22 Best Restaurants in The Tampa Bay Area, Florida

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.

Make a date for some of the best Latin cuisine in Tampa. A fixture since 1905, this magnificent structure with an old-world air and spacious dining rooms takes up an entire city block and seems to feed the entire city—locals as well as visitors—throughout the week, but especially on weekends. The paella à la Valenciana, bursting with seafood, chicken, and pork, is arguably the best in Florida, and the 1905 salad (with ham, olives, cheese, and garlic) is legendary. The menu also has Cuban classics such as boliche criollo (tender eye of round stuffed with chorizo), ropa vieja (shredded beef with onions, peppers, and tomatoes), and arroz con pollo (chicken with yellow rice). Don't miss the flamenco dancing show every night but Sunday. This place is also known for its sangria. If you can, walk around the building and check out the elaborate, antique decor along every inch of the interior.

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.

Named after a 16th-century Tocobagan princess, this hot spot was created by the family behind the historic Columbia restaurant in Ybor City. Although diverse, the menu focuses on local ingredients and has an easy-to-detect Southern accent, with appetizers such as alligator hush puppies and okra fries and entrées like pan-seared Florida pompano served with sun-dried-tomato shallot cream and fried carrot ribbons. Set in the refurbished old Tampa Waterworks building, high on the bank of the Hillsborough River, its water views are particularly spectacular at dusk; Downtown is an easy walk away. Beer is brewed on-site, and the creative cocktail menu (go for the Ring of Fire, a spicy creation of vodka, gin, and lychee liqueur) is supplemented with wines from domestic, family-owned vineyards like Silver Oak Winery.

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.

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 Beach Drive is good, and the view takes in North Straub Park.

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 fried 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.

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.

Located in St. Armand's Circle, this café, which offers both sidewalk and indoor seating, has a spectacular menu of Mediterranean fare—such as feta-crusted grouper or a Moroccan-spiced crispy duck—with a fresh, modern twist. Stop by with friends and family for lunch to enjoy sandwiches, small plates, and shareable bites while sitting at the veranda tables, which are a great place to watch shoppers and strollers. There's also an excellent wine selection.

Appropriately housed in a renovated 1920s macaroni factory, this restaurant pays tribute to Ybor City’s sometimes overlooked Sicilian roots. Each dish is lovingly created and transports you straight to an Italian grandmother’s kitchen.

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 Cassis Pizza and Market for a pastry and some coffee, or, later in the day, a hand-tossed pizza or sandwich.

On trendy St. Armand's Circle, patrons perch for a good meal and amazing people-watching. The local chain's 1905 salad—with ham, olives, cheese, and garlic—deserves its cult status. October through May sees stone crabs fresh from the Gulf of Mexico. Order them chilled, steamed, with butter, with mustard sauce and lemon, or broiled Carioca-style, with Latin spices. The crusty bread and Spanish bean soup enhance the flavors.

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.

Celebrated Miami chef Douglas Rodriguez has brought his globally inspired flair to historic Ybor City as part of the gorgeous new Hotel Haya. Whether you’re grabbing a drink and a bite at the wraparound bar or luxuriating over a meal in the dining room, this swanky restaurant is rich with an atmosphere that’s upscale and cozy all at once. Rodriguez’s Nuevo Latino menu features wood-grilled coastal cuisine, an imaginative selection of ceviches, and a range of rum-soaked cocktails.

Recently awarded a Michelin star, Kōsen takes diners on a multicourse journey through the art of kaiseki, a centuries-old Japanese dining tradition. The seasonal menu changes up regularly for this unique culinary experience, which centers on high-quality, sustainable ingredients, but there are shorter, less formal options.

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.

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.

Local restaurateur BT Nguyen, who opened her first eatery in the early 1990s, has earned a following with her modern takes on high-style class French-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.

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.

Although the fish served at this upbeat restaurant 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.

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.

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.