Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Your Favorite Dessert Place!

Joe Schembri scoops some cookie butter ice cream onto a waffle cone. Schembri spent a year developing his ice cream flavors before opening his first store, and the results have made his Ice Dreammm Shop our readers’ favorite dessert place in Wesley Chapel.

1. Ice Dreammm Shop
6013 Wesley Grove Blvd #101
(727) 495-6730
IceDreammmShop.com

Joe Schembri knows people love the ice cream he makes at his popular Ice Dreammm Shop at The Grove.

But sometimes, he can be surprised, overwhelmed and humbled at just how much the locals love it.

Last week, Schembri received an order from a long-time customer of his original store in Lutz. It was for the customer’s mother-in-law, who was going into hospice. One of her last requests was a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a scoop of coffee ice cream. The next morning, at 10 a.m., the order was picked up.

Famous for its ice cream, but it has added other dessert favorites like brownies and pies.

It was a surreal moment, one that had Schembri catching his breath.

“I mean, you always want to see customers love what you sell,” he said. “But this, this was crazy. Crazy.”

Schembri’s Lutz location already was among the top choices for best dessert in or near Wesley Chapel, but adding to his legion of fans by opening a Wesley Chapel location has launched him to No. 1 — a runaway victory.

Made with the best, all-natural ingredients he can find, the flavors he spent a year perfecting in his garage before opening his first location continue to satisfy, and Schembri continues to concoct new delights. 

He says his Cookies & Dream flavor is the best seller, and the Cookie Butter is coming on fast. And, don’t miss out on the seasonal Santa’s Cookies and Milk, Sweet Potato Pie and even Coquito ice cream, as well as a dozen other creamy delights, with many new flavors swapped in weekly, and you can even have them made into amazing ice cream pies (below).

And, speaking of new flavors, Schembri has, as he promised when the Wesley Chapel shop opened, added a variety of new baked goods, including fudge brownies, triple-layer peanut butter brownies and more. — JCC

2. TWISTEE TREAT
5258 Village Market
(321) 445-9103
TwisteeTreat.com

Sometimes, you may be in the mood for something other than sitting inside and enjoying a rich, fancy exotically-flavored helping of ice cream. And, when you just want some soft-serve ice cream, Twistee Treat is a super-popular choice.

You can get your ice cream on a waffle taco, brownie boat, between two cookies or as part of a sundae or banana split. But, the most traditional way Twistee Treat serves up its 25 or so flavors might be its most popular — through a drive-thru window on the side of its unmistakable ice-cream-cone-shaped building, twirled on top of a cone of your choice.

And since your car will probably be full of kids, don’t forget to ask for extra napkins! — JCC

3. NOTHING BUNDT CAKES
28354 Willet Way
(813) 536-1447
NothingBundtCakes.com

Since opening at the Shops at Wiregrass in 2017, Nothing Bundt Cakes has been a consistent top choice for favorite dessert.

In 2018, it was voted as the area’s No. 1 Favorite Dessert, and the last three years, including 2021, it has finished in the Top 3 of Wesley Chapel faves.

And why not?

While it doesn’t offer a crazy variety of cakes, this national chain with more than 400 bakeries across the U.S. has mastered its products, which are, hands down, the moistest cakes you’ll find anywhere. You can choose between 10 flavors in different sizes — bite-sized bundtinis, mini bundtlets or special order full-sized bundt cakes — and they’re always a perfect treat to bring to any holiday party. — JCC

The rest of the 2021 Dessert top 10:
(4) Crumbl Cookies
(5) Culver’s
(6) Dairy Queen
(7) 365 Cafe Italiano
(8) Menchie’s
(9) Dunkin
(10) Starbucks

Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Your Favorite Latin Restaurants!

Rafael Jarnica serves up a combo platter, taco salad and burrito at Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant in the Wesley Chapel Village Market plaza, which is one of our area’s oldest restaurants and consistently one of the most popular with its huge menu of Mexican and Latin cuisine options.  (Photo: Charmaine George)

1. Vallarta’s
5335 Village Market
(813) 907-5161
VallartasRestaurants.com
Wesley Chapel has an ever-growing number of Latin restaurants, from Mexican and Tex-Mex to Puerto Rican and even Venezuelan options, but the one that’s been around the longest and always finishes at or near the top of our readers’ list is Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant in the Village Market plaza.

Vallarta’s is part of an extended-family-owned local mini-chain where you always get good value for your money. Its entrées like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, sizzling fajitas and other Mexican specialties are always served with rice, refried beans, which means you’ll never go home hungry.   

Vallarta’s features great appetizers like a variety of nachos, guacamole, bean dip, taquitos and even a Mexican shrimp cocktail. There’s also large entrée-sized salads and a deliciously spicy Mexican chicken soup. Lunch combos start at just $6 and offer everything from tacos to chile rellenos, and from chalupas to quesadillas. There also are 30 different $10 combination plates available.

But, my favorite dishes at Vallarta’s are the variety of steak options, including the carne asada (thin-cut ribeye topped with grilled onions), the batter-dipped milanesa and the spicy steak a la Mexicana with fresh jalapeños, tomatoes and grilled onions.

Vegetarian tastes will appreciate the variety of veggie options, from bean and potato burritos to vegetarian fajitas. And, save room for the authentic churros, flan and fried ice cream.

Vallarta’s, which features a full-liquor bar, also is know for its “as big as your head” margaritas and variety of Mexican and domestic beers. — GN  

2. Rice-n-Beans
27405 Wesley Chapel Blvd.
(813) 803-7974
RiceNBeans.com

For those in Wesley Chapel who prefer Puerto Rican cuisine to Mexican, the relocation of Rice-n-Beans from its much smaller former location on S.R. 54 in Lutz to the former location of Remington’s Steakhouse and Cody’s Roadhouse on Wesley Chapel Blvd. was a revelation.

This much larger, sit-down restaurant with full premium liquor bar and live entertainment (Wed.-Fri.) has only been open for a couple of years, but it has attracted a loyal following of those who crave chicharrons (fried chicken or pork), mofongo, fried whole snapper (photo), Puerto Rican-style empanadas and more.

Also be sure to ask for the daily lunch specials. — GN

3. Capital Tacos
27209 S.R. 56
(813) 973-3777
CapitalTacos.com
Capital Tacos, located in the Cypress View Square plaza, takes your traditional tacos or burritos and turns them on their heads.

Instead of a tortilla (or bowl) stuffed with the typical meat, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese, you can choose from delicious slow-cooked pork, carne asada, shaved steak, chorizo sausage, fried chicken and vegetarian options, complemented by Texican BBQ sauce, dirty potatoes, corn salsa, Chihuahua cheese, carmelized onions and spicy slaw, to name a few. 

Capital Tacos, now with five locations, bills itself as “Tex-Mex Done Right,” with hand-crafted and hand-spiced favorites like quesadillas, crazy fries, epic nachos and Mexican street corn.

Rest of the 2021 Latin Top 10:
(4) Latin Twist
(T5) Cantina Laredo
(T5) Chuy’s
(T7) Tijuana Flats
(T7) Chipotle
(T9) Taco Sun
(T9) Señor Tequila
(T9) Taco Bus. 


Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Your Favorite Asian/Mediterranean!

General manager Khan Ly (second from left) and his staff have made sure that The Hungry Greek is not only the best Greek restaurant around, but one of the best overall.

1. Hungry Greek
2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
(813) 345-8526
TheHungryGreek.com

The Hungry Greek may be known as that fast and casual  Greek place right across the street from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, but it wasn’t that way when franchise creator George Constantinou originally opened the doors to this first link of his now-10-location mini-chain on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel on Oct. 5, 2008.

“It was two lanes and there were cows across the street,” Constantinou says. “It was in the middle of the housing recession, and everyone pulled out and it was just us and a balloon store. My dad looked at me and said ‘I hope this was a good move.’”

As it turns out, it was. It just required some patience.

Now, the Hungry Greek is smack dab in the middle of a booming area with two malls, countless homes, businesses and restaurants, across from one hospital with a second being built a mile or so away. And, as it pretty much always has been, The Hungry Greek is once again the most popular Mediterranean restaurant in Wesley Chapel, according to our readers.

Something of a spinoff of his father’s former Happy Greek restaurant in Dunedin, the Hungry Greek — in 2015 and 2016, it was the No. 2 overall favorite restaurant with our readers — serves up food made from his family’s recipes.

While they did at one time also serve food like burgers, it was a change to a more traditional Greek menu and an emphasis on the things they did best — Greek salads, gyros (gyro platter shown below), chicken souvlaki and tzatziki sauce, to name a few — made with the best ingredients.

The steady hand of local owner Khan Ly has the BBD location humming along as one of the mini-chain’s best, and the local Greek favorite year after year. — JCC

2. Yamato
28347 Paseo Dr., #150
(813) 907-8701
YamatoWesleyChapel.com
As Wesley Chapel’s only teppanyaki (hibachi) table Japanese restaurant, Yamato Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar’s location in the Shops at Wiregrass mall helped guarantee that people would at least try it, but it is Yamato’s excellent fare and reasonable prices (especially when compared with other Japanese steakhouses) have continued to keep it high on our readers’ list of favorite restaurants year after year.

While Yamato has never finished higher than fifth overall in the Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel (it finished tied for 29th this year), it has always been in the top five favorite Asian restaurants and had we not combined Mediterranean and Asian cuisines in the same category this year, it would have been #1 this year, losing to Hungry Greek by only four votes and finishing a dozen ahead of 3rd place Zukku-San. — GN

3. Zukku-San
25916 Sierra Center Blvd.
(813) 419-1351
ZukkuSushi.com
When it opened in 2020, we were excited by the possibilities of a new and unique sushi restaurant with predominantly Japanese (and some Korean) specialties in what is surely the most beautiful Asian restaurant in Wesley Chapel. 

Zukku-San, owned and operated by Ferdian Jap and his family, also has less formal locations in Charlotte, NC, at Tampa’s Armature Works and coming soon is Ato, which will feature sushi bowls and “burritos” in the KRATE container park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel.

Although many locals choose Zukku-San for the sushi, if you haven’t tried the gyoza dumplings, the super-crispy spring rolls, the chicken and steak yakitori (below), the Japanese fried rice or full-liquor bar, you’ve been missing something special. — GN

The rest of the 2021 Asian/Mediterranean Top 10:
(4) China Wok
(5) Bonsai
(6) Umu
(7) Hibachi Express
(T8) Asian Buffet
(T8) Arroy Thai
(10) Gonna China.

Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Your Favorite Pizza!

(L.-r.) Preston Parilo, Cynthia Andujar, Joe Carrion & Ivan Plumb obviously enjoy serving — and eating — the delicious New York-style pepperoni pizza at 900º Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass Mall. (Photo by Charmaine George)

1. 900º Woodfired
28152 Paseo Drive #195
(813) 527-6940
900DegreesWoodfirePizza.com

Pizza continues to be a favorite option for lunch and dinner with our readers and none is more popular this year than owner Steve Falabella’s 900º Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass, which won this year’s Favorite Pizza in Wesley Chapel with our readers by a fairly wide margin.

And, considering that Falabella opened not only his Falabella Family Bistro (our readers’ fourth favorite restaurant in WC) but also a second 900º Pizza location (900º New York Pizza, which finished a solid sixth with our readers in its first year) in The Grove at Wesley Chapel in 2021, the fact that so many still selected the original 900º location as their favorite pizza place is a testament to Falabella’s commitment to quality food at super-fair prices.

The primary difference between the two 900º locations is that only the original pizza shop in Wiregrass offers Neapolitan-style woodfired pizza (like the Margherita pizza in the photo, right), as well as the New York style ‘za available at both locations.

But, thanks to its other great Italian specialties, 900º Woodfired Pizza also finished 10th as our readers’ Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel. Among the favorite appetizers are the deep-fried calzones known as Panzeretto and the bruschetta, while my favorite pasta dish is the authentic pesto Genovese, although the penne alla vodka, Alfredo and Bolognese sauces also are all pretty popular.  And, wash them down with ice cold Peroni on draft, as well as bottled beers and wines by the glass or bottle. — GN

2. PizzaMania
1734 Bruce B Downs Blvd.
(813) 907-0005
MyPizzaMania.com

One of the first pizza places to open in Wesley Chapel also is still high among our readers’ favorites, as the NY/NJ-style pies and Italian specialties continue to earn lots of votes.

Not only is there ever-popular regular pizzas, but also gourmet options, like But, of course, pizza, including gourmet options like Margherita, white sauce and more, but PizzaMania also offers everything from fried ravioli and bruschetta to arancini (traditional rice balls) and other appetizers, plus a variety of salads, hot and cold subs, calzones and strombolis, plus wings with a variety of sauces, lasagna, baked ziti, stuffed shells, gnocchi Sorrentina and pasta with vodka, white clam and pesto sauce and even a seafood combo of mussels, shrimp and clams that helped it finish tied for 34th Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel with our readers. — GN

3. NY NY Pizza
3757 Bruce B Downs Blvd.
(813) 528-8771
NYNYPizzeria.com

Technically, the New York New York Pizza in Wesley Chapel is part of a small eight-unit chain (including one in Tampa International Airport) of no-frills Tampa-area pizza places that serve excellent true-New York-style pizza. But, chain or no chain, the Wesley Chapel location has been among the top five favorite pizza places with our readers since it first opened.

NY NY, which finished third to second-place PizzaMania by only two votes and ahead of Amici by a half-dozen, offers a large variety of pizza-by-the-slice and whole-pie options, including everything from cheese and pepperoni to meat lovers and white and from cauliflower crust to my favorite Grandma’s pizza with a garlic red sauce in our area.

NY NY also has a nice selection of salads, sandwiches and even burgers plus baked pasta options. — GN

The rest of the 2021 Pizza Top 10:

(4) Amici
(5) Mellow Mushroom
(6) 900 NY
(T7) Fratelli’s
(T7) Best NY
(T7) Blaze
(T10) Papa John’s
(T10) Bosco’s. 


Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Top 25!

1 — NOBLE CRUST
When a new restaurant opens in Wesley Chapel, it typically  become’s a reader’s favorite in its first year, and then gradually fades to the middle of the pack.

Not Noble Crust. A testament to an innovative and delicious menu, maintaining a steady staff in these difficult times for restaurants and focusing on excellence and consistency, Noble Crust has placed third in our Reader’s Survey every year since opening in 2017.

Great servers like Bri Small (on the left, holding the rigatoni + short rib ragu) and Josh Salinas (with the bronzed salmon) serving delicious food are a big part of Noble Crust’s win as this year’s Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel. (Photos: Charmaine George)

Not this year, however. This year, Noble Crust has moved up to No. 1.

“That’s huge for us,” says operating partner Danny Autrey. “To be able to stand apart from our other two locations (in Carrollwood and St Petersburg) is great. We pride ourselves on our great staff, and it’s nice to see them rewarded by the community.”

There is much to like about Noble Crust, which is located at the Shops at Wiregrass — the service, the bar, the ambiance and let’s be honest, the place just smells terrific.

Billed as Deep South Italian, Noble Crust combines farm-fresh flavor with unique pairings to create tasty dishes. It is likely so popular with our readers because it does so many things well. You could make the case that it has the best fried chicken (Autrey confesses that it’s so good, he enjoys a piece almost daily), best pizza, best weekend brunch and maybe even the best Italian food around.

The fusion of Deep South and Italian is where it shines, however. Traditional Chicken Marsala is served over four-cheese grits and chicken sausage, the chicken fried chicken parmigiana is country-fried for a more rustic result, the BLT is served with fried green tomatoes, pork belly and pimento cheese and one of its most popular dishes, the bronzed salmon (bottom right), is highlighted by pickled raisins that bring it all together.

And, don’t sleep on the pasta dishes, either, like the super-popular rigatoni + short rib ragu.

Noble Crust’s brunches on Saturdays and Sundays are exceptional, with its popular friend chicken and waffles, lemon ricotta pancakes and steak-and-eggs among the standout favorites.

The service ties it all together. Autrey says his grandfather would never return to a restaurant if a manager hadn’t stopped by see how the meal was, and he has taken that to heart running the Wesley Chapel location. When we stopped by last week, he was busy helping deliver dishes and checking in with customers.

“The personalized experience is important,” he says. “It’s something all of us here strive for, and I think it keeps our customers coming back.” — JCC

2 — TREBLEMAKERS

Rather than resting on its laurels after debuting as our readers’ fourth (and yours truly’s #1) Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel last year, Treble Makers Dueling Piano Restaurant & Bar has continued to upgrade its menu and service under executive chef Kevin Maggard, GM & co-owner Lee Bevan and co-owner Jamie Hess and his family.

In fact, Treble Makers is this year’s Favorite Bar in Wesley Chapel with our readers this year, after adding great new bartenders and entertainment options to go with the popular weekend dueling piano shows.

But, for me, the best thing about Treble Makers is the food. With better fresh fish — like the grilled wahoo to the right — than most seafood restaurants and top-quality steaks, lamb chops, I hope you’ll check out Treble Makers soon.—GN

3 — FIRST WATCH
Located in The Shoppes at New Tampa, Wesley Chapel’s popular breakfast chain is well-known for its long lines (especially on Sundays) as it is for its delicious and healthy breakfast and lunch menu.

We can’t remember a time that First Watch wasn’t the top vote getter for breakfast joints, and it’s third-place overall finish this year is a testament to its terrific food.

The breakfast menu has traditional egg-and-bacon dishes, omelettes, and Floridian French toast (photo) gigantic pancakes, but items like the healthy turkey omelette, superfoods bowls & power wraps set it apart.

Now serving beer, wine and unique mixed drinks, too, First Watch’s all-natural healthy juices and lunch items like a variety of salads and sandwiches (ham and gruyere melt, mmmm) have kept people coming back in droves for more than a decade. —JCC

4. FALABELLA FAMILY BISTRO
Our highest-finishing newcomer has great weekend specials.

5. FLORIDA AVE. BREWING COMPANY
The food might be better than the beer — a big compliment.

6. VALLARTA’S
Wesley Chapel’s Latin favorite has its highest finish ever.

7. BAHAMA BREEZE
Still high among your faves despite all of the new eateries.

T8. KEKE’S BREAKFAST CAFE
Breakfast newcomer finishes in the top-10. 

T8. GRILLSMITH
Last year’s No. 1 has been the top choice six of last 10 years.

10. 900º WOODFIRED PIZZA
Your favorite pizza place also makes your top-10 overall.

11. BJ’s BREWHOUSE
Its huge menu and fair prices keep BJ’s near your top-10. 

T12. BONEFISH GRILL
Two-time Reader Survey winner survives moves to S.R. 56.

T12. THE HUNGRY GREEK
Voted as Wesley Chapel’s top Greek restaurant, again.

14. ZUKKU-SAN SUSHI
Your fave Asian has high-end, creative sushi & more.

T15. AMICI PIZZA
Your 4th-fave pizza place also has great Italian food.

T15. ROCK & BREWS
KISS-themed bar with classic American food from scratch.

T15. KING OF THE COOP
Put a little spice in your life with the King’s Nashville hot chicken.

T15. TEXAS ROADHOUSE
This year’s highest-finishing steak place has great prices, too. 

19. RICE-N-BEANS
Your 2nd-favorite Latin choice features Puerto Rican cuisine. 

20. CHUY’S TEX-MEX
Super-fun atmosphere & tasty Tex-Mex specialties.

21. UMU JAPANESE & THAI
Great setting, fresh sushi and the lobster rolls are a hit.

T22. GLORY DAYS GRILL
Quality bar food and one of best places to catch all the games. 

T22. BUBBA’S 33
Another fave for “upscale” bar food & TVs galore.

24. FORD’S GARAGE
A top spot for a classic burger, fries and a craft beer.

25. CAPITAL TACOS
Unique taco/burrito/bowl combinations made fresh for you.