CL's regularly presents focused listings of the best dining options in Tampa Bay's neighborhoods. This week: a semi-extensive guide to the best dining options in the Westchase/Citrus Park area.
BALLYHOO GRILL Tampa 7604 Ehrlich Road, Tampa, 813-926-2149, ballyhooflorida.com. A popular spot for live music and Florida cuisine, with a seafood-heavy menu — everything from shellfish and calamari to mahi and grouper — and steak and barbecue dishes cooked on the wood-fired grill.
BRESIMO'S 12117 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, 813-852-8009. Fresh, fast, vegan-friendly Greek/Mediteranean food.
BRUNO'S NEW YORK BRICK OVEN PIZZA 11203-A Sheldon Road, Tampa, 813-926-6969, brunosnewyorkpizza.com. A taste of NYC in the heart of Westchase, garnering a favorable reputation in the area for their thin-crust, New York-style pies cooked to crisp perfection in brick ovens. Also offering pastas, calzones, salads, cannoli and tiramisu.
BURGER 21 9664 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, 813-475-5921, burger21.com. The beef is the star of the show, in the steak frites burger and every other burger at Westchase's new Burger 21. Loosely hand-packed, griddled to a crisp crust, each bite is a celebration of the American hamburger. Instead of the usual ketchup and mustard dispensers, Burger 21 features eight fancy fixin's, from Thai ketchup to toasted marshmallow mayo to dip those fries in.
CATCH TWENTY-THREE 10103 Montague St., Tampa, 813-920-0045, catchtwentythree.com. A casual setting with surf and turf with Latin and Caribbean influences, Cuban-style ribs and sushi. In the lounge, enjoy fancy cocktails for girls' night out or a pitcher of beer on game day.
COURTSIDE GRILLE 13901 Nine Eagles Drive, Tampa, 813-818-7433, courtsidegrille.com. Sister to the Courtside Grille in North St. Pete, an "upscale" sports bar/restaurant arena with the typical sports bar selection of wings, burgers and beer.
CUBAN BREEZES 13980 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-814-9939, cubanbreezes.com. This casual eatery and bar offers the standard Cuban sandwiches and entree platters, with a few American dishes, on the huge menu. Try the Mahi Cuban with yuca fitters and Havana sauce.
CYBER TAKEE OUTEE 12807 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-925-3688, cybertakeeoutee.com. A Chinese takeout joint with the requisite Asian menu items — not to mention an interesting name. (Not sure where the "cyber" comes into play.) Taking a healthier spin on takeout Chinese, claiming to use no MSG and only vegetable oil for cooking.
G PEPPERS GRILL & TAVERN 8745 Gunn Hwy., Tampa. 813-920-3439, gpeppers.com. Casual neighborhood eatery with a long list of pub food, sandwiches, burgers, salads and homemade desserts. Another great spot to catch the big game and enjoy a cold brewski.
GRILLE 54 11935 Sheldon Road, Tampa, 813-920-0054, grille54.com. Offering steaks, sushi and Italian fare, plus fancy-schmancy cocktails and over 100 bottles of wine from around the globe. Go for dinner, stay for the nightlife scene.
THE HUNGRY GREEK 12950 Race Track Road., Tampa, 813-814-2707, thehungrygreek.com. The place to go for huge portions of authentic Greek cuisine in Westchase. Diners can watch their food being cooked before their eyes on the wood-burning grill.
LOUIS PAPPAS MARKET CAFE 7877 Gunn Hwy., Tampa, 813-926-5202, louispappas.com. Another of the Tarpon Springs-based Pappas chain of casual Greek restaurant-cafes. Home of the original potato salad-topped Greek salad.
MALONEY'S LOCAL IRISH PUB 9540 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa. 813-749-0859, maloneyslocalirishpub.com. There's not much that's Irish in this restaurant and pub (besides the name) that offers a variety of typical American dishes re-branded with Irish-sounding monikers. But with the imported beers, full liquor bar, TVs and dartboards, who cares if it's authentic or not?
MARINA PIZZA 12121 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, 813-854-1616. Specializing in — you guessed it — pizza, but also known in the neighborhood for their craveworthy cheese steak sandwiches.
MC DIVOT'S WINGS & RAW BAR 10706 Countryway Blvd., Tampa, 813-814-9394, mcdivotswingsandrawbar.com. The name of this sports pub says it all — chicken wings tossed in an array of sauces, raw oysters, steamed mussels and clams, plus a gigantic menu of sandwiches and pub fare.
MELLOW MUSHROOM 11955 Sheldon Road, Tampa, 813-926-3600. The place to be in West Tampa for gourmet pizza and a constantly changing list of craft beers. Favorited by Bay area vegans and vegetarians.
PEGGY O'NEILLS IRISH PUB 13910 West Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 813-749-7192, peggyoneillsirishpub.com/tampa. Irish pub and sports bar serving up pub grub, cold beer and plenty of weekly diversions — live music, karaoke, stand-up comedy and trivia nights.
PIZZA FUSION 9556 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, 813-792-1516, pizzafusion.com. Not just any ol' pizza chain, this one does things a little greener. They utilize natural and organic ingredients (75 percent of the total menu), hybrid cars as delivery vehicles and purchase renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of their energy usage (among many other things). Vegan, vegetarian, gluten- and lactose-free options available.
STONE CHASE 12227 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, 813-818-8000, stonechasegrill.com. A stylishly casual atmosphere with gourmet twists on Italian and American favorites; the housemade Roman flatbread is their specialty.
ZEN BISTRO 9620 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, 813-792-8665, zentogo.com. Artfully prepared Pan Asian cuisine and specialty sushi rolls in a hip environment. Open until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
ZERILLO'S ITALIAN GRILL 11653 Countryway Blvd., Tampa. 813-855-5178, zerillos.com. "Old World" hearty Italian classics and New York style pizza can be found at this family friendly spot.
