As a native New Yawka, although I have nothing against other kinds of pizza â and there are lots of good options for those other types in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel â pizza to me has a thin crust, a certain kind of mozzarella (only) cheese and a certain tomato sauce taste. Some places have it but most simply donât.
However, all of the places on the list below come pretty close to the pizza I loved most in my home state, with NY NY coming closest of all.
The Grill at Morris Bridge, Stonewood & Via Italia Repeat As Garyâs Top-3 In New Tampa!
he only tomahawk ribeye steak youâll find on a menu in New Tampa is at The Grill at Morris Bridge, which is Neighborhood News editor Gary Nagerâs favorite restaurant in New Tampa for the second year in a row.
Every year, after our readersâ favorite restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel are published, I like to provide our readers with my own list of favorites â and there are always lots of differences between your choices and mine.
I also always have a few haters every year who say that my reviews arenât âreal,â that I only pick my favorites based on which restaurants advertise with me and/or give me free food, that I have no taste whatsoever, etc.
The primary thing these haters donât seem (or want) to understand or believe is that the restaurants I tell you about in my annual âGaryâs Favoritesâ are not just the places I like the most, theyâre also the places where I spend the most of my own money. And yes, when you consider that there are literally dozens of restaurants named, Jannah and I do spend a lot of our money dining out (and taking out food) â Iâm betting more than just about anyone else in our two distribution areas, especially when you take into consideration our combined annual income.
The haters also donât seem to âgetâ the other reason I give my opinions on local eateries every year is that I so appreciate the feedback â both positive and negative â I get after my âGaryâs Favoritesâ are published each year.
I canât even tell you how many people come up to me and Jannah when weâre sitting at the bar at The Grill at Morris Bridge, TrebleMakers, Stonewood, Zukku-San, Azteca DâOro or any of our other favorite eateries to tell me what they think of my opinions. The vast majority of them say things like, âI only even tried this place because of what you wrote about themâ or âI didnât really love this place the first time I tried it, but I decided to give it another try because of you.â If youâve never felt that kind of love from absolute strangers before, I promise you that itâs one of the things that most makes the long hours I still put in 30 years since I first started doing this job worthwhile.
And yes, a few people also come up to me to tell me that they totally disagree with my assessment of one restaurant or another. Others also tell me that they read my reviews âeven though I know they arenât real.â
But the fact is that whether my haters believe it or not, my dining reviews are 100% real. And, unlike the online trolls who think theyâre dining âcriticsâ because they tell their few followers that they hated something they ate (or the service they received) at a particular place, I tell every restaurant owner in our area that when I write a review of their eatery, I will tell more than 170,000 of my âclosest friendsâ (thatâs the total possible number of readers we reach in print) everything I like about their place. Anything I donât like I will tell the restaurant owner about â and pretty much all of them appreciate this approach a lot more then online trolls who cause their overall online ratings to drop.
Since opening in late 2021, The Grill at Morris Bridge finished as the second Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa with our readers last year and third in this yearâs voting, even though it has been #1 with me both years, thanks to its always-fresh fish (the bacon parmesan crusted grouper shown here replaced the same dish with mahi-mahi in 2023) and great steaks. In fact, The Grillâs bone-in tomahawk ribeye (see pg. 1), which is now a regular menu item, is the only true tomahawk in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel.
Brothers Frank and Jimmy Gouveia also offer one of our areaâs best Sunday brunches, the most extensive wine list of any local restaurant, craft cocktails and always-excellent service.
Stonewoodâs run as the favorite with our readers continued for an eighth straight year in 2023, and it again comes in just below The Grill with yours truly.
The quality of the fresh fish, steaks (like the unique hand-cut Manhattan strip steak, usually offered as a special, in this picture), pastas and even Jannahâs favorite bowl (the Southwest chicken bowl) in New Tampa, plus the always-packed bar scene make Stonewood an outstanding choice, whether itâs number 1, 2 or lower on your list.
Like The Grill, Stonewood isnât inexpensive, but there are plenty of much lower-priced restaurants to fill that need for you in our area that canât match Stonewoodâs quality or variety.Â
Where do you go when you love ceviche but canât eat shrimp? Why, Lima of course! I also love the Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, the unique Chinese fusion dishes like lomo (lo mein) with steak or chicken, and I regularly crave a helping of ceviche with giant corn kernels and Lima is the only place I can enjoy it in New Tampa.Â
Even though Las Palmas isnât ânew,â since it did have a food truck at the same plaza all year in 2022, owners Ramses and Ana Garciaâs Las Palmas moved way up on my list this year when they reopened their brick-and-mortar location a couple of months ago. Ramsesâ merluza (white fish) a la Rusa (photo) is as good as it gets and his flank steak churrasco, vaca frita (fried steak), picadillo and roast pork also rock.Â
This âUpscale Neighborhood Pubâ truly lives up to its name, as you canât really call the Fat Rabbit just another âsports bar.â From the best wings and tater tots in town to outstanding grilled chicken sandwiches and big burgers (or choose the burger sliders shown above), plus craft cocktails & lots of whiskeys and that unique bar vibe, whatâs not to love?Â
The restaurant formerly known as Oakleyâs Grille still has great burgers, fries and other American food, but for yours truly, the attraction of Frammi will always be its outstanding Northern and Southern Italian fare. My favorite dish is the vongole (pasta with baby clams above), but the spicy arrabiata, less spicy Amatriciana, penne alla vodka, lasagne, eggplant parm and pesto options are what keep me coming back.
From having no true Italian restaurants a few years ago to now having three that make my top-10 favorites in New Tampa, this highest-ranking (for me) newcomer offers great Italian comfort foods, like pizza, the meatball parmigiana appetizer above, chicken parm, Mommaâs lasagna and penne alla vodka, as well as a variety of popular seafood dishes I canât eat.
From the grilled lamb chops above to the Athenian fish, saganaki (fried cheese) appetizer and more, the recently redecorated Acropolis found its way back into my top-10 for 2023, with or without belly dancing or hookah pipes.
Garyâs 2023 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa #s 11-25
Although we have created this contest a week before the end of 2023 pro football season, last yearâs âBig Game Squaresâ contest was so popular we decided to run it back again for our readers. So, hereâs how you can win FREE dining in our 2024 âBig Gameâ Squares Contest. Simply click HERE and fill out the formby Friday, February 9. On Saturday, February 10, I will first assign random squares on the grid below for each entrant. Then, I will randomly assign numbers 0-9 along the top row under the AFC Championâs name and in the far left column next to the NFC Champâs name. Then, when the âbig gameâ is played, whoeverâs name is in the box that matches up with the last digit of the score for each team wins a FREE gift card to the restaurant of their choice. For example, if the score is NFC 10, AFC 7 at the end of the first quarter and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 0 & AFC 7, you would win a $25 gift card as the first quarter winner. If the score is 13-13 at the end of the first half and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 3, AFC 3, you would win a $50 gift card. We also will offer a $25 gift card to whoever has the correct box at the end of the third quarter and a $100 gift card for the correct score at the end of the game, whether at the end of the 4th quarter or overtime. See all of our official contest rules and fill out the form for your chance to win by clicking HERE. â GNÂ
Congrats go out to Christos Paradisis and Colleen Gallagher, who recently opened the new Sausage King in the former location of TJâs Hot Dogs at the KRATE Container Park.
Although we also enjoyed TJâs, Sausage King not only has a greater variety of tasty options, Chris also grills his hot dogs, sweet and hot Italian sausages and Polska kielbasas, and Sausage King is already attracting new fans.Â
I can vouch for the foot-long hot dog with spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut (left photo), as well as the sweet Italian sausage sandwich with grilled onions and peppers. I also enjoyed the crispy fried mozzarella sticks with house-made marinara dipping sauce.
Chris, who moved to this area from his native Greece, says the marinara is his âmamaâs own recipe.â Colleen, who is from Philadelphia, says their goal for Sausage King is to remind folks of the flavors they love from back home in the Northeast. For more info, search âSausage Kingâ on Facebook.Â
The âHoliday Birdâ plate. (Photos by Charmaine George).
Although Iâm pretty sure that even most of you non-beer drinkers have at least heard of Yuengling beer, you may or may not realize that Yuengling is the oldest brewery in America. It was established in 1829, when David G. Yuengling arrived from Wuerttemberg, Germany, to settle in the sleepy, coal-mining town of Pottsville, PA.
And, even though a fire completely destroyed Dickâs original brewery on Centre. St., the newer brewery built on Mahantongo St. in Pottsville in 1831 is still the site of the oldest brewery in the U.S.
With demand for its beers growing, the Yuengling family, led by Davidâs great-great grandson Dick Yuengling, Jr. (who first took over ownership of the brewery in 1985) purchased the former Strohâs brewery on N. 30th St. (south of Fowler Ave.) in 1999.
For most of the time that Yuengling has owned the brewery in Tampa, there was only a small tasting room to sample the different beers the brewery brewed and sold.Â
Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen Executive Chef Sean Eckman (left) and VP of Hospitality Brent Wertz.
VP of hospitality Brent Wertz, says that changed in 2020, when the Yuengling family became part of Tampa Innovation, a group that includes most of the major businesses in North Tampa (including USF, Busch Gardens, the Moffitt Cancer Center and AdventHealth Tampa) and was seeking to modernize this area. That was the year the Yuengling family began working on opening what is now called the Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen, a 42,000-sq.-ft. building with a 1.5-acre outdoor patio area.
The Draft Haus, which opened under Wertzâs leadership in June of this year, offers unique chef-created food and 11 of the 12 Yuengling brews available to go with the beer-inspired menu. The Draft Haus also is home to the First Brew coffee bar and Mayday Ice Cream concession stand, as well as a 100 (or so)-seat private banquet hall and the coming-soon Brewhouse Bistro, located on the outdoor patio, which will feature its own menu to be compatible with the patioâs cornhole and other outdoor games and entertainment.
Bring On The Food!
Wertz, who has spent his entire 30-year career in the food and beverage departments of 4- and 5-star resorts (most recently with Hershey Park in Hershey, PA), says that the menu created by the Draft Haus & Kitchenâs executive chef Sean Eckman (whose previous experience also is mainly at top-level resorts, including The Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC) is not only designed to pair with beer, but many of the food recipes also include different Yuengling beers.Â
Our editorâs favorite potato-crusted Gulf snapper at the Yuengling Draft Haus on N. 30th St. in Tampa. (Photo by: Gary Nager).
For example, my favorite item at the Draft Haus is the potato-crusted Gulf snapper, which sits on a bed of mac & beer cheese, served with white BBQ slaw and mayo-ketchup tartar sauce, and is made to pair with the Yuengling Traditional Lager or Golden Pilsner.
âWe change the menu every couple of months,â Wertz says, âright now, we have a few holiday-themed menu items.â
My favorite among those new items is the âHoliday Bird,â a crispy buttermilk fried chicken breast atop a giant scoop of skin-on redskin mashed potatoes and âGrandma-styleâ brown gravy, Itâs served with two crispy waffles that are made from tasty stuffing and topped with a zesty cranberry relish.
âWe actually pour the stuffing into a waffle maker,â Wertz says. âItâs perfect for those who like the crisp edges of stuffing from the oven.âÂ
The new âColors of Christmasâ salad.
I also really enjoyed the âColors of Christmasâ salad â with mixed greens, goat cheese, pomegranate, orange sections, wassail vinaigrette and topped with crispy onions â and the âTampa Style Pulled Porkâ sandwich, which features shredded mojo-roasted pork shoulder on a toasted brioche bun, topped with beer cheese and white BBQ slaw and crispy onions.
And, although I donât love mushrooms, photographer Charmaine George said she loved the new âFungi Burger,â which features two smash burger-style patties on a garlic butter croissant, with truffle hop aioli, marinated âshrooms and fontina and gruyere cheeses. I can vouch for the other burgers, as the âYDH&K Cheeseburger,â with American cheese, pork jam, house-made 1000 Island dressing, dill pickles and lettuce, tomato & onion on a Kaiser bun, is another of my favorite Draft Haus items.Â
The âTampa Style Pulled Porkâ sandwich.
Wertz says, âWe also feature traditional food items most beer drinkers love â like âMrs. Tâsâ Pierogies (served with beer cheese), âDIY Deviled Eggsâ (made with beer mustard) and âBlack & Tan Chili Cheese Friesâ â and items like YDH&K âSignature Lobster Bisque,â a grilled turkey paillard club sandwich and smoked Angus short ribs.âÂ
The holiday dessert manu includes a super-unique âGingerbread Whoopie Pie Cake,â made with an eggnog ganache.
The Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen (11109 N. 30th St.) is closed Tues.-Wed., but is open 4 p.m.-10 p.m. on Mon. & Thur., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sun. For more info, call (813) 488-6444, visit Yuengling.com.Â
The Draft Hausâ huge retail store. The private 100-seat banquet room at the Draft Haus is available for your private parties beginning in January., as it is booked through Dec.The variety of âHop-Tailsâ at the Draft Haus. (Photo by: Yuengling Draft Haus)
