Restaurants in Tampa

After Sweet! By The Cake Factory’s bakers pull the day’s cupcakes out of the oven, they stop short of slathering them with swirls of buttercream frosting or sprinkling on M&M's or nuts. Instead, they invite guests to decorate their own confections at a cupcake bar stocked with cookie and candy toppings. This hands-on approach lends itself to lively birthday parties, wherein a photographer snaps children in aprons, chef’s hats, and rubber Julia Child masks as they decorate six cupcakes each. The bakery’s Sweet to Others campaign proffers a predesigned cupcake each month whose proceeds benefit nonprofit organizations.

The aroma of roasting pork and simmering mojo sauce wafts through La Teresita’s dining room, weaving past hanging tropical plants and a trellised ceiling. Back in the kitchen, chefs plate traditional Cuban dishes, ladling yellow rice and grilled onions onto succulent cuts of beef and layering pork or palomilla steak between slices of toasted bread. Dining companions can cap meals with classic Caribbean sweets such as flan, guava shells filled with cream cheese, or the edible chocolate cigars that Cuba is so famous for.

A quaint teashop with a Scottish flare, Moffat's Cup of Tea at first seems as if it would be more at home in the Highlands than basking under Florida’s perennial sunshine. With its bright-green walls and purple trim, however, the shop has adapted well to its tropical surroundings. The vibrant decor lifts guests’ spirits as they sit down for afternoon tea, which is often accompanied by freshly prepared sandwiches, pastries, and fruit. Steam rises over tables draped in lace as the staff pours selections from more than 35 varieties of tea into cups of English china, each delicately painted with a stamp to verify its dual-citizenship. After taking tea, guests can peruse the gift room's selection of teas, pots, and other fine wares.

Founded in 1994, Westshore Pizza has upheld a steadfast commitment to using fresh dough and regionally sourced ingredients. To make each signature pie—described as New York–style "with a Philly twist"—chefs top crusts with California tomatoes and hand-grated Wisconsin mozzarella.

Traditional pizzas, such as the meat-lovers pie, sit side by side with the Philly deluxe and white spinach-ricotta pizzas. The company stays true to its Philly-based credo by stocking more than 50 Philly-style ingredients, and serving up hot cheesesteaks on italian buns baked fresh in their bakery, fattened with all the proper fixings, and finished off with a thumbs-up quality-assurance test from the Rocky statue. Cooks also craft Italian pasta dinners and salads from scratch. A laundry list of burgers, wings, and calzones fills out the extensive menu.

The sound of the sizzling skillet is as regular as a rooster's crow each morning at Rodie’s Restaurant & Pancake House. Before long, the wait staff is delivering skillets, omelets and crepe creations to diners eagerly clutching their forks, knifes, and maple-tree taps. As the afternoon sun perches high in the sky, the lunch crowd lingers to enjoy greek salads and triple-decker sandwiches paired with a collection of homemade soups.