Ybor is a neighborhood in transition. Has been for, what, maybe 20 years now? This beautiful strip of historic Tampa is still an island of semi-gentrification amidst a sea of slowly selling redevelopment and depressed neighborhoods. Still, for all the empty buildings and "For Lease" signs, Ybor is a destination, with rent that can be appealing for restaurateurs. That makes for good eatin'.

You can't speak of Ybor without mentioning the 102-year-old Columbia Restaurant. It takes up an entire city block, with a garishly beautiful tiled exterior that defines the area and the Spanish-Cuban food that epitomizes one of our only local culinary traditions. Through good times and bad, the Columbia has survived as a legacy of what Ybor was, and what it could be again. It's history, man, and in the end, that's the coinage that makes Ybor a desirable destination.

You don't have to rely on the Old Lady for a taste of Ybor's historical eats: There are great Cubans to be had at either end of the Seventh Avenue strip, at the venerable Silver Ring (see opposite), at beautiful old Carmine's or at La Tropicana's walk-up window, a good spot at which to fortify yourself with cheese toast and café con leche as you consider your dining options. You could almost pretend you're heading to work in a cigar factory instead of heading to GameWorks for some digital fun.

There is pizza on every block, mainly to feed the mass of stumbling pub crawlers, with places like New York New York, Roma and Francesco's dishing out slices. But your best bet for a great pie is a bar — Market on 7th — where pizza is the only non-liquid refreshment. Two birds, one stone.

Circle the Med by puffing a hookah and downing hummus and olives at Acropolis, or grab authentic Italian pasta and scallopine down at La Terrazza. More modern, American-influenced Italian can be had in the trendy and upscale environs of Bernini.

Some of that Italian rubs off on a typically Gallic endeavor at La Creperia, with over 65 different crepes that straddle international boundaries (or, more accurately, one crepe and over 65 different fillings). You can also wrap a sweet treat — this time fluffy Belgian waffles — around fried chicken down the street at Good Luck Café, noshing a Harlem classic to the tunes of live funk and jazz.

Then there's Centro Ybor, the elephant in the room, an open-air mall plunked right down in the middle of Ybor. It's not as bad as it sounds, mainly because the place was carved out of old cigar factories with much of the architectural details — namely monumental brick walls and stonework — preserved.

Centro contains the Swingers-style digs and eclectic American cuisine at Big City Tavern; Samurai Blue, a popular sushi and singles hangout; and Tampa Bay Brewing Company's modern pub food, easily overshadowed by the slew of brews cooked up on premises. Plus, Centro's got a lot of parking.

Take a few steps off Seventh, and there's almost too much to mention, but we've got to name a few favorites, like the meat-and-fish-laden lunch buffet at Laughing Cat or the awesome late-night nosh at Mema's Alaskan Tacos. Alaskan? Yep.