The Best Restaurants in Tampa

A spread from Blackbrick. | Blackbrick.

Tampa’s culinary diversity shines through its most famous sandwich: the Cubano. In the early 1900s, immigrants from Germany, Cuba, and Italy all converged on the young city to work in the cigar industry. The workers needed a portable, affordable lunch, so the Cuban “mixto” sandwich gained popularity. The Tampa Cuban was born when salami was added to the roast pork, ham, Swiss, mustard, and pickle combo to please the Italian population. Opened in 1915, La Segunda has been serving the Cubano for more than a century.

Today, Tampa is a thriving city made up of a rich tapestry of people, and its acclaimed restaurants pay tribute to various culinary styles while using the bounty from the Gulf and local farms. New additions to this update of essential Tampa restaurants include longtime favorite sports bar Hattricks; Supernatural Food & Wine for the best breakfast sandwich in town; pup-friendly pub Mad Dogs; thoughtful taco spot Streelight Tacos; and friendly neighborhood burger spot Thee Burger.

—Additional reporting by Arielle Stevenson