Calling All Foodies! It’s Time For the 2022 Reader Survey!

For you oldtimers out there, it doesn’t seem that long ago that the debate over who had the best food in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel came down to the ABC Pizza on S.R. 54 and the gas station in front of Pebble Creek (Spoiler alert: It was the ABC Pizza).

Now, the choices for good food in both of our distribution areas are seemingly endless. CLICK HERE FOR THIS YEAR’S FOOD SURVEY.

In fact, in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa alone, there are close to 200 restaurants, and pretty much everything is covered, except for maybe Vietnamese, although a quality full-on Vietnamese restaurant is going to be opening soon just south of County Line Rd. (scoop alert!).

Otherwise, if you have a hankering for something, there are multiple places to satisfy your cravings.

But, to determine what the best places are (or, at least, your favorite places), we need your help. Any Reader Survey is only as good as, well, its readers. So whattya say? Take a few seconds and fill this out.

There may be a few more categories this year than usual, but we think we’ve actually made it simpler for you — just type in your favorite choices, although we do ask that your rank your favorite three restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel overall. Of course, if you see this in your copy of the Neighborhood News, and throw it in an envelope and mail it to us.

Heck, if you prefer writing it out, you can take a picture of your ballot once you fill it in and even email it to john@ntneighborhoodnews.com.

We even have prizes for a few of the lucky ones that do!

We — and the local eateries — do truly appreciate your participation. 

So, what’s different this year? 

Well, we’ve added a “Best Dish” category, because sometimes, that’s the reason you’re going to a certain restaurant. Maybe the place isn’t your favorite overall, but the spaghetti and meatballs are simply to die for. Some restaurants just do one thing better than anyone else, so fill us in!

We’ve also added a “Favorite Appetizer” category because it can make or break a dining experience. These days, mozzarella sticks and loaded potato skins simply aren’t enough. Restaurants are really putting some serious effort into their pre-meal offerings. And really, who hasn’t ordered nothing more than an appetizer (or two) as their meal?

We’ve also added a Covid-19-inspired category — “Best Coffee Shop,” because a lot of us work out of a coffee shop these days.

We’ve also added “Best KRATE at The Grove,” because, well, duh! While you can certainly vote for any of the container restaurants in any other category, we decided that the container park really needed its own category. Plus, we’re curious to see how this one will turn out.

We decided to split the dessert categories into “Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt (FroYo)/Gelato” and “Best Bakery” sweets, and added a “Best Fried Chicken/Wings” category, given “Best Indian Food” and “Best Latin (Other Than Mexican)” their own categories for the first time, added “Best Breakfast/Brunch” and brought back the “Best Burger” category.

And, with the exception of the KRATEs, any of your favorites can be in New Tampa (zip code 33647, as well as in the Palms Connection plaza on E. Bearss Ave. in 33613) or Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545, as well as 33559, which is technically Lutz, but it allows you to include picks near the Tampa Premium Outlets, since so many locals love so many of those places to eat). 

We think we have everything covered this time around. While it might be a little more work for you than when we gave you the names of pretty much every restaurant in our distribution areas, our goal was to present enough choices so that this year’s Reader’s Survey would present the most complete and accurate snapshot of your views of the dining experience in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa. 

Now, it’s your turn. Thanks in advance for entering, which, one more time, you can do by CLICKING HERE. — JCC & GN

Now Open: Gorkhali Kitchen & Nova Pizza!

So, even though I’m from New York and lived and/or worked in Manhattan for about 10 years, I never remembered seeing a Nepalese restaurant featuring the cuisine of Nepal, a small country located in the Himalayan mountains between China and India.

So, when I found out that Gorkhali Kitchen (named for a soldier from a certain region in Nepal), located at 10044 Cross Creek Blvd. in the Cross Creek Center plaza (in the former location of India Gate restaurant), was going to be the first Nepali restaurant to open in the entire Tampa Bay area, I had to check it out.

Veggie Momo dumplings (left) and tandoor oven lamb shop.

And, while the menu also features many dishes from India (including delicious tandoor oven lamb chops), I had to try at least one of the most authentic dishes from Nepal, the pan-fried chicken and veggie momo dumnplings (photo). Momos also are available steamed, deep-fried, in a soup broth and just with veggies. I also really enjoyed the Nepalese fried rice with egg, veggies and soy sauce.

Please tell my new friends Menora, Reena, Ponam and Rajesh that I sent you.

For more info, call (813) 388-6404 or visit GorkhaliKitchenTampa.com.

Meanwhile, even though it didn’t open until the day after we went to press, Nova Pizza is now open in the Pebble Creek Collection at 19651  Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the former location of both Windy City Pizza and Full Circle Pizza.

And, even though some folks aren’t happy that Nova Pizza doesn’t offer Chicago-style pizza, yours truly and others are thrilled it has NY-style ‘za and Italian fare. — GN

Bubba’s 33 — Where Delicious Food & Drinks Meet Great Music & Fun!

From the time that it opened in 2020, Bubba’s 33, the elevated sports bar and restaurant concept from your friends at (and located next to) Texas Roadhouse off S.R. 56, has been a popular place with New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents for its great food and craft cocktails at very fair prices and its TVs-everywhere sports bar feel. It also offers great music video channels to keep everyone upbeat and having fun.

Bubba’s is a place for everyone from rabid adult NFL and NHL fans to families with young children and the made-from-scratch menu literally offers something for everyone.

Let’s Talk Food First!

The menu at Bubba’s hasn’t changed much since it first opened but that’s probably because so many of the long-time offerings have proven to be so popular.

For “Party Starters,” the Big O’Rings (photo left) are always sliced fresh, hand-battered and fried crisp, served with the delectable Bubba’s sauce (which is like a cross between thousand island dressing and remoulade sauce). Photographer Charmaine George also loves the Shotgun Shrimp, which are lightly breaded shrimp topped with a creamy, spicy sauce and topped with green onions that the menu says, “You won’t want to share.”

Other Party Starters include Crooked Fried Cheese, Layered Cheese Fries, a Chorizo sausage Queso Dip and Crispy Fried Pickles.

Bubba’s also has great wings, available with eight different sauces and two different dry seasonings.

Salad and “Seinfeld” fans have to love “The Big Salad,” which is, like, “a really big salad with a lot of stuff in it.” There also are Italian Chopped, Grilled Chicken (or Chicken Tender), Salmon and Kale Quinoa salads on the menu, but Jannah and I love to just get a side salad with our meals, with Bubba’s zesty balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Our favorite items on the “Hearty Dinners” menu include the Southern Fried Chicken breast and garlic mashed potatoes (I get the creamy white gravy on the side), the California Chicken (grilled chicken topped with avocado, pico de gallo and jack cheese; we also order the honey lime sauce on the side) and the two Texas Roadhouse-quality ribeye steaks — the Grilled 12-oz. Ribeye and the Signature 14-oz. Ribeye shown above right, which is marinated in a Starbucks® espresso signature blend. Among the many sides are great sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli and mac n’cheese. 

Great Sandwiches!

Even Bubba’s 33’s Hand-Crafted Sandwiches are special, from the Philly Cheesesteak and Chicken Phillys to the Fried Fish (cod) sandwich, which is fried in a house-made Samuel Adams® Boston Lager batter.

Mine and Jannah’s favorite burgers at Bubba’s are the Classic Cheeseburger (we add crispy bacon to it) and the bacon grind bacon cheeseburger. We prefer the Classic because it’s one thick patty, instead of the two-patty bacon grind burgers. 

Charmaine’s favorite is the Bacon Guacamole burger (with sweet potato fries) on the next page. She says the guacamole and pepper jack cheese are perfect complements to the crispy bacon.  

Italian Specialties!

The Meaty Meaty pizza

One of the things that sets Bubba’s 33 apart from most other sports bars/restaurants is its variety of Italian specialties, from Signature Pastas (including favorites like layered Lasagna and Chicken Parmesan Pasta), as well as a huge variety of Homemade, Stone-Baked Pizzas. 

Although, as a native New Yawka, I can’t call the pizzas “true NY style,” I will say that the crusts are always crispy, whether you get the Buffalo chicken, the “Dickie V” (named for sportcaster and former college basketball coach Dick Vitale, it combines Italian sausage, cherry peppers, fresh basil, grated parmesan and a garlic buttered crust. “It’s awesome, baby!”), or my current favorite, the “Meaty Meaty” (with bacon, homemade Italian sausage and pepperoni). There are even “Artisan” options like Goat Cheese Arugula and Italian Margherita pizzas.

And, while I can’t call this a truly Italian pasta dish, our favorite pasta option may be the Chicken & Bacon Mac N’ Cheese (photo below), which features a blend of five cheeses, grated parmesan and sprinkled with bread crumbs.

Music Bingo!

On our most recent visit, Jannah and I attended Bubba’s 33’s super-fun “Music Bingo Tuesday” event. It starts at 7 p.m., is free to enter and you can win from gift certificates for $5-$20 off and other swag. But honestly, it’s not about the prizes. 

Your host, Jerry, gives out Bingo cards with four games on them and each game has a theme (“Guys & Girls,” “Live, Love & Hate,” etc.). Everyone has all of each game’s songs on their cards, but you have to mark them when they are played and there are multiple ways (across, up & down, 4 corners, etc.) to win. You just have to be the first to yell “Bingo” when you complete each way to win. The really fun thing about it is that even if you don’t know all of the songs yourself, no one minds telling you, since no one has the same order of the songs on their cards.

In other words, if you don’t “get” it, go try it!

Bubba’s 33 also has Monday Madness ($8.99 for almost any burger) and Tuesday Pizza Night (when any 12” pizza is just $10.99) specials.

Bubba’s 33 is located at 26340 Silver Maple Pkwy. It is open every day for lunch & dinner. For more info, call (813) 522-5090 or visit Bubbas33.com.

Chicken Salad Chick Opens Next To Zaxby’s!

Congratulations to Tammy and Brad Cochran of Tampa Bay CSC, for opening their fifth location (including the one on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Lutz) of Chicken Salad Chick, located on the Wesley Chapel Blvd. extension south of S.R. 56 (in the new building next to Zaxby’s), on Aug. 2, which was after our latest issue went to press and about two weeks later than the Cochrans originally had planned, due to permitting issues.

North Tampa Bay Chamber CEO Hope Allen helped the Cochrans with those permitting issues so that they would be able to open, as planned, on the 2nd.  

We hope to post a video on our Facebook page of the actual opening day — where the first 100 people in line won a free scoop of chicken salad every month for a year (including one winner who received one scoop a week for a year) — around the time the latest issue reaches your mailbox. 

“We’re thrilled to bring Chicken Salad Chick to the Wesley Chapel area,” Tammy says. “We’ve already received tremendous support from the local community. We have no doubt that our Wesley Chapel Chick family will fall in love with the food and hospitality, just as we did.” 

We didn’t yet know the opening day for the adjacent Ann’s Spa & Nails Lounge, nor for the as-yet unnamed seafood restaurant set to open at the other corner of the same building, but will keep you posted. 

The photo above is of the Chick’s chicken salad BLT (with a cup of tomato bisque soup as a side). The left photo is of the WC Blvd. location’s interior. (Photos by Charmaine George)

For more info about Chicken Salad Chick (25038 WC Blvd., Lutz), call (813) 993-4506 or visit ChickenSaladChick.com — and please tell them we sent you!. — GN

Ato, Bakery X, Flip’n Fries & Falafel Factory Are The Newest KRATEs To Open At The Grove! 

More and more new restaurants have been opening at the KRATE Container Park at The Grove at Wesley Chapel and the word is definitely getting out that KRATE is a great destination for a wide variety of cuisine types from all over the world.

eel-sauce-slathered Zukku dumplings

Although it wasn’t open at our press time, Bakery X (pronounced “Eeks”) Authentic French Bakery had a sign inside saying that its soft opening would be on Aug. 3, a few days after we went to press with our latest issue. If you love authentic French croissants, breads and pastries as much as I do, this is another KRATE to get really excited about.

Also opening at the KRATEs the weekend we went to press was Ato “Edible Art,” the sister restaurant to Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Restaurant on S.R. 56. Ato features a variety of “curated” and create-your-own masterpiece poké bowls and sushi burritos as well as some of our favorite Zukku-San appetizers (including both the sautéed, eel-sauce-slathered Zukku dumplings and the fried gyoza dumplings).

And, while Ato is well worth a trip to the KRATEs on its own, but there are other newbies to try, too.

The Flipn’ Fries Factory opened as promised (near Bebo’s Cheesesteaks & Rhythm Pon de Grill Jamaican Cuisine) in July and although the menu only offers French fries with a variety of toppings, the fries are crispy and always served hot and delicious, no matter what you toppings you choose — whether you pick one of the Flip’n Fries menu favorites or make-your-own. Jannah and I were surprised how much we loved the bacon & beer cheese fries (photo) from the menu, which are loaded with real bacon and topped with the mildest beer cheese sauce ever.

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Mediterranean food lovers also should try the new Falafel Factory, which is located next to Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles (and congrats to Palani’s for winning a “Best of the Best award as Best Asian Restaurant from the Tampa Bay Times).

We enjoyed the organic chicken shawarma wrap (right), which comes with hummus and your choice of up to four of the Factory’s fresh veggie salad bar toppings.

Other options at the Falafel Factory are, of course, falafel (fried chick peas balls) pita and wrap sandwiches, a pita burger and even a classic hot dog and a variety of fresh salads. 

Other eateries at the KRATEs that also are getting close to opening, albeit without yet announcing their respective opening dates, are Boba Mac’s (mac & cheese and boba teas), Café Zorba Greek Cuisine, Pisco Express Peruvian Chinese Cuisine and 365 Café.  

Oh, and a big shout out to my new best friends, Tracy and John Dimillo of Urban Sweets, for serving the best chocolate chip cookie sandwich I’ve had in years! I already loved Tracy’s cupcakes and other desserts, but you have to try the cookie sandwiches! — Gary Nager; Ato photos above by Charmaine George