Tampa Bay: Ybor City

Overview

Actually a neighborhood, not a city, Ybor City is Tampa’s version of Bourbon Street. For the true experience, this area is best explored at night instead of during the daytime. Head down for dinner at any of the great restaurants. After dinner, wander up and down Seventh Avenue and stop in and out of the various bars for a drink or just to hear some great music. Many shops stay open until about 10pm. If you are feeling adventurous, there are several tattoo parlors you can checkout which always seem packed with people. Yes, I got my first tattoo here (a sunflower).

Quick Tips:

This part of town was once known for cigar production. Cigars can still be found in various shops and cigar bars. You can even watch them still being made, and maybe even take a cigar rolling class at the International Bazaar.

Make sure to try a Cuban sandwich. Made with ham and grilled pork, it is pressed in a unique machine called a plancha. This is a classic treat in this area since there is so much Cuban history here.

If you do go during the day, you won’t be able to enjoy the bars, but there are plenty of interesting shops and a few small museums. The shops are not just filled with cheap tourist junk, they are actually worth shopping in. If you do want some Ybor City souvenirs, there is one shop called "Ybor, Ybor" that will surely have something for you.

Several of Tampa Bay’s most well known events are held in Ybor City such as Fiesta Day, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Sant’Yago Knight Parade, Ybor City Bike Bash, Beer Fest ,and Guavaween.

Best Way To Get Around:

Ybor City is accessible by the TECO yellow trolley line from other areas of town. If you have a car, you can drive to Ybor City and park in one of the many parking lots. Once there, you will be able to walk around this small but lively area.

Cheer
Flag

Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Ybor Historic District

Hotel | "Hilton Garden Inn Tampa/Ybor City"

Ybor City has few hotels. The Hilton Garden Inn is an excellent choice when visiting Tampa. Since it is located in Ybor City and Ybor City is known as the party place, expect to have a fun crowd in this hotel. If traveling for business or if you do not plan to stay up late, I suggest staying in another part of town. However, if you come to Tampa for a good time, this is a great place to stay and in an excellent location.

Each room is a mini-suite with a microwave and mini-refrigerator which is great for leftovers from dinner at all the nearby restaurants. The hotel is a two-block walk from Centro Ybor and the trolley, which will take you to other areas of Tampa. Hotel offers both a pool and a fitness room. The Hilton name ensures that the rooms are all kept up with good quality, clean sheets, and a friendly staff.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Ybor Historic District
1700 EAST 9TH AVENUE Tampa, Florida 33605
813 769-9267

Carmine's

Restaurant | "Carmine’s Seventh Avenue"

I didn’t have a typical experience when visiting Carmine’s. It’s a well-known restaurant, but I did not go there for dinner. I stopped in to have a few drinks at the bar while I was waiting for the nightlife to pick up in Ybor City. In the process, we made friends with Shane, a really great bartender, and ended up having a few things to eat.

Next to the TV, above the bar, is a picture of two older gentlemen in bathing trunks sitting on a boat. I asked Shane about them and he answered me with a short history of the bar. The original Carmine opened the bar in the 1940s. He passed the restaurant to his son (with a different name) who was pictured on the right in the photo. He died a few years ago and left the restaurant to his son, the second Carmine, who now owns the place.

The rest of the restaurant is decorated with '50s sports photos, black floors, and a tin ceiling. The food featured is Cuban and Spanish. Along with our beers, we ordered the deviled crab. This ended up being a small football-shaped, deep-fried item. It tasted amazing. Not too oily, even though it was fried, and the crab was tender. After some time, I ordered a half of a Cuban sandwich. I have to say I think they may make the best Cuban sandwich in all of Tampa. It was really, really good, and I strongly suggest stopping in for one if you are ever in Ybor City.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Carmine's
1802 East Seventh Ave Tampa, Florida 33605
+1 813 248 3834

Cephas's

Restaurant | "Cephas Hot Shop"

What an experience! We went to this Jamaican restaurant in Ybor City at the suggestion of one of my coworkers, who found it online while looking for ethnic food in Tampa. As soon as we pulled up in front of the restaurant, I knew it would be unique.

On the outside it looks like an old dive, and this was confirmed upon walking into the restaurant. Old Jamaican posters were plastered up all over the walls. We were overtaken by the fast-talking Cephas, who was asking us what we knew about aloe vera before he gave us a table. He continued to tell us the health benefits of eating it and continued on with a long speech on colon cleansing (not my usually dinner conversation). He put on a video on the TV above and then quickly went to work slicing up some long aloe leaves. He scraped out the aloe on the inside and mixed it up in the blender with some water. He provided us each with a 32-ounce foam cup and told us to chug it. I had no idea what was going on! Everything was happening so fast: aloe, colons, TV, cup of foamy liquid... I did chug it and almost got it all finished before the gag reflex set in. I was supposed to be "cleansed" and have tons of energy the next day.

All this being strange as it was, I still recommend this restaurant to those who consider themselves adventurous eaters and who like to experience different types of things. People who only like to eat at restaurants with cloth napkins and metal silverware will probably be turned off by Cephas Hot Shop.

The food here is great. I had the curry chicken and will definitely go back for more. My friend had the jerk chicken, which was also very tasty. Each meal was about $7, and they take cash only. The aloe shakes were free for those of us who were first-timers, and the others were charged about $2.

I was surprised at the amount of people who showed up just for the aloe shakes and didn't even eat. Apparently this guy is a legend.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Cephas's
17 St. Ybor City Tampa, Florida

Dish

Restaurant

Dish is a great restaurant for groups. It is a fun and interactive dining experience. While there are other items on the menu, diners come for the noodle and rice dishes. The concept is that for about $16 you can eat as much as you want. Walk around the various "bars" set up, and choose what kind of rice or noodles, meat, veggies, and sauces you want to combine in your dish. Then get in line at the "grill," which is a huge circle in the center of the restaurant. The "chefs" stir-fry the food while you are standing and waiting. Then sit down at your table to enjoy. It is fun to get up and down to get seconds and thirds. The nature of dining like this can make it a long evening if the restaurant is crowded, because you may have to wait in line a while to get your food cooked.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Dish
1600 East 8th Avenue Tampa, Florida 33605
(813) 241-8300

Samurai Blue

Restaurant | "Samuri Blue"

One of my favorites, Samuri Blue is a great place to have sushi in Ybor City. While this is one of the smaller sushi restaurants in town, it offers a wide variety of creative maki rolls. This is the type of place where one likes to dress up a bit before going out to dinner. The restaurant is long and narrow, with incredible high ceilings. It looks like an old loft with exposed bricks and beams. The sushi bar stretches throughout the restaurant, all along the left side.

The food is great. I usually enjoy several different maki rolls when I eat sushi. They serve plum wine, which I always consider a bonus at sushi restaurants. It is a very refreshing drink to begin the meal. They also offer a nice choice of martinis. When ordering, make sure to turn over the menu because all of the special maki rolls are on the back. I almost missed them! There are options for meat lovers as well as vegetarians. This is one sushi restaurant where people can enjoy a good meal even if they do not like fish.

For the best experience, ask the server for suggestions and they will point you in the right direction. The fish here is always incredibly fresh. The ingredients for each different roll are listed so you can make sure to choose only items you like. This is a great place for people who like to try new things.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Samurai Blue
1600 East 8th Avenue Tampa, Florida 33605
(813) 242-6688

Columbia Restaurant

Restaurant | "The Columbia Restaurant"

The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City is a Tampa institution. This restaurant celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. This is the type of restaurant I like to take people for a fancy evening out if they are visiting the city for the first time. I also like to go here for celebrations. Flamenco dancers perform at set times in the evenings, which really makes dining at this restaurant more of a unique event. You can request a table near the stage when you make your reservation, if you would like to enjoy the show during dinner.

There are a lot of great things about Columbia. First of all, the food. They offer a large variety of tapas for starters, make wonderful paella, and have amazing fish dishes. If you order sangria or mojitos they make the picture right at your table, which is really fun to watch. Some of their dishes tend to be very rich, so ask if you are concerned about that. I usually do not have room for dessert, but they look amazing and have some traditional coffees to enjoy as well.

The restaurant is in an amazing old building, which is just fun to look at. This gorgeous building stretches an entire block and is made from hand-painted Spanish tiles and traditional stonework. Attached to the restaurant is a small souvenir shop and museum.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Columbia Restaurant
2025 East 7th Avenue Tampa, Florida 33605
+1 813 248 4961

Boneyard

Attraction

The Boneyard is a great place to stop for a drink when in Ybor City. The jukebox is filled with all sorts of great songs, and there are two red pool tables in the back if you like to play. The bar is filled with a wide variety of items, and it is fun to sip a beer and just look around. Next to the pool tables is an area where an old bathtub was cut in half and turned into two couches. There is a coin change machine where you can get quarters to play pool sits above an old toilet. Yes, there is a toilet in the middle of the bar. In the front window, an old children’s plastic rocking horse was covered with various colored feathers. And people sitting at the tables outside were smoking something from a large hookah.

There is a good mix of patrons visit this bar. The night I was there, a group of hard-core biker friends were partying right next a large preppy 30th birthday party. It’s the type of place anyone can go to wearing anything they want and no one judges.

If you get hungry, there is a popcorn machine on the front left side of the bar where you can help yourself to a basket for free. There was no cover on the Saturday night I visited.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Boneyard
1823 E. 7th Ave. Tampa, Florida 33605
(813) 248-6224

Green Iguana

Attraction

Restaurant by day, club by night. One Saturday night we walked up and down 7th Avenue, venturing in and out of the various bars, but none of them really appealed to us. When we came to the Green Iguana, we were drawn in by the live rock band. We caught the end of the first set of “The Usual Suspects,” and they were good enough that we wanted to wait the half-hour while they took a break to catch their next set. We ended up staying all night.

The Green Iguana is split into two sections. The left half of the bar has a dance floor in the back and features pop dance music. I prefer this to other clubs with real techno songs because there are usually at least a few songs I am familiar with. They played dance hits from various genres as well, so it was not only the latest songs. Two dart machines are set up near the dance floor. My girlfriend and I played a few rounds of darts and bopped to the music in between sets of the live band in the other room. The right side of the bar has a small stage set up where the band plays. I really liked that I could walk through the same bar and hear two different types of music, and that all the music was mainstream and known by all sorts of people. This bar had a good mix of people of various ages and ethnicity.

Service at the bar was decent as well. All the bartenders worked hard and I never had to wait too long. At least three bars were in service the night I was there. There was also a tub girl selling select beer and a girl walking around with various glowing shots for the adventurous. There was no cover on the Saturday night I visited.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

Green Iguana
1708 E. 7th Ave. Tampa, Florida 33605
(813) 248-9555

International Bazaar

Attraction

This is a unique place, and I strongly suggest stopping in if you are visiting Ybor. As the name suggests, you will find items from all over the world at this shop. The store itself is huge, and you will find yourself wandering through items from Greece to Mexico, into Peru, and over to Thailand, along with many other cultures. Items range in price from inexpensive to big-ticket items, such as ancient weapons and hand-carved furniture. A wide variety of jewelry and clothing is also available.

Much more than a shop, the International Bazaar offers even more cultural experiences through various weekly events.
Learn to tango, salsa, flamenco, belly dance, and Hawaiian dance through lessons open to the public. The African Dance & Drumming class looks like a lot of fun. They also advertise drum circles, martial arts classes, and more. There is something going on each evening and weekend afternoon. Friday nights from 6pm to 10pm, all ages are welcome to come out and play chess, and if you don’t know how, they’ll teach you!

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

International Bazaar
1600 E. 8th Ave. Tampa, Florida
(813) 241-8292

Muvico Centro Ybor 20

Attraction

Muvico makes movie-going a unique experience. The Muvico Centro Ybor is built with a Spanish theme. Not just the outside of the building is themed, but the entire theater. The hallways continue this theme, and there is so much detail that even the walls inside the theaters are painted with a faux theme.

Muvico Centro Ybor has 20 movie screens, all with stadium seating. There is an over-21 section that has a bar and allows patrons to enjoy a drink while watching the movie.

This movie theater often attracts me to Ybor. While Ybor is known as the bar and nightclub area, it is also fun to go down for a nice dinner and movie. The theater is close enough to the action to still feel exhilarated at being in the area, but off to the side enough so that you do not have to fight the large drunken crowds.

Cheer
Flag

by wildhoney269 on March 9, 2006

IgoUgo

Tampa

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Tampa Bay: Ybor City