club and Screening Room
This prohibition-themed restaurant has a secret theater in the back where you can watch a movie while you eat or enjoy a cocktail. You can’t go wrong with anything on their menu, from their burgers to their loaded mac and cheese.
On Swann
This modern restaurant offers classy takes on traditional American cuisine. It also has charcuterie boards to share and a range of wines, craft beers, and cocktails if you’re looking for a drink.
CW’s Gin Joint
This retro joint specializes in gin but also offers a range of hand-crafted cocktails and quality liquor. Try one of their entrees like the Moroccan lamb tagine If you walked in hungry, Whatever you order, you’ll be treated to live jazz music while you enjoy it.
Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse
This is one of the best restaurants in Tampa if you want an all-you-can-eat experience inspired by traditional Brazillian rodizio-style dining. You’ll get endless grilled meat and seafood for only $48.95. It’s an affordable way to fill your stomach in a place with a classy atmosphere.
Waterview Grille
This is the place to go for seaside dining. It sits right along the Channelside Walk Way with a beautiful view of the Amalie Arena. Its lunch and dinner menus both feature delicious seafood such as grouper sandwiches and macadamia-crusted mahi-mahi filets.
Bulla Gastrobar
You can get a multi-course Spanish-inspired meal here for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Their charcuterie boards are a great way to start. Churrasco and paella are two of their best lunch options, and the Cuban sandwich is a Tampa classic you shouldn’t miss for dinner.
The Rusty Pelican
This is often considered one of the best waterfront restaurants in Tampa and the world. It sits on Rocky Point next to Ben T. Davis Beach and provides gorgeous views. Don’t miss out on their weekend brunch.
Malio’s Prime Steakhouse
This restaurant sits on the lobby level of the Rivergate Tower. It has a lunch and dinner menu full of dishes like the Australian rack of lamb and burgers made from Prime filet.
Haven
Don’t let the subtle appearance keep you away from this contemporary yet rustic restaurant. Everything is crafted with care from its charcuterie boards to its impressive collection of wine and whisky.
Ciro’s
This is one of the best restaurants in Tampa if you’re looking for a cocktail bar that also has delicious food. Try one of its many standout dishes such as the pocket burger trio with duck fat fries, the pan-seared crab cakes, or the pretzel monkey bread fondue. Come during happy hour Monday-Friday 5-7 p.m to save money.
Cena
This standout restaurant serves some of Tampa’s best Italian food. There are 3 different kinds of risotto to choose from, including wagyu braised short ribs and truffle mushroom.
DeVito’s Italian Specialties
This is another great option for Italian food enthusiasts. Everything feels authentic, from their lobster ravioli to their Linguine Fra Diavolo. You should save room for dessert because you won’t want to miss their tiramisu or New York cheesecake.
Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber
Visitors to the Clearwater Beach area have loved this restaurant since Robert Heilman Sr. and Eva Nelle Heilman opened it in 1948.
There are several areas to eat in here, but you’ll get the most out of its retro atmosphere at the main dining room. It’s the perfect place to sample delicious drinks such as the Beachcomber Classic martini. It’s partially served in a miniature carafe with the rest in a tiny glass globe.
Start your meal with a relish tray that combines applesauce, cottage cheese, and corn relish. It seems odd but your tastebuds will thank you. Other highlights include Harvey Wallbanger and Clams Casino. All their dinner options include salad and a side. A few of the best are their steaks, and seafood pasta primavera.
Cafe Ponte
This restaurant’s bar is packed every night with visitors clamoring for its Italian espresso martinis. Its early bird prix-fixe menu costs $36 but is worth the price. The dinner menu features a seasonal selection of New American/European dishes.
Try the mushroom soup with truffle cream and chives. Entrees include a double-cut pork chop over apple and bacon cheddar polenta with hazelnut butter or half a chicken with roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
The dessert menu is also pitch-perfect. One of the best options is the burnt orange creme brulee with cardamom and honey and an almond tuile.
Casa Tina
Javier and Tina Avila started hosting Dia de lost Muertos celebrations in 1992. Decor from these celebrations such as incense and sugar skulls are now displayed in their restaurant all year round.
You’ll find a range of traditional Mexican dishes here, including Pescado a la Veracruzana, chile rellenos, and chiles en nogada.
The Chattaway
This is one of the best restaurants in Tampa for all Anglophiles. You can enjoy a high tea and a proper English back dining room. You may even forget where you are until you go out to the shaded patio and see its green picnic tables surrounded by tropical plants.
One of the best options on the menu is the famous Chattaway Cheesburger and onion rings. You can also get fish and chips made with local fish or a serving of Cajun shrimp.
Like and subscribe to ViewCation for more ways to decide where to eat on your next trip. Keep watching to learn about more of the best restaurants in Tampa, including Asian eateries, authentic Italian and Greek spots, and more.
Donatello
This family-owned business has been running for 35 years. The charming Italian atmosphere may be the first thing you notice. It has soft pink lighting, a club-like dining room, red roses on every table, and Italian-American crooners coming out of every speaker.
The menu includes almost every classic Italian dish you can think of, including Brushetta and Caesar salads. You can even tell the chef how you want your pasta’s prepared or ask for 2 versions of the same dish.
The wine list is also extensive. It’s not the most affordable, but its quality ingredients make your visit worth the price.
El Cap
This spot has been in business since 1964. It has a comfortable atmosphere with retro decor such as newspaper clippings, horse racing photos, and more.
El Cap created a reputation as one of the best restaurants in Tampa because of its famous World Champ burger. It has a huge patty, mayonnaise-covered buns, melted cheese, tomato slices, onions, lettuce, and pickles.
You can also enjoy sides such as onion rings, tater tots, and corn dog bites. Come in for specials such as the chicken salad sandwich on Mondays.
Frenchy’s Original Cafe
Michael “Frenchy” Preston opened this restaurant in 1981. It now has 4 other locations, including the Saltwater Cafe, Rockaway Grill, South Beach Safe, and Outpost Bar and Grill.
Today, no one can agree which location has the best grouper sandwich. They’re all made with filets placed on an onion roll with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and tartar sauce.
The original location also has plenty of other delicious dishes. Try the crab soup, fried grouper cheeks on a stick, or stone crab claws.
Harvey’s 4th Street Grille
This is one of the best restaurants in Tampa because it offers a feast for the eyes before your food even comes out. The decor is odd but captivating.
You’ll see a mounted bass with a golf ball in his mouth, red hot chili pepper lanterns, a boar using a badminton racket, and a moose wearing suspenders and mardi-gras beads. Owner Dan Harvey Jr. created it from bric-a-brac he gathered from local hotels.
Harvey’s advertises itself as West Coast Florida-style. Get a grouper sandwich or choose broiled, fried, or sauteed scallops. The drinks are unique and affordable, starting at $6.
Jerk Hut
Jamaican-born chef Andrew Ashmeade decided to bring his country’s signature dish, jerk chicken, to Tampa Bay in 1991. He opened his first official location in 1993 and now has a successful, multi-location business that attracts plenty of diners.
Jerk chicken has a smokey, spicy, fruity flavor. There are several places to get it, but Jerk Hut sets itself apart thanks to its sweet red sauce.
You can also try a weekend buffet full of Caribbean and West Indian dishes. They include yellow curry goat with cabbage, rice, and peas, brown stew chicken and oxtail with brown sauce, sweet plantains, spicy beef patties, and more.
The drinks are also special here. Try Red Stripes or a rum punch. If you want something non-alcoholic, try the Kola Champagne, Trinidadian Sol Banana, or a range of tropical juice and sorrel made from dried hibiscus leaves.
La Teresita
The Capdevilla family opened a grocery store in 1972, and it evolved into this complex with a 14,000-square-foot pink 2-story building. You can go to the sit-down restaurant, banquet hall, or casual cafeteria.
The dishes here are delicious but affordable. You can sample a range of Cuban and Spanish cuisine including ropa vieja, tostones, frijoles negros, and arroz con leche.
Lorene’s Fish House
Local chef Lorene Office became famous for her barbecue truck but eventually opened this restaurant in 1994. She often struggled to keep it open, but it’s managed to remain a Tampa mainstay for 25 years.
A few of the best dishes here are garlic chicken wings, the Big Boy hamburger, mussel and shrimp boils, fried pork chops, and fried grouper sandwiches. Lorene’s personal favorite is the cornmeal-battered tilapia.
Lunch on Limoges
It’s easy to miss this place because it’s situated inside a clothing store and novelty gift shop. It’s been there since 1908 but officially became a restaurant in 1981.
This is one of the best restaurants in Tampa if you want a small but classic and reliable menu. It only has about 15 dishes written on a chalkboard easel. They rotate often, but expect offerings like the California chopped salad, poached salmon low country shrimp, Medittearian eggplant, and pork schnitzel.
Every meal starts with a basket of mini muffins. Most diners choose raspberry iced tea over wine or beer.
Mise en Place
This upscale restaurant has been in business for 33 years. Maryann Ferenc and Marty Blitz opened it in 1986 and moved to their current location in 1993. They’re the stars behind its menu that evolves with shifting tastes.
A few popular dishes such as chicken liver mousse pate and rack of lamb have stayed for years. What makes this restaurant special is its ability to make any dish spectacular like when it adds citrus zest, fennel, and Calabrian chiles to a bowl of olives.
Other great options on the menu include the Pat LaFrieda burger covered in bacon shallot marmalade and truffle tomato aioli. There’s also a shopping lounge at the entrance if you want to look for spices and cooking tools while you wait for a seat.
Munch’s
Dean and Clarice Munch opened this spot as a sundries store and post office in 1952 but sold sandwiches out of the back. Today, you’ll feel transported back in time here as soon as you see its sign advertising hotcakes and coffee for $2.75 on Wednesday, sit on its swivel stools, or get called sweetie by one of its employees, most of whom have worked here for decades.
Come on Mondays for an unbelievable deal; French toast and coffee for only $2.75. Tuesdays and Saturdays are the best time for its legendary fried chicken, and the milkshakes are great anytime.
Mykonos
You couldn’t get a more authentic Greek experience in Tampa than going to a restaurant where the staff shouts opa every time someone orders the saganaki. Trying the delicious concoction of fried kefalograviera cheese and a dash of Ozu is worth the trip.
Mykonos also has taramasalata dip made from fish roe, tzatziki, gyro platters, beef and eggplant moussaka, lamb shanks in tomato sauce, and more. They’re all reliably delicious and authentic.
Pia’s Trattoria
This is one of the best restaurants in Tampa for creating a romantic atmosphere. Candelabras and chandeliers hang from the walls, pendant lights hang from the outdoor dining room rafters, and vines creep up the walls.
The menu isn’t large but features plenty of delicious classic dishes such as capellini pomodoro, shrimp scampi, parmigiana di melanzane, and fried scallops with blue crab ravioli. It also has vegan and gluten-free dishes if that’s what your partner’s into.
Red MEsa
This restaurant has been in business since 1995. It has an impressive selection of sangria, including red, white, margarita, and blueberry pomegranate.
The food is a mix of Mexican, Central American, and Southwestern dishes. Try cedar-planked salmon with chili aioli and cilantro rice, dunk enchiladas with raspberry chipotle cream sauce, or fried plantains and yucca fries.
Salt Rock Grill
Seeing an exposed grill when you walk into this restaurant and a tower of seafood on ice lets you know what to expect here. They have fishing boats running every day to ensure their ingredients are as fresh as possible.
Pay $16 and arrive by 5:30 pm to become part of the early bird Supper Club. You’ll get a secret menu including sourdough bread with herb dipping oil, a salad, a choice of several entrees, and a dessert.
You’ll be happy even if you don’t join the club thanks to Salt Rock Grill’s variety of seafood, aged prime steaks, and delicious sides. Alaskan king crabs aren’t local but they’re so delicious that they’re a best-seller. You can even add a lobster tail or king crab legs with hollandaise sauce to almost any dish.
Ted Peter’s Famous Smoked Fish
This restaurant has been serving smoked fish by the water on Pasadena Avenu for almost 70 years. It’s been family-owned for 5 generations and became a popular tourist spot.
You can get almost any kind of smoked fish here, including mahi-mahi, salmon, mackerel, and mullet. They’ll even smoke your latest catch for you if you ask. Their menu also includes German potato salad and some of the area’s best cheeseburgers.
Mat Mongkolratanam Thai Temple
The beauty of this temple with its gold and green dragons and nearby garden is enough to draw you in, but the food will make you want to stay. Come on Sundays from 8:30 am to 1 pm for a market full of vendors sitting below a covered deck. They offer Thai staples such as spring rolls, papaya salad, chargrilled pork, chicken satay, pad Thai, and more.
West Tampa Sandwich Shop
This small shop on American Avenue may not seem like one of the best restaurants in Tampa. It’s unassuming and has simple decor. You have to try the food to understand what makes it special.
Come for breakfast and get Cuban toast and cafe con Leche. Lunch options include masa de Puerco and ropa vieja, each of which comes with 2 sides such as plantains, fried tostones, or golden yucca spears. Don’t leave without having a Cuban sandwich; it may be the best in Tampa.
Yummy House
This is part of a restaurant group founded by John Zhao and Tommy Tang in 2008. It has several locations, but the one in Tampa is worth visiting if you’re in the area.
Lunchtime features a dim sum service. It’s full of small bits of deliciousness including pork buns, turnip cakes with shrimp, rice porridge, Cheung Fun rice rolls, sugar eggs tarts, and sesame balls with sweet red bean paste.
Weekend lunches here are so popular that you’ll need a reservation. This is because the regular menu has plenty of delicious Chinese specialties including braised eggplant, creamy honey walnut shrimp, and Peking roasted duck.
Do you think of delicious food when you think of Tampa, Florida? Let us know in the comments below. Like and subscribe to ViewCation for more restaurant recommendations.