* Since not everyone who voted for 900º Woodfired Pizza & 900º NY Pizza specified which place they were voting for, we combined all of their votes for this category.
YOUR FAVORITE PLACES FOR SUSHI IN NT/WC
1. Zukku-San
2. Sushi Café
3. Bonsai
4. Crazy Sushi
5. Umu
YOUR FAVORITE BARS IN NT/WC
1. Fat Rabbit
2. Brass Tap
3. Florida Ave.
Brewing Co.
4. Glory Days Grill
5. Peabody’s
YOUR FAVORITE LATIN RESTAURANTS IN NT/WC
1. Rice N Beans
2. Lima
3. Latin Twist
4. Las Palmas
5. Mojo Grill
YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST PLACES IN NT/WC
1. First Watch
2. Brunchies
3. EggTown
4. Keke’s
5. Happy Hangar
YOUR FAVORITE MEXICAN/SW RESTAURANTS IN NT/WC
1. Azteca D’Oro
2. Cantina
3. Vallarta’s
4. Señor Tequila
5. Chuy’s Tex-Mex
Unfortunately, the categories that we didn’t include until October got a lot less votes than those we started in September.
For example, we had fewer than 100 votes in the “Favorite Bar” category, but more than 200 votes in the “Favorite Pizza” category — and every pizza place in the top-10 (left) received at least 20 votes.
We congratulate all of this year’s winning restaurants, but will likely change up the categories again next year, as we ran out of time to include all of the categories we intended to have this year. — GN
The Grill At Morris Bridge, Cali Tampa Palms & The Fat RabbitPub Round Out The Top 5!
(Above) The quality of long-standing favorites like its bruschetta appetizer, plus it always-outstanding service, has kept Stonewood Grill & Tavern as our readers’ Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa for eight consecutive years.
When our 2022 Dining Survey asked our readers to name their Favorite Restaurants in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, Stonewood Grill & Tavern finished fourth in that overall voting (behind three restaurants based in or near Wesley Chapel), but still finished as the New Tampa restaurant our readers liked best. That means that with its win again this year, the mini-chain (with fewer than ten Tampa Bay-area locations), has won the title of our readers’ Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa for each of the last eight years, after finishing as our readers’ second Favorite in New Tampa in 2015.
There’s no doubt that Stonewood’s long history in the same location and its never-wavering commitment to quality food and outstanding service has kept it at #1 with our readers for nearly a decade.
(Above) The pasta Bolognese at Via Italia Wood Fired Pizza & Bar is one reason the restaurant has risen in the rankings with our readers every year since it first opened in 2020.
2. Via Italia Wood FiredPizza & Bar
8644 Hunter’s Village Rd., Village at Hunter’s Lake
In one of the closer votes in recent memory in New Tampa, Via Italia narrowly trailed Stonewood with our readers in this year’s voting. Since it first opened in 2020, owner Roberto Maganuco’s quality pizza and pasta restaurant and bar has improved its finish with our readers every year — from 9th in 2020, to 4th in 2021, 3rd in 2022 and now 2nd in New Tampa for 2023.
Via Italia offers more different styles of pizza than you’ll find anywhere else, and its many varieties of authentic Italian pastas keeps helping it add new fans.
(Above) The seafood risotto at The Grill at Morris Bridge includes shrimp, scallops, lobster and a lobster cream sauce. The Grill has finished in the top-three with our readers in both 2022 and 2023.
Because it opened as the reader voting was already ending in late 2021, The Grill at Morris Bridge finished as the second Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa last year and third in this year’s voting.
Owners and brothers Frank and Jimmy Gouveia added our area’s only true tomahawk ribeye steak to The Grill’s already impressive menu, which also features outstanding fresh fish and seafood and the Gouveias have constantly evaluated and improved the menu since it opened.
The Grill also features New Tampa’s most extensive wine list and excellent service.
Cali, the mini-chain previously called Ciccio & Tony’s and then Ciccio Cali, has finished as high as 2nd Favorite in New Tampa with our readers more than once, but the restaurant that first brought “bowl culture” to New Tampa also has somehow — and somewhat surprisingly — missed the top-25 a couple of times (including last year) after finishing 7th in 2021.
Having finished as high as 4th with our readers, and also being the runaway winner as Favorite Bar in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel this year (see pg. 36), the Fat Rabbit has been a pretty consistent favorite for its crispy, delicious wings, great burgers, sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, a wide variety of crispy tater tots and other bar favorites, along with a great “vibe.”
Another consistent favorite with our readers, Liang’s was 4th Favorite in New Tampa last year, 3rd in 2021, 5th in 2020, 3rd in 2019, 3rd in 2018 and…well, you get the idea. Liang’s Asian fusion cuisine also has kept it atop our Favorite Asian Restaurant in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel reader rankings pretty much every year it has been open — and repeated that win again this year.
Fresh Kitchen has elevated the fast-casual bowl concept to both a science and an art form, as even the sometimes long lines (especially at lunch time) never really slow you down and the options are all delicious and definitely offers healthy options.
The Florida-based chain, now with 12 locations, has only been open here since 2021, but it finished as the 10th Favorite in New Tampa with our readers that year and was up to 9th Favorite last year and has now jumped up to 7th for 2023.
Although it mysteriously disappeared from last year’s top-25 with our readers, Mr. Dunderbak’s and its German cuisine has otherwise been super-consistent — 2nd in 2021, 3rd in 2020 and 4th in 2019.
Also known for its huge selection of beers, Mr. D’s is Tampa’s “German Bierhalle, Braueri, Marketplatz und Restaurant”
This is the one restaurant that has ranked with our readers nearly every year that I simply don’t understand, other than for its value. Even with its unlimited salad (which I do like) and breadsticks, I have never been a fan.
Although Olive Garden missed our readers’ top-25 in New Tampa last year, it finished 23rd in 2021 and 14th in 2020.
Not only is this Minerva’s first-ever top-10 finish with our readers, I’m pretty sure it’s the first Indian restaurant to ever crack the readers’ top-10.
Known for its huge lunch buffet and dishes from every region in India, Minerva has won “Favorite Indian Restaurant in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel” before, but this was a major rise in its overall rank.
Our Readers’ 2023 Top-25 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa (#s 11-25)
District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera says that, “Before last year, New Tampa never had its own (city-hosted) Christmas tree event. Last year, I sought to have both a Christmas and Hanukkah event on the same day.” This year, the city held its Christmas tree lighting on Nov. 27 and is hosting a Hanukkah event on Monday, December 11, 6:30 p.m., also at the New Tampa Recreation Center (17302 Commerce Park Blvd.).
“This is all part of the efforts I have been undertaking since 2016 to continue to have an increased connection between our city government and New Tampa,” Viera says. “It is important that we get the same dignity and respect as all other parts of the city have.”
At the Christmas event (l.-r. in photo, above), State Rep. Fentrice Driskell, Viera and his fellow City Council member Lynn Hurtak, Heather Erickson and Tony Mulkey of the Tampa Parks & Rec Dept. and Tampa Palms resident and the event’s M.C. Tracy Falkowitz were all on hand for the Christmas tree lighting and festivities (photos below).
As for the Hanukkah event on Dec. 11, it’s entirely possible that some of you may not receive this issue — or may not read it that quickly, even if you do receive it on time — before that event is held, but Viera says that he wants to make sure that people know his #1 concern for that event is public safety.
“We are looking forward to a wonderful celebration of this holiday and hearing from community members on what Hanukkah means to them at this time,” Viera says. “I am acutely aware of the sentiments and feelings of our American Jewish brothers and sisters in this time of increased and immoral anti-Semitism, so we will have security on hand for this event.”
Dax (left) & Drew McLochlin invite you to visit Mac’s Custom Meats + Deli (store photo below) in the Grand Oaks Plaza on WC Blvd. in Lutz. (Photos by Charmaine George & Dax McLochlin)
When Daxton (Dax) McLochlin and his brother Drew were kids, they used to stay at their Grandpa’s condo in the Saddlebrook Resort community when their family would visit Florida from their native Indiana. The McLochlin brothers loved visiting our area, with its much warmer climate and beautiful beaches a short drive away.
The fresh certified Angus boneless (l.-r.) NY strip, filet mignon & ribeye steaks at Mac’s.
When Dax tore his arm up during his sophomore year at Huntington University in Indiana, he transferred to the University of South Florida hoping to walk on the baseball team.
When that didn’t work out for him, Dax worked a number of sales jobs, while Drew got a job working for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
The brothers had no idea at that time they would partner up with their entire family to open Mac’s Custom Meats + Deli in the Grand Oaks Plaza on Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz.
“We loved this place called Rick’s Custom Meats + Deli in Plant City,” Dax says, “so we modeled pretty much everything about our store after theirs, when we saw that the Wesley Chapel area didn’t really have a great meat market. Without Rick’s, none of this would even be possible.”
Try Mac’s self-labeled sauces.
Boneless certified Angus ribeye, NY strip and filet mignon steaks are the main stars in the Mac’s meat case and I can vouch for how delicious and tender all of those steaks are when you grill them. The meat case also features huge chicken breasts and wings, a variety of pork products (including beautiful chops and fresh bacon), as well as ground beef, Nathan’s Kosher-style hot dogs, beef jerky and more.
Dax says that on the first Saturday of pretty much every month since the store opened, Mac’s has hosted a “Grill & Chill” event where Dax and Drew’s dad Mike grills one or more of those delicious meats and the store sells plates of them with a side of chips and a drink, “to introduce our customers to some of the different meat options we carry,” Dax says.
To date, Jannah and I have enjoyed the hamburger, chicken and steak fajita and hot dog Grill & Chills, which also always feature one of Mac’s delicious self-branded sauces. Dax and I agree that the “Chick’n Dippin’ Sauce” is our favorite.
But, What About The Deli?
Everyone loves Mac’s fresh-pressed Cubans.
I’m so glad you asked. Mac’s, which opened with a different brand of sliced deli meats and cheeses for its sandwiches, switched over to Boar’s Head® brand a few months ago, “because it seemed like pretty much everyone requested it,” Dax says. “We definitely sell a lot more sandwiches than meat. And, all of our customers really seem to love our pressed Cubans.”
And, those Cubans come in a nice variety of options, including not only a traditional, with ham, pork, salami and Swiss cheese, but also turkey, ham & cheese and my favorite roast beef Cuban with Swiss (or provolone), all on fresh pressed Cuban bread. There also are “Mac Daddy” (with double the ham) and “Big Mac” (with double roast beef, turkey, ham and cheese) Cuban options.
How about a freshly grilled steak sandwich?
You can even get grilled cheeseburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, pork and steak sandwiches at Mac’s. The grilled Boar’s Head pastrami and cheese pressed on Cuban bread also is a must-try, and all of the Boar’s Head meats and cheeses are available by the pound. There’s also tuna and egg salad, cole slaw, potato and macaroni salad available. And, all frozen meats are 30% off regular prices, with deeper discounts available on certain Wednesdays.
“Drew and I also want to give a shout-out to our entire family — our dad Mike, mom Jessi, my wife Macaley and my young son Chance” for being so supportive of us during this journey,” Dax says.
In other words, if you haven’t yet checked out Mac’s Custom Meats & Deli, please visit the clean, attractive shop soon — and please tell Dax and Drew we sent you!
Mac’s Custom Meats + Deli (26316 Wesley Chapel Blvd.) is open Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sat. It is closed Sun. & Mon. For more info, call (813) 428-6573, search “Mac’s Custom Meats + Deli” on Facebook.
A portion of Regents Park Dr. that has been resurfaced.
For many months now, the residents of New Tampa’s Pebble Creek subdivision have had to deal with the ongoing resurfacing of the community’s two main thoroughfares — Regents Park Dr. and Pebble Creek Dr.
The portion of Regents Park Dr. near BBD Blvd. where the Roadway Resurfacing signs are located are the only portions of the roadway not yet resurfaced.
As of the last few weeks, however, all but about 0.2 miles of the 2.3-mile stretch of the circular Regents Park Dr. — from its northern Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. terminus to its southern BBD connection — have been resurfaced, with only about 0.1 mile at each terminus of the roadway closest to BBD now completed.
Likewise, all but a couple of hundred feet — again, the portion closest to BBD — of Pebble Creek Dr. also has been completed.
According to Chris Wilkerson, a senior media relations strategist with Hillsborough County, the Pebble Creek Roadway Resurfacing project represents 4.78 total lane miles of the county’s 285 total lane miles and $1.995 million of the $35-million Roadway Pavement Preservation plan of county-maintained roads approved by the county commissioners in 2021.
Although most of the actual repaving has been completed, Wilkerson says the remaining work on this project includes paving entrances, stripping and signage, tree planting and the installation of traffic beacons and that the anticipated completion of everything, minus the traffic beacons, is early December 2023.
The cones shown above are now gone & the patches shown are now covered
“There is a long lead time on the traffic beacons,” he adds, however, “so final completion will be early spring 2024.”
The project also includes brand new bike lanes in the sections of the roads that are wide enough. Public works officials say that in sections where there isn’t room, there may be shared road markings for bicyclists.
Although it has taken a while, the county has done a great job of resurfacing these two main roadways in Pebble Creek. If it’s been a while since you visited the community, it’s worth taking a drive to check out how much better the two roads are now.
For more information about this and other county projects, visit HillsboroughCounty.org.
