My family of three just spent a a little under a week in Tampa, FL and neighboring St. Pete. These were our favorite bites, sips, and meals of the trip. We tried to economize where we could; Michelin-starred meals weren’t on the agenda. Apologies for the lack of photos. Hope this helps someone else planning a visit soon!
TAMPA
Bayshore Mediterranean Grill
Excellent cold mezze including hummus, caçik, baba ghanoush, and soslu platican (eggplant; kind of like a Turkish caponata), a showstopping hot balloon of freshly-baked lavash, and juicy lamb Adana kebab and chicken shish. Really good. DH said the smoky, creamy baba ghanoush was his best bite of the trip.
The LAB Coffee
Proper espresso drinks (including my favorite flat white) and killer hand-rolled bagels. Yum. The baristas were also really nice for such a hipster coffee shop.
Cafe Quiquiriqui
Surprised to find such good espresso, fresh fruit cup, and guava pastelito pastry in a hotel cafe. Earns its reputation.
Carmine’s (Ybor)
We tried several fun local dishes with @Sunshine842 but my favorite was the side of Cuban black beans with yellow rice, and my husband loved their bean soup with ham, sausage and garbanzos.
Beacon Rooftop Lounge at the JW Marriott
Cocktails here were pricey ($20+) but worth it for the harbor view (plus prices were pretty on par with the rest of downtown). I loved my tiki-themed rum cocktail with passion fruit and rhubarb liqueur, kiddo had a great Shirley Temple, and DH enjoyed his tequila-esque mocktail. So many plants on the balcony.
ST. PETE
Simply Delicious
Huge, fresh, delicious classic Cuban sandwich (the 8" was about 3x of the half sandwich I got at Carmine’s). Picadillo empanada was not bad either – spicier than expected. Takeout only.
Schakolad Chocolate Factory
Pistachio cluster. Swoon. Bourbon truffle was OK.
Paradeco Coffee Roasters
My kiddo loved his fruit bowl with coconut yogurt and granola.
Special coffees and smoothies there run overly sweet IMO.
Dooriban
Homey Korean food in a family-friendly setting. We loved the banchan, spicy beef stew with soft tofu, and crispy Katsudon. No misses. The table next to us got three rounds of banchan.
Arts Cafe at MAACM
Our kiddo loved his juicy and reasonably priced burger and shoestring fries here. Surprisingly good for a museum restaurant.
We also tried (but wouldn’t necessarily recommend): Michi Ramen, Bamboozle Channelside, Bernini of Ybor, and Neighborhood Joe.
