Welcome To The ‘Subcontinent Of New Tampa!’

New Tampa Has Become A Haven For Indian Food — Now With 11 Restaurants Serving Cuisine From Every Region Of India! 

When I first bought Neighborhood News in 1994, there were no Indian restaurants in zip code 33647. The first was Saffron on Cross Creek Blvd., which moved and then closed. Minerva in the New Tampa Center plaza on Bruce B. Downs was the second and there were only two or three for several years. 

Today, with the growth of the local Indian population, there are now eleven Indian restaurants in New Tampa, all of which are listed on this page. On the next page, you’ll find the list of the nine restaurants in New Tampa that serve Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food or at least serve Halal meat options. 

Next issue, we will provide the same type of list of the Indian & Mediterranean restaurants in Wesley Chapel. — GN 

Ambarsari Zaika Indian Cuisine — 10865 Cross Creek Blvd., in Mobil gas station convenience store. (656) 239-2813 Linktr.ee/AmbariZaikaTampa 

Pure veg, Sattvic- & Jain-friendly meals with bold, rotating menus. Ghar jaisa khaana, made fresh daily. Live pani puri. Chaat, Amritsari Kulcha, Paranthas 

Dosa Hut — 10942 Cross Creek Blvd. (813) 886-4555. GaramDosaHut.com 

Casual South Indian eatery featuring crispy dosas and other breakfast staples, plus a vegan menu. 

Gorkhali Kitchen — 10044 Cross Creek Blvd. (813) 388-6404. GorkhaliKitchenTampa.com 

Locally owned & dedicated to serving up great Himalayan-inspired, authentic flavors of Kathmandu City, Nepal, for lunch & dinner. 

House of Biryanis & Kebabs — 19430 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (813) 388-6777. HBKTampa.com 

Authentic Hyderabadi dishes prepared with fresh ingredients, traditional spices and a commitment to quality and great hospitality. 

Ice Spice Café — 20304 Trout Creek Dr., #101. (813) 591-1758. IceSpiceIndianStreetFoodCafe.shop 

Authentic taste of Indian street cuisine with a fresh, vegetarian focus. Serves a range of flavorful dishes like chaat, samosa sandwiches, pav bhaji & Bombay sandwiches. Also serve unique Indian ice creams and fruit shakes. 

Jay’s Kitchen — 17501 Preserve Walk Ln., #103. (813) 866-5297. JaysKitchenUSA.com 

From rich & creamy gravies to smoky Tandoori delights, the menu includes vegetarian, vegan & non-vegetarian options. 

Kabob Café & Grill — 18101 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy., Ste 100. (813) 405-8740. KabobCafeandGrill.com 

Pakistani restaurant with meat curries, veg curries, kabobs, biryanis and some appetizers & desserts. 

Minerva Indian Restaurant — 19050 Bruce B Downs Blvd. (813) 978-8586. MinervaTampa.com 

Known for specialties like Gongura Chicken, Masala Dosa, and Onion Wada, this restaurant focuses on Halal and spicy dishes, plus a daily-changing lunch buffet. 

Namaste Express — 17503 Preserve Walk Ln., Ste B. (813) 866-1300. Namastexp.com 

Casual eatery for authentic dishes of South Indian cuisine, also offering vegan choices. 

Nawabi Hyderabad House — 15345 Amberly Dr. (813) 443-0198. Nawabihhtampa.com 

Growing chain of Indian restaurants known for authentic Hyderabadi cuisine, with a menu that showcases the flavors and spices of the Indian city of Hyderabad. Also known for its variety of biryanis. 

Taaza Mart Café — 6260 Commerce Palms Dr. (inside Taaza Mart grocery store). (813) 564-8100. TaazaMartFL.com 

Indian & Pakistani store featuring fresh produce, spices, sweets and Halal meat, the café offers a variety of hot Indian foods, prepared fresh daily. 

Introducing Nawabi Hyderabad House & Rain Bistro! 

The New Tampa area already has a much larger number of Asian restaurants of all kinds — Chinese, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Korean and even Nepalese — than Wesley Chapel does, but it seems we should make room for at least two more, as Rain Bistro just opened in the former location of Mei’s Pizza (and a couple of others before Mei’s) on E. Bearss Ave., just west of Livingston Ave., and Nawabi Hyderabad House & Biryani Place just replaced another Indian eatery — Raaga — in the Shoppes at Amberly in Tampa Palms. 

Right As Rain! 

Rain Bistro, owned by my new friend Will, is actually pretty delicious. Although it is something of an Asian fusion place, Will is Chinese and he says his signature crunchy fried chicken (above right) and delicious fried rice (not pictured) are definitely from his native country, even though he also has great almost-Thai-style spring rolls and Japanese-style fried gyoza dumplings filled with chicken (both in left photo above), as well as a large variety of ramen and other noodle and rice dishes, plus a number of different boba tea drinks. Considering it only opened the day we went to press with this issue, all I can say is the food is great and the place, even though it still doesn’t look impressive from the outside, is much more upscale inside — without the upscale prices. Great job, Will! 

For more info about Rain Bistro (2592 E. Bearss Ave.), which is open every day for lunch & dinner, call (813) 977-1688. 

Nawabi — More Than Just A New Name! 

Although I was never a big fan of Raaga, the most recent Indian restaurant in the same location is the new Nawabi Hyderabad House & Biryani Place at 15345 Amberly Dr. and I definitely enjoyed my first visit. 

I didn’t find out why the restaurant is called Nawabi, but Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. Of course, the bottom line is, did I like the food on my first visit to this much nicer new sit-down restaurant? And, the answer is unequivocally “yes!” 

Although I didn’t venture very far (if at all) out of my comfort zone, I gobbled down the garlic naan bread and wok-tossed hakka noodles with chicken at Nawabi. The thinner-than-lo-mein noodles had a delicate flavor, with a hint of black pepper and just a bit of a kick, even without the much spicier Schezwan (their spelling) sauce, which I was told to order on the side — and I was glad I did. I really only needed a dab on each bite to savor. 

For info about Nawabi (also open for lunch & dinner every day), call (813) 443- 0198 or visit NawabiHHTampa.com.