nothing out of the ordinary for a mall. restaurants are the biggest pull. lots of over rated high end stores for people over the poor class. biggest drag for me is that they open so late in the day and close so early. im a morning person and a night person not a mid day person so this def is not for me but I do like the occasional jaunt around to see what's new and grab a bite to eat somewhere but in the way of fun and environment there isn't really much... it's just a place with a bunch of stores for people to come in and give away their money for impractical garbage read more

Visiting Tampa for the weekend and saw this "mall" was near our hotel so we decided to check it out. Complete waste of time honestly. The mall smelled horrible, we actually had to hold our breath. No stores open it's honestly felt abandoned and run down. read more

Mall seems to be closed or under construction, felts scared to walk in there. Almost no stores are open or even in it.

Don't waste your time it's basically closed only a burning, movie theater and a few boutiques open. Ghetto asf wouldn't recommend even eating your time or energy. read more

I visited University Mall today & parked on the 2nd level in the parking garage & i want to know why there is a metal plate with four screws sticking up out the ground.This will be a natural disaster for someone's car tires. Please get this removed!!!!!! read more

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University Mall on Fowler Avenue in Tampa is a cool mall that has a unique selection of stores that make it different from your typical mall. I really like the selection of boutique clothing stores here and all of the open space to move around. They have a really good food court area on the second floor. It was fun to see and experience everything here. read more

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This unique mall brings out quite a bit of negativity from passionate reviewers. We decided to check it out anyway, since I'm literally visiting every single mall in Tampa Bay. Hey, I'm taking a walk every day to recover from major surgery and at this point, air conditioned comfort and chairs to take frequent breaks are significant priorities. While walking around, we met a nice young man who was petting and calming down a tiny green parrot. I asked if we could see the parrot and he explained it was a gift for his daughter. Then, his young (~7) daughter came by and was shocked and thrilled at the same time. She held the parrot and was extremely happy. It was super nice to see. I never saw a pet store in the mall but perhaps there is one somewhere? It's really a huge mall! This mall is the only one with a Sheriff's station right inside! The cops don't have to travel far when things go down at the University Mall! Convenient! There is a dollar store and all kinds of unique urban shops not found in *any* other malls in the Tampa Bay area. They even have a shop totally focused on Islamic wear including burkas. There is another shop full of luggage but apparently specializing in Hello Kitty backpacks! Finally, this mall is the best we've found for Pokemon hunting. For whatever reason (lots of skylights? very thin roof?), GPS works in most of the mall so consequently, the Pokemon app functions. There are also Poke-stops and other Poke-thingies (I'm not an expert... yet... so please don't ask me). read more

University Mall - Double rainbow! - Shopping Centers Near Me - Tampa, Florida

When Obi-Wan Kenobi was talking about a wretched hive of scum and villainy, he wasn't referring to Mos Eisley spaceport. When I first moved to Tampa in the mid 90's, this mall was decent. They had an arcade, theatre, and a decent selection of dept stores that included Macy's/Burdines, Dillard's ,Sears, Old Navy, and JC Penney. 4 of those dept. stores are gone. The arcade shut down circa 2004 because they didn't pay the power bill for 4 months (lol.) The food court used to have good options like Chick Fil A, Subway. Now it is just a sea of non descript Chinese restaurants.The food court has no brand name restaurants anymore which is sad and funny at the same time. Most of the smaller stores are shoe related or club wear and are ephemeral. There are mall staples that have endured like Bath and Body Works,Auntie Anne's, and Gamestop. To its credit, there is a new theatre, Studio Movie Grill. I have not caught a flick there so I cant comment on it. While I have never been attacked or witnessed any fights, there are lots of never do wells who roam the halls. If you search university mall on youtube, you can see violent girl fights that are 10 x more raw than any King vs Marduk match in Tekken. I wrote a previous yelp review on UM ,but apparently some SJW reported it as offensive, even though my observations were accurate and had no vulgarity. Funny Incident: A prepubescent boy who is 5 ft 4 comes up to me ( I am 6 ft1 FYI) Kid: Give me your phone Me: No. Kid: F%%^# you N@#$%% The only reason to maybe come here would be Gamestop, but now I just go to the New Tampa Best Buy since both are equidistant from my house.I like Auntie Anne pretzels, but they're not worth $4. It was my fervent hope that USF would buy UM out and use it for some extension of their campus. Either theyre playing the really long game or they decided its not worth it. It's a shame bc the location is convenient for USF people and a decent shopping mall is at least 10+ miles (citrus or wiregrass) Maybe the US govt can use the mall for Nuclear Tests since it doesnt have any use for most people. read more

This mall is the nearest the university and it gets the job done! It has more or less what you want/need store wise! Also a nice little chill spot if you want something to kill time before or after a movie which is located within the mall! I don't have complaints really, but it gets 3 stars for being a little ratchet for a lack of a better word! read more

University Mall - Shopping Centers Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The mall cop here is a complete a**hole. My boyfriend and I were relaxing on the couch after walking the mall all day. We are slouched on the couch my boyfriend had his eyes closed but I didnt. He started to walk up to us and said "Get up" very rudely. He gets us and we sit up straight. Hes gone for like 10 minutes i close my eyes for 2 damn seconds and this man comes up to us and tells us no sleeping here . MIND YOU I've seen MULTIPLE people sleeping on the exact same couch more than a handful of times. I don't recommend RELAXING at a MALL. This one specifically . read more

I'll keep this short and sweet. This mall has gone downhill the last few years. Many of the large retailers such as Macy's, JCPenny, Old Navy, JoAnns, are no longer there. Walking through there's a lot of vacant spaces with closed shops. I was there on a Saturday and it was rather empty. They still have some favorites as Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, Sears, and a Gamestop. I was there for the Gamestop. The staff there is always friendly compared to other locations. Food court is typical to any mall. A few Chinese stops, Subway, pizza, ect. I used to enjoy this mall years and years ago, but its gone downhill. Wayyy downhill. read more

The University Mall has been in the midst of a "renevation" since I went to college at USF- that was close to 5 years ago. Honestly, you would think that for a mall that is located right next to the school that it would be a little more appealing to students. That's a fat no. Most of the people that are at this mall are from the local area and nothing about the stores or atmosphere scream "college friendly". There is a mural on one of the walls located near the far end of the mall that states that the area is supposed to be transformed into an outlet center and yet, it still hasn't happened. If it weren't for the Studio Movie Grill this place would have tanked. A shame; there's so much space for so many things too. Specifically, the store carries an Aeropostale, hottopic, victoria's secret, and a bath and bodywork. These are the only three recognizable and popular stores in the mall. Aside from that, there are a bunch of locally owned Korean run stores that target the masses for cheap clothing and less than "ok" styles. The food court is not that bad though, I will give them that. They are your standard run of the mill food court mall foods but hey, for a mall that honestly looks more dead than the shell of a store that once was Toys R Us, the food isn't bad. I feel like the most interesting store in this mall would be the outlet store. Honestly, it's been so long that I don't even remember the name of it. I just remember that you can find brand named clothing at a discounted price. It's kind of like a Nordstrom Rack....but way more lifeless, run down, and dark. read more

Not a good place o spend your money or time. Also do not eat the food there. Got food poisoning one time!!!

This place used to be good years ago but so many stores left because they kept getting robbed so it's pretty barebones most of the last few years. Don't park in the parking garage, lost of sus people hanging out in there, gives you the willies. I haven't been there since it was looted and burned down last year by local residents. read more

I love this place!!!! Has so much potential if given the opportunity. Very clean and such friendly atmosphere. Mall employees are full of smile and eager to greet. Retailers are very friendly and very welcoming. All it needs is advertisement and that could start with some events being done there. This mall is great and totally worth bringing back. read more

Many people talk trash about this mall, but I love going here. One time I seriously saw a pimp and his ho's, and the ho's were wearing shorties with bikini tops. That is interesting. Avoid the Burlington Coat Factory here, it is 90 degrees and super scary. There are some cool shops, and some locally owned urbanwear shops. However, what makes this mall stand out is their selection of plus size apparel shops for the more contemporary female. The main reason I go to this mall is to people watch. There are seriously some great fashionistas here for urbanwear as well as streetwear. You will see hair all colors of the rainbow and guys in pink overalls with no shirt on underneath. Go on a Saturday! read more

Just bulldoze this dump down already! I first went to University Mall when I first moved to Tampa in 2000. It was bad then and it has only gotten worse over the years. There are no department stores in the mall unless you count the Dillards Outlet Store (I don't.). The shopping options are terrible; the only store I would consider shopping at is Victoria's Secret. The food court options are terrible with the exception of Chick-Fil-a. So there you go... University Mall is the worst mall in Tampa. Only shop at University Mall if you need lingerie or chicken tenders. read more

Great Mall! I was skepitcal because according to the locals this mall is ghetto fab but the womens clothing stores have a nice selection. Much better than the San Diego malls im used to. The two stores i visited was dyme and borne to sea. I found something at both stores. I gave this place a 3 star because the food court was very limited. Only 2 chinese food stores, one ice cream place and a wetzel pretzel place was operating. Everything else was closed down. read more

It's been about 10 plus years since I've been here. Not sure how the retailers here are making it. Not many here shopping. Food court probably only surviving from all the employees that work here. It sad to see any kind of business suffer or fail. But Places like Amazon effecting all retailers. It's easier to order online and get it delivered. I know that's how I shop these days. Online. Free shipping and no lines to wait in. read more

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I would like to believe that this mall is getting a makeover...but I'm not sure that's the truth! The mall itself is scary and run down...and the parking lots are just awful. I am not sure when or if this mall will become a "gem", but until it does I'll be sure to visit other local malls in the area. read more

Meh. I can't imagine having to do all of your shopping here. Variety is very similar... shoes, random pop up shops, discount clothing & club clothes (although some were cute!) Nothing special. Wi-Fi is only available in 1 entire section of the mall. Lol. I went during the day mid afternoon and didn't get any bad vibes, but looking at recent reviews I was kind of glad I didn't get any bad vibes. Others have noted feeling not safe here. I personally didn't to be honest but again I was here on a Wednesday at 4pm lol read more

Several stores have left the mall due to the transition. It is really slow because of the construction and changes are taking place . There are some stores that offer good deals. They still have a movie theatrewhich is up to date. It is done inland has the comfortable seats. It will be interesting to see the jew product. read more

This mall has really gonna down hill in recent times. A lot of stores have closed down. There's a sears and a Burlington here as well as a Macy's as far as big retailers go. A lot of the stores kinda have a flea market vibe in my eyes. The mall is almost always empty with there being better choices close by as international mall or Brandon. read more

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Depressing. This place needs a lot of work. There are several empty stores including a department store sized space. There are several stores that aren't typical for a mall. I'm not sure if this is good or bad. They do have a Dillard's outlet store there and you can get high quality merchandise at a deep discount. It does require a great deal of patience though, because the store is in total disarray. The relatively new movie theater is a bright spot in an otherwise dismal mall (see my review for Studio Movie Grill). Defintely interesting people watching here too. Dillards discount or the movie theater. Other than that, steer clear of this place. read more

University Mall - Shopping Centers Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Coming from an area that has a mall that could fit inside my closet, this was a nice change. It was still kind of basic, but it had a lot of bigger stores I needed. It wasn't that crowded, even for the weekend before Christmas! The security on site was plentiful, so I'm not sure if it is a bad area or not- but it was nice to see them. I didn't see any hooligans or anything, so that was good! Parking lot was large and didn't feel completely crowded/far away. read more

A few months ago I was reading a gossip website and someone posted a video of a violent girl-fight at an undisclosed Florida mall... my first thought before even watching was "I SWEAR ON MY LIFE THIS WILL BE UNIVERSITY MALL" - and it was! Yay! I have great intuition I guess. But honestly, this mall is not that bad. I come here to walk around when I'm bored, shop for the occasional outfit (there are a few legit stores) and have watched several movies in the upstairs theater, which is open as far as I know. I was disappointed when Forever 21 folded a few months ago - sad to say that was University Mall's best store and it appeals to broke college kids so that was a letdown. Wah. Another note: previous reviewer was right about the astounding amount of men's sneaker stores- at least a dozen different ones! If there's a market for it.... why not? Anyways, I have this dream that the city of Tampa will just bulldoze the whole thing down and create a new, pristine shopping center like they did with the stores in Temple Terrace at Busch and 56th and the whole area will be renewed and beautiful! Then again, that strip mall, nice looking as it is, is not doing too well (in my opinion) and still has a bunch of cheap stores. So til then, University Mall is.... University Mall. A good place to get Ybor clubbing clothes, people watch, and get hit on. Yay University Mall! read more

This mall quite frankly scares me. It's old, It's out of date and the parking lot is just.. yeah. I came here for one particular store.. and found it, but had to drive all the way to the back, because I didn't want to park at the front of the mall. It's either time for a face lift, or time for this mall to be given last rights. read more

I think this mall gets a bad reputation unnecessarily. Granted it's not the best mall with the best stores, but you can find good deals here without sacrificing quality. The Dillard's Clearance Center is on point. You can find several high quality, name brand clothing at a significantly reduced price. There's nothing wrong with looking good at a discount. With the exception of Macy's and the Dillard's Clearance Center, there are not very many Department stores. Many of the stores are independents run by small business owners. The kiosks are your standard jewelry sellers, 3rd party cell phone vendors and miscellaneous sellers - like artists that airbrush shirts. I like this mall because it doesn't get too crowded and not as pretentious as other malls in Tampa. B. Major Grade: B- read more

We needed to go to Burlington for some new clothes and so Waze sent us to this mall (at first, I didn't know it was a mall), so we parked our car and saw grand's (it used to be Dillard once before). So we went shopping in Burlington and whatnot and then put out stuff in the trunk of the car and went to grands, at first I thought it was abandoned b/c no one was there like absolutely no one was there when we entered until we got closer to the front it was hot, and it wasn't the cleanest store (IG its still under renovations?????) Then we proceeded to go into the mall we didn't go far just bath and body works, Mr man shop (honestly one of the best shops there) as well as the coffee shop that's round the corner when you get to the main escalators you know what I mean if you've gone there (I had the Nutella frappé, and it was amazing) anyway at first since it said university mall I thought it was a mall made by USF, but I may be wrong the mall seems ok it's just like any other mall TBH since it has shops and such tho didn't explore it all but like it serves its purpose at a mall tho that grand's store got some renovation to do especially get the AC working because that place was hot. read more

Been living in Tampa for 13 years and this mall is by far the worst mall I've been to. I feel so unsafe and I have a right to feel that way. The security guard are a joke, and they only care about the money. None of them care about the safety of the people. University was very clean before and now is just this unsanitary, uncomfortable place to be in when I'm shopping. Let's not forget the people that have stolen something and got away with it. The whole mall is a joke! read more

Ummmmm NO! We just left MOSI and typed Foot Locker in the GPS and it directed us to this mall. As we pulled into the parking garage we noticed guys just hanging around congregated with sagging pants. Also, there were people casually walking around the parking lot (not being mindful of the cars driving). It appeared to be "urban" and geared towards a specific group of people. I didn't feel comfortable taking my baby out of the car or subjecting him to anyone or anything that's not conducive to his upbringing. Not to mention it would have been a waste of time because we wouldn't have found anything of our interest in this mall (other than sneakers at Foot Locker when is rather order online). If you value your safety, drive pass this place! I don't want to be one of those people who's at the wrong place at the wrong time...if you know what I mean? read more

University Mall is anything but 'university'.... They should change the name to unaccredited diploma college mall... or 13th grade mall... or, well you get the point. There are a lot of cheap stores... and by cheap, I mean really cheap quality and price wise. If you are looking for 15 inch heels and super short shorts for $4 this would probably be the best place to go. A lot of the frequenters are um... interesting. People-watching at this mall is enjoyable and scary (scary because I actually feared for my life when a man with 4 teeth and 3 of those teeth being gold... got in my face showering me with compliments). I say go to this mall if you enjoy people watching, have a high tolerance for screaming children running rampant, and like good deals on the cheapest of quality clothing. I mean... It isn't the worst mall I have ever been to. :/ read more

This mall is no doubt the worst in all of Hillsborough County.This ma is located in Northern Hillbourough, on Fletcher Ave., near the University of South Florida. At one point in time, many years ago this was a nice mall. It is fairly spacious, very run down & depressing. The stores are not your top stores & personally, I would wait till I was somewhere else. I recently went to a movie at this mall and felt quite uncomfortable and unsafe. I personally like a few stores in this mall, but my days of going to this mall I believe is over. What's a girl to do? Go where you feel comfortable & feel safe. read more

One of Tampa's low class facilities. This mall is crowded with people looking to hook up with random mall walkers. Most people barely shop here, which stands for the high loss rate this mall suffers every year. The food court once contained many good places to eat such as Hot Dog On A Stick, but has lost much of its best places due to a lack of income created in the mall. It may very well be the only mall where you can buy a fake diamond ring with hundreds of diamonds for five bucks. The movie theater is also a mess with very loud and disruptive audiences that cannot be controlled by the management. The department stores are slowly creeping away from this mall in pursuit of better places. This mall just is not worth your time. read more

Terrible, Terrible Mall... They open kinda late, and the stores arent that good! read more

I would like to give a resounding L-O-L to the university's "movie theater". Seriously. OMG. SMH. This theater is a hot mess. I remember the days when it was somewhat of a decent experience to see a movie here, what the hell happened? For those who don't know, the theater was closed down for a bit for for NEW AND EXCITING renovations. So one night my friend calls to let me know that theater has been reopened and that she wanted to check out a movie there. So we get there and....NO RENOVATIONS! So let me get this straight. You had the theater closed for how long, and it barely shows that you've vacuumed the carpet? SMH. I was already ready to turn back round but we pressed on. We purchased our ticket from inside, since the outside ticket booth was closed, and were handed something that looked like ink printed on toilet paper. Seriously the cheapest looking movie ticket I've ever received. We then preceded to purchased snacks at the ill-prepared snack booth. Isn't this suppose to be the grand opening? Why are there things laying out and about that clearly aren't hooked up to outlets? I ordered an ICEE (because it was on the menu) and was informed that they didn't have the ICEE machine ready. Fine. But why is the ICEE machine right there? I was then informed that it was broke and was going to be dumped or given away or something. Ugh. Anyway. So finally the movie. This is the part where I was shaking my head all over the damned place. The movie's volume was LOW and muffled. I was there with three other people and we were all like, "yo, can you hear this?" No. We couldn't hear a thing. So my friend goes to get someone to see about adjusting the volume. The guy comes inside the theater for literally 15 seconds and tells us nothing is wrong with the volume, that the volume is normal. Maybe normal for this BS operation you run around here, but I'm a frequent movie goer buddy, and something is seriously wrong with the volume up in here. In fact, is this movie even legit? No lie, it had a bootlegger quality to it. It was so BAD. Fed up, we asked the manager for our money back and he was the saving grace of this entire experience because he very apologetic and accommodating of refunding us our money. Later that night we headed over another theater and wouldn't you know, the movie's quality and sound were PERFECT-O! So, with the combination of Forever 21 leaving this mall and this experience, the university mall and I are pretty much done. read more

You would think it wouldn't be too hard to put a nice, profitable shopping complex on a major thoroughfare and have it right across the street from a major university. You would think wrong. Channeling Bette Davis... What. A. Dump. There aren't too many stores that don't offer items you couldn't find at Target. The lack of decent anchor stores has caused the quality of the other retailers to really drop off a cliff over the last decade. And since they shuttered the movie theater, there's no real reason to patronize for most people. Not a horrible place if you only want to hit the food court for lunch, and you can park in the upper garage in the back to get in and out of there quickly if you're only going for a bite. The people watching in that space can be fantastic as well, but be prepared to go with the flow. The urban clothing stores don't fit my style, but if they do yours this might be a good place for you. There are many of them inside, and they always seem to be having sales. Can't vouch for the quality of the gear however. USF should have bought it, condemned it, and built their football stadium there when they had the chance. But if it keeps going like this, they might be able to get a better deal on it in the near future. read more

There's almost nothing here. The dillards clearance center is the only reason i go. They have good sales sometimes. Buy 1 get 2 free dresses. But the inventory is horribly old and its a diamond in aruff if u find something. read more

University Mall - Shopping Centers Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Mall is on life support, most of the stores are closed. Also, I didn't feel safe. Don't come after dark. It's almost like a indoor flea market. read more

Yeah... I'm with everyone else who says University Mall is in desperate need of HELP! This mall isn't anywhere near my house (luckily), but I pass by it every week on my way to USF and I really wanted to stop by to pick up a few things this week, so I decided to get brave and give it a shot. The mall is old and decrepit,a one story building barely standing up. The crowd here is quite "interesting" to say the least. Good place for some top notch people watching. If, in fact you are looking to do actual shopping, this mall isn't your best bet. After browsing around for a bit, I determined Macy's is the only good option here. Even then, the dressing rooms are a sad excuse for a major department store like this. The doors on each room are those really "cool" half length doors that only cover you if you are 5' tall or less. The majority of the other stores are unimpressive "urban" wear shops. The food court is pitiful. If I ever go here again I will basically stay in Macy's only and that's about it. One "small" bonus is that there is a Sears Auto Center on property, although I don't know how good of service they offer there considering the shape the rest of the mall is in. There are so many better malls in Tampa including Westshore and Citrus Park. University Mall, you need a MAJOR overhaul!!! read more