Category: Dining & Entertainment

Meanwhile, Wesley Chapel is where chain eateries continue to dominate the landscape, as well as our voting (despite my best efforts to get our readers to vote for non-chains). 

But, while Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant did mistakenly appear on the ballots for the first issue of the voting, it was so dominant in the voting after it came off the ballots that it would still have been #1 “Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel” without that one-issue advantage. Anyone who has been to the place on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, when it is still on a wait throughout its dinner hours, can understand how Cooper’s Hawk took home this year’s top prize in WC in its first year of eligibility. 

Azteca D’Oro and Grillsmith repeated as our readers’ #2 and #3 Favorites in WC, while last year’s first-place finisher, Noble Crust, dropped to #4 this year. New to this year’s top-10 were Vallarta’s at #5 (up from #12), Mac’s Custom Meats & Deli at #7, Florida Ave. Brewing Co. at #8 (up from #16) and Chuck Lager at #9. Dropping out of this year’s top-10 were Zukku-San (down from #5 to #11), Bubba’s 33 (down from #10 to #19), Bonefish, BJ’s Brewhouse and Bahama Breeze (down from #8 to #17). The last four of these are all chains that weren’t on the ballots. — GN

1. Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant 

28963 S.R. 56, Wiregrass Ranch 

(813) 755-4445 • CHWinery.com 

If everyone in Wesley Chapel is so sick of chain restaurants, then how and why did Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant dominate the voting in this year’s Reader Dining Survey & Contest? 

The answer to that rhetorical question is that all of you are tired of mediocre chains and although Cooper’s Hawk isn’t Fleming’s, Charley’s or Ruth’s Chris, it is definitely a step up from most of the other chains in the “Chap.” It boasts a solid menu of very good steaks, good seafood, pretty decent pasta and a nice variety of starters, lunch and brunch menu items. 

When you add to that the novelty of getting to taste an ever-changing array of palate-pleasing wines in Cooper’s Hawk’s wine bar (although I wish there were seats in it, or at least allowed), it’s easy to understand why locals are fighting for tables there every night. We’ll see how long the party lasts, but so far, so good. 

2. Azteca D’Oro Mexican Restaurant 

2000 Piazza Ave., #170, The Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 527-6033 • AztecaDOro.com 

It’s clear that last year’s top-vote-getting newcomer did not suffer a sophomore jinx with our readers this year, as Azteca D’Oro repeated as your #2 overall Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel and again won Favorite Mexican Restaurant in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, albeit by a much smaller margin than last year. 

With tasty menu items like chicken taquitos (top), plus a huge variety (above pic from DoorDash) of authentic Mexican favorites like fajitas, molcajete, burritos, tacos and quesadillas, plus beautiful indoor & outdoor bar areas with great Happy Hour specials, Azteca D’Oro also features a private room that is the perfect place to host your holiday party with its lively music and festive atmosphere. 

3. Grillsmith 

2000 Piazza Ave., #100, Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 907-1900 • Grillsmith.com 

Grillsmith is always among our readers’ favorites every year and repeated last year’s #3 “Favorite in Wesley Chapel” finish again this year. This five-unit mini-chain continues to serve quality fresh fish (photo), plus assortments of flatbreads, salads, steaks, burgers, chicken and pasta options that keep our readers coming back for more. It also is a popular weekend brunch spot with everything from bananas Foster French toast to chicken & waffles Benedict. 

4. Noble Crust 

28330 Paseo Dr., Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 703-2602 • Noble-Crust.com 

Even though it was bumped down to #4 Favorite this year by our readers after a two-year run in the top spot, Noble Crust’s “Deep South Italian” fare continues to garner lots of attention, as well as votes (even though it fell short of making this year’s “Favorite Pizza” list). With unusual entrées like bronzed salmon (photo), chicken fried chicken parm, bucatini & meatballs & Cajun shrimp risotto, Noble Crust also claims to feature the “Best Brunch in Wesley Chapel.” 

5. Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant 

5335 Wesley Chapel Village Market 

(813) 907-5161 • VallartasMexican.com 

Whenever you see people in a local online community ask for recommendations for a great Mexican restaurant, roughly half the people highly recommend Vallarta’s, while the other half say “it’s gross.” 

Those who love it point to the restaurant’s huge menu with even bigger portions (like the burrito shown here) at the best prices of any true Mexican restaurant in Wesley Chapel. We guess those folks helped Vallarta’s jump from #12 “Favorite WC Restaurant” with our readers last year to #5 Fave in 2024. 

6. The Living Room 

2001 Piazza Ave., #100, Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 934-7911 • TLR.Restaurant.com 

Although a lot of online community members complain vehemently about its 20% service charge, our readers still kept The Living Room in the same #6 “Favorite in Wesley Chapel” spot it occupied last year. 

That means that a lot of our readers care more about dishes like the Bobby Boucher pasta shown here, sautéed red grouper, “You Bet…Churrasco” and adobo braised pork osso bucco than they do about having to pay the service fee. The Living Room also is another local brunch favorite. 

7. Mac’s Custom Meats & Deli 

26316 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Grand Oaks Plaza, Lutz 

(813)428-6573 

It seems like there’s at least one restaurant that seems to come out of nowhere to crack the top-10 with our readers every year. 

This year’s surprise is Mac’s Custom Meats & Deli. Although we also enjoy Mac’s quality sandwiches (photo), it’s still really more of a meat market than a restaurant, but whether it made this year’s list because of ballot-stuffing or because enough people really love it this much likely won’t be known until next year’s Reader Survey. 

8. Florida Avenue Brewing Co. 

2029 Arrowgrass Dr. (at S.R. 56), Wesley Chapel 

(813) 452-6333 • FloridaAveBrewing.com 

Jumping up eight places from #16 last year is Florida Avenue Brewing Co., which has changed its food menu so often it’s hard to keep up with all the new items to go with its crowd-pleasing variety of house-brewed beers, hard ciders and seltzers. Of course, you can’t go wrong with Florida Ave.’s wings (photo), cheesesteak egg rolls, smash burgers and chimichurri-style Argentine flatbread. Also ask about the Express Lunch menu and about becoming a Brew Perks member. 

9. Chuck Lager America’s Tavern 

2001 Piazza Ave., #175, Shops at Wiregrass 

(813) 820-4500 • ChuckLager.com 

Another mini-chain making a big jump with our readers this year is Chuck Lager America’s Tavern, which narrowly missed the top-25 last year to jump up to #9 this time — giving The Shops at Wiregrass five of this year’s top-10 Favorites in Wesley Chapel! 

Now with three locations and another coming soon to Ft. Myers, Chuck Lager continues to serve tasty giant pretzels, flatbreads, sliders (all in photo), as well as everything from Chuck’s citrus salmon to NY strip steak and Italian specialties like chicken parmesan and Fabio’s meatball sub. 

10. Ford’s Garage 

25526 Sierra Center Blvd. (at S.R. 56), Lutz 

(813) 540-3673 • FordsGarageUSA.com 

Meanwhile, Ford’s Garage, located across from the Tampa Premium Outlets, dropped one spot from #9 last year to #10 this year, but still garnered plenty of attention from our readers for its popular sports bar-style fare, like the Giant Funnel Tower of Jumbo Piston Onion Rings, Famous Firestone Shrimp, BBQ pork ribs, chicken mac & cheese, smoked brisket burnt ends melt and especially, its Burgers of Fame (photo). 

Plus, Motor Club members get 25% Off every 4th visit, a free birthday appetizer, exclusive news & events and more.