Minerva Is Still Our Area’s Favorite Indian Restaurant! 

This is just a small portion of three dozen or so options at the lunch buffet at Minerva Indian Restaurant in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center plaza on BBD Blvd. (All Photos by Charmaine George)

Since it first opened in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center shopping plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (only a mile or so south of the Pasco County line) in 2016, Minerva Indian Restaurant has been among our readers’ favorites every year. In fact, even though our 2022 Reader Dining Survey was the first year we gave “Indian Restaurants” their own category, not only did Minerva dominate the voting this year, it also has received the most votes for “Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa” of any Indian restaurant in New Tampa between 2017 and 2022.

And, for good reason. Not only do Minerva owners Venkat Reddy and his wife Amrutha offer a huge menu (with more than 200 different food items), including North India, South India and Indo-Chinese favorites, they also feature one of the largest Indian lunch buffets in the Tampa Bay area, with about three dozen total items. 

So, What Are Our Favorites?    

Long-time readers of the Neighborhood News know that Indian food has never been at the top of my list of favorite cuisine types, although I have expanded my horizons enough to have multiple favorites at Minerva. And, the good news is that photographer Charmaine George enjoys Indian food more than I do, so we were able to sample quite a few options during our recent visits.

Among our editor’s favorites from Minerva’s buffet are the Tandoori chicken, the Hakka veg chowmein and the vegetable spring rolls and samosas.

Of course, the Minerva lunch buffet is a an affordable place to start for those who aren’t sure what Indian appetizers and entrées they’ll like best and it includes everything from naan breads to vegetable samosas (deep-fried veggie “pies” stuffed with potatoes and veggies) and veggie spring rolls (very much like Chinese or even Thai-style), plus entrées like butter chicken, Tandoori chicken (one of Minerva’s variety of meats cooked in a clay Tandoor oven), chicken tikka masala, goat curry and multiple biryani (rice) dishes, as well as desserts. I couldn’t possibly name and didn’t sample all 35+ items (40+ on weekends) on the buffet, but all I can say is that it’s super-popular and available seven days a week between 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Also available on the buffet are some of Minerva’s Indo-Chinese dishes, including the Hakka veg chowmein (with lo mein-style soft noodles) and veggie fried rice, although I also really liked the full order of chicken Indo-Chinese fried rice I got on another visit.

This garlic naan is one of ten Naan breads on Minerva’s extensive menu. 
The chicken biryani is one of more than a dozen biryanis on Minerva’s huge menu

One of mine and Charmaine’s absolute favorites was the garlic naan bread, one of about ten different naans — from butter to onion to spicy chilli — and 20 or so total bread options at Minerva.

Charmaine and I also sampled three different long-grain biryani rice dishes — goat, chicken and veggie. We agreed that the biryanis themselves aren’t as spicy as we’ve had at some other Indian restaurants, but when goat or chicken is added, the biryani does take on a spicier flavor.

The Tandoori lamb chops.
South Indian Upma 

Among the other dishes we tried were the tandoori lamb chops, always one of my favorite dishes at any Indian restaurant. Also available are Tandoori goat chops, lamb shish kababs, chicken shish kabobs, and chicken on the bone or boneless, as well as a mixed grill of lamb and chicken kababs. These dishes are all served fajita-style on a sizzling plate, with peppers and onions.

Charmaine and I also wanted to try a South Indian specialty, so Amrutha suggested we try the Upma, which is a traditional breakfast dish made with semolina, vegetables, peanuts, onion, chillis and ginger. It has a delicate flavor and a consistency that most reminds me of corned beef hash, but without meat.

And, although there are probably still 200+ items on Minerva’s menu we haven’t yet sampled, Charmaine and I both look forward to trying the soups (e.g., the Minerva Special chicken soup and hot-&-sour soup), the North Indian paneer paratha (wheat bread stuffed with cheese), and perhaps one of Minerva’s shrimp or fish dishes, including ginger fish or shrimp, vindaloo (curried with potatoes) or tikka masala (in a creamy sauce).

Gulab Jamoon dessert at Minerva.

And yes, we both also enjoyed the gulab jamoon dessert, which is basically Indian-style donuts served in a sugar syrup.

Minerva also offers a great variety of traditional Indian drinks (mango lassi, coconut water and more), as well as the best selection of Indian beers you’ll find anywhere. These Indian beers, like Taj Majal, King Fisher and Hunter, as well as red and white house wines (although there is a nice variety of other wines, too) are all just $1 from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Speaking of specials, there are a lot of them, including BOGO buffet and entrée deals, and Minerva’s Biryani Special. On Thursdays and Sundays (only), all biryani dishes (usually $12.95-$16.95) are only $10 each all day. There also are a number of Value Meals, enough to serve 2-3 people, for $19.95-$27.95, on the last page of Minerva’s menu. Minerva Indian Restaurant (19050 BBD) is open every day for lunch & dinner. For more info, call (813) 978-8586 or visit MinervaTampa.com.

Nibbles and Bytes!

Two New Soft Serve Ice Cream Shops Now Open

New Tampa has recently added two new soft-serve ice cream shops — Mr. Penguin, which is located at 18089 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy., between Michaels and Pure Barre in The Walk at Highwoods Preserve Plaza; and Sprinkles Ice Cream (photo, right) located in the same Mobil gas station building as the recently relocated Saffron Indian Cuisine and Deano’s Pizza & Pasta (formerly Hawkeye’s NYS Pizza) at 10865 Cross Creek Blvd.

Mr. Penguin, which also has a South Tampa location, has your basic vanilla and chocolate (or swirl both) ice cream flavors, but I’m interested to see how they combine soft-serve with any of about two dozen Italian ice flavors (including some unique ones, like sugar-free cotton candy, green tea and sour apple) in what they call “gelati” (not to be confused with “gelato”). For more information, visit MrPenguinIce.com or call (813) 252-7625.

Meanwhile, Sprinkles is a tiny little, not-sit-down place featuring vanilla, chocolate and swirl soft serve ice cream, plus delicious shakes (Reese’s and Nutella are among the flavors), smoothies (try the strawberry mango), slushies (watermelon, fruit punch and more), plus healthy additions like chia or flax seed, protein powder, carrot and spinach. 

Original Saffron Owners Reopen In New Location!

For those who were confused as to why the original Saffron in the Cross Creek Center plaza became Saffron Palace (which is now closed), original Saffron Indian Cuisine owners Sunita and Nimesh Chheda say the important thing is that New Tampa’s original Indian restaurant is back in business. 

Try the soups and other quick, hot foods to go, from vegetable samosas to chicken tikka masala. Although there are a couple of tables inside, this is not the old sit-down-dining Saffron, but Nimesh promises me that my favorite lamb chops in New Tampa  are back.

For more info, call (813) 600-3315 or visit SaffronIndianCuisineTampa.com. 

Check Out The Juice Factory!

Are you trying to eat and drink a little cleaner? You definitely should check out the Juice Factory, located next to Five Guys Burgers & Fries at 6431 E. County Line Rd.

This unique mom-and-pop (photo on previous page) is actually owned by four brothers, and has a huge selection of healthy juices (you also can create your own — they have virtually every fruit and vegetable available), plus two dozen different boosters (even echinacea) and shots (from ginger to turmeric), plus smoothies, bowls, salads, wraps and even six kinds of healthy toast, with breakfast coming soon! For more info, visit JuiceFactory.net or call (813) 345-8884.

Island Fin Poké Co. Coming Soon!

If you’ve been waiting to hope on the Hawaiian-and Caribbean-style poké bowl craze, or you’ve already gotten excited about the poke restaurant coming to the Villages at Hunter’s Lake plaza (next to the under-construction Sprouts Farmers Market), you won’t have to wait a year or more — because Island Fin Poké Company, which has existing locations in Worcester, MA, and in Winter Springs, FL, with more central Florida and other new locations coming soon, is expected to be open at 6417 County Line Rd. (between Winn-Dixie and Ginza, across from Juice Factory) by the end of October.

Franchise owners and long-time New Tampa residents Brenda and Jeff Sproat (I coached against him in Little League between 10- 15 years ago) promise that once you’ve created your own poké bowl at Island Fin, you may never want to visit another poké place.

I’m definitely looking forward to trying both the ahi and spicy ahi tuna and the chicken bowls…and to catching up with the Sproats.

For more information, visit IslandFinPoke.com. — GN  

Minerva Has Mastered The Art Of Creating Outstanding Indian Cuisine

WHEN I FIRST MET Venkat Reddy, the owner of Minerva Indian Restaurant (located in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center plaza on Bruce B. Downs Blvd.), I told him up front that Minerva was probably never going to make my list of favorite restaurants in New Tampa because I really wasn’t a big fan of Indian food or even most types of curry.

I also told him, however, that I’ve always been at least a little adventurous when it comes to food and that I would keep coming back to Minerva to sample as many of his (and his customers’) favorite dishes as possible. Nearly three years later, I’ve sampled not only Minerva’s extensive and very reasonably priced buffet but also many of the specialties I probably would never have considered sampling when I was younger.

So, today, whether it’s because my taste buds have “grown up” or because Minerva’s authentic cuisine from every region of India is just that good, I really do enjoy visiting there — and not just because I also enjoy cutting the spice of the food with the truly delicious beers of India, including Taj Mahal, Hunter and others (Minerva also serves some good and popularly priced wines).

I always include an order of naan bread when I visit Minerva and my favorite had been the garlic naan, but on my most recent visit, I loved the savory butter naan (below, left) even more. 

As for starters, I really enjoy the vegetable, lamb and chicken varieties of Minerva’s samosas, which are fried, well-spiced triangular-shaped appetizers.

But, my favorite appetizers are the vegetable spring rolls served with mint and tamarind dipping sauces, and the Minerva Special Soup, which is sort of a blend of traditional New York-style Chinese egg drop soup and my mom’s homemade chicken soup. It’s loaded with white meat chicken and a variety of fresh veggies. 

Going Off-Buffet

Venkat agrees that most people who like Indian food go for the butter chicken, Masala or Tikka Masala dishes and biryani (rice) dishes (all of which are Specialties of the House at Minerva), but my favorite entrée at Minerva is still the Tandoori lamb shish kabab (above), which is actually ground lamb served with a crispy edge outside and tender inside on a sizzling fajita-style dish, only with better onions and peppers than at any Mexican restaurant. And, even though the lunch buffet is an amazing deal at just $9.95 Mon.-Fri. and $12.95 Sat.-Sun., full orders of the entrées I’ve mentioned all cost just $14.95 or less.

I also really enjoyed the Minerva Special Chicken, which features delicious veggies with boneless chicken pieces in a sweet red curry tomato and basil sauce that has no bite at all. Another new favorite of mine is the goat curry, which is tender goat on the bone, again with a light curry sauce that was excellent when paired with the vegetable biryani (basmati rice) from the buffet. 

And yes, for you vegetarians out there, Minerva offers nearly two dozen veggie entrées, plus hand-made dosas (crepes), a South Indian favorite served with sambar, coconut and ginger chutney and a variety of veggie-based fillings. I still haven’t sampled any of the dosas, but Venkat says they are definitely among his most popular dishes. 

I’ve also never sampled any of Minerva’s desserts, but they are very popular, too, especially the rice kheer (pudding) and the gulab jamun (milk-based balls in a sugar syrup).

Be adventurous…visit Minerva…and please tell Venkat I sent you!

Minerva Indian Restaurant (19050 BBD Blvd.) is open for lunch every day from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and for dinner from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. For more info, call (813) 978-8586 or visit MinervaTampa.com.