Food destinations within easy reach of Tampa, worth the early start.
Food destinations within easy reach of Tampa. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Famous for: Pier seafood at Fresco's and Doc Ford's, plus downtown brunch
St Petersburg downtown runs a stronger waterfront restaurant scene than Tampa, with the Pier complex carrying Fresco's, Doc Ford's and Teak waterfront grills.
Famous for: Greek seafood and Tarpon Springs sponge-docks restaurants
Tarpon Springs on the Greek sponge docks runs the largest concentration of Greek restaurants in the country, with Hellas, Mykonos and the bakeries.
Famous for: Dunedin craft brewery row plus Scottish-American village
Dunedin on Pinellas has Tampa Bay's densest craft brewery row, with Dunedin Brewery, 7venth Sun Dunedin and Cueni Brewing in a Scottish-American village.
Famous for: Florida strawberry harvest and the Strawberry Festival
Plant City east of Tampa is Florida's strawberry capital, with Parkesdale Farm stand and a strawberry festival every March that pulls 500,000 visitors yearly.
Famous for: Grouper sandwiches and Frenchy's seafood
Clearwater Beach runs the Tampa Bay grouper sandwich circuit, with Frenchy's Cafe, Crabby's and the Palm Pavilion serving fresh Gulf grouper.
Famous for: Working cigar rollers and Cuban-sandwich crawl
Ybor City just east of downtown Tampa runs the National Historic Landmark District with working cigar rollers, the Columbia Restaurant since 1905.
Famous for: Old Florida fish-camp seafood and Sandbar
Anna Maria Island south of Tampa runs the Old Florida fish-camp seafood circuit, with Sandbar, Beach Bistro and casual grouper sandwiches on the Gulf.
Famous for: Sarasota Michelin Guide restaurants and Lido Beach
Sarasota an hour south runs its own Michelin Guide listings with stars at Indigenous, plus the Selva Grill and Owen's Fish Camp on the bayfront.
Famous for: Original 1930 Publix and downtown lake brunch
Lakeland east of Tampa houses Publix's founding 1930 store and a revived downtown lakefront with brunch, craft beer and the original Florida Southern campus.