As we told you in this issue (as well as months ago in a previous issue), the cookie chain known as Cookie Plug (photo below left) is coming to the space in The Grove at Wesley Chapel next to the Ice Dreammm Shop โ which, by the way, also sells cookies and was named one of our readersโ five Favorite Bakeries (as well as their second favorite ice cream shop) in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel.ย
Although we didnโt know, at our press time, when this young chain which claims to serve, โThe fattest and thiccest cookies on the blockโ was expected to open, Cookie Plug, founded in 2019, today has 30 locations in 13 states (with the only Florida location in Ft. Myers), but according to CookiePlug.com, is planning to add more than 100 new locations, including more than 30 in the Sunshine State โ ten in Tampa (including New Tampa), 15 in Orlando, five in Miami and this one in Wesley Chapel โ over the next year or so.ย
I will say that Cookie Plug has its work cut out for it if it plans to serve fatter cookies than what you can get at the new Mo Cookies, which opened in the KRATE at The Grove container park (in the former location of Urban Sweets, which I hated to see close), just before we went to press with this issue.
Mo Cookies, which has an original location in Tallahassee, offers 20+ varieties of freshly baked cookies in four categories โ โStandards,โ which are thinner and cost $2.99 apiece (and are in the bottom row in the top photo); โPremiumsโ (which are thicker cookies served with toppings; top two rows); โSignaturesโ (3rd row from the top), which are โextra large, extra gooeyโ and cost $4.99 apiece; and โGrab N Go,โ which cost $3.49 apiece (and arenโt shown in the picture), although there are โPackโ discounts on all of these options, too. Mo Cookies also offers your favorite cookies as a โMoZookie,โ topped with vanilla ice cream.ย
With varieties like โSโmores,โ โFreshman 15โ and โDark Chocolate Peanut Butterโ (the latter is my current favorite), it seems pretty likely that Mo Cookies is going to develop a local following, too. To order, call (813) 345-8059 or visit Order.Online or stop in & tell them I sent you!ย
Tous Les Jours Coming To S.R. 56!
Although New Tampa has now had its own Tous les Jours French-style Korean bakery inside the Lotte Plaza Market on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. for a little more than a year, many people who live in Wesley Chapel are happy that Tous les Jours has announced (with signage on the doors; photo above) that it is taking over the space previously occupied by Capital Tacos on S.R. 56. Although we had no information at our press time as to when the new Tous les Jours was expected to open, the fact that this international brand, with more than 1,600 locations worldwide (and 130+ in the U.S.), will bring its unique and huge selection of breads, pastries, pies, coffee, tea and blended drinks to Wesley Chapel will surely be a welcome addition.
Las Palmas Wins Favorite Latin & #2 Overall; Via Italia Is 3rd & Also Wins Fave Pizza & Italian!ย
Executive Chef Danny Manzur, sous chef Jason Price, kitchen manager Gary Zimmerman & operating partner Dennis Diaz celebrate the fact that Stonewood Grill & Tavern in Tampa Palms again won โFavorite Restaurant in New Tampaโ with Neighborhood News readers for 2024. (Photo by Charmaine George)
There isnโt much more we can say about Stonewood Grill & Tavern that hasnโt already been said each of the past eight years as our readersโ Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa, so we wonโt even bother. Suffice it to say that Stonewoodโs combination of quality food, an elegant setting, outstanding service, New Tampaโs most hopping upscale bar crowd and fair prices continue to keep it at the top of your list.
This yearโs second-Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa (and Favorite Latin Restaurant in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel) was at least a little bit of a surprise, NOT because Las Palmas Latin Grill isnโt a great mom-&-pop restaurant, but because owners Ramses and Ana Garcia were still operating out of a food truck, rather than their brick-&-mortar location, when last yearโs survey was conducted. For Las Palmas to nudge past last yearโs second place finisher, Via Italia, after not making the 2023 top-25 was very impressive.
Overall, seven of your 2023 top-10 Favorite Restaurants in New Tampa still made this yearโs Top-10 (some moved up, others down), but Las Palmas, EggTown and the reopened Kobรฉ moved into the top-10 while Fresh Kitchen, Olive Garden & Minerva (which still won for Favorite Indian Restaurant) dropped out. โ GN
So, even though it is part of a mini-chain with fewer than ten units, no one should be surprised that Stonewood Grill & Tavern โ which was the first upscale restaurant to open in New Tampa and has always been at or near the top of our Reader Survey rankings ever since โ took home top honors again this year.
With new menu items like peach bourbon-glazed pork chops (top) and the huge tuna pokรฉ stack appetizer (bottom) always being added to the chainโs menu by Tampa Palms executive chef Danny Manzur, and the most New Tampa of all bar scenes in zip code 33647, itโs not difficult to understand how Stonewood keeps itself at the top of our reader rankings (and at least near the top of mine) every year. Kudos to Manzur and operating partner Dennis Diaz and their staff for never skimping on quality.
When owner and chef Ramses Garcia told me last year that he sold his Las Palmas food truck and was getting ready to reopen in the same space his brick-&-mortar Las Palmas Latin Grill had been in before (after closing for about a year because of a kitchen fire), I knew he was going to be successful, but I had no idea that he would be able to go from not making the top-25 in the 2023 Reader Dining Survey to #2 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa in such a short period of time.
Of course, adding beer and wine had to help, but adding new dishes โ like his delicious fried whole snapper (top photo) to go with his award-winning Tampa- and Miami -style Cuban sandwiches (bottom photo) likely helped even more.
No matter what menu items you love at Las Palmas, itโs clear that Ramses and his wife Ana have provided the restaurant comeback story of the year for not just our readers, but for yours truly as well.
3. Via Italia Wood Fired Pizza & Bar
8644 Hunterโs Village Rd., Village at Hunterโs Lake
Finishing closely behind Las Palmas for #2 this year was last yearโs #2 finisher, Via Italia. I donโt believe that the drop of one spot from last year has anything to do with former owner Roberto Maganuco selling the restaurant to new owner Sonny Patel, as the restaurant still serves the same delicious Italian fare (like the tagliatelle Bolognese shown here). I just think Via Italia fell victim to a new wave of support for Las Palmas.ย
Jumping up from #6 last year to the fourth spot this year is Liangโs Bistro, which also continues to dominate the โFavorite Chinese Restaurant in New Tampa & Wesley Chapelโ vote, as it has every year since it opened.ย
As I have often said, while not all of Liangโs dishes can be called โNew York-styleโ (although its crispy egg rolls, right, are very NY-ish), thereโs no doubt that it has been our areaโs only quality sit-down Chinese place.
5. Fat Rabbit Pub
16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W., City Plaza at Tampa Palms
Thereโs no doubt that the Fat Rabbit Pub has been a model of consistency since it opened to rave reviews several years ago and this year is no exception.
Fat Rabbit has repeated as our readersโ #5 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa, thanks to still serving its more upscale pub items (like its new fattened shrimp appetizer and a variety of new rice bowls, including the Fish Taco bowl with Mojo mahi-mahi), as well as some of the best wings (photo) in our distribution areas.ย
Although it dropped from #2 Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa two years ago to #3 last year and #6 this year, thereโs no doubt that a large number of our readers love owner Frank Gouveiaโs Grill at Morris Bridge, as it finished only a few votes behind the #3-#5 favorites on this page, all of which were significantly ahead of #s 7-#10.
Plus, with the recent addition of new bar menu items (like this chili cheese dog), The Grill isnโt just for โdate nightโ anymore. Itโs also a great place to watch a game, too.
After returning to the top-10 (#8) in New Tampa last year, following a mysterious one-year absence from our readersโ top-25, Mr. Dunderbakโs and its German (and American) cuisine continues to be not only a popular place to have a beer, but also everything from corned beef Reuben sandwiches (photo) to jagerschnitzel, as it rose to #7 this year. In short, Mr. Dunderbakโs is still Tampaโs โGerman Bierhalle, Braueri, Marketplatz und Restaurant.โย
Although New Tampaโs original โbowl cultureโ eatery has risen and fallen a few spots year over year, Cali Tampa Palms continues to be one of our readersโ Favorite restaurants in New Tampa.
Known not only for its tasty bowls (like the โLean & Cleanโ shown here), but also for delicious wrap sandwiches, salads and oven-baked pizza โ all with quality ingredients, Cali is likely to remain a consistent favorite for years to come.
9. EggTown
17507 Preserve Walk Ln. (New Tampa) & 27607 S.R. 56 (Wesley Chapel)
Jumping up eight spaces from #17 last year is this yearโs #9 Favorite restaurant in New Tampa, EggTown.
Despite losing out to Kekeโs in this yearโs โFavorite Breakfast Placeโ voting, this growing (now up to five units) mini-chain (with locations in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel) is a great place for delicious breakfast items (like the egg, chicken & waffles shown here) but also delicious lunch/brunch specialties like chicken salad croissants, burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches. It has super-fair prices, too!ย
You canโt really call Kobรฉ Japanese Steakhouse a โnewcomerโ to our area because it had a New Tampa location for several years before shutting down to relocate a few miles south on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., but it is the first time in a couple of years Kobรฉ has been open and our readers obviously are still taken with what is now New Tampaโs only place for โdinner-&-a-showโ teppanyaki-table Japanese fare. Our readers obviously appreciate that Kobรฉ โ now with eleven locations throughout central Florida, โ has returned with the same quality it had before.ย
In case you missed the new sign that just went up, New Tampa’s shuttered Red Lobster in The Pointe at Tampa Palms is going to become Sushi Masa, the latest link in a nine-link chain of all-you-can-eat “premium” Japanese restaurants, with existing locations in Texas, Louisiana, Pensacola, FL, and the closest to us in Lakeland.
Like Koizi in The Shoppes at The Pointe plaza (less than 500 feet from the future Sushi Masa), the under-construction Japanese eatery offers all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner options โ however, Sushi Masa only offers hibachi/teppanyaki entrรฉes separately from the all-you-can-eat fare.
But, don’t expect Sushi Masa to open anytime soon, as the former Red Lobster has been completely gutted inside (photo below) and the manager we spoke with at the Lakeland location didn’t know when it was expected to be completed. Our best guess is sometime during/towards the end of the first quarter of 2025, but we’ll keep you posted.ย
For more information, including menus and photos of the other locations, visit SushiMasaUS.com.
If you donโt feel like having to cook a big meal at home for Thanksgiving, why not check out the big Thanksgiving Buffet at the beautiful Hyatt Place Hotel Tampa/ Wesley Chapel (26000 Sierra Center Blvd., just west of I-75, Lutz), on Thursday, November 28 (obviously), with three seatings โ one at 10:30 a.m., one at noon and the last at 1:30 p.m.
The buffet menu will include most of your Turkey Day entrรฉe favorites, including a not-so-traditional (but also extremely popular) fried turkey, as well as honey-glazed ham and tender, slow-roasted prime rib served with a savory au jus. Less traditional main course options include citrus-glazed salmon fillets and beef tips sautรฉed with portobello mushrooms in a rich, savory sauce.
Starters include lobster & crab bisque and a butternut squash soup, Italian chopped salad, a โberry blissโ salad, as well as classic creamy potato salad and a โmelodyโ of pasta salad.
Side dishes include creamy garlic mashed potatoes, Southern macaroni & cheese, sweet candied yams, wild rice pilaf, sweet & savory glazed carrots and green beans sautรฉed in lemon butter.
Save room for dessert, as there will be (of course) sweet potato pie, traditional apple pie and rich cream carrot cake.
The meal also will include live music at all three seatings and bottomless mimosas (for ages 21 & older), although the Hyatt Place also will offer its full premium-liquor bar (Note-All bar drinks will incur an additional charge; soft drinks are included in the per-person price, however).
The price for this sumptuous meal with no post-meal cleanup at your house? Itโs just $75 per person, $30 for children under age 12 and children under age three eat for free. The prices do not include tax or gratuity and an 18% gratuity will be included for all parties of six or more.
Reservations are definitely suggested, as the hotel believes that all three seatings are likely to sell out. To reserve your table, call (813) 803-5600. For more information, visit Hyatt.com/WesleyChapel. โ GNย
When I lived in Manhattan, New York, in the 1980s, my apartment was a couple of blocks from the original TGI Fridays on 1st Ave. Not only was it the location where Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown served drinks in the movie โCocktail,โ it also was a truly great non-chain restaurant.
Then, when I moved to Tarrytown, NY, one of the first TGI Fridays franchises opened and I was disgusted by the โchain-ingโ of this fabled eatery. My favorite potato skins on earth went from giant, crispy spuds filled with real cheddar cheese and topped with crumbled hunks of real bacon to mini-potatoes with low-quality American cheese and fake bacon bits. I swore to never visit a Fridays again.
But, when the Fridays on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Highwoods Preserve opened nearly two decades ago, I still visited fairly frequently, as it often had live music, a hoppinโ bar and the food seemed better than it was in Tarrytown, even though the potato skins were still less than overwhelming.
So, I wasnโt surprised to hear that the New Tampa Fridays was one of nearly 50 to close its doors on Oct. 24 (see notice, above), following a purge of 36 locations in January, leaving the chain with 164 remaining links and the parent company reportedly ready to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.ย
Hopefully, something good will replace Fridays in this prime BBD location, but can a mom-&-pop even afford to move in there?
The better news is that zip code 33647 is about to get its just desserts, as Nothing Bundt Cakes (NBC) will open a location about eight miles south of its popular location in The Shops at Wiregrass. Although NBC is limited to moist bundt cakes with amazing icing, it will still be a better choice in the former Subway location next to China City in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center.
The most interesting news is that Cookie Plug, which also is getting ready to open in The Grove at Wesley Chapel (next to the Ice Dreammm Shop), also is getting ready to open in the former Weight Watchers location about 11 miles to the south in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve plaza.
We had no further information as to when NBC or Cookie Plug were expected to open, but we will keep you posted. โ GN
