Photos from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's Brunched 2024

Tampa Bay's premier all-you-can-eat and drink brunch party went down last Saturday, March 9,  at the Tampa River Center. Creative Loafing's annual…

By CL Staff

Photos from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's Brunched 2024
160 slides

25 new restaurants coming to Tampa Bay this spring and summer

We're only a few months into 2024, and Tampa Bay's restaurant scene is starting to heat up. So far this year, six…

By CL Staff

Casa Cami 
2545 N Rocky Point Dr., Tampa
Building permits show that Casa Cami is located on the 10th floor of Tampa’s Current Hotel at 2545 N Rocky Point Dr., right around the corner from the Rusty Pelican and The Rocky Pointe Cafe. Casa Cami will take the place of Rox, which opened in the same space back in 2019. Casa Cami’s social media says that it’s slated to debut in mid-March, although an exact opening date is not yet determined. Construction plans depict Casa Cami's indoor bar, a full-service kitchen and a variety of outdoor seating on its sprawling rooftop terrace. According to casacami.com, Oxford Commons' newest hospitality concept will offer a spread of tacos and salsas, salads, small plates of ceviche, snapper crudo, flautas and blistered shishitos alongside entrees like bistec with mojo butter, shrimp fajitas and green chili chicken over a sweet plantain hash.
Photo via Casa Cami
25 slides

Craft, Tampa's first dining river cruise, will open March 8

Craft, a new, highly-anticipated river cruise experience in downtown Tampa, is ready to finally set sail. This morning, parent company Yacht Starship…

By Colin Wolf

Craft, Tampa's first dining river cruise, will open March 8
14 slides

The best Tampa Bay bars and restaurants for watching sports

It’s here, the Taylor Swift bowl, but sports aren’t important on just one Sunday a year, so here are some of the…

By Jourdan Ducat, CL Staff

Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen
We all know it as “America’s oldest brewery” and the favorite beer of middle aged and boomer dads across the nation: Yuengling. The 
popular brewery opened a massive, state-of-the-art restaurant and beer garden in 2023 and it’s probably your dad’s favorite place to watch his team. It boasts five total bars and 88 different taps of lagers, ales and more. 
11109 N. 30th St., Tampa
36 slides

27 Black-owned restaurants in Tampa Bay everyone should visit

There's plenty of praise to pass around when it comes to Tampa Bay's restaurants. But any examination of our local dining scene…

By Tyana Rodgers, Colin Wolf, Kyla Fields

Gabby Bakes 
Various locations
Thirty-one year-old Tampa resident Gabby Duncan is the one-woman-show and creative mastermind behind Gabby Bakes. The self-taught baker launched her small business right before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and it’s swiftly evolved into one of the most popular food pop-ups in all of Tampa Bay and recently opened a brick-and-mortar in Seminole Heights.
Photo by Ivana Cajina
27 slides

Photos: Everyone we saw checking out The New Rulers at St. Pete’s Bacon & BBQ Festival

One heck of a meat up went down at St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park last weekend where, on Saturday, The New Rulers roacksteadied…

By Ray Roa

The New Rulers play Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, Florida on Jan. 13, 2024.
46 slides

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Barbie Funnel Cakes, Pop Rocks Pickles: All the over-the-top food coming to the 2024 Florida State Fair

Besides farm animals, carnival rides, and mildly famous musicians, the other vital pillar of any respectable state fair is big, dumb, (preferably…

By CL Staff

POP ROCK PICKLE
Kosher pickle wrapped in a Fruit Roll-up dipped in chocolate rolled in your choice of Pop Rocks, Fruity Pebbles, or Flaming Hot Cheetos.
Location: Shockley's Food Service
20 slides

New bar at Hyde Park boutique hotel Palihouse now open to public

A new watering hole inside Hyde Park Village's shiniest new boutique hotel is now open in South Tampa. The 36-room Palihouse Hyde…

By Colin Wolf

New bar at Hyde Park boutique hotel Palihouse now open to public
8 slides

How two vets of the Tampa bar scene revamped Ybor City’s Big Easy Bar

A tattoo shop owner-turned-contractor, a food and beverage vet, and an independent cocktail program consultant with 16 years of experience at one…

By Annalise Mabe

Dean Hurst (L) and Daniel Bareswilt inside Big Easy Bar in Ybor City, Florida.
16 slides

All the Tampa Bay restaurants and bars that have closed in 2023

It's hard to say goodbye, especially when you bid farewell to a beloved restaurant. 2023 found some of Tampa Bay's favorite concepts…

By Gracey Davis, Kyla Fields

Dr. BBQ 
    1101 1st Ave S., St. Pete 
    Dr. BBQ served its last customer on Dec. 29, 2022 according to its owners. St. Pete's go-to pregame spot quietly closed its doors in the first week of the new year, citing rising costs of running a business in the Sunshine City. Dr. BBQ will be remembered for its meaty menu of chicken wings, smoked classics, and more. 
    Photo via Dr. BBQ/ Facebook
38 slides

The 20 most-anticipated new restaurants coming to Tampa Bay in 2024

Things are looking tasty in 2024. While this past year welcomed in some great new dining spots in Tampa Bay, there's about…

By Colin Wolf, Kyla Fields

The H 
1504 S Howard Ave., Tampa
 Just when you didn't think it was possible—Hyde Park will soon get a little bougier. The Tampa version of Orlando's popular The H steakhouse is planned for the parcel of land that most recently housed seafood restaurant CopperFish, which closed in 2014 after facing over $700,000 in permitting violations from the City of Tampa. The steakhouse’s flagship restaurant in Orlando is known for its variety of meats–from dry-aged ribeye, NY strips and racks of lamb to kebabs, Japanese wagyu and filet mignon—in addition to a spread of seafood-based dishes, pastas and caviar service. Appetizers include small plates like baked bone marrow, octopus carpaccio, burrata with confit tomatoes, grilled calamari and a variety of salads.
Photo via FleischmanGarciaMaslowski Architecture
20 slides

Photos from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's Highball 2023 at Nova 535

Highball, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's annual gathering to determine "who makes the best cocktail" went down last Friday at Nova 535 in…

By CL Staff

Photos from Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's Highball 2023 at Nova 535
101 slides

Tampa Bay’s 25 hottest new restaurants to open in 2023

For better or for worse, Tampa Bay's dining scene took a giant leap forward in 2023. Over the past 12 months, three…

By Colin Wolf, Kyla Fields

Sunda New Asian  

648 Midtown Dr, Tampa
 After a full year of anticipation, Tampa’s Sunda New Asian celebrated its grand opening last June. The Chicago-based eatery brings pan-Asian cuisine that spans everything from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Thai food and more. Some menu highlights include sushi rolls, crispy pork belly, and bulgogi roti tacos. If this wide spread of Asian-inspired dishes wasn’t enough—Sunda also boasts a sizable sushi menu complete with specialty rolls, sashimi and nigiri. 
   Photo via Midtown Tampa
25 slides

Seminole Heights food hall Flocale is on the market for $3 million

Earlier this week, popular Tampa restaurant Ella's was listed for sale and now another Seminole Heights concept is up for grabs. The space that…

By Colin Wolf, Ray Roa

Seminole Heights food hall Flocale is on the market for $3 million
15 slides

Seminole Heights' Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe is for sale—but not closing anytime soon [PHOTOS]

Enjoy your pork rib bloody marys while you can, Tampa, because a restaurant that more or less embodied the spirit of Seminole…

By Ray Roa

Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe in Tampa, Florida is for sale.
48 slides

Foraging Florida: 23 Tampa Bay plants you didn't know you could eat

Residents of Florida are no stranger to the state’s different fruit seasons, where trees in almost every neighborhood bear loads of fleshy,…

By Kyla Fields, Ray Roa

Common persimmon
Diospyros virginiana grows in the hardwood forests, coastal stands and flooded woodland of Florida (but not in the Keys). Fruits on the female trees turn orange when ripe—and are used in puddings, smoothies, jams and more—but don’t eat the unripe fruits since Roger L. Hammer says they “may create a blockage in the upper intestines and require surgical removal.”
Photo via TamaraHarding/Adobe
25 slides

Tampa’s inaugural BBQ Love Fest raises funds for three nonprofits next weekend

The phrase “cooking for a cause” takes many forms, but one Tampa native has launched a philanthropic event that combines his passion…

By Kyla Fields

The Brisket Shoppe’s Danny Hernandez at his shop in West Tampa on Nov. 3, 2023.
23 slides

All the specials happening during Tampa Bay Burger Week 2023 (Nov. 2-12)

Each year, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay teams up with dozens of local bars and restaurants to offer foodies a variety of unique…

By CL Staff


Walk-Ons Bistreaux
Locations in Midtown Tampa and Wesley Chapel
Cheeseburger Sliders: We are featuring our cheeseburger sliders off of our winning Best of the Bay-winning Happy Hour menu. These 3 delicious hand-pattied burgers have American cheese, ketchup, pickles and are served on a fresh brioche bun. ($8)
Photo courtesy of Walk-Ons Bistreaux
47 slides

Here's where to find Underberg, the small bottle that packs a big punch, in Tampa Bay

Oktoberfest celebrations have already wrapped up, but it still seems as good a time as any to give the spotlight to Underberg,…

By Jourdan Ducat

Underberg is a storied German digestif that is typically used to settle the stomach after a large meal.
16 slides

20 Tampa Bay Filipino restaurants and eateries everyone should try at least once

Filipino American History Month (stylized as "FAHM") happens each October, and we’d like to highlight businesses throughout Tampa Bay that specialize in…

By Kyla Fields

Lucky Tigre
    1101 S Howard Ave. Suite B, Tampa
    This sari sari-inspired walk-up concept has occupied its little SoHo parcel for about a year now, and it’s definitely South Tampa’s go-to spot for Filipino-American dumplings, bao buns, milk tea and lumpia. It’s also probably the only place in all of Tampa Bay where you’ll be able to find vegan and dairy-free halo halo, complete with homemade ube ice cream. Owner and Tampa native Julie Michelle Sainte Feliciano plans to open a larger, full-service version of Lucky Tigre in West Tampa. 
    Photo via theluckytigre/Instagram
20 slides

How one Tampa Bay group aims to restore oyster reefs by collecting your leftover shells from local restaurants

Oyster Biologist Rick Radigan joined Tampa Bay Watch in 2020 because he wanted to make a difference. Before that, Radigan monitored Florida’s…

By Jennifer Ring

Volunteers form a chain from boat to shoreline, ending with Plage, who drops the bags into their final resting place.
102 slides

Iconic Tampa restaurant Mel's Hot Dogs has new owners

After 50 years, Mel is no longer behind the counter at Mel's Hot Dogs. Mel Lohn opened his iconic hot dog spot,…

By Colin Wolf

Iconic Tampa restaurant Mel's Hot Dogs has new owners
33 slides

25 hot new restaurants coming soon to Tampa Bay

Local foodies have plenty to look forward to in the coming months. While 2023 has already seen some incredible new restaurants pop…

By CL Staff

Fortu

     332 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg
    A new upscale Asian fusion dining experience is coming to downtown St. Pete. Set to serve “elevated Pan-Asian cuisine,” the steakhouse will take over the old Ceviche location on Beach Drive. From Japanese whiskeys to wagyu beef, Fortu plans to emphasize on quality. The spot plans to open any day now. 
    Photo via @forturestaurant/Instagram
25 slides

25 Tampa Bay restaurants with cult-like followings

Tampa Bay knows all about cults, but what we're talking about here are restaurants with hoards of loyal, hungry patrons.  Over the…

By CL Staff

Kissin' Cuzzins
951 34th St N, St. Petersburg, 727-323-3915
Kissin’ Cuzzins is known to generations of St. Pete locals as a go-to spot for breakfast and lunch serving classic, homestyle dishes and twists on diner favorites, including stacks of thick and fluffy pancakes (get the chocolate chip or sweet potato), egg benedicts and perfectly crispy and greasy hash browns. In January of 2023, the iconic resto changed hands, but is still the greasy spoon institution locals have come to love over the years. 
Photo c/o Bill Tourtelot
25 slides

Everyone we saw at the Tampa Bay Lightning's Bolts Brew Fest 2023

Tampa Bay Lightning fans are a thirsty bunch, and with less than 60 days until the Bolts open the 2023 season with…

By Ray Roa

Tampa Bay Lightning fans stein hoist during Bolts Brew Fest at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Aug. 11, 2023.
249 slides

Seven Tampa Bay distilleries to visit if you’re looking for some good local rum

For a lot of people, the idea of drinking rum evokes visions of sitting poolside with a frozen daiquiri or splashy mojito…

By Jourdan Ducat

Florida Cane Distilling
This Ybor City distillery prides itself on providing a warm and educational experience that includes a tour followed by handcrafted cocktails and samplings. While the brand’s main portfolio consists of flavored vodkas, you can also find three different blends of rum here, as well as two bourbon options, and even moonshine. These guys really stepped up during the height of the pandemic by providing batch hand sanitizer to the local community. 1820 N 15th St., Ybor City. Photo via canevodka/Facebook
8 slides

21 essential Tampa Bay fish shacks everyone should check out at least once

Fish shacks are a classic Florida staple. Being neighbors with the Gulf puts Tampa Bay in a prime position for some of…

By Gracey Davis

Hookin’ Aint Easy
3660 22nd Ave S, St. Petersburg, 727-592-1388
Residing in a sweet spot between St. Pete and Gulfport, Hookin’ Aint Easy serves up freshly cooked specials each week, listed on its handwritten, chalkboard menu. Last we checked, blue crab, scramps, and African pompano were the season specials, but owner Matthew Neumann said this could change at a quick notice. 
Photo via Hookin’ Aint Easy/Facebook
21 slides

Photos: St. Pete Chef Adrianna Siller advances after first-ever ‘Epic Chef’ tiebreaker

Over the last eight years, Feeding Tampa Bay’s “Epic Chef” “Chopped”-style cooking competition has become a familiar sight inside the Epicurean hotel’s…

By Ray Roa

(L-R) Adrianna Siller and Jada Vidal at Epicurean hotel's culinary theater in Tampa, Florida on July 17, 2023.
124 slides

10 overlooked and quintessential Tampa Bay dive bars you should try right now

National Dive Bar Day is on Friday, July 7 and there’s no shortage of essential dive bars in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.…

By Jourdan Ducat

Ten overlooked, essential Tampa Bay dive bars you should try right now
12 slides

How to turn St. Pete's SunRunner route into one hell of a Pinellas bar and restaurant crawl

The City of St. Petersburg recently held a public meeting where it sought input on how to grow ridership on its increasingly…

By Jourdan Ducat

How to turn St. Pete's SunRunner route into one hell of a Pinellas bar and restaurant crawl
22 slides