Restaurants in Temple Terrace

Newcomers to Byblos Cafe may think they’ve stumbled into a sultan’s court: belly dancers wind their way past private enclaves replete with plush footstools and gossamer curtains, and heaping trays of charbroiled meats fill the air with the scents of basil and mint. The sultry atmosphere reflects owners Roger and Ziad Estephan’s mission to share their Lebanese heritage, which they do through every minor and major detail.

Beyond the glowing candles scattered throughout the dining areas, chefs draw upon Estephan family recipes to prepare a menu of traditional Mediterranean dishes. They hand roll grape leaves around spiced rice and herbs, and they marinate meats in fragrant blends of olive oil, lemon, and garlic—the base ingredients in Lebanese Febreze. Additionally, Byblos Cafe houses an international market where diners can stock up on Middle Eastern groceries.

Black-and-white portraits of Sophia Loren stare down at diners as sunlight bounces off the mirrors lining one wall of Gio's Italian Restaurant. After inspecting wine bottles lined up against the wall or arm-wrestling a date to determine who gets the tallest chair, guests can dig into sautéed fish or chicken, fresh salads, or Italian classics such as penne alla vodka.

EATS! American Grill culls its Americana-infused recipes from all across the country, creating a menu that ranges from cheesesteaks that pay homage to Philadelphia to marinated cuts of salmon that honor the Pacific Northwest. Patrons kick off their meals with New York buffalo wings, fried green tomatoes, or soups such as the 1880 Texas Chili, which evokes the 1800s with its old-fashioned spices rather than its refusal to believe in the Internet. Main dishes range from burgers and sandwiches to more upscale fare of crab cakes and rib-eye steaks. Visitors lounging at tables or seated at the full bar can tune in to the eatery’s 10 high-definition TVs, which glow with local teams’ games or entertainment for the younger set, such as Nickelodeon shows or stock reports about the market rate of Hot Wheels.

Cooking always came naturally to Sunita Chheda. When she wasn’t frolicking through the bustling avenues of Bombay with her seven brothers and sisters, Sunita was in the kitchen, learning the ins and outs of traditional Goan cooking from her mother. Today, Sunita brings her family’s time-honored recipes and her lifetime of Indian cooking experience to her own restaurant—Saffron Indian Cuisine.

Sunita’s kitchen is flooded with the aromas of ginger, coconut, and freshly ground herbs as she folds fresh meat, seafood, and vegetables into the traditional dishes lauded by reporters from New Tampa Neighborhood News. The nimble chef simmers pans of creamy butter chicken and spicy Goan fish curries before darting over to the clay oven to check on the baking naan. Sunita even offers a kids’ menu, featuring youngster-friendly specialties such as french fries and invisible curry for invisible friends. Servers bring her still-steaming dishes out into the sunlit dining room, where a vivid mural of the Taj Mahal stretches across the wall.

Rand Packer grew up in Southern California, but his love of food and surfing frequently drew him to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he explored the region’s culinary landscape by stopping at street vendors and tucked-away restaurants. The uniqueness of Oaxacan ingredients, combined with a decade of experience cooking in Hawaii under famed chef Roy Yamaguchi, eventually inspired him to open Mekenita Mexican Grille. There, Rand surprises diners with unexpected creations that fuse Mexican and Hawaiian influences, such as pineapple-plantain nachos with passion-fruit sour cream or wood-smoked pork burritos with pineapple-papaya salsa. Patrons can also customize their meals by taking a lap around the fresh-salsa bar or monogramming their plates.

In an effort to find a healthy alternative to fast food without sacrificing speediness, the creators of Pita Pit began assembling their signature sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. At each location, thin, Lebanese-style pitas encircle lean, grilled meats and fresh veggies. Sandwich selections span the spectrum from gyro meat and falafel to turkey and prime rib. The staff empowers customers to make healthy choices by displaying nutrition information for each bread, meat, and post-meal toothpick and corralling a selection of healthy sandwiches, which dining companions can wash down with fruit smoothies.