The best restaurants in Tampa to book right now

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Hotel restaurants have come a long way, not just in Tampa but around the state. Located inside the Edition Hotel, Lilac welcomes guests for a four-course Mediterranean-inspired meal. Start with a selection of hors d’oeuvres for the table, then dive into appetizers like diver scallops or braised rabbit. Entrees are exceptional with roasted Dover sole or American Wagyu. End the meal with a sweet treat like a piña colada cake or chocolate walnut cremeux. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is the Champagne trolley that comes by to make table-side champagne cocktails, which is worth trying to snag a reservation by itself. 

Ulele, an award-winning restaurant along the Tampa Riverwalk, is known for its Native American and Florida fusion. The centerpiece of the restaurant is a barbacoa grill that cooks everything from burgers to charred oysters. For a real taste of Florida, try the Native Chili, made with a mix of alligator, wild boar, venison, duck, and ground chuck combined with cranberry beans and a unique blend of spices.

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Rooster & The Till has won the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand award since 2022, making it a destination worth checking out in Tampa. The tapas-style restaurant is known for its creative small plates and rotating menu. Fans of the restaurant love the hamachi crude with balsamic strawberries and celeriac-stuffed pierogies. For something a little more hearty, try the fried chicken and waffle with yuzu maple drizzle.

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One of the most iconic restaurants in Tampa is Bern's Steak House, which has been welcoming guests since 1956. The steak house is known for its upscale feel, where a dress code of at least business casual is enforced. The meal is an elevated affair with a wide selection of fresh seafood, like shrimp and oysters on the half shell to start, followed by caviar. The star of the show is the steaks, each of which has been hand-selected and dry-aged in-house for up to eight weeks.

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I love trying new-to-me cuisines, and at Gorkhali Kitchen, Nepali food is paired with Indian cuisine for a unique menu filled with plenty of spice and flavor. Even better is that the restaurant has a Bib Gourmand nod from Michelin, so you know it’s got to be good. A few favorites on the menu are, of course, gobi Manchurian, which is a sweet and spicy take on fried cauliflower, and a Nepalese take on fried rice. I also love to get an order of momo, which is a Nepal-style dumpling that you can order steamed, pan-fried (my favorite), or even in soup. 

Noble Crust, which has three locations in Tampa and the St. Pete
area gives traditional Italian dining a southern twist. The seasonal menu reflects the simplicity of Italian cuisine while highlighting local ingredients, serving anything from fried green tomatoes topped with pimento cheese to pork Milanese. The wood-fired pizzas are also a crowd-pleaser—order their peach and burrata pizza, and you’ll get a next-level pie with toppings like pesto, gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onion, fresh peaches, torn burrata, and balsamic calabrian chili honey.

The Safety Harbor neighborhood is home to a unique prohibition-themed restaurant called Gigglewaters Social Club and Screening Room. The casual eatery serves everything from burgers to loaded macaroni and cheese, but the real star of the show is the hidden movie theater in the back of the restaurant. Here, you can sit and watch a classic or recently released film while you munch on your meal and sip a cocktail. Be sure to make friends with the bartenders who can whip you up a perfect bourbon cocktail.

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On Swann is known for its upscale American cuisine with a hint of Italian flair. With a seasonally rotating menu, guests never know what specials and new dishes may be available, though mainstays like the steak frites and pimento cheeseburger are always crowd pleasers. If you're going with friends, order one of the sharable boards, which comes with meat, cheese, or both, along with all of the accouterments. Cocktails here are also a special affair with a lengthy menu of craft creations and non-alcoholic craft soda.

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Oak & Ola is an American restaurant where guests can get just about anything their hearts (and stomachs) desire, from pizza and steaks to salads and fresh fish. The restaurant's rooftop terrace is a fun spot to hang out with friends and enjoy a craft cocktail before sitting down inside for a decadent meal. If you're into sharing, consider ordering a few rounds of appetizers, including a cheese board complete with accompaniments and pommes frites with savory garlic aioli.

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If you’re like me and are always on the hunt for the best tacos in a new city, Streetlight Taco is the spot to be in Tampa. The Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant is known for its impressive food and drink menu. I like to start my meal with one of the restaurant’s homemade agua frescas or a passion fruit margarita with a tajin-lined rim. Then it’s onto the star of the show, tacos, where the tortillas are made from stone-ground heirloom corn. I love the carnitas and the barbacoa, but there are plenty of options for every taste. 

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If you’re looking for a steakhouse with a distinctly Southern influence, Steelbach is the spot to be. The menu is filled with steakhouse favorites like French onion soup, beef carpaccio, and grass-fed, pasture-raised cuts of beef. While you could go just for the steaks, I love pairing dinner with happy hour. Start your meal at the bar for the restaurant social hour, from Monday through Friday from 3pm to 6pm, where $10 martinis and classic cocktails are free flowing and bar bites like fries with smoked cheddar cheese sauce and bone marrow aioli are served.

I love dining at the Columbia Restaurant, located in Ybor City. The restaurant has been around since 1905, and it’s Florida’s oldest restaurant. Once a local cafe that mainly served cigar workers back in Ybor City’s industrious heyday, it’s now one of the largest Spanish restaurants in the world. Its sangria pitchers are legendary (I love the cava version made with sparkling wine), and don’t leave without ordering the restaurant’s signature 1905 salad—it’s been made the same way for over a century by tossing iceberg lettuce, ham, Swiss cheese, olives, tomato, Romano cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and house-made garlic dressing all together table-side. I also can’t leave the restaurant without having the guava turnover, which is made with sweet guava and melted cream cheese in a pastry crust. It’s a few delicious bites worth every calorie.

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It’s always fun to try out a Michelin-starred restaurant, and Koya is one of the best in the city. The eight-seat counter offers a tasting menu-only experience for diners. I love that the restaurant focuses on hyper-seasonal-themed menus, so you can nearly be guaranteed a different experience every time you dine at Koya. Even better is that staple ingredients like bluefin tuna and uni are flown in weekly from Toyosu Market in Japan.

Rome + Fig, located in the North Hyde Park neighborhood, serves a variety of globally inspired dishes. A perfect example, and certainly one of their most popular appetizers, is a Southern twist on the classic Italian Caprese salad that swaps red tomatoes for fried green tomatoes (if you end up ordering it twice, we won’t judge). Expect similar riffs throughout the menu with entree staples like scallops and filet mignon that change based on seasonal ingredients.

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Oxford Exchange is part shop, part bookstore, part restaurant, and totally magical. For an experience that’ll feel quintessentially English, book the Sunday brunch—the experience includes tea, sandwiches, scones, and desserts served in a traditional British manor. And if you’re a breakfast fanatic, you’re in luck: breakfast is served all day each and every weekday, which means you can indulge in one of their massive cinnamon rolls (served warm, and loaded with cream cheese glaze and fresh strawberries) even at 4:30pm.

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There’s nothing better than Mediterranean food in an upscale setting, and that’s exactly what you’re getting at Predalina. Dinner is a glittering affair with a nice selection of raw bar options and mezze plates, but I love dining here at lunch, where sandwiches and shareable grace the menu. In particular, the grilled branzino with marinated cucumber salad, and the lamb pita are excellent choices. Alternatively, grab some friends and head to brunch at the restaurant, which features an impressive breakfast selection of rolled baklava and pistachio stuffed brioche alongside savory items like steak and eggs and Turkish eggs.

Hands down, this casual spot serves some of the best sushi in the Tampa area. The Zukku Sushi is located inside the Heights Public Market at Armature Works, a former streetcar warehouse built in 1910 that was reimagined as a hip mixed-use venue (you’ll find plenty of restaurants alongside Zukku if you want to make your visit a food crawl). Order the lobster volcano roll, a spicy combo of tuna, asparagus, crab mix, and avocado with a whole tempura fried lobster tail—it’s indulgent but worth every bite. If you’re feeling creative, you can also make your own poke bowl or sushi burrito with your choice of toppings and fillings.

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Located within the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa, treat yourself to dinner at Council Oak Steaks and Seafood. The luxe restaurant’s steaks are dry-aged on-site in rooms outfitted with pink Himalayan salt walls—sounds like a spa for precious steaks, if you ask us—and if that’s not enough ritz, the restaurant will take your meal over the top with table-side caviar service. You’ll end up spending the big bucks here, so reserve this place for a big night out.