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    Papi's Cafe

    4.6 (36 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    Kim N.

    Found this cute little café while searching for a 'different' Cuban Sandwich shop in South Tampa. Located in the lobby of the Florida Blue office building there's plenty of parking in a nearby garage or directly in front of the building. Was pleasantly surprised by the food, quality and selection. Even better pricing is very fair and affordable, cheaper than a fast food meal. There is a hot food bar that changes daily, most of the customers were ordering that, but I was just craving a solid Cuban sandwich and they did deliver. The portion is big enough to share. I was only able to finish half. I would maybe ask for light mustard next time as that was a bit heavy and running off the sandwich. Can't wait to revisit and try the hot food selections.

    Cuban Sandwich  Beef Empanada
    Sammie23464 A.

    Visiting nearby and walked to this awesome restaurant! At first I was a little intimidated walking into the business building but as soon as I walked in it was directly on my left. It's a cute little cafe for a bite to eat, they serve breakfast and lunch with plenty of space to dine inside! I ordered one beef empanada, one chicken empanada, one blueberry muffin, and one Cuban sandwich. The Cuban and the beef empanada were my absolute favorite, followed by the yummy toasted muffin! The lady who helped me was very pleasant and answered all the questions I had with a smile! I wish I had time to try more delights as everything looked wonderful! They also have an assortment of drinks and snacks (chips and cookies) you can order as well. Everything was very reasonably priced and I had a great experience! Definitely will be back!

    Super clean restaurant and great light

    Had the Cuban sandwich...sooooo good! Really friendly staff and super clean. Highly recommend!

    In the store
    Carissa A.

    This was a great stop about 5min away from TPA. They stopped serving breakfast at 11am so I squeezed in just a few minutes prior. Their menu looked delicious. I had ordered an egg sandwich with egg whites, chorizo, and Swiss cheese on Cuban bread. They made the sandwich to order and prepared everything after I placed the order. The 2 employees were very nice and genuine. Fortunately the wait for the food to be prepared was only 7min or so because I'm unsure if I would be able to stand there looking at the baked goods without being increasingly more hungry. The sandwich itself was very good. I do not often see chorizo sliced as thin deli meat so that was a pleasant surprise. The size of the sandwich was relatively big so I had half for breakfast and half for lunch. I had paired the sandwich with a medium passion fruit juice which was the right amount of sweetness. The overall experience was great though the parking situation is a little confusing as all of the spots say Reserved or Deliveries. However, I parked in a "deliveries" spot and had no issues. This was a great brunch experience. Please be aware that this cafe is in a building and there is not a sign for the cafe outside of he building

    Ginger L.

    Papi's Cafe is a blessing to society. My husband has raved about it for a couple of years, as it is in his office building. If he could, he would have a cafe con leche from Papi's every day. And so when I finally got the chance to try...my expectations were high. And I am happy to report they were surpassed after just one empanada. The portions- awesome The flavor- fantastic The price-shocking! The menu is always changing, which is a delight, and the owner himself is a delight! Overall, I would highly recommend tucking in here for a quick lunch or stop for breakfast on the way to work, even if you're not working in this building. (There are plenty of public parking spots.)

    10. Cuban Sandwich
    A J.

    Delicious Cuban sandwiches. Close to the airport. It's in the lobby on ground floor of an office building

    T C.

    Papi's is located inside the building. It has a chalk board menu on the outside by the door. The inside is very spacious and clean. We stopped by after a drop off at the airport. We were greeted as we came in by a very nice gentleman. They had a display of stuffed potatoes and chicken and beef empanadas. We ordered Cafe Con Leche and a stuffed potato, beef empanada and cuban toast. The coffee was delicious and the food was also excellent. The stuffed potato was amazing. I can see why they were so busy with the people in the building stopping by on the way upstairs to work. We will stop again when in the area. We want to try lunch.

    10. Cuban Sandwich
    Kila O.

    Hard to find but worth the search. It is located off the lobby of an office building without outside signs. The service is enthusiastic and with a smile. The place is clean and no frills but the FOOD! Legitimately one of the best Cuban sandwiches I have had. Large portions and a great price.

    Lunch menu
    Teresa M.

    This place is a true hidden gem. It is hard to find though. It is located on the lobby floor of the Bankers Life building across from Fairfield Inn and Suites. Everything is freshly made. The empanadas are so good, but they sell out fast. Call ahead if you want some. They are open Monday- Friday 7:30 - 3:00.

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    4 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    11 days ago

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    5 months ago

    Amazing Cuban sandwiches!!! Great service. Highly recommend. I stop here every time I fly into Florida.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

    Food is good at there but only has limited options to choose for lunch menu. The staff is nice too.

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Cuban food was good. Breakfast food just ok. Would recommend for Cuban. Cuban sandwich and empanadas worth a stop.

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Best cafe in Tampa by far !! Great food and great service! I would highly recommend stopping here if you are in the area.

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    I take my mom here weekly on Fridays. Fantastic people, delicious food, always leave happy.

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Highly recommend. Black beans and rice are on point. Like my abuelo used to make. Roast pork melts in your mouth

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Ask for a ropa vieja Cuban sandwich it was fantastic. With every other restaurant in this area being expensive it's my go to lunch spot

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Food is authentic and very good. Yellow rice and macaroni was delish. Cuban one of the best I've had in Tampa. New work pit stop.

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    La Teresita Cafe

    La Teresita Cafe

    3.9
    (1.3k reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    **Quick, solid Cuban food right by the mall**…read more Heading to the mall and wanted something better than food court fare -- La Teresita was right down the street, so we popped in. Skipped the sit-down cafeteria side and grabbed the counter seating instead, which had a fun bar-style setup. Service was fast -- they got our water order in immediately, and we followed up with a large café con leche. Plenty of coffee for the price, though the red plastic cup was a letdown compared to a proper mug. Food came out in under five minutes, which is impressive for how good it was. I got the Milanesa -- a breaded steak in red sauce -- with yellow rice and black beans on the side, and it was excellent for the price. My wife had the Ropa Vieja with yucca and Moros rice, and it didn't disappoint: tender, soft beef with rich tomato sauce and just a hint of olive coming through. We also added a side of tostones with their garlic sauce, which were absolutely delicious. For a quick stop before the mall, this exceeded expectations -- great flavor, fast service, and solid prices. Would go back even without the mall as an excuse.

    My tummy is happy!…read more It's been a while since my last visit but oh boy itch scratched! One of the best and very reasonable Cuban food in the Tampa Bay Area. Ordered ropa vieja which isn't available on weekends but they checked with the kitchen and got it for me. Yucca and rice and beans to complement it. Cafe con leche is a must! It was a bustling weekend so we sat at countertop. Still plenty of seats. Good came out very quickly and servers were very accommodating even wi tv my broken Spanish lol

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    La Teresita Cafe
    La Teresita Cafe
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    Tampeño Fish and Meat Market

    Tampeño Fish and Meat Market

    4.6
    (92 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    Service is very friendly, bartender makes great drinks; but its proximity to Raymond James stadium…read moremakes it overcrowded on game or concerts nights. The restaurant & menu are primarily European Spanish, but it's also somewhat Italian. Our favorite appetizer here is the Tabla Española which is a charcuterie board featuring Jamón Ibérico & manchego. It comes with an optional $5 wine or Sangría. Cod croquettes are good, but I wish they would make a Jamón version. There's a good selection of Mediterranean seafood entrees; but for us, the tapas were the stars. It can get quite pricey here; but we would still return again.

    I will definitely be going back…read more We had the meatballs as an appetizer. I would highly recommend. They were full of flavor and had a unique twist. The staff were wonderful, very accommodating. We came with our 9 month old and his high chair fit easily between the tables. The atmosphere was warm and inviting but had a modern flare on old architecture. Great spot for a 2nd or 3rd date because it was a little loud. The only thing I think could have been better was the chicken dish. Thought he inside was good enough the outside was very dry. I don't usually get chicken dishes but I've been craving it lately. My husband had the meat rolls and loved them. The sides were all divine as well.

    Photos
    Best seat in house
    Best seat in house
    Mussels in White Wine Butter Sauce
    Mussels in White Wine Butter Sauce
    Tailgate with us and then walk to the stadium on game days or before a concert at the Raymond James!

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    Columbia Restaurant

    Columbia Restaurant

    4.0
    (4.5k reviews)
    4.8 mi
    $$

    The original Columbia in Ybor City is a genuine piece of Tampa history -- founded 1903 as a saloon,…read morebecame a restaurant in 1905, now spans an entire city block and claims the title of largest Spanish restaurant in the world. Still run by descendants of the founder. We had a Saturday 7pm reservation and the place was packed (seats around 1,700 people, per our server), but we were seated only 5-6 minutes late and service never felt strained despite the crowd. Started with warm, authentic Cuban bread and butter, then split the Original "1905" Salad -- tossed and served tableside, with Romano cheese, garlic dressing, ham, tomatoes, lettuce, and Swiss cheese. It's basically an entree on its own. The empanadas were also excellent: light crust, extremely flavorful filling, juices running with every bite. For my entree I had the Red Snapper "Adelita" -- grilled, topped with hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, served over their signature yellow rice. Perfectly cooked fish, very flavorful toppings. For dessert, we compared the key lime pie against the white chocolate bread pudding. The pie was well-made -- perfect texture, perfect graham cracker crust, light raspberry sauce -- but a touch light on the tart key lime punch I look for. The bread pudding was the better dish: rich, decadent, excellent. Finished with proper Cuban espresso. The menu here is enormous -- expect to need multiple visits to make a dent in it. Everything we tried was excellent. Highly recommend, but book ahead on weekends; even with 1,700 seats, this place fills up.

    A resounding YES! We came here for the first time a couple…read moreof years ago and it was such a pleasant and memorable experience, we had to come back. We were told that it would be a 30-40 minute wait, but it was hardly a 20 minute wait. The ambiance of the place is so homey, and the staff is generally pleasant. First of all, do not underestimate the BREAD. It is probably, hands down, the best baguette bread I have had in the US. We had croquette and stuffed mushrooms as appetizers. They were good. For my main course, I had the mahi mahi varadero and it was really good. It came with crab and Spanish rice, and was breaded with crispy plantains. It was good, although I generally don't like Spanish rice. HOWEVER, if I had to recommend a dish, it would be the mahi-mahi cayo-Hueso. It was marinated with citrus flavors and it was divine. Now I don't know who in our party ordered the fries, but they were amazing and felt as good as home fries. Now to the dessert, we ordered almost one of each and it was some of the best dessert I have had in my life -not too sweet, made well, and with real ingredients. I would have ordered my own cafe con leche but it was too late for me in the day but man did I wish I could have had my own cup instead os stolen sips. A record would not be complete without aknowledging the staff. Our waiter was Alfredo and he was such a nice, sweet, and accommodating waiter. He was also patient with such a large party. Thank you, Alfredo!

    Photos
    A dining room
    A dining room
    Crab bites (appetizer)
    Crab bites (appetizer)
    Gem of the ocean cocktail. Yes!

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    Gem of the ocean cocktail. Yes!

    Papi's Cafe - spanish - Updated August 2026

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