It goes without saying that Tampa Bay’s restaurant industry has absolutely gone through it over the last year, and despite all the challenges (thanks Milton and Helene) the area still witnessed some incredible new bars, food trucks and restaurants.

In fact, the last 12 months have been some of Tampa Bay’s best for new eats, and diners have seen everything from innovative new dining cruises, the return of old favorites, and entirely new approaches to the business model.

What you’ll find here our staff picks for the best restaurants that made their debut in 2024.

Mema’s Alaskan Tacos 11903 N 19th St., Ybor City After 13 years away, Mema’s Alaskan Tacos returned to Ybor City this year and we couldn’t be happier (and full). Owner Sean Godin, who launched Mema’s out of a 17th Avenue shack 20 years ago, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he never stopped making the tacos and has been eating them at home and with friends since closing in 2011. All the favorites—gator, shrimp, beef, and chicken and possibly three kinds of fish including salmon and grouper—will all be on the menu along with some iteration of the vegetarian tofu taco which locals loved to no end. Double-decker upgrades are available for tacos, and the menu also includes burritos, chimichangas, nachos, tamales, churros, and more. For the uninitiated, Mema’s Alaskan Tacos are prepared in accordance with a recipe from Godin’s grandma who cooked the fillings in the shell, resulting in an crispy taco topped with shreds of cold iceberg lettuce and sharp cheddar cheese all served in a sorely-missed translucent wax paper wrapping. Photo by Ray Roa
Tampeño Fish and Meat Market 3413 W Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa West Tampa got a real culinary gem a few months ago. Tampeño Fish and Meat Market has experienced nothing but applause since debuting in the former Stadium Cafe, with a focus on Latin cuisine in an upscale setting. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the new concept has a menu spreading everything from pressed sandwiches, Devil crab, seafood salad, and more. Plus, there’s a solid beer and wine menu. Photo by Jess Alba
Mighty Fine’s lunch and dinner menu include a classic patty melt on sourdough bread from Miami’s Sullivan Street Bakery (L) and the ‘Deluxe Boi’ burger, which comes with ‘shrettuce,’ tomato, pickles, shaved onion and special sauce loaded on what can be considered the perfect sesame bun. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker
Casa Cami 2545 N Rocky Point Dr., Tampa Casa Cami debuted this spring on the 10th floor of Tampa’s Current Hotel. Oxford Commons’ newest hospitality concept offers a spread of tacos and salsas, salads, small plates of ceviche, snapper crudo, flautas and blistered shishitos alongside entrees like bistec with mojo butter, shrimp fajitas and green chili chicken over a sweet plantain hash. Photo via Casa Cami
Retro House at 934 E Henderson Ave. in Tampa, Florida. Credit: Photo c/o Paul Venghaus
Alter Ego  420 S Nebraska Ave. Suite 103, Tampa Proper House Group took on the Herculean effort of opening TWO concepts in April. Besides their modern Italian-focused Ash, the restaurant group also debuted Alter Ego, a music-forward hotspot featuring live DJs, and a vast beverage menu of traditional cocktails with modern twists, utilizing top shelf spirits and seasonal ingredients. Since opening, the sleek new space has cemented itself in Tampa as a date-night must-stop. Photo via Alter Ego/Instagram
Don The Beachcomber 15015 Madeira Wy. Suite 100, Madeira Beach Don The Beachcomber, a new tiki bar and restaurant based on a nostalgic concept that started in Hollywood, California in the ‘30s opened this spring on the bottom floor of the Cambria Hotel. The extensive drink menu, which has a hand-drawn look that’s becoming popular in new concepts, features traditional rum tiki drinks like mai tais and painkillers in addition to new twists with gin and tequila. There are also non-tiki classics like old fashioneds and the trendy espresso martini, as well as a limited selection of beer and wine and a mocktail list. Photo via Don The Beachcomber/Facebook
Small Bar 2662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg Last June, St. Pete scored a small but mighty watering hole. The self-explanatory Small Bar operates in a roughly 300 square-foot space in between Bandit Coffee Co.’s kitchen and seating area, which was previously used for storage. With a few small tables and a handful of bar seats, Small Bar can accommodate a little more than a dozen patrons at a time. The food program helmed by Bandit’s head chefs Benjamin Pomales and Adrianna Siller features an intimate, rotating menu of small plates—like playful twists on bar snacks like onion rings croissant garlic knots—and entrees like beef stroganoff, fish and chips, lion’s mane steaks and pan-seared scallops with parsnip, basil, avocado, orange and vanilla. Folks can order Small Bar’s dishes on an a la carte basis, or opt for a three-course “Chef’s Choice” menu for $55. Photo by Josh Weaver Credit: Josh Weaver
Pluma Credit: Rendering via Lou Hammond Group

Chef’s Table

420 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg
Chef’s Table by Lolita’s, a multi-course tasting menu from the owners of St. Pete’s Lolita’s Wine Market, opened last May. Inspired by Lolita’s Wine Market owners Kelly and Chef Alex Rodriguez’s global travels, their new Chef’s Table experience is aimed to give guests an “artistic” and curated culinary experience, vastly different from the wine bar’s casual tapas offerings. While some tasting menus can be formal and avant garde, Lolita’s wants its Chef’s Table experience to be fun and interactive, offering gourmet twists on everyday fare. For example, one course that folks may expect is a playful interpretation of the classic steak frites dish, where Chef Rodriguez offers what can be described as a “fancy tater tot” topped with steak tartare and garnish.
Photo via lolitaswinemarket/Facebook Credit: lolitaswinemarket / Facebook
Ash  420 S Nebraska Ave., Tampa Arguably, one of the most beautiful new spaces in Tampa, Proper House Group’s Ash soft-opened in early April, and hasn’t slowed down since. The new concept specializes in modern Italian-inspired fare in an upscale setting, which includes an “effortlessly chic” blush-colored dining room, accompanying patio space and open kitchen. A few dishes that folks can expect from Ash’s menu include a house made Malfade pasta with toasted garlic, ramp top oil, pickled ramp bulbs, Dungeness crab and crab roe butter or its pan fried 22-ounce pork chop served with a date and spicy dijon mostarda and a radicchio and charred chicory salad. Photo via Ash/Instagram

Esther’s

2115 Hillsborough Ave., Tampa
One of Tampa’s beloved, hole-in-the-wall taco trucks expanded to a much bigger space. As any Tampa taco fan will admit, the original Esther’s Cafe has been a local favorite for nearly 12 years, but the truck is somewhat hard to find, since it’s tucked away behind the produce stands at 3001 E Hillsborough Ave. Last May, owner Jorge Castellano debuted an easier to locate, new brick-and mortar outpost just down the street. The new Esther’s Tacos officially opened May 12, and offers the same menu as the original, except with air conditioning, more seating and parking.
Photo by Colin Wolf Credit: Photo by Colin Wolf
Credit: Photo via Yacht Starship Dining Cruises
Streetlight Taco 4004 Henderson Blvd., Tampa Streetlight Taco opened in January and has already earned a distinguished Bib Gourmand distinction from Michelin. The new concept offers a contemporary menu of Mexican favorites inspired by owner and Executive Chef Michael Brannock’s extensive travels throughout Mexico and dedication to its multifaceted cuisine. In addition to a variety of tacos on house-made tortillas, Streetlight also offers Pueblan-style cemitas sandwiches, sides like chips and salsa, salads and larger entrees such as wood-roasted half chickens or carnitas platters after 5 p.m. Photo by Logan Profitt Credit: Logan Profitt
Kuya Kevin’s Filipino Fusion BBQ Check website for locations There’s no shortage of mom and pop, cafeteria-style Filipino restaurants in Tampa Bay, but one new food truck is offering a unique twist on classic Pinoy dishes. Owner and chef Kevin Baumgartner is a Pinellas County native with years of kitchen experience—and he recently launched his first food truck endeavor called Kuya Kevin’s Filipino Fusion BBQ. Dishing out “authentic Filipino cuisine fused with Western-style cooking methods,” the 34-year-old celebrated the grand opening of Kuya Kevin’s in early August. “I’ve spent the last few years trying to change up the conventional dishes to try to add a little bit of a twist to it,” Baumgartner tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Kuya” is a tagalog word that translates to “older brother.” Photo by Kevin Baumgartner Credit: c/o Kevin Baumgartner
The Madison Noho 1704 N Howard Ave., Tampa A new restaurant dishing out classic American entrees and loaded brunch plates quietly opened its doors in West Tampa in late June. Owned and operated by Tampa residents Tayesha Hiner, Antonio “Polo” Allen—who also leads the kitchen as its Executive Chef—and Mikeo Smith, The Madison Noho offers a variety of straightforward dinner plates, from grilled salmon to apple-glazed pork chops, plus appetizers like calamari, chicken wings, crab cakes and oysters. On the weekend, the newly-opened eatery dishes out red velvet pancakes, eggs Benedict, lobster and waffles and Creole-style shrimp and grits at its popular brunch service. Beer, wine, and craft cocktails are on the menu, too. Photo via The Madison Noho Credit: C/o The Madison Noho
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 4342 W Boy Scout Rd., Tampa A new and shiny Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar debuted in Tampa in early September. Opening literally next door to the original location, the new flagship restaurant is a beast, with over 13,000-square-foot of dining space, a wine bar with 2,700 international and domestic wines, new cocktail offerings, acoustic ceiling tiles to mitigate noise, live music, and more. Photo via Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse
Kiwa Asian Kitchen Sushi, Korean, Bar & Boba 5415 Bayshore Blvd, Tampa Bayshore scored a fun new sushi and Korean spot last summer. Kiwa Asian Kitchen made its big debut last July, and has been a local favorite since, with eccentric menu spanning everything from sushi, beef brisket fried rice, baked mussels, Korean dumplings, boba drinks, and more. Photo by Jess Alba
Offset Sandwich Exchange 1133 Baum Ave. N, St. Petersburg After two years of popping up around St. Petersburg, Offset Sandwich Exchange has a more permanent home in the Edge District. The concept run by restaurant industry lifer John Harrell and his wife Amy DePalma-Harrell opened the window on its food truck parked at Green Bench Brewing Co. earlier this month. The menu includes five sandwiches, two small plates, a handful of sides and desserts, plus cold brew and drinks. The manu will eventually expand, but for now, handhelds are available starting at $10.95, and include a fried green tomato sandwich, smashburger, plus Nashville hot chicken and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. There’s also a gochujang-glazed Korean-style fried chicken sandwich available. Offset Sandwich Exchange’s opening menu also has grilled cheese and chicken tender plates. Sides offered by Offset include seasoned fries, sweet potato fries with hot honey, curry coleslaw and banana cheesecake flautas. Photo by Jess Alba Credit: Photo by Jess Alba
Soul de Cuba Cafe 6428 N Florida Ave., Tampa Soul de Cuba Cafe, a brand new cafe and restaurant with century-old ties to Tampa, quietly opened its doors in Seminole Heights in late February. Soul de Cuba boasts a traditional menu of lechon asado, Cuban sandwiches, oxtail stew and the Tampa classic crab shalah, a pasta dish that features lump crab in a Creole-style red sauce. All of its entrees have evolved from longtime family recipes that Executive Chef Roberto Puerto has put a professional twist on. Photo via Soul de Cuba Cafe/Facebook Credit: c/o Soul de Cuba