The core between the Hillsborough River and the Selmon Expressway, taking in the Riverwalk and the Water Street district built beside it. Tampa's Michelin-starred tasting rooms, a pizzeria that ships its water from New York, the History Center cafe run by the Columbia family, and the hotel dining rooms along the water.
Hattricks is the hockey bar of downtown Tampa, an Irish pub and sports room on South Franklin Street that has been there for years and fills before and after everything at the arena. Its own description is the number one spot for Lightning pregame parties, postgame celebrations, and any concert or event at the arena or the convention center. The posted closing time is honest about how that works: eleven in the morning until as late as three, according to volume.
Late Start runs three ways out of one downtown room: locally roasted coffee and a breakfast menu with a Mexican twist in the morning, smashburgers and breakfast tacos through the day, and beer brewed on site all of it. The taps carry its own IPAs and stouts plus a rotating selection from other local and regional breweries, and there is a short wine list. Coffee service stops at 2pm on weekdays and noon at weekends.
Predalina is a waterfront Mediterranean restaurant and lounge on East Cumberland Avenue in the Water Street district, a concept by Oxford Commons. It runs dinner, dessert, weekend brunch and a full cocktail and spirit-free drinks list, and it is one of the few MICHELIN-listed rooms in Tampa that stays open past midnight, to 1am on Friday and Saturday. It has been MICHELIN Recommended in both the 2025 and 2026 Florida selections.
A pirate-themed sports bar and burger spot on N Ashley Dr, across the street from the University of Tampa. Its own pages list UFC nights, Lightning and Bucs game deals, weekday happy hour and live music on Fridays.
The Pearl is a restaurant, tavern and oyster bar in the Water Street district, serving made-from-scratch entrees, shareable plates and seasonal oysters with a long cocktail and beer list. It runs lunch on weekdays, brunch at weekends and dinner seven days, with a weekday happy hour from 2pm to 5pm. Its own site records inclusion in the 2024 through 2026 MICHELIN Guide.
The Downtown room of a two-location sports bar, the other is in Wesley Chapel. Its homepage invites fans to catch the Lightning or the Bucs and its events page lists weekly nights.
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