Whether or not youâve ever entered one of our previous Reader Dining Survey & Contests, I hope youâll consider entering at least once this year.
Yes, while we still have at least three (there could be more) free dining prizes, from $35 to $100 â to the restaurant of your choice, no less â weâre making it easier than ever before for you to enter.
Instead of a full page or more of different dining categories, all weâre asking you for is to answer one or two questions in every issue between now and Thursday, November 16, and youâll receive one entry into those random prize drawings for each Survey question you answer.
This issue, weâll start with one question that asks you for FIVE (5) answers â âName your Five Favorite Restaurants (of any kind) located in Wesley Chapel or near the Tampa Premium Outlets (aka Lutz).â
For your entry to be valid, you must name five different restaurants. If you only name one or two restaurants or fill in the name of the same restaurant in all five spaces, youâll only have one or two votes counted and your entry will not be eligible for any of our prizes.
Then, in each of the next five issues, weâll ask you to name only one or two of your favorites â for example, your Favorite Chinese Restaurant, Coffee Shop or Pizza Place â and weâll give you one additional entry into our random prize drawings for each valid entry you submit. We feel as though this should stimulate more people to enter the contests, because the task wonât be as daunting as having to completely (or nearly completely) fill out an entire page of favorites.
As always, thereâs no purchase necessary to enter or win a prize. All we ask is that you follow the following rules:
1. Enter by filling out the entry form in the issue or by filling the form out online by clicking HERE.Â
2. You can drop your filled-out entry form in the mail (send it to â2023 Neighborhood News Dining Contest,â 2604 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Suite 102D, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544) or even email it to us at Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com. *Note-Entries filled out on our website do not need to be mailed or emailed to us.
3. Please check the address and zip codes of the restaurants you choose, as only votes for restaurants in zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545 (Wesley Chapel) and zip code 33559 (Lutz, within 1-2 miles of the S.R. 56 exit off I-75) will be counted as âWesley Chapelâ votes. When we ask you next issue for your âFive Favorite Restaurants (of any kind) in New Tampa,â only restaurants located in zip code 33647, or in the Oak Ramble Plaza on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (in zip code 33613) and in or near the Palms Connection Plaza on E. Bearss Ave. (zip code 33559) will be counted as âNew Tampaâ votes.
4. In order to be eligible to win any of our free dining prizes to the restaurant of your choice, your entry form with a response to at least one of our questions over the next five months must include your name, full mailing address (including your zip code), the community you live in (Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, Seven Oaks, etc.), a daytime phone number where you can be reached and your valid email address.
We look forward to seeing how this yearâs contest shakes out. Good luck!
Every year, after we report the results of our Reader Dining Survey & Contest, I always feel compelled to give you my dining favorites, including all of the restaurants that opened in (or very near) New Tampa and Wesley Chapel the previous year. And, with all the new eateries that opened in our distribution areas in 2020 after the reader voting ended, my âsurveyâ list looks even more different than usual than the places our readers voted for in our last issue.
Here are my favorite restaurants (new and existing) in New Tampa for 2020, from Nos. 11-25. The top 10 will publish online tommorrow. â GN Â
25. THE BRUNCHERY 17507 Preserve Walk Ln. (813) 533-7271 For those of us who had been begging for a great breakfast place in New Tampa, owner Stanley Athanâs The Brunchery filled that void. And, even though I prefer fried eggs over easy with crispy bacon to the beautiful pancakes topped with fresh fruit shown here, this was such a pretty picture we decided to use it instead. The Brunchery also serves a selection of âBenedictâ (poached egg) breakfasts, avocado toast, a lox (smoked salmon) platter, ultimate omelettes and an incredible variety of French toast options. The Brunchery also serves great burgers, sandwiches (including tuna and grilled chicken melts) and salads for lunch, too.
24. PEABODY’S Shoppes at Amberly 15333 Amberly Dr. (813) 972-1725 Peabodyâs is more than just a sports bar taken to the next level â with amazing video games, pool tables, dart boards and more TV screens to watch every game at once than just about anyplace else in New Tampa. Itâs also a great place for NY-style pizza, the best wings this side of The Fat Rabbit and a recently expanded menu offering Philly cheesesteak and Santa Fe egg rolls, pickle fries, and âClassicsâ like country fried chicken, loaded boneless wings and of course, some of the best burgers and hand-cut French fries in town. The full-liquor bar also has great drink prices and an outstanding selection of beers on tap.
23. THAI LANNA & SUSHI Cross Creek Center 10022 Cross Creek Blvd. (813) 991-0108 For those of you who donât live off of Cross Creek Blvd., Thai Lanna is another excellent (and pretty) Thai place that also features really good appetizers like Thai spring rolls, pan-fried dumplings (bottom right in photo above), fried calamari and even fried eggplant. There also are three kinds of crispy duck, with the volcano duck (with mixed veggies and sweet chili sauce) being my favorite. Try the crab fried rice, too. The basil and garlic & black pepper sauces are my faves. Thai Lanna also has added really fresh sushi (cooked shrimp sushi and California roll are shown in the above), too.
21. MR. DUNDERBAK’S Oak Ramble Plaza 14929 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (813) 977-4104 When the original Mr. Dunderbakâs was in the University Square Mall, I thought it was a cool place for German food, even though I really only had roast beef and pastrami sandwiches there. The location on BBD (which has been around the last 15-20 of its 45 years in business) has a much more diverse menu, and I really enjoy German dishes like the crispy jagerschnitzel (available in veal or pork, both are great, photo above), the Holstein schnitzel, topped with two fried eggs, and the kassler rippchen (pork chops). Iâm not a big beer drinker, but Mr. Dâs biergarten has a huge selection. Great European chocolate selection, too.
18. WOODFIRED PIZZA & WINE BAR Palms Connection 2822 E. Bearss Ave. (813) 341-2900 The first woodfired pizza place to open in (or near) either of our distribution areas is known for its high-quality pizza ingredients, as well as owner Peter Taylorâs unique pizza names â like my favorite Pizza Raquel, which features house-made fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, grana padano cheese and olive oil, to which I usually add either pepperoni, fire-roasted sausage or Italian-style meatballs (Peterâs âcarnivoreâ pizza has all three) and fresh spinach. The woodfired meatball appetizer and wings and fresh Caesar and wedge salads also are excellent, too.
16. FULL CIRCLE PIZZA Pebble Creek Collection 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (813) 994-3700 Donât get me wrong…even though I find the deep-dish, Chicago-style pizza shown above very tasty, Iâll never say I like it as much as the New York-style pizza I grew up with. And, even though I know that deep-dish and thin-crust Chicago pizza is a big reason why many locals love Full Circle, Iâm actually a much bigger fan of the other delicious menu items owner/chef Freddy Nova and his wife Julia have added since taking over the place in 2017. My favorites are the chicken and broccoli in garlic and oil and the meatball and chicken parmigiana subs.
14. MICHI RAMEN 18027 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. The Walk at Highwoods Preserve (813) 374-5320 Another newcomer breaking into my top-15 this year, Michi Ramen literally opened as the pandemic hit, and only served at a uniquely designed, plexiglass-enclosed takeout window for several months. But, once it did open, I could see that not only is Michi Ramen great for takeout, it also is a beautiful new place for a delicious sit-down lunch or dinner, with a full, premium-liquor bar. Iâm not the biggest ramen noodle fan, but I have heard folks rave about the flavor and variety and Iâm not surprised â Michi Ramenâs appetizers like pan-fried gyoza (pork dumplings) and semi-spicy, popcorn-style fried chicken are outstanding.
13. FRAMMI (formerly Oakleyâs Grille) 17631 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (813) 523-5075 Even though the restaurant hasnât been owned by anyone named Oakley in a few years, owner Luca Ammirati kept the name of the popular burger-&-sandwich joint the same until revamping the place into an Italian & American eatery with a much bigger American variety than Oakleyâs, plus a big variety of Lucaâs authentic Italian dishes (like the amazing fusilli pasta with house-made pesto and grilled chicken above) with the new name âFrammi.” This yearâs 13th-place finish is based on Oakleyâs menu, but Frammi will finish higher next year.
12. THAI RUBY Shoppes at Amberly, Tampa Palms 15319 Amberly Dr. (813) 558-0570 As Thai restaurants go, Thai Ruby is the most beautiful Thai place in New Tampa and also has the best food, especially since Sukhothai closed. The spring rolls, ginger chicken, the spicy Thai combination fried rice (with chicken, beef and pork), the Siam chicken, filet of grouper and soft shell crab are all top-notch and Thai Ruby may have the largest selection of veggie dishes youâll find anywhere (I love the steamed broccoli with carrots, green beans and snow peas). But, this also is the place I go when I have a craving for Thai-style crispy duck with sweet & sour, ginger or garlic sauce.
11. KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Pebble Creek Collection 19601 Bruce B Downs Blvd. (813) 994-6600 For those who crave the teppanyaki (hibachi) table experience in our area, please check out Kobe. And, even though Jannah and I usually sit at the bar rather than share a table with families with young children, you get the same great meal, just without the show. Kobe definitely has the best-quality filet mignon, sirloin steak and chicken of any Japanese restaurant in our area, and you can even get pepper-crusted tuna tataki hibachi, as well as beautiful-looking surf-&-turf combos with lobster, shrimp and scallops that I (sadly) canât eat. Great sushi, too.
Every year, after we report the results of our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest, I always feel compelled to give you my dining favorites, including all of the restaurants that opened in (or very near) New Tampa and Wesley Chapel the previous year. Some of you love my opinions; others…not so much.
Even so, most people I meet out in our neck of the woods tell me they agree with my choices more than they do those of the readers year after year.
For example, even when my kids were young and I ate a lot more fast food, I liked Chick-fil-A, Steak-n-Shake and others enough, but when I see enough people voting for any fast food eatery to place it in our readersâ top-10 â especially now, when we have more than 150 different restaurants between our two markets â I always feel like I need to have my say, too.
But, when I get to sit down to a perfect medium-rare, bone-in ribeye (photo) or big filet, with spicy bourbon creamed corn, a Caesar salad (with or without anchovies) and a glass of Malbec from my favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel â Dempseyâs Steak House at Saddlebrook Resort, I know my judgement canât be all bad. â GNÂ
— 1 Â —Â DEMPSEY’S 5700 Saddlebrook Way | (813) 907-4574
From the day it first opened at Saddlebrook Resort off S.R. 54 somewhere around 20 years ago, Dempseyâs has been my favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel â and for good reason!
Itâs not because I used to live in Saddebrook before Dempseyâs opened, or because itâs the most expensive restaurant in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. Dempseyâs gets my nod year after year because the steakhouse named for Saddlebrook owner Tom Dempsey always features the best hand-cut steaks, freshest, top-quality fish and amazing starters and sides.
In other words, Dempseyâs isnât just the best restaurant in the Chap. Itâs a top-5 steakhouse in the Bay area, as good (and as pricy) as the Council Oak at the Seminole Hard Rock, Flemingâs, Charleyâs and the 1200Âș Chophouse on St. Pete Beach.
When I told Saddlebrook assistant food and beverage director Geoffrey Rutgers that Dempseyâs was #1 with me again this year, the long-time Neighborhood News reader quickly set up the photo shoot for my picture on pg. 30. âIâve trusted your picks for years and I know Iâm not the only one,â he said.
Even though Grillsmith has always made my top-10 since it first opened in the Shops at Wiregrass, itâs now grabbing its loftiest spot on my list of WC favorites since the Tampa Bay-based chain first opened because of the addition of what they call âshort-tripâ fresh fish (like the grouper Mediterranean style shown above; weâve also enjoyed corvina, snapper, mahi and even pompano and never had a bad piece of fish). Thereâs now also a larger selection of steaks and the mashed cauliflower is the best around.
Bubbaâs 33 may be the highest-finishing new restaurant on my list since Dempseyâs, even though itâs an entirely different concept, price-point and feel.
Local Bubbaâs 33 franchisee Jeff Dean and his wife (and marketing whiz) Crista have years of experience in the restaurant business, but Texas Roadhouseâs new concept also is amazing â sports bar prices with restaurant-quality food. âEverything is house-made,â Crista says. âFrom our hand-tossed pizzas to our hand-cut steaks.â And, the chicken-&-not-waffles above is my current favorite brunch item in Wesley Chapel.
My friends Anass El-Omari and his wife Susana only renamed and reopened the restaurant inside the Lexington Oaks Golf Club a little more than a year ago but it has been a best-kept secret in Wesley Chapel ever since. And, even though you can only get Anassâ perfect grilled mahi-mahi (above), crispy, but tender chicken parmigiana and filet mignon with cream sauce as daily specials since he revamped his own menu after the golf course was closed for renovations last year, the more golfer-oriented food is still excellent.
When Jannah and I feel like a delicious filet at a fair price, with great sides included, Longhorn is the first place we both usually think of â and not just because itâs the closest steakhouse to where we live. From the tender Floâs filet to the NY strip, Longhornâs steaks are aways done to perfection and if youâre somehow ever not happy, management will always make it right. We love the salad, the crisp-crust bread and always-fresh veggies, too. And, although we wish the bar area was a little bigger, the bartenders and drink prices are outstanding.
— 6 — GARDEN GRILLE Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-WC 26640 Silver Maple Pkwy. | (813) 591-6900
Please stop me if youâve heard me say this before, but when the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel first opened in late 2018, it hosted a Grand Opening event, where the food served in the hotelâs Garden Grille restaurant was so good, I thought it mustâve come from an outside caterer.
Wrong! The food at the Garden Grille is excellent, from delicious crispy wings, to tasty meatballs and even a great ribeye steak. I wish the Garden Grille was open for lunch, but itâs also great for âeventâ food like the French toast casserole shown above.
— 7 — BONEFISH GRILL Shoppes at New Tampa (WC) 1640 Bruce B Downs Blvd. | (813) 907-8202
When youâre looking for the best seared tuna sashimi appetizer (photo) in Wesley Chapel, thereâs no doubt in my mind that Bonefish Grillâs is #1. The thick slices are always fresh, always well-seared but still rare and covered in black and white sesame seeds. Bonefish does also feature excellent fresh fish, but not as good for my money as Grillsmithâs. And, the Outback-quality steaks are an added bonus. I canât eat the bang-bang shrimp because of my accursed shellfish allergy, but people say itâs the best â and most often imitated â youâll find anywhere.
— 8 — FORDâS GARAGE 25226 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz | (813) 540-3673
— 10 — TOP SHELF SPORTS LOUNGE AdventHealth Center Ice 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd. (813) 953-1032
Based on my experience at other ice rinks when both of my sons played ice hockey, I had no real expectations for good food when what is now called AdventHealth Center Ice first opened three years ago. Boy, was I wrong. Not only does Top Shelf have some of the best wings, burgers and bar food around, it also serves delicious mixed veggies as a side and the beers from owner Keelan Cottleâs own 81Bay Brewing are definitely popular with the hockey moms and dads.
The steak quality at the Outback Steakhouse has never been in question. The Victoriaâs filet shown above is very similar in quality and price to Longhornâs Floâs filet. Itâs all a matter of whose seasoning you prefer. In addition to the great variety of steaks, Outback also is famous for its shrimp on the barbie and bloominâ onion appetizers, Alice Springs chicken and surf & turf options that I sadly canât enjoy, but rewards members (like me!) get $20 off at Outback or Bonefish or $40 off at Flemingâs every third visit.
— 12 — BAHAMA BREEZE 25830 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz | (813) 949-0779
Owners Jessica and Carl Meyersâ seemingly hard-to-find location on S.R. 54, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets, has been bringing in hungry fans from the moment it opened and the addition of beer, wine and homemade sangria definitely hasnât hurt business, either. Although Iâve always said that the menu could be more diverse, if youâre looking for the best lasagne, chicken or veal parmigiana (the latter is usually a special) in our area, this is your place â and the portions are huge, especially the calzones! The homemade Sicilian-style pizza is also unique and yummy.
— 15 — THE HUNGRY GREEK 2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. | (813) 345-8526
Any time you can offer quality food at excellent prices, you should have a chance to be successful in the restaurant biz and The Hungry Greek is proof of that theory. Years before AdventHealth Wesley Chapel opened directly across the street, The Hungry Greek was packing in the people, especially at lunchtime, with its classic gyro and souvlaki sandwiches and platters, shish kabob combo and chicken Caesar pita sandwich and the Greek salad is the most authentic and delicious in our area, too. I also really enjoy the Greek beer and decadent desserts.
— 16 — 900Âș WOODFIRED PIZZA Shops at Wiregrass 28152 Paseo Dr. #195 | (813) 527-6940
The new location of Amiciâs on Wesley Chapel Blvd./S.R. 54 in Lutz has brought me ever closer to the Mannino brothers and their delicious pizza, like the sausage and pepperoni NY-style shown above. But, like 900Âș Woodfired, Amiciâs makes my list of Wesley Chapel favorites in part because it features a very authentic NY-style version of another one of my favorite pasta dishes â the linguine with white clams. I canât really call it a sauce, because itâs correctly more of a light broth, but it is loaded with whole clams and garlic and is a definite must-try!
Even though I didnât remember the name of their long-time, open-24-hours-a-day original Fratelliâs in the Hunts Point Market in The Bronx, NY, I am so happy that the Fratelli brothers decided to sell that location and bring their tasty NY-style pizza and pastas to Wesley Chapel. I was even happier when I first sampled the truly authentic penne with broccoli rabe, chicken and sausage shown above. You wonât find a better broccoli rabe in the Tampa Bay area and the baked pastas and hot subs also rock!
— 19 — LA PRIMA PIZZA 1211 Bruce B Downs Blvd. | (813) 907-2878
The fact that I have been friends with owner (and fellow transplanted New Yawka) Willie Lopez (and his son and pizza man Chris, photo) for more than 20 years has nothing to do with why I say La Prima has my favorite NY-style pizza in Wesley Chapel (or New Tampa, for that matter). However, it takes more than just great, oversized slices of pizza to make my list of favorite restaurants and La Prima also has really good Italian specialties like huge calzones and oven-baked meatball parmigiana subs.
Although I never really thought of Puerto Rican food as one of my favorite Latin cuisines until I tried the original location of Rice-n-Beans on S.R. 54 in Lutz, the spacious and beautiful new location (in the former location of Codyâs Roadhouse) has kept me a fan of Wesley Chapelâs Rice-n-Beans, especially the amazing fried chicken chicharrons shown above. Iâm also a fan of the roast pork mofongo, the grilled pork chops and chicken breast in garlic sauce. And yes, the rice and (I prefer the red) beans served with every meal are also delicious and authentic. Great drink prices, too.
— 21 — YAMATO JAPANESE Shops at Wiregrass 28347 Paseo Dr. | (813) 907-8701
Still the only Japanese steakhouse in Wesley Chapel, Yamato has a tremendous variety of hibachi-grilled proteins (photo) and the quality of the NY strip and filet mignon, as well as the chicken and even tuna teppanyaki dishes (and veggies) is good, although maybe not quite at the same level as Kobe in New Tampa. Even so, the sushi also is fresh and Yamato even has a full, premium-liquor bar, as well as its popular sushi bar and teppanyaki tables. Jannah and I enjoy the food more than the show at Japanese steakhouses. (Photo: Yelp)
I can live without the line dancing, but the food and service at Texas Roadhouse are both very good and I like picking out my own steak from the steakhouseâs display window before I order my meal. I prefer the NY strip over the filet or ribeye at Texas Roadhouse, but all of them are tasty and not as heavily seasoned (or quite as expensive) as at Longhorn or Outback. And, although I usually prefer bread with a crisp crust, the honey butter Roadhouse rolls are kind of addictive. Jannah and I always sit at the bar to avoid the sometimes-long wait for a table.
GARYâS NEXT 25 FAVES (in alphabetical order) All of these restaurants are very good, just not good enough (in my opinion) to make my Top-25 in Wesley Chapel. Iâm even admitting to liking three âfast foodâ places.-GN
