These spots aren’t located in the heart of the city, but they still have our heart.

Along with subdivisions, Tampa Bay’s suburbs offer a wide variety of food options. If you’re looking for American classics, the neighborhoods surrounding local metros are home to BBQ shacks, sports taverns and live-music-jamming country bars. If you’re craving something from overseas, we’ve got a taste of Italy’s pasta, a Russian grandma’s dessert and authentic German beer, too.

Here’s a handful of restaurants in the ‘burbs you should check out with family and friends. 

Patti’s Kitchen 6527 Park Blvd. N, Pinellas Park, 727-289-4153 This local Thai spot serves a variety of authentic street noodle soups, ranging from its signature tew nam tok marinated pork and spinach dish to its homemade tew ped toon duck and Chinese broccoli meal. Photo via Patti’s Kitchen/Facebook
Ukulele Brand’s 4805 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes, 813-995-0608 Alongside Uke’s classics like its seafood chowder, grouper sandwich and “Jammin’ Jambalaya,” the ”Old Florida” restaurant also includes unique dishes like gator tail and frog legs. The full-service bar and restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating and features live music and trivia on select nights. Photo via Ukele Brand’s/Facebook
Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill 25916 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz, 813-419-1351 Zukku had so much success in Tampa’s Armature Works that the sushi business is now spreading throughout the Bay, and thus, Lutz’s Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill was born. The high-end sushi experience has both a lunch and dinner menu, featuring a variety of rolls, edamame, nigiri, sashimi, tempura and more. Photo via Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill/Facebook
The Joinery 640 E Main St., Lakeland, 863-337-4583 Not quite suburban, but still in burgeoning Lakeland, The Joinery food hall offers a wide variety of food and drink spots, including Ava’s wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, Āto’s poké bowls, Super Duper Spot’s “badass” burgers, Sābu’s ramen and The Bar’s craft brews and cocktails. Photo via
Jimmy Jo’s 11218 Casa Loma Dr., Riverview, 813-405-8565 Jimmy Jo’s smoked BBQ wings, peel-and-eat shrimp, jalapeno poppers, cheeseburgers and grouper sandwiches are fan favorites among the small restaurant-shack’s menu. Photo via Jimmy Jo’s BBQ & Grill/Google
Tiki Docks River Bar & Grill 10708 Palmetto St., Riverview, 813-683-8454 Fueled by food, fun, sun and rum, Tiki Docks tropical restaurant serves fresh oysters, Hawaiian BLTs, Mini Kahuna crab cakes, shrimp fried rice with pineapple and specialty cocktails. Photo via Tiki Dock’s Bar & Grill/Facebook
Yum Yum Hot Pot 11301 N 56th St. Suite 6, Temple Terrace, 813-986-9863 This contemporary Chinese restaurant serves meat, seafood and vegetable soup dishes in hot pots, an authentic cooking style that uses boiling hot broth to cook raw ingredients. Guests use this technique to cook their own meals while dining at their seats. Photo via Yum Yum Hot Pot/Facebook
Saigon Bay 11301 N 56th St. Suite 6, Temple Terrace, 813-971-0854 Yum Yum Hot Pot’s next door neighbor, Saigon Bay serves a mixture of classic Vietnamese cuisine dishes, including Pho beef soup, Com Dia rice plate, Bánh mì sandwiches, Bún noodle bowls and Boba tea. Photo via Saigon Bay Vietnamese Restaurant/Facebook
Chuck Lager America’s Tavern 2001 Piazza Ave. Suite 175, Wesley Chapel, 813-820-4500 Chuck Lager’s menu, crafted by “Top Chef” celebrity Fabio Viviani, offers an assortment of burgers, handhelds, flatbreads, tacos, pastas and desserts. Photo via Chuck Lager Wesley Chapel/Facebook
Red Star Live 9847 E Adamo Dr., Tampa, 813-898-8506 This music-jamming pond-side bar and grill serves loaded fries, jumbo wings, burgers, quesadillas and more. Red Star almost always has live music—hence the name—and hosts special nights featuring open mic, karaoke, line dancing and bingo. Photo via Red Star Live/Facebook
Donovan’s Meatery 11206 Sullivan St., Riverview, 813-295-8445 Serving an array of wood-grilled steaks, chops and wild game, Donovan’s rustic steakhouse experience is every meat lover’s dream. But if meat isn’t your thing, the restaurant also serves many vegetable forward dishes that can be paired with signature cocktails and wines. Photo via Donovan’s Meatery/Facebook
Kojak’s House of Ribs 1809 S Parsons Ave., Seffner, 813-837-3774 Claiming itself as “the best ribs from Tampa to West Texas,” Kojack’s has been serving the Bay area its mouth-watering ribs, pork, sausage, beef and chicken since 1978 and recently moved out to the ‘burbs after decades in South Tampa. The southern bungalow home style gives off a homestyle atmosphere and makes it a favorite spot among locals. Photo via Kojak’s House of Ribs/Facebook
Pasta di Guy 4839 Bruce B Downs Blvd., Wesley Chapel, 813-994-1294 Italy is really far away, but Wesley Chapel’s Pasta di Guy isn’t. Serving made-from-scratch Italian pasta, pizza, salads and desserts, you can get a taste of the country’s authentic foods at this fast casual spot instead of having to fly overseas. Photo via Pasti di Guy/Instagram
Arroy Thai 27427 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Wesley Chapel, 813-501-4924 ”Arroy” means delicious in Thai and fans of this fast casual spot say the name is accurate. Said to be prepared with a full heart and expertise, Arroy Thai takes pride in its tasty menu, which includes favorites like pad thai, steam dumplings, curry, spring rolls and house fried rice. Photo via Arroy Thai: Wesley Chapel, FL/Facebook
Shaker & Peel 3159 Curlew Rd., Oldsmar, 813-475-4712 Shaker and Peel is birthplace to the reinvented taco. The fine dining taco restaurant makes its own organic tortillas, slow roasts cage-free chicken and grass-fed beef and uses local liquor in its cocktails. The menu also includes beef and chicken wok, Kobe cheeseburgers, glazed pork belly and crispy shrimp. Photo via Shaker & Peel/Facebook
The Stein & Vine 827 W Bloomingdale Ave., Brandon, 813-655-4786 The Stein & Wine is a craft beer taproom, wine bar and woodsy restaurant all in one. Serving specials like filet mignon chunks, brisket mac & cheese and grouper reubens, there’s something special for everyone on this unique menu. Photo via The Stein & Vine/Facebook
Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux 25372 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz, 813-553-6500 This Louisiana-style sports restaurant serves cajun classics like crawfish étouffée, duck & andouille gumbo, red beans, poboys and more. You won’t miss a sports game here, as Walk On’s is decked out with over 70 TVs. A location is opening in Midtown Tampa this summer if you’d rather stay in the city. Photo via Walk On’s/website
Mandola’s Italian Kitchen 12926 U.S. Hwy-301 S, Riverview, 813-755-3587 With decades of culinary experience in the kitchen, Mandola’s serves authentic Italian dishes like chicken capricciosa, pesce lupo, cannelloni fiorentina, brasato and more. The Texas-based company plans to open more chains in Florida, including Orlando, Jacksonville, Oldsmar and Odessa. Photo via Mandola’s/website
Babushka’s 12639 N 56th St., Temple Terrace, 813-515-7415 Babushka means grandmother, who’s also usually the best person at cooking in your family. Serving traditional Russian and Eastern European cuisine in an underrepresented Tampa Bay, Babushka’s menu is full of foods that look really good but are hard to pronounce. From brunch foods like oladi pancakes and hachapuri breakfast pie to dinner specialities like golubtsy cabbage rolls and lamb plov, there’s so many unique dishes that will be hard to find anywhere else in Florida. A new South Tampa location has that SoHo shine, but the OG in Temple Terrace is where it’s at. Photo via Babushka’s – Temple Terrace/Google
Mr. Dunderbak’s Biergarten and Brewery 14929 Bruce B Downs Blvd., Tampa, 813-977-4104 Tampa’s award-winning German beer hall is an Americanized food “haus” that keeps traditional German ingredients at its core. Along with over 40 drafts on tap, Mr. Dunderbak’s serves Swabisch classics like an Oktoberfest sausage platter, sour cream schnitzel, Bavarian bratwurst, Polish kielbasa and more. Make sure you bring your German-to-English translator before trying to read the menu. Photo via Mr. Dunderbak’s Brewpub/Facebook