There are plenty of ways to make a night of it at this classic Tampa steakhouse. But an iconic restaurant is also one that has made an impact on our community, one that has informed the current dining scene.Ī strip steak is served at Bern's Steak House in Tampa.

Longevity certainly was a big factor - the restaurants here have all been open for at least a decade, and most have been around for much longer than that. What makes a restaurant iconic? I asked myself this question plenty of times as I worked on this list. What follows is our list of Tampa Bay’s most iconic restaurants, a collection compiled by poring over hundreds of reader recommendations, our newsroom’s own suggestions and lots of meals I’ve eaten around Tampa Bay. Now, it seemed that everyone had an opinion, from where to get the best Cuban or grouper sandwiches to the most time-tested spot to celebrate an anniversary (for more on this, we’ve compiled a story with reader reactions, here).

So I asked a different question: What are Tampa Bay’s most iconic restaurants, and why? I wanted a way to understand the restaurants of today by learning about the relics and landmark eateries of the past. Related: Tampa Bay's 6 most iconic breakfast restaurantsīut as a newcomer to the area, and as a journalist always looking to put the present into historical context, I needed more.

Restaurants in my vicinity