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$$$$ | Hyde Park |
With the air of an exclusive club, this is one of the finest steak houses—if not the finest—in Florida. Rich mahogany paneling and ornate chandeliers define the legendary circa-1956 Bern's, where the chef himself ages the beef, grows much of the produce, and roasts the coffee. There's also a Cave Du Fromage, which houses a discriminating selection of artisanal cheeses from around the world. Cuts of prime beef are sold by weight and thickness. There's a 60-ounce strip steak that's big enough to feed your pride (of lions), but for most appetites the veal loin chop or 8-ounce chateaubriand is more than enough. The wine list includes approximately 7,000 selections (with 1,000 dessert wines). After dinner, tour the kitchen and wine cellar before having dessert upstairs in a cozy booth. The dessert room is a hit.
1208 S. Howard Ave., Tampa, Florida, 33606, USA
Known For
- Colossal wine list
- Exclusive atmosphere
- After dinner, a trip upstairs to the famous dessert room
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential, Jacket and tie
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This 1920s-era gas-station-turned-restaurant has been enlarged and is decorated to evoke a European café—think French windows and doors, sparkling glassware, bouquets of fresh flowers, and the soft glow of candlelight. Lunches feature inspired soups, salads, or sandwiches, such as the pesto chicken salad croissant; dinners emphasize local produce and sustainable seafood.
1287 1st St., Sarasota, Florida, 34236, USA
Known For
- Contemporary takes on traditional dishes
- Chef-created seasonal menus
- Pre- or post-show dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch. Closed Sun. and Mon.
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$$$$ | |
A lush setting on the barrier island of Longboat Key makes this one of the most romantic restaurants around. Signature dishes include crisp roast duckling with bread stuffing and flambéed prime peppered steak; the popular dessert display is a sweet ending. The staff is friendly and gracious, the food delightful, and the atmosphere contagious. The upstairs Haye Loft, once the home of the original owner's grandson, has been converted into a more casual bistro and lounge.
5540 Gulf of Mexico Dr., Longboat Key, Florida, 34228, USA
Known For
- "scratch" menu with all foods made to order
- Upstairs dessert bar offers delicious, heaping portions
- Quaint, intimate atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch. Closed Mon., Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Ybor City |
Named for the 17th-century Italian baroque sculptor, this trendy restaurant is something of a gallery for copies of his works. In the former Bank of Ybor City building, it has a classy look and creative takes on Italian classics. The menu includes such fare as penne Sicilia (veal meatballs, homemade sausage, and hard-boiled eggs tossed with pasta and tomato sauce); cioppino à la Cinzano (a stew with fish medallions, clams, sautéed mussels, and shrimp over polenta); and pistachio-crusted grouper.
1702 E. 7th Ave., Tampa, Florida, 33605, USA
Known For
- Trendy atmosphere
- Cioppino à la Cinzano
- Good drink specials
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$$$$ | Downtown |
Seasonal, locally sourced ingredients work equally well in both the surf and the turf columns at Birch & Vine, which has turned The Birchwood hotel into a Downtown destination for hungry diners. The setting is a reimagined 1920s property, but the dishes are contemporary. Things can be loud on weekends, when patrons pack the interior dining room's tables and curvaceous banquettes; for a quieter dinner, reserve on Monday or Tuesday, or opt for an umbrella-covered table on the patio, where the people-watching along and Beach Drive is good, and the view takes in North Straub Park.
340 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
Known For
- Maple cream sous vide scallops
- Blackberry-and-five spice duck
- Outdoor dining with views of Downtown waterfront parks
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$$ | |
The Heilman family has fed hungry diners since 1920, and although this restaurant is very popular with tourists, you'll also rub shoulders with devoted locals. Despite the frequent crowds, the service is fast and friendly. The sautéed chicken is an American classic—arriving with mashed spuds, gravy, veggie du jour, and fresh baked bread. Or try some Gulf shrimp prepared in nearly any way you can imagine, including lightly breaded and fried, tossed with pasta primavera and sautéed vegetables, or served Rockefeller-style.
447 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach, Florida, 33767, USA
Known For
- Classic sautéed chicken with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and fresh bread
- Gulf shrimp prepared several ways
- Good wine selection
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Known for its creative fare, this waterfront restaurant has a menu that changes frequently, offering such entrées as broiled rack of lamb in herbed pecan crust and red snapper on a bed of lobster hash. The creative grouper options, including medallions, get well-deserved plaudits from many patrons. Bon Appétit has staying power, having served at the same location for more than three decades. It's a great place to catch a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. There's live music Thursday through Sunday, in addition to a pianist who plays Wednesday through Sunday evening and at Sunday brunch.
148 Marina Plaza, Florida, 34698, USA
Known For
- Real Gulf grouper on the menu
- Its stunning seafood tower
- Gorgeous water views
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$$$$ | Downtown |
If you drop in for a drink at what is one of the best happy-hour spots in St. Petersburg, it's worth sticking around for dinner. Casual French options include croque monsieur, but there are also more elaborate entrées like bouillabaisse or Atlantic salmon served with smashed peas, baby-carrot confit, and an orange-coriander glaze. The wine list is formidable, and the cocktails are a Friday-evening draw for local movers and shakers. Given the location on bustling Beach Drive, the people-watching here is second to none. If you're around in the morning, stroll over to the attached bakery for a pastry and some coffee.
170 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
Known For
- Bustling Beach Drive location
- Happy-hour deals, especially on good wine
- Dog-friendly outdoor dining (including a "mutt menu")
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$$$$ | |
Within the chic Hotel Zamora, this popular dining spot has been getting much praise from local and national press. As the name suggests, most of the menu's inspiration comes from Spain, but many items—all the creations of executive chef Ted Dorsey—have other influences. Take the romesco butter sea scallops (keep in mind the menu does change a lot). One particularly brilliant creation is the Caesar salad, which has Parmesan custard and white anchovies. The bar here offers an extensive wine list, plenty of craft beers on tap, and handmade cocktails bursting with fresh fruit and muddled spices.
3701 Gulf Blvd., Florida, 33706, USA
Known For
- Creative Spanish fusion offering a particularly deft touch with seafood
- Caesar salad with Parmesan custard and white anchovies
- Lovely views
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Downtown |
In the relatively short time this gastropub has been around, it has handily earned a spot at the table of Tampa culinary musts. The internationally influenced, creative menu changes almost every day as chef–owner Jeannie Pierola experiments with a revolving list of intriguing ingredients. Choices include Korean-style fried chicken and waffles as well as butternut squash and coconut gnudi (a type of gnocchi). And the list goes on. The kitchen happily makes substitutions or changes recipes if you have any dietary restrictions. The bar has a great list of craft cocktails.
912 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, Florida, 33606, USA
Known For
- Inventive dishes like octopus bolognese and monkfish bourride
- Interesting cocktails
- Extensive wine list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$$$$ | |
Not only do the lounge and piano bar, with their extensive wines and vintage cocktails, lure the after-theater set, but inspired cuisine and superior service also entice. Dinner fare ranges from pompano sautéed with Gulf shrimp, tomatoes, and fresh herbs to pan-roasted chicken breast with anise-scented sweet potato puree. There's also an ever-evolving menu of creative desserts. Inside its Midtown Plaza shopping center location, you'll find a decor similar to New York's better bistros of the 1930s and '40s, but there is plenty of veranda seating for enjoying Sarasota's balmy weather.
1212 East Ave. S, Sarasota, Florida, 34239, USA
Known For
- Large menu of seafood and meat dishes
- Extensive wine list
- Supper club atmosphere with piano bar
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$$$$ | Downtown |
Known to locals as "Mise" (pronounced meez), this upscale, modern, Downtown space is a popular lunch spot for Tampa's political and social elite. At night, it transforms into an elegant, understated dining destination with an ever-changing, seasonal menu that offers adventurous yet meticulously crafted modern American cuisine. Inspired by both the seasons and the whim of chef Marty Blitz, the menu changes every week, save for staples like the chicken liver pâté and the rack of lamb. Another thing that doesn't change is the intricacy of every item listed—whether it's tandoori-crusted tofu or pumpkin-spiced rubbed scallops. The long list of boutique wines and specialty cocktails further demonstrates the intelligence and imagination that go into the offerings here. This place is on the western edge of downtown, just across the street from University of Tampa's shining minarets. Parking and entry are behind the building.
442 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, Florida, 33606, USA
Known For
- French-inspired cuisine
- Lovingly assembled wine and cocktail list
- Staples like chicken liver pâté and rack of lamb
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat.
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$$$$ | SoHo |
Local restaurateur B. T Nguyen, who opened her first eatery in the early 1990s, has earned a following with her modern takes on high-style Vietnamese cuisine featuring fresh herbs grown on-site and a drink list that includes organic sake martinis. With the motto, "Eat local, think global," the BT menu is sophisticated yet simple, with offerings like Shaken Beef, a go-to dish for regulars, consisting of cubed filet mignon flavored with cognac and shallots. Vegetarians and vegans can rest easy here, with options such as Food Karma (braised tofu, edamame, eggplant, and ginger in coconut broth over black rice). Casual dress is acceptable, but patrons tend to dress up.
2507 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa, Florida, 33629, USA
Known For
- Creative dishes and local ingredients
- Vegan and vegetarian options
- Intimate atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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Inspired by the St. Pete of yesteryear, this independent steak house sits in what was once a YWCA building, and although it's named for the late-baroque art movement, it displays the work of local artists on its walls. The obvious draw is steak—corn-fed, aged, you name it—but the menu goes beyond the normal bounds. Locals swear by the lobster bisque, the craft cocktails have a local flair, and the beer and wine selection is expansive.
655 2nd Ave. S, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701, USA
Known For
- Solid steak offerings
- Famous lobster bisque
- Variety of craft cocktails and beer
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$$ | |
Although the fish served at this upbeat restaurant at the RumFish Beach Resort by TradeWinds is deserving of much attention, the ones swimming in the 33,500-gallon aquarium lining the restaurant's back wall are the real draw. The menu consists primarily of local seafood prepared with a Caribbean touch. All three meals are served here. At dinner you'll find grilled jerk swordfish, pan-seared grouper piccata, and Gulf shrimp with stone-ground grits. The massive fish tank's construction was featured on an episode of the reality show Tanked, and it is home to a broad range of residents of the Gulf of Mexico, including a nurse shark, several grouper, and a bright green moray eel, who periodically comes out from beneath its rock. For $25 you can swim in the aquarium during the restaurant's off-hours, and even take a behind-the-scenes tour. If you're eager to catch a game, you'll want to head to the bar, which has multiple TV screens and a decent bar menu.
6000 Gulf Blvd., Florida, 33706, USA
Known For
- Dishes featuring local seafood
- Adjacent sports bar with its own menu
- Alluring aquarium vistas
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Tourists and locals converge here to enjoy a lively waterfront atmosphere, but the rock-solid menu is the best reason to come. Don't believe the Caribbean fire-roasted lobster tails are "jumbo"—at 1¼ pounds they're on the small side, but they're twice-cooked, including a finish on the grill, and quite tasty. Those more turf than surf might be interested in the Chicken Rock'n Bleu, which adds fresh spinach and champagne-mushroom sauce into a classic chicken dish. The Dayboat menu features that day's fresh catches prepared in a variety of ways. In fair weather dine on the dock; otherwise ask for a table with a view of the water.
19325 Gulf Blvd., Florida, 33785, USA
Known For
- Consistently fresh, local seafood
- Great waterfront views
- Upscale atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch weekdays
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$$$$ | |
This spacious cocktail bar and restaurant in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District offers an extensive bourbon list and elevated takes on classic American cuisine in dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. It has a rotating bourbon-based cocktails menu, as well as a $100-per-person interactive Horse Soldier Commander’s tasting experience with a personal steward.
2232 5th Ave. S, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33712, USA
Known For
- Bourbon tasting
- Wood-fired grill
- Rotating drinks menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed.
