Tampa has seen plenty of collaborations, but most of them involve someone saying “let’s grab coffee sometime” and then never speaking again. This one is real, edible, and aggressively Tampa: Bern’s Steak House has teamed up with La Segunda Bakery for a limited-time steak sandwich as part of Bern’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
The sandwich is available now through March 7 at three La Segunda locations, including Ybor City (2512 N. 15th St), Kennedy (4015 W. Kennedy Blvd), and St. Pete (2424 4th St N), which means you can get a bite of Bern’s without booking a reservation three months in advance and offering your firstborn as a deposit. Bern’s home base is in South Tampa (1208 S Howard Ave), but for one week only, its ribeye is going on a field trip. These sandwiches have been selling out quickly each day, so you’ll want to arrive early.
Photo by Maryelis Garcia
Here’s the setup: La Segunda’s signature Cuban bread gets layered with truffle sauce, thinly shaved Bern’s sliced ribeye, Bern’s proprietary cheese blend, caramelized onions, and fresh arugula. In other words, it’s a steak sandwich that somehow manages to feel both nostalgic and slightly dangerous, like your grandparents’ “simple dinner” that secretly contains three kinds of fat and a plot twist.
The whole thing nods to Bern’s earliest menu, which is a smart move because Tampa loves a legacy story almost as much as it loves pretending it will “just have half” of something delicious. La Segunda, established in 1915, has been feeding the city for more than a century, and Bern’s has spent 70 years turning special occasions into full-blown events. Putting them together is basically a civic holiday you can hold in one hand.
Photos by Maryelis Garcia
Bern’s owner and president David Laxer summed up the vibe neatly: “Collaborating on an unforgettable steak sandwich feels like the perfect way to begin our 70th anniversary year.” If you read that in a warm, diplomatic tone, it’s sweet. If you read it in a slightly competitive tone, it’s also a warning to every other sandwich in town.
The best part is the simplicity. No complicated rules. No secret password. Just show up now until March 7, order the special, and enjoy a meeting of two local family traditions in a single bite. Go early, bring a friend, and accept that you will immediately start planning who else needs to try it, because that’s how these things work.