Enter Our 2026 Reader Dining Survey & Contest & To Win $200 In FREE Dining!

So, this year’s Dining Survey & Contest is all new! Below are pictures & descriptions of all of the mom-&-pop and small (10 units total or less) chain restaurants in or near New Tampa (see location info below), with their addresses, phone numbers, websites and a picture of their exteriors and/or signage. 

All we’re asking you, as New Tampa residents, to do in this issue is name your FIVE (5) Favorite Restaurants located in New Tampa — all of zip code 33647, and Bruce B. Downs Blvd. between Tampa Palms & E. Bearss Ave, as well as on E. Bearss Ave. between Bruce B. Downs & Livingston Ave.) — on the entry form HERE! 

Submit a correctly filled-out form and you’ll be entered into a random drawing to win up to $200 in FREE dining at the restaurant of your choice located ANYWHERE in the Tampa Bay area! 

Please do not include ANY restaurants located in zip codes 33543, 33544 or 33545 (Wesley Chapel) in this month’s Survey. You’ll get to vote for your five favorites in Wesley Chapel next issue. 

Here is what you need to know to enter this year’s Survey & Contest: 

(I hope) every brick-&-mortar restaurant that serves food and is located in & near New Tampa (NT) that is either a true mom & pop or part of a “chain” — whether regional or national — that has fewer than ten (10) total locations, is listed in alphabetical order below. 

Please note that although the restaurant list doesn’t include any chain eateries with 10 or more locations in New Tampa, you can still write the names of your favorite chains in any or all of the five spaces on the entry form HERE. 

But, whether you choose five places from the New Tampa list of more than 70 restaurants or five chains that don’t appear on the list or some combination thereof, in order to be considered to win any of this year’s five dining prizes, you must write the names of FIVE (5) NT-area restaurants in the five spaces on the entry form HERE! 

HERE ARE OUR OTHER RULES! 

1) DO NOT write the name of your one favorite place in more than one Top-5 space. Only its first-place vote will count. 

2) If the restaurant is on this list, we consider it to be in New Tampa. If you want to vote for a chain restaurant, please look up its zip code or location to see if it qualifies as a New Tampa restaurant. 

3) In order for your votes to count and help your favorite restaurants, you must include your real first AND last name, the community you live in (K-Bar Ranch, West Meadows, etc.), your daytime phone number where I can reach you (which I will only do if your name is selected to win a prize) and your valid email address. 

3) This year’s prizes are again FREE dining at any restaurant YOU choose anywhere in the Tampa Bay area, inclduing the Grand Prize of $200, as well as prizes of $100, $75, $50 & $25. 

4) See the Entry Form HERE to find out how to have your votes counted & win prizes! Good Luck! — GN 

New Tampa Players To Present The Tony Award-Winning Classic ‘The Music Man!” 

Oh, the Wells Fargo Wagon is coming… to the stage at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center! The New Tampa Players, New Tampa’s community theater troupe, is preparing to open its summer production of “The Music Man.” 

This classic musical features toe-tapping tunes, colorful costumes and a cast filled with neighbors, teachers and students. “The Music Man” is bringing people together both onstage and off. 

“The New Tampa Players (NTP) chose ‘Music Man’ for this summer because it is just fun that will have our audiences humming the tunes for days! It has big dance numbers, silly comedy and characters that make you smile!,” says NTP producing artistic director Nora Paine. 

The cast of 40 includes a wide range of community members — from first-time performers to stage veterans. David Groomes and Becky Groomes, veterans of the Tampa stage, join NTP’s cast as the con man Harold Hill and the River City mayor’s wife Eulalie Shinn. Melanie Marie Bierwieler, who earned raves as Lina in last summer’s “Singin’ in the Rain,” plays the female lead, Marian Paroo, River City’s prim and skeptical librarian. 

Set in 1912, “The Music Man,” which won five Tony Awards in 1958, including Best Musical, was written by Meredith Wilson. It tells the story of Harold Hill (originally played by Tony winner Robert Preston and by Hugh Jackman in the 2022 Broadway revival), a charming con man who poses as a traveling bandleader. He arrives in River City, Iowa, planning to sell instruments and uniforms to the townspeople, and then skip town without teaching the children how to play. 

However, Harold’s plan starts to unravel when he falls for Marian (originally played by Tony winner Barbara Cook on Broadway), the town’s librarian and piano teacher. As he grows genuinely fond of Marian and the community, Harold inadvertently brings the town together — creating a boys’ band and actually lifting local spirits. 

In the end, despite being exposed as a fraud, Harold is forgiven by the townspeople, thanks in large part to Marian’s support and the unexpected positive impact he ends up having on the town. The show celebrates themes of transformation, redemption and community. 

Whether you know every lyric to “Seventy-Six Trombones” or are new to River City, “The Music Man” promises an unforgettable night of music, heart and good old-fashioned fun. 

Performances will run Fridays-Sundays, July 25-27 and August 1-3 at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, with both evening and matinee options. Tickets can be purchased at NewTampaPlayers.thundertix.com. For more info, visit NewTampaPlayers.org or see the ad below. — Special to the Neighborhood News, including the photos on this page. 

Get Your Tickets Now To See “Into The Woods” At NTPAC!

By Nora Paine Producing Artistic Director New Tampa Players

On Mar. 28, the New Tampa Players (NTP) theatre troupe once again took the stage at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center. This time, NTP is presenting Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical “Into The Woods,” which intertwines classic fairy tales with deeper themes of human desires and consequences, is taking center stage in a new production that is sure to enchant local audiences. Nominated for ten Tony Awards (winning three) in 1988, this Sondheim masterpiece has been praised for its complex characters, beautiful score, and profound narrative. 

Directed by Karissa Barber, the NTP production is showcasing the talents of local actors, a live orchestra led by musical director, G. Frank Meekins, and more than a dozen unseen costumers, designers, painters, builders and crew members, all working together to bring this timeless story to life. 

Set in a fantastical world where characters from different fairy tales — such as Cinderella, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel — reside in the same village and cross paths in the mysterious forest, “Into the Woods” explores themes of wish fulfillment, moral choices and the unexpected consequences of pursuing one’s desires. The show’s rich score, which includes songs like “No One Is Alone” and “Children Will Listen,” is widely considered one of Sondheim’s greatest achievements. 

The production’s leads, Richard Brown and Hope Lelekacs, are taking on the roles of the Baker and the Baker’s Wife. These two characters are central to the story, embarking on a quest to find ingredients for a potion that will lift a curse placed upon their family. Their journey through the woods is filled with challenges, but it also brings them closer together as a couple and forces them to confront the deeper questions about their lives and wishes. 

“I see the Baker as someone who is stepping out of his comfort zone and putting all of his family’s burdens on his shoulders,” says Brown, who most recently was seen as Seymour in NTP’s fall production “Little Shop of Horrors.” “[The Baker] has no idea what he’s doing but he’s doing it anyway because he feels he has to. So, although he can be funny, I think the sincerity and vulnerability of someone who desperately wants a family should also be there.” 

Lelekacs, a recent graduate of the University of Tampa, is excited about playing the Baker’s Wife, a dream of hers since she saw Brianna Filippelli play her on the New Tampa Players’ stage in 2016. 

“The Baker’s Wife is complex and hopeful,” Lelekacs says. “The driving force in her relationship is balancing love and longing with a contagious belief that life holds more than just routine and work. I admire how she stays practical and grounded, yet isn’t afraid to take risks.” 

Theatergoers can expect a truly community-driven performance, with all of the cast members and production team hailing from Hillsborough County and surrounding areas. The show has been months in the making, with rehearsals beginning in early January and production design and staging evolving throughout February. 

If you’re looking for a magical evening filled with laughter, tears, and unforgettable music, “Into the Woods” promises to be the perfect outing. It’s a chance to experience the magic of theater while supporting local talent, and the cast and crew of your not-for-profit community theater, the New Tampa Players. 

“Into the Woods” will be performed Friday-Sunday, March 28-30, and April 4-6, at NTPAC (8550 Hunters Village Dr., New Tampa). For more info or to purchase tickets online, please visit NewTampaPlayers.org. 

New Tampa’s Holiday Season Includes Two ‘Nutcrackers’ & Much More! 

As a direct-mail newspaper that only hits mailboxes every four weeks, it’s hard for us to publish some stories because they’re already “old” by the time our next issue reaches you. 

For example, by the time this issue reaches you, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa will all be distant memories and the year 2025 will already be in full swing, as even the kids will be back in school the same day this issue is scheduled to reach you. 

Even so, photographer Charmaine George and I attended many of the local holiday-themed events last month — some or even all of which you may have missed — including two different local performances of “The Nutcracker,” the annual New Tampa Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah lighting events and even the unique second-annual Renaissance-era “Madrigal Dinner” hosted by the Freedom High chorus at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, which isn’t specifically a holiday event, but which was held on December 5 and included an actual delicious dinner for those who attended. 

The two photos above are from the New Tampa Dance Theatre’s “preview” performance on Dec. 7 at the Shops at Wiregrass. Charmaine took these pictures since neither she nor I were available to attend NTDT’s full “Nutcracker” ballet performances at the University of South Florida Dec. 20-22. Charmaine said that the huge crowd of people at the mall was definitely captivated by the ballet. 

I took the three photos above during one of the Tampa City Ballet (TCB)’s three performances of “The Nutcracker” at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) Dec. 13-15. Not only were the dancers (adults and children) all amazing, the choreography by TCB’s Paula Nunez, as well as the costumes and sets, were all as impressive as you would see at any big-city ballet company performance of Tchaikovsky’s holiday masterpiece. TCB also performed “The Nutcracker” at USF Dec. 7-10. 

I had really hoped to attend Freedom High’s Madrigal Dinner at NTPAC (see the left photo and the photo below) but Charmaine said it was super-fun, with great singing, funny skits and a delicious dinner of chicken parmesan and salad, plus tiramisu for dessert. 

On Dec. 2, the City of Tampa’s New Tampa Recreation Center and Parks & Recreation Department hosted the annual Christmas tree lighting event and parade (photos below) and a nice crowd of around 200 people attended to participate and watch the youth dance performances, enjoy the lighting ceremony and spend a little quality time with Santa Claus himself! 

And finally, on Dec. 26 (the second night of Hanukkah), the New Tampa Rec Center also hosted the second annual Hanukkah menorah lighting event, which featured prayers, songs and a wonderful message delivered by Rabbi Mendy Yarmush of Chabad of Wiregrass, which is now the only Jewish congregation in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. Both the Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations at the Rec Center were organized in part by District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera.

Freedom High’s Madrigal Dinner
Christmas Tree Lighting Event and Parade
Christmas Tree Lighting Event and Parade
Hanukkah Menorah Lighting
Hanukkah Menorah Lighting

The Cheesecake Factory Submits Plans To Open At The Tampa Premium Outlets!

Congratulations to the amazing Pasco County Development & Growth Updates (PCDGU) Facebook page for another scoop that has many people in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel excited — the announcement that plans for a new Cheesecake Factory restaurant have been submitted to Pasco County (below). 

According to the initial site plan, the nearly 8,000-sq.-ft. restaurant is expected to have 201 seats inside and room for an additional 78 seats outside at the Tampa Premium Outlets on the south side of S.R. 56. 

The excitement of the announcement that Cheesecake Factory could be coming to our area has been tempered somewhat by the fact that the new restaurant is planned to go on what has previously been part of the already-limited parking on the west side of the mall off Grand Cypress Dr. — basically where the often-stressed valet parking station has been located (see map, also provided by PCDGU, above). 

Some of the nearly 700 comments (at our press time) on the PCDGU post also lamented about yet another chain coming to the area around the outlet mall (and the Wesley Chapel area in general), while others said that if this popular chain, with nearly 350 locations in the U.S. and Canada (and 34 more licensed internationally), has to come to our area that the currently-vacant potential restaurant sites around the new Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant east of the Shops at Wiregrass mall on the north side of S.R. 56 would be a better — and less overcrowded — fit. 

Of course, this is just a pre-application submission and definitely subject to many potential changes. In fact, Kelly Gilroy, the PCDGU admin, told the Neighborhood News that she assumes, “The county will allow the Outlets to alter the minimum parking standards first,” which would be necessary for the restaurant to be able to proceed in this location. 

Among the chain restaurants already on the south side of 56 near the mall are Chedddar’s, BJ’s Brewhouse, McDonald’s, Longhorn Steakhouse, Rock & Brews, Main Event, Culver’s, Starbucks, MOD Pizza, Panda Express, Zaxby’s, Shuckin’ Shack, Chick-fil-A, Miller’s Ale House and the under construction Raising Cane’s and Rodizio Grill.