For this year’s Top Restaurants list, I went big.

Big, as in 50 restaurants compared to last year’s 30. This would be easier to do, I told myself. Thirty is such a small number when considering Tampa Bay’s expansive dining universe.

But expanding this list to include 20 additional contenders actually made the process feel more selective — and more cutthroat. With a wider net cast, I considered more options than I ever have. (Seeing number 51 get slashed? Brutal.)

I had to ask myself some tough questions: Who is this list for? And what does it say about how we choose to dine right now? What I landed on, after a lot of thinking and many, many meals, is that it’s both a really great time and a really challenging time to dine out in Tampa Bay.

The spectrum for culinary excellence in 2025 is quite wide. Mostly, that’s good: Diversity is paramount to fostering a rich dining scene. But restaurants in Tampa Bay are straddling an impossible divide, with ultra fine-dining and tasting menu spots going head-to-head with pop-ups, food trucks and other casual concepts. For diners, the financial chasm is only getting more difficult to cross.

How I reported this year’s Top Restaurants list

This list features both restaurants that charge $300 per person for a meal and those where you can get in and out, after tax and tip, for less than $15. I’m not sure, exactly, what that says about the future of our dining scene, but I did witness something interesting while trying to suss it out. What I saw was a good deal of scrappy ingenuity — clever and often unorthodox restaurant moves fueled by creativity and optimism, as opposed to big investor money or hard cash.

As the cost of running a restaurant increases and diners find themselves unable to pay for some of the higher-ticket meals around town, this approach could help shine a light on where we might be heading. This list is for readers and diners all across the Tampa Bay area, after all, not just a select few.

It’s also, simply, my attempt to answer the question I get asked over and over again: Where should I go to dinner?

Editor’s note: Today we’re releasing spots 41-50 on the list. Check back every day as we reveal 10 more spots.

Sometimes, change can be good. When Lilac opened inside the Tampa Edition hotel, the high-end Water Street restaurant only offered a four-course prix-fixe menu — priced at $150 per person. Though the restaurant won a coveted Michelin star within its first year, not everything worked. Sensing the menu wasn’t appealing to a broad enough base, chef John Fraser embarked on some detours. This year, the chef added a la carte options alongside an expanded eight-course tasting menu, a decision that’s helped breathe flexibility into the posh restaurant’s approach. Dinners still begin with a tasty amuse-bouche selection, including the onion- and thyme-laced buttery “pain lyonnaise.” Guests would be wise to get the spice-crusted tuna appetizer, where thick, flavorful hunks of tuna come nestled in a smoky charred scallion sauce with a bright and zingy shaved fennel salad. The restaurant’s Dover sole is its biggest flex. But don’t overlook the slightly less flashy but just as delicious duck au poivre, where a crispy-skinned breast is coupled with duck leg confit and citrus-glazed carrots.

Don’t skip: Dover sole, spice-crusted tuna.

500 Channelside Drive, Tampa. 813-771-8022. lilacrestauranttampa.com/

When Baba opened in 2019, it was among the most exciting places to find contemporary Mediterranean cuisine. In the years since, the restaurant has undergone changes: a short-lived bakery adjacent to the spot was reimagined as a Greek ouzeri, a petite bar highlighting tinned fish and raw seafood. Both spots are experiencing a stellar renaissance, with a joint kitchen helmed by executive chef George Sayegh and chef de cuisine Jeremy Smith and a menu that feels rooted in tradition with contemporary twists. Diners should still start with the spread trio, paired with warm, puffy pita bread and a bouquet of bright and crunchy crudite. If you’re in the mood for tinned fish, Barbouni’s extensive collection is the best variety of conservas in Tampa Bay (I love the wood-smoked Danish blue mussels and Portuguese sardines swaddled in chile-spiked brava sauce). There’s some crossover on the menus, so regardless of which side of this curious marriage you dine, the grilled prawns are a good choice, served with charred lemon, Aleppo chiles, olive oil and mint.

Don’t skip: Grilled prawns, Portuguese sardines.

2701 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; 727-954-3406; eatatbaba.com

Outside, a large sign reading “TAMPA MADE” beckons diners into this funhouse of a barbecue restaurant. It’s an apt descriptor for the Old West Tampa spot, where pitmaster Danny Hernandez fuses his passion for Texas-style barbecue with a Tampeno flair and his Cuban roots. Inside the whimsical, maze-like space, there are smokers and grilling accoutrements; grab-and-go meats, sauces and pickles; a bar; two outdoor patios; and a wine shop. Homemade chorizo links arrive juicy, spicy and smoky, straight off the grill. A mango habanero barbecue sauce adds a little sweet heat to Akaushi wagyu brisket, which is great on its own but also finds its way into a brisket burger and a fun play on empanadas with pimento cheese. Don’t skip the bonbons, which look like dinner rolls but are filled with candy-like burnt ends and a beef tallow honey glaze. (Full disclosure: My partner has done some freelance design work in the past for The Brisket Shoppe.)

Don’t skip: Chorizo, banana pudding.

3501 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa. 813-879-4647. thebrisketshoppe.com/

Less than two years in, chef Michael Brannock’s homage to regional Mexican cuisine feels cemented in South Tampa’s dining culture. Perhaps no surprise, given the spot received Michelin recognition within its first few months of business. It deserves all the accolades. The contemporary taqueria’s menu hinges on beautiful nixtamalized corn tortillas, made with heirloom corn. Standout toppings include melt-in-your-mouth pork carnitas with smoky chile de arbol salsa and beer-battered fried grouper (served on flour tortillas) topped with cabbage, pico de gallo and a chipotle mayonnaise. Also excellent are the bluefin tuna tostadas, which pack a gingery punch from pickled chayote. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better tequila and mezcal list — or a margarita, for that matter — anywhere in town.

Don’t skip: Bluefin tuna tostada, mezcal margarita.

4004 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. 813-217-9158. streetlighttacos.com

You already know how good the breakfast sandwich is. How could you not, after chef and culinary celebrity Alton Brown pronounced it the “best breakfast sandwich ever”? But wait, there’s so much more to love at this petite sandwich spot and natural wine shop in downtown Tampa. The Italian Stallion, Chicken Salad Deluxe and Bangin’ BLT have garnered loyalists for a reason — they’re really, really good. If I’m craving a vegetarian break, though, the Chickpea Salad Supreme always hits, made with a roasted chickpea medley, vegan mayo, avocado, tomato, little gem lettuce and herbed ranch on crusty sourdough. Pro-tip: Order any sandwich “Dave’s Way” and get an add-on of pepper salad, parsley, onions and basil. Trust me, you want it “Dave’s Way.”

Don’t skip: Bacon, egg and cheddar sandwich; Chickpea Salad Supreme.

305 E. Polk St., Tampa. 813-202-3324. supernaturaltpa.com

Steaks smoldering on the grill. Chargrilled oysters under a bubbling cap of seafood butter. Golden-fried catfish nuggets served with a zippy Cajun remoulade. There’s a lot to love at this casual St. Petersburg steakhouse, which has been quietly, but steadily, thrilling diners-in-the-know since 2022. The under-the-radar spot, which sits in the shadow of Candlelight Inn on 34th Street N., is a team effort from brothers Joshua and Christian Jackson. The steaks here are top-notch (particularly the whopping 36-ounce Tomahawk). But the menu’s strong Southern undercurrent — a nod to the brothers’ father, who ran a restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — is the other reason folks travel from across town to dine here. Sides like collard greens, butter pecan whipped yams, truffle-laced mac and cheese and the decadent red velvet cake are hard to pass up.

Don’t skip: Chargrilled oysters, truffle mac and cheese.

3405 34th St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-346-5242. roamsteakhouse.com

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that chef James Renew’s follow-up to his lauded Clearwater restaurant Little Lamb Gastropub is just as much of a hit. Downtown New Port Richey restaurant The Estuary opened in early 2023 and has solidified itself as one of North Pinellas’ best bets for chef-driven, contemporary New American cuisine. Renew’s focus on sustainable and local products is woven throughout the menu, which is frequently in flux. When in season, fresh figs appear on a bed of creamy stracciatella cheese, sidling Sweety Drop peppers and salty jamon serrano. Some of the menu’s hallmark dishes thankfully don’t budge, like the excellent pull-apart rolls served with smoked chicken butter or the golden-fried crab beignets dipped in creamy jalapeno-lime aioli.

Don’t skip: Crab beignets, hot fried chicken sandwich.

6220 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey. 727-807-5914. estuarynpr.com

When the esteemed Michelin Guide bestowed this Tampa restaurant and bakery a Bib Gourmand in its second year in the region, it didn’t exactly come as a surprise. At that point, chef and owner Christina Theofilos had already won local diners over with her winning spin on contemporary Greek cuisine. Pop in for brunch on any given weekend and you’re likely to find a jam-packed dining room and folks waiting in line for a table. Part of that is likely due to the restaurant’s aesthetic appeal: plush cushions, white-washed walls outfitted with light and dark blue accents, and an open-air patio that does a pretty convincing job mimicking a Mykonos terrace. But they’re also there for the food, from plump feta-brined chicken served atop bright green salad with a creamy wedge of feta cheese to hunks of juicy braised lamb leg tucked into warm pita with snappy tzatziki.

Don’t skip: Greek Chick salad; lamb pita.

701 N. Howard Ave., Tampa; 813-841-5555; eatpsomi.com

It’s the all-day concept that really sells Willa’s, the charming North Hyde Park restaurant from owners Nate Siegel and Merrin Jenkins. The duo looked to some of their favorite spots in New York City when designing their restaurant, bar and cafe in 2021, and it’s still one of the most reliable — and delicious — places to pop in for a meal, pretty much any time of day. Long-running staples include the ever-so-strong slow-roasted chicken with salsa verde, fries and aioli, and the crunchy tahini kale Caesar. On a recent visit, I fell hard for a crispy-skinned branzino, which arrived perfectly cooked with roasted fingerling potatoes, caramelized onions, brown butter-creamed kale and a lyonnaise sauce studded with capers.

Don’t skip: Rotisserie chicken frites, seared branzino.

1700 W. Fig St., Tampa. 813-519-4552. willastampa.com

Counter Culture weathered a pandemic (the spot opened in late 2019) and then a monthslong construction eyesore during renovations to the West Bay to Bay Boulevard development. But this contemporary New American restaurant is still serving some of the most creative and contemporary cuisine around, including Tampa’s best brunch. The spot, from five-time James Beard Award semifinalist chef Jeannie Pierola, pays tribute to counter-style dining, and the seats along the terrazzo-topped bar with views of Tampa Bay are the best in the house. There are some constants: The wood-grilled octopus with crispy pimenton and fried chickpeas and charred lemon has remained a favorite. And I’d be shocked to show up at brunch and not see the signature griddled coconut pecan morning bread or the pimento cheese biscuits drizzled in honey on every table. But because this is Pierola, things here are always in a wonderful state of experimentation.

Don’t skip: Pimento cheese biscuits, grilled octopus.

2909 W. Bay to Bay Blvd., No. 100, Tampa. 813-570-8660. cc-tampa.com