Yelp App – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by dennizn
The Tampa Bay region is becoming well-known in Florida’s culinary world.
A stunning 22 neighborhood restaurants made the list of the Top 100 Places to Dine in Florida 2023 that Yelp published on Tuesday.
The No. 2 slot went to Tikka Indian Food in Venice, barely ahead of a tapas restaurant in the Miami area.
According to its website, the eatery serves genuine Indian food in a “contemporary, family-run atmosphere.” Tikka Indian Cuisine has amassed a number of notable honors from culinary communities throughout the state thanks to its policy of only using the “finest and freshest seasonal ingredients,” some of which are imported directly from India.
“I must say this is the best Indian food I’ve had in Florida, might be my life. Everything is prepared fresh, the flavors are potent and the heat level is just right,” Yelp elite user Brian D. wrote.
Other Tampa Bay area restaurants on the list include:
#20 Rice & Spice in Tampa
#22 Fork & Hen in Sarasota
#25 Mazzaro’s Italian Market in St. Petersburg
#30 OLIVIA in Tampa
#35 Uptown Eats in St. Petersburg
#36 Box of Cubans in Riverview
#40 Château 13 Restaurant & Wine Bar in Bradenton
#45 Izakaya Tori in Tampa
#49 Lenny’s Restaurant in Clearwater
#54 Dry Dock Waterfront Grill in Longboat Key
#60 Oxford Exchange in Tampa
#61 Cafe Soliel in St. Pete Beach
#63 Kojo in Sarasota
#66 Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza in Clearwater
#67 Willow’s Cafe in Sarasota
#72 Pia’s Trattoria in Gulfport
#74 Wright’s Gourmet House in Tampa
#75 Mangos & Marley-A Coastal Cafe in Dunedin
#80 Clear Sky Cafe in Clearwater
#85 Meliora in Sarasota
#88 Daily Eats in Tampa
Yelp created the list by placing the restaurants according to the quantity and quality of reviews they received between January 1, 2022, and January 1, 2023.
When Uptown Eats was ranked No. 21 on Yelp’s Best 100 U.S. Restaurants in 2023 earlier this year, it caught the attention of hungry locals and rose to the No. 35 position.
The mom-and-pop store is a mainstay in St. Petersburg’s Historic Uptown district, hence the name. Regulars and returning customers who adore the “Uptown” breakfast sandwich typically fill all of their seats. But, since Yelp praised the restaurant, they have been visited by even more people.
“We think we do a really good thing for our little restaurant and we produce a really great product,” owner Dan Schmidt said. “And we help a lot of people in our community.”
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.