These before-and-after photos show how much Tampa Bay's restaurants have changed over the years

As Tampa Bay grows, so does the dining scene, and it's no secret that our local restaurants have grown up quite a bit.

In just the last 15 years, neighborhoods that typically had one or two places to grab a bite, now have entire dining districts. What used to be a vacant warehouse or gas station is now a bustling food halls or coffee shop. For better and for worse, things are changing.

Last year, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay published a series of before-and-after photos using Google Maps to show how much the entire metro has changed, covering everything from opportunity zones to stadiums. The response was huge, and many readers asked if we would do one specifically focused on restaurants, so here it is.

What follows is a collection of some of Tampa Bay's favorite dining spots, and what that same space looked like as far back as 15 years ago.