Madame Fortune Dessert and HiFi Parlour is a caribbean restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa.
Madame Fortune in Ybor City runs Caribbean food and a vinyl record bar from a back room of Roast Deli and Bakery on East Seventh Avenue. The room fills.
Signature dishes: Jerk chicken roti, Plantain tostones, Rum cake
Must order: The jerk chicken roti plus a glass of rum punch, with the rum cake as the late finish.
Tip: Find the entrance through Roast Deli's back hallway; the HiFi parlour plays vinyl most nights and the back-patio seating fills first.
Address: 1930 E 7th Ave Unit C, Tampa, FL 33605
Bavaro's in downtown Tampa opened in 2009 as Florida's first traditional Neapolitan pizzeria, with wood-fired ovens and pastas from a Ferrara family recipe.
Signature: Margherita pizza, Quattro formaggi, Carbonara
Order: Margherita pizza out of the wood-fired oven, the carbonara, and a Negroni at the bar before the wait clears.
Tip: The corner room at Franklin and Twiggs takes walk-ins; the bar seats are first-come for solo diners.
Datz in South Tampa is the city's bacon-hoarding comfort-food gastropub, open since 2009 for big-plate brunch and gut-busting comfort dinners.
Signature: Biscuits and Crazy, Nashville chicken doughnut, Eggs Barbacoa
Order: Biscuits and Crazy at brunch with buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy, two eggs, bacon and three potato preparations.
Tip: Brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am until 3pm fills the patio; Sunday dinner runs late.
Oxford Exchange on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa runs a bookstore, restaurant, coffee bar and TeBella tea bar, with a sunlit conservatory and Buddy Brew Coffee.
Signature: Buttermilk pancakes, Avocado toast, Afternoon tea
Order: Buttermilk pancakes with the maple butter, the conservatory egg sandwich and a flight of TeBella teas at brunch.
Tip: Toast named Oxford Exchange among the top 20 brunch spots in America; arrive before 9am on weekends or expect a 90-minute wait.
Wat Mongkolratanaram on Palm River Road runs a Sunday Thai market every week from 9am until 1pm, with food cooked by temple volunteers under live-oak trees.
Signature: Pad thai, Guay tiew noodle soup, Mango sticky rice
Order: Pad thai from the noodle line, guay tiew beef noodle soup, and mango sticky rice from the dessert tables.
Tip: Cash only; arrive before 11am to beat the noodle lines; religious services follow at 1pm in the temple proper.
Wright's Gourmet House on Dale Mabry Highway has run a Tampa sandwich and bakery counter since 1963, famous for Cuban sandwiches and the legendary rum cake.
Signature: Cuban sandwich, Roast beef sandwich, Rum cake
Order: The Cuban sandwich pressed crisp and a slice of the famous rum cake to take home.
Tip: The Casper family bought Wright's from the founders in 2024 to keep the recipes in Tampa hands; cash and card both work.
Noble Rice at Sparkman Wharf is the minimalist Japanese sushi room flying bluefin and uni from Toyosu weekly, recognized in the Michelin Guide.
Signature: Nigiri omakase, Toro hand roll, Uni rice bowl
Order: Eight-piece nigiri omakase plus the toro hand roll and a cold sake pairing.
Tip: Reservations open on the 15th of each month for the following month through Tock; the chef's counter books out first.
