Welcome to Eating Tampa’s 2008 search for the best food in Tampa! Polls will be open for the month of September and winners will be posted throughout the month of October.
Votes can be cast either in the comments section or you can email them to me at eatingtampa A T gmail.com or dave AT recreatingtampa.com.
You don’t have to vote all at once AND you can make up your own categories if you don’t see them here.
There have been a lot of changes over the last year. Some winners have moved on to that great restaurant in the sky, and Tampa’s been lucky to have a lot of great new places open.
ORIGIN STORY
A year ago I was eagerly anticipating Creative Loafing’s best of issue. As I was browsing the winners of the food categories I was struck by how many were in St. Petersburg. Now, St. Pete can be pretty awesome, but I wanted a best of Tampa, and so this search was born.
While some places outside the city of Tampa won last year, I maintain editorial privilege to disqualify anything outside the city limits. That said, some places get so many votes that I will include them if they fall within the larger metropolitan area of the Tampa bay area.
Doing this list in 2007 was a blast and I look forward to your suggestions.
NOW VOTE!
Best 24-hour Restaurant
Best Bagel
Best Bakery
Best Bar
Best Barbecue
Best Bay-area Food Writer
Best Beach Bar
Best Locally Brewed Beer
Best Beer Garden
Best Breakfast
Best Buffet
Best Burgers (chain)
Best Burgers (non-chain)
Best Chinese
Best Crepes
Best Coffee (non-chain)
Best Colombian
Best Cuban Food
Best Cuban Sandwich
Best Deli
Best Desserts
Best Diner
Best Falafel
Best Fish Market
Best Fish Sandwich
Best Food Blog
Best French Fries
Best Fried Chicken
Best Fried Potato
Best Gelato
Best German Food
Best Greek
Best Grocery Store
Best Gyro
Best Hot Dogs
Best Ice Cream
Best Indian Restaurant
Best Italian
Best Jamaican
Best Mall Food
Best Middle Eastern
Best Nachos
Best Pho
Best Pizza
Best Place that Allows Dogs
Best Place to Take a First Date
Best Place to Take Out-of-towners for Dinner
Best Place to Watch the Sun Set
Best Sandwich (local)
Best Sandwich Shop (chain)
Best Sandwich Shop (non-chain)
Best Southern Cooking
Best Steak
Best Sushi
Best Sweet Tea
Best Tex-Mex/Mexican
Best Thai
Best Vegan
Best Veggie
Best Vietnamese
Best Wine Bar
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10 Comments
thanks for the welcome, here are my votes.
Best Bar; Tally Ho
Best Barbecue: Big Johns
Best Bay-area Food Writer: Jaden
Best Locally Brewed Beer: Yingling
Best Breakfast: The Gardens
Best Buffet: Luptons
Best Chinese: China One
Best Colombian: Latin Cravings
Best Cuban Food: El Paraiso Cafe
Best Cuban Sandwich: Brocatos
Best Deli: Marinos
Best Diner: Nicko’s
Best Food Blog: Steamy Kitchen
Best Fried Chicken: Marylands
Best German Food: ???
Best Hot Dogs: Mel’s
Best Indian Restaurant: Angithi
Best Italian: Rick’s Italian Café
Best Pizza: CDB’s
Best Place to Take Out-of-towners for Dinner: The Columbia
Best Steak: Frontier Steakhouse
Best Tex-Mex/Mexican: Taco Bus
Best 24-hour Restaurant: 3 Coins Diner
Best Bar: Bar Louie
Best Buffet: Angithi Indian Cuisine
Best Burgers (chain): Chili’s
Best Burgers (non-chain): Jerk Hut
Best Chinese: Yummy House
Best Crepes: La Creperia
Best Place to Take a First Date: Ceviche
Best Sandwich (local): Subs N Such
Best Sushi: Ichiban
Best Tex-Mex/Mexican: Taconazo
Best Thai: Jasmine Thai
*If you want to add a category
Best Boba: Got Tea (Waters)
Best Bar - New World Brewery
Best Barbecue - Hot Rods
Best Chinese - Golden Dynasty
Best Food Blog - GNATV.com
Best German Food - Dunderbaks
Best Grocery Store - Publix
Best Hot Dogs - Mel’s
Best Indian Restaurant - Angithi
Best Mall Food - Chick-fil-a
Best Sandwich (local) - Subs-N-Such
Best Steak - Bern’s Steakhouse
Best Tex-Mex/Mexican - Taconazo
Best Vegan - Grass Roots
NEW CATEGORIES!
Best Soup….She Crab Soup at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill (Clearwater)
Best Chicken (off the grill)…Rockaway Chicken (Floribbean) at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill (Clearwater)
Best Stuffed Potato…Papa Joe’s
Best Bar - Mr. Dunderback’s
Best Barbecue - Big John’s Alabama
Best Beer Garden - World of Beer (Westchase) (does this qualify?)
Best Burgers (chain) - 5 Guys
Best Colombian - La Pequena
Best German Food - Mr. Dunderback’s
Best Italian - Laughing Cat
Best Place to Take a First Date - Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill (Clearwater)
Best Southern Cooking - Lupton’s
Best Sweet Tea - Lupton’s
Best Tex-Mex/Mexican - Vallarta’s
Best 24-hour Restaurant
Best Bagel
Best Bakery: Pane Rustica
Best Bar: Fly Bar
Best Barbecue: Kojak’s for ribs, other stuff at Smoke
Best Bay-area Food Writer: um, can’t think of anyone
Best Beach Bar: in Tampa?! where’s the beach?
Best Locally Brewed Beer: Dunedin Brewery Rasbeery Wheat
Best Beer Garden: how bout Taps? Not a garden, but a nice sidewalk.
Best Breakfast: Skyway Jack’s
Best Buffet: Oystercatchers
Best Burgers (chain): Five Guys
Best Burgers (non-chain): Square One
Best Chinese: tie between Yummy House and China Yuan
Best Crepes: Crepe D’Or wagon in St. Pete
Best Coffee (non-chain): Kahwa in St. Pete
Best Colombian: La Cabana Antioquena
Best Cuban Food
Best Cuban Sandwich
Best Deli: Paninotecca
Best Desserts: Chez Bryce on Davis Islands
Best Diner
Best Falafel
Best Fish Market: Bama Sea Products
Best Fish Sandwich: Dockside Dave’s
Best Food Blog
Best French Fries
Best Fried Chicken
Best Fried Potato: the truffle oil and parmesan potato chips at MJs in St. Pete
Best Gelato: Paciugo in St. Pete
Best German Food
Best Greek: Greektown Grille in Clearwater
Best Grocery Store: the Whole Foods in Sarasota, far superior to Tampa’s Whole Foods. I guess Fresh Market is No. 2, but I’m waiting until the Publix Greenwise opens in South Tampa in Nov.
Best Gyro: Acropolis, New Tampa, not Ybor
Best Hot Dogs: Bruce’s Chicago Grill on Ulmerton in Largo
Best Ice Cream: one of the new yogurt joints, like Sunnibunni or Berryism or CaliYogurt
Best Indian Restaurant
Best Italian: for expensive, Armani’s, for cheap, Pia’s in Gulfport
Best Jamaican
Best Mall Food: California Pizza Kitchen. What, is that so wrong?
Best Middle Eastern: Jordan Valley in St. Pete
Best Nachos
Best Pho
Best Pizza: Sam and Eddie’s
Best Place that Allows Dogs
Best Place to Take a First Date: Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Best Place to Take Out-of-towners for Dinner: the new MJs in St. Pete
Best Place to Watch the Sun Set
Best Sandwich (local)
Best Sandwich Shop (chain): Publix
Best Sandwich Shop (non-chain): Paninotecca or Pane Rustica
Best Southern Cooking: Savannah’s in St. Pete
Best Steak
Best Sushi: Pacific Wave in St. Pete or Kiku in Clearwater
Best Sweet Tea
Best Tex-Mex/Mexican: Mariposa Grill
Best Thai: Thai Ruby
Best Vegan: Grass Root
Best Veggie: Grass Root
Best Vietnamese: Restaurant BT
Best Wine Bar: Beaune’s Wine Bar (West Palm Wines)
Best Barbecue - First Choice
Best Breakfast - First Watch
Best Buffet - Crazy Buffet
Best Burgers (chain) - Chili’s
Best Chinese - China One
Best Coffee (non-chain) - Cafe Hey
Best Diner - Nicko’s
Best Greek - Acropylis
Best Grocery Store - Publix
Best Gyro - Acropylis
Best Hot Dogs - Frankie’s Gourmet
Best Mall Food - Chic Fil A
Best Pizza - Eddie and Sam’s
Best Place to Take a First Date - Bahama Breeze
Best Place to Take Out-of-towners for Dinner -
Best Sandwich (local) - Cafe Hey
Best Sandwich Shop (non-chain) - Lonnie’s
Best Steak - Charlie’s Steakhouse
Best Sushi - SoHo Sushi
Best Sweet Tea - Cracker Barrel
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