Schmap Tampa Dining & Drinking

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Tampa - Dining & Drinking
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Tampa Bay is a land of natural abundance. All manner of fish thrive in the warm waters of the Gulf, and the region's more than 2,500 farms harvest everything from winter vegetables to spring strawberries. Tampa likes to call itself the "Big Guava," a reference to its adoration for the exotic yellow fruit that grows here in abundance and turns up in the Spanish cuisine of Ybor City as guava jelly, guava paste, guava shells in sweet syrup, and even pickled guavas!

Tampa Bay also likes its beer. Tampa is the site of the state's first brewery, the Florida Brewing Company (est. 1897); Anheuser-Busch brews and dispenses its suds at a special exhibit in its Busch Gardens theme park.

Cultural Diversity

Add to all that the melange of cultures, each making its own mark on the region's cuisine, and you have an intriguing array of dining options, from a Greek salad laced with creamy feta cheese to a platter of Spanish arroz con pollo with yellow rice, a sizzling steak or a savory selection of Italian pasta.

Greek settlers turned a strip of oceanfront north of town into Tarpon Springs, paving the way for some landmark dining awash in Greek salads, moussaka and gyros. The region's Italian and Cuban populations have also spiced up the local cuisine.

The region's claims to culinary fame have traditionally rested on two dining mainstays. The sprawling Columbia Restaurant, Florida's oldest dining establishment, has been serving up blue margaritas and Spanish cuisine since 1905 and racking up dozens of awards in the process. Here, you can dine in one of eleven ornately decorated dining rooms that cover an entire city block!

Bern's Steakhouse

Bern's Steakhouse is equally celebrated, and is known worldwide for its excellent cuts of beef, and the largest working wine cellar in the world—the wine list is as thick as a telephone book! Owned and operated by the Laxer family for more than 40 years, Bern's continues to win plaudits from judges for its stained glass lamps, its U.S. prime beef (aged up to 10 weeks in special lockers), and herbs and vegetables grown just for this restaurant. You will also find a 65-page dessert menu and the comparatively new addition, Sidebern's, designed to accommodate the main restaurant's overflow of diners with a taste of what it calls "One World Cuisine."

Italian

While those two retain all their justifiable fame in Tampa Bay, they have been joined by a host of competitors offering a wide range of dining opportunities, both elegant and casual. Donatello features Northern Italian cuisine, served amid glittering crystal by tuxedoed waiters. The restaurant has won numerous awards for its excellence in food and service.

Armani's aims toward the pinnacle of Tampa Bay dining, both literally and figuratively—it sits high atop the Hyatt Regency Westshore, overlooking Tampa Bay. It is a local favorite for views and equally popular for its stylish Italian cuisine and a notable wine list.

With a view of the Bay that inspired its name, Oystercatchers is tucked into a 35-acre nature preserve and lures diners with seafood plucked straight from the waters and served in a stylish setting.

Bistros

Bistros have broken out all over, turning up by the dozens in Ybor City. Ovo Art Café caters to the chic with a flower-bedecked dining room and soft music. Le Bordeaux turned a bungalow into a bistro, and Mise En Place lives up to its name, situated across from the onion domes of the whimsically magnificent Tampa Bay Hotel.

Casual Dining

Along the serenely seductive miles of shoreline that stretch from Clearwater on the north to St. Petersburg Beach and tiny Passe-a-Grille Beach on the south are hundreds of restaurants, nearly all of them easygoing, sandals-and-T-shirt stops that offer you an opportunity to stroll in at your leisure. These area restaurants will make sure you can take full advantage of the region's enviable 360 days of sunshine each year, with outdoor dining on a deck, a patio, a sidewalk, or a porch.

Historical Ambience

Ybor City, the onetime cigar capital of the world, is the region's most colorful historic district, awash in brick cigar warehouses and tiny storefront eateries whose wood floors, painted tiles, and whirling fans speak of days long gone. Bernini Restaurant features a changing array of delicacies, from beef laced with white truffles to an upmarket Vesuvio Pizza topped with three-chili oil, sundried tomatoes, chicken and smoked mozzarella.

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Armani's

It will definitely suit you

2900 Bayport Drive
Tampa, FL 33607
United States
+1 813 207 6800
http://www.armanisrestaurant.com/

An enchanting atmosphere, subtle, rich décor, exemplary service, carefully prepared dishes and spectacular views of the bay await you at this most elegant of restaurants located high atop the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. Classic Italian dishes include angel hair pasta served with a savory sauce, tender steak, fresh shrimp, or rack of lamb. The antipasti bar is very popular. A specialty of the restaurant is Caesar Salad, made at your table and topped with dressing made with the restaurant's own special ingredients. Dress is semi-formal, and jackets are required.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Bern's Steak House

Popular steakhouse 1208 South Howard Avenue
Tampa, FL 33606
United States
+1 813 251 2451 / +1 813 253 0358
http://www.bernsteakhouse.com/ Owner David Laxer carries on the tradition of excellence begun by his father Bern more than 40 years ago. Beef connoisseurs should make this restaurant first on their list of culinary stops. Known for its large selection of melt-in-your mouth aged beef and it is easy to see why it has won a wall full of awards. The "putting on the ritz" crowd have some 25 types of caviar to ponder and a wine cellar that pushed one half million bottles.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Bernini Restaurant

Chic and historic dining 1702 East Seventh Ave
Tampa, FL 33605
United States
+1 813 248 0099 If you're looking for a restaurant with elegance and charm, exemplary service, excellent food, uptown chic, and trendy elegance steeped in history, this is the answer to your perfection dreams. Occupying the Old Ybor City Bank building, the outstanding Italian restaurant offers a wide selection of dishes, including pastas, oven-baked pizzas, Crispy Calamari, Roasted Duck, and popular dessert choices including banana crème brulee and cannoli.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Busch Gardens

Not your typical garden variety 3000 East Busch Blvd
Tampa, FL 33617
United States
+1 813 987 5082
http://www.buschgardens.com At Busch Gardens, animals roam free and you are the outsider. You can see the park by monorail, cable car or train. Roller coasters, wild animals, entertaining shows, rides, food, shopping, sightseeing, bird shows, exotic flowers, train rides, Serengeti adventures, river rapids...the list goes merrily on. Wear comfy walking shoes and spend the day at this 300-acre park. You can even taste the Anheuser Busch brew that started it all. Busch Gardens is open year-round with varying schedules. Call or see Web site for details.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Columbia Restaurant

It's out of this world 2117 East 7th Avenue
Tampa, FL 33605
United States
+1 813 248 3000
http://www.columbiarestaurant.com This restaurant is owned and operated by the same Tampa family that founded it two generations ago. Beautifully hand-painted tiles and intricate fretwork decorate the exterior of the restaurant, while the interior boasts a two-story atrium. Warm lighting and a sense of history combine to create an elegant and relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy authentic Spanish cuisine, such as paella, black beans and rice or traditional Spanish yellow rice and chicken. Share a pitcher of sangria while flamenco dancers provide entertainment. Call ahead to verify nights and times for the show.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Donatello

Northern Italian in Central Florida 232 North Dale Mabry Highway
Tampa, FL 33609
United States
+1 813 875 6660
http://www.donatellorestaurant... It is not necessary to travel to Italy for the best Northern Italian cuisine; you only have to come here. For years, discriminating diners have loved the restaurant's Mediterranean atmosphere awash in stucco arches and Italian tiles with soft lighting adding to the ambience at lunch, dinner, celebrations and special events. Featured specialties include fresh hand-rolled pastas, grilled veal chop, and Salmone Stromboli, prepared by internationally trained chefs. Desserts are freshly prepared pastries and an extensive international wine list, with an emphasis on Italian wines, is available by the glass or bottle.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Henry B. Plant Museum

Place of the Past 401 West Kennedy Blvd
Tampa Bay Hotel
Tampa, FL 33606
United States
+1 813 254 1891
http://www.plantmuseum.com/ Walk the corridors of the Tampa Bay Hotel, now a museum and a National Historic Landmark, and experience a stroll through time when exquisite art, elegant furnishings and opulent grandeur conveyed the image of the Gilded Age. Built in 1891, the hotel, with its Moorish architecture and spiraling minarets, was created as a resort for the rich and affluent. Reservations needed for groups of 10 or more. Admission is $5 adults; $2 children under 12. Parking is free in front of the building and in a nearby parking garage.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Oystercatchers

Seafood and Sunsets 6200 West Courtney Campbell Causeway
Tampa, FL 33607
United States
+1 813 281 9116
http://grandtampabay.hyatt.com... Located at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, this restaurant is an excellent example of subtle elegance at its best. Warm colors, gentle lighting and beautiful views of the bay add to the overall ambience of classic, yet comfortable, dining. On the menu are creative seafood dishes, or order your favorite fish, such as salmon or grouper, cooked any way you choose. You can add to the pleasure with savory soup, crisp salads and fresh bread. Key lime pie might be the crowning touch to a meal.

Review © 2007, Wcities

St. Petersburg Beach

Tampa
United States
St. Petersburg Beach is the official beach for the St. Petersburg region. Packed with restaurants, motels, Hôtels, shops and souvenir sellers, the beach is always busy. The Don Cesar Hôtel has been luring guests for generations-F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda stayed here, among many other notables.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Ybor City

Tampa
United States
On the southern edge of downtown Tampa lies tiny Ybor City, the center of the cigar industry; cigarmakers moved here after a fire destroyed the industry in Key West. Only 10 streets across in either direction, the area carries a wealth of history. Solid brick warehouses that once served as cigar factories-some still do-now house offices and shops. Thanks to a strong restoration effort, Ybor City is the liveliest spot in town on weekends. Bistros, dance clubs, cigar stores and specialty shops line Ybor City's narrow streets; exhibits in the Ybor City Museum chronicle the city's colorful history.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Ybor City, Tampa's Latin Quarter

Where the fun never sets 1800 East Ninth Avenue (Chamber of Commerce)
Tampa, FL 33605
United States
+1 813 248 3712
http://www.ybor.org/ Tampa's Ybor City, which began its intriguing history when cigar makers settled here after a disastrous fire drove the industry north from Key West, is today a National Historic Landmark District lined with old buildings and historic sites. Today's Ybor is a lively and popular shopping, dining and entertainment district featuring everything from museums to flamenco dancing and plenty of cigars. The area really comes alive when the sun sets with a bevy of nightlife options. Do not miss the annual Halloween Parade, known as the Mama Guava Stumble or Guava-ween!

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Tampa - Dining & Drinking"
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Other nearby cities:
Orlando (123 miles)
Fort Myers (155 miles)
Jacksonville (281 miles)
Fort Lauderdale (310 miles)
Miami (328 miles)
Florida Keys (360 miles)
Atlanta (674 miles)
New Orleans (765 miles)
Chattanooga (837 miles)
Nashville (995 miles)

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