Thursday, January 21, 2016

Florida Must try! (Tampa/Ybor City)

Explore the following when you are in Tampa:




Ybor City



Ybor City is where Cuban populated when they moved to Tampa.  It is about 8-9 blocks radius of history, art, hand rolled cigar shops, tattoos parlor, awesome restaurants, clothing, art and bars.  There is a large parking garage that is very reasonable in cost ($1 per hour) or you can find meter parking on the street.  Ybor has a bit of a feel like Bourbon street in New Orleans in architecture and design.  You can spend a few hours just walking around and exploring.  Ybor is about 14 blocks from the Tampa Cruise Port (for those coming to Tampa for a cruise).  From the port, you can take the street car for about $2 - details here: http://www.tecolinestreetcar.org/ that would take you through the 4-6 blocks of Channelside then through Ybor.  Although, if you don't mind the walk, you could walk to Ybor within 30 minutes or less. 


From the airport, it is about a $30 cab ride or see what Uber charges, may be a lot less.




El Puerto is an authentic Argentinian restaurant own by a nice couple with amazing food located right in Ybor that is a must try.  They have amazing lunches and dinners.  My favorite of all times are: their mixto ceviche - so so good and their homemade hot sauces, best hot sauce and chimichurri (Columbia Restaurant - a chain restaurant in Florida is not match for this amazing gem).      Everything at this restaurant is amazing and authentic, from the meat dishes to the fish dishes to rice dishes.  Service can bit slow but completely worth the wait.






King Corona - when I lived in Tampa, this was a place my friends and I often visited when we were in Ybor City. They have specialty coffee drinks, alcoholic beverages, wines, cigars and even a barber if you wanted to get your hair cut.  There are inside seating 0and outside seating, great for people watching.




Centro Cantina - for those frozen drinks and giant margaritas.




Hamburger Mary's - for a bit of a show and some awesome burgers.




Gametime - for those gamers, this is a great place to go for some arcade action.


Downtown Tampa



Fly bar and Lounge ($$) -awesome drinks and food with outside seating, located in downtown Tampa (there is a parking lot across the street)


Bambozzle - freshly made Vietnamese rolls, salads, soups with your choice of protein or veggies or both (only drawback is there is not a convenient place to park, street parking and meter parking are your easiest option)


Bayshore blvd - a beautiful drive to see the bay or stroll or run (lots of bicyclist, runners and dog walkers) on Bayshore




South Tampa (International Mall)


Just a very nice mall with an abundant of shops and awesome chain restaurants, i.e., Ocean Prime (not in the mall but by the entrance to the parking lot area), Capitol Grille (by Mall) next to Cheesecake Factory and across from the mall is Roys Hawaiin Fusion (love this place)

Hyde Park or also known as SoHo (South of Howard)

This is where a lot action happens on the weekends, typically a 20s and 30s crowd  that congregate here for happy hour and some awesome bars. 

MacDinton's Irish pub ($)

A very big Irish pub with great deals for drinks and always a large crowd on a Thursday and Friday night for happy hour. $10 all you can drink for an hour. 
Inside and outside seating, sometimes with live music. There about 7 bars in this Irish pub, 2 outside and 5 inside, so you can imagine how crowded they get.

Dubliners ($)

Another Irish pub and it is to the side of Macdintons, less than 1/2 block walk. Dubliner is a smaller scale pub with less seating and only 2 bars, 1 inside and 1 outside, nevertheless, the ambience is a must try if you like a little more quiet pub in comparison to Macdintons. The crowd is a bit more lay back here than at Macdintons. 

Cheap ($$)

A sushi & mediterrean restaurant right next to Dubliner, practically attached. You can smell the food from the outside area of Dubliners. Cheap has a variety of food (I.e., sushi, pizza, wings, kebobs, ribs, salads) and drinks that are slightly more upscale in price than both of the Irish Pubs.  

Carrolwood


Terra Sur Café - a Peruvian restaurant, a real gem with amazing ceviche selections and Peruvian dishes. Must try!

Town and Country

Saigon deli ($) - a Vietnamese restaurant with amazing banh mi (sandwiches), summer rolls, pho, bun bo hue and a variety of rice and noodle dishes. They also have some authentic Vietnamese desserts and all for a very reasonable price.  

Wesley Chapel



HQ Salon - Aveda Salon - located in the shop of Wiregrass, my favorite place to get your hair cut (yes, they have the best stylist and to date, I still haven't found one that compares and I have relocated to two different states since).
And amazing pricing, $25 for a next generation and the next is $40. I have always gotten a next generation and have been more than happy with their services. I think the training Aceda puts their students through UAT be exceptional because they have great talents at the this HQ Aveda salon. I have been to other Aveda salon but always significantly more expensive for the same kind of service.  You get a hand massage and a scalp massage with every service and their amazing tea.