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Restaurants in Tampa
The restaurants in this guide are organized by geographic area: near Busch Gardens, in or near Hyde Park (across the Hillsborough River from downtown), and in Ybor City. Although Ybor City is better known, Tampa's trendiest dining scene is along South Howard Avenue -- "SoHo" to the locals -- between West Kennedy Boulevard and the bay in Hyde Park.
You'll find the national fast-food restaurants east of I-275 on Busch Boulevard and Fowler Avenue, near Busch Gardens.
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15 Results
- Southern
7th & Grove
A Southern-accented restaurant and lounge in Ybor’s bustling 7th Ave. district, they have a menu of cheekily titled—and terrifically tasty—dishes. For example, the Get Your M’fn Roll On is an appetizer of braised collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and jerk chicken wrapped in an egg…$$Ybor City - Food Hall
Armature Works
Housed in an historic, mixed-use building in the trendy Tampa Heights neighborhood, Armature Works is has an unobstructed view of the Hillsborough River and over 15 food choices in the building’s Heights Public Market section, from sushi and pizza to empanadas and cookies. It’s also…$Ybor City - Italian
Bella's Italian Cafe
While trendy restaurants come and go, Bella's has been open for more than 20 years and for good reason. A casual, rustic ambience with a wood-fired oven and indoor and outdoor seating attract a sophisticated crowd of foodies of all ages. The restaurant's authentic Italian fare is…$$Hyde Park - Steakhouse
Bern's SteakHouse
The unassuming exterior of this famous steakhouse, in business for over 70 years, is a stark contrast to its opulent interior, eight ornate dining rooms decorated with late 1950’s elan and lots of mahogany paneling, marble busts, and chandeliers. The way plates are piled high also…$$$Hyde Park - American
Carmine's Seventh Avenue
Bright blue poles hold up an ancient pressed-tin ceiling above this noisy corner cafe. It’s a scruffy joint, but a great variety of loyal local patrons gather here for genuine Cuban sandwiches: smoked ham, roast pork, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, pickles, salad dressing, mustard,…$Ybor City - Spanish/Cuban
Columbia Restaurant
Columbia celebrates 120 years as Florida’s oldest restaurant in 2025 and is still owned and operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Hernandez/Gonzmart families. Its tile building occupies an entire city block in the heart of Ybor City. Tourists flock here to soak up the…$$Ybor City - Scandinavian
Ebbe–Chef’s Counter
Minimally processed foods that are locally sourced and sustainably produced: those are the hallmarks of a meal at this tasting-menu only restaurant from Michelin starred Swedish Chef Ebbe Vollmer. Eating here is an intimate experience, with diners tucking into either a 5-course…$$$Ybor City - Fusion
edison: food+drink lab
If you guessed from the name that this restaurant has molecular gastronomy ambitions you’d be somewhat right. Chef Jeannie Pierola isn’t turning out foams or freeze dried meats, but is, instead, experimenting with flavor profiles in a sophisticated, and quite appealing, way. Take the…$$$Hyde Park - Japanese
Kōsen
Chef Wei Chen, who spent six years at acclaimed NYC restaurant Masa, brings his stellar omakase to Tampa in the form of this minimalist, dark wood restaurant that features a 10-person sushi counter and 25-seat dining room. Tasting menus run from a 15-course, $150 per person, to…$$$Ybor City - American
Mel's Hot Dogs
Catering to everyone from businesspeople to hungry families craving all-beef hot dogs, Mel Lohn's red-and-white cottage offers everything from traditional Chicago-style and "bagel-dogs" to bacon/cheddar Reuben-style hot dogs. All choices are served on poppy seed buns and can be…$Near Busch Gardens - New American
Mise en Place
Look around at all those happy people soaking up the trendy ambience, and you’ll know why Chef Marty Blitz and his wife, Maryann, have been among the culinary darlings of Tampa since 1986. They present the freshest of ingredients in a creative, award-winning menu that changes weekly.…$$Hyde Park - American
Oxford Exchange
I want to live in this place. A combo bookstore, retail store, candle store, champagne bar, coffee bar, and brunch hotspot, Oxford Exchange is an urban oasis of, well, everything good in life. It also has a look that’s straight out of an interior design magazine: brick-walled,…$$Hyde Park - Vietnamese
Restaurant BT
Chef/owner Trina Nguyen-Batley’s began her career in the fashion industry, so it’s no surprise her dining room is the epitome of chic minimalism (love the Philip Starck ghost chairs). Her food—tweaked recipes from her childhood in Vietnam—offers maximal flavors and uses the bounty…$$$Hyde Park The Pearl
While it may seem odd that a seafood import from Ohio, of all places, is one of Tampa’s best, but The Pearl is a midwestern jewel. Their massive menu includes snacks and starters like a zippy jalapeno corn spoon bread, chicken wing confit, and Thai curry mussels. The oyster menu is…$$Ybor City- Barbecue
Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill
Gorgeous ocean views are why you’re here, not the bar menu of beer battered chicken, tacos, burgers, nachos, raw bar, and gator bites. Food is fine, but not memorable. Insist on sitting on the deck and time your meal around sundown; the vantage point for sunsets here makes developers…$Hyde Park
