2020 Tampa Sandwich Hunt Winners

Eighteen Tampa-area restaurants submitted their sandwiches into the 2020 Tampa Sandwich Hunt, and five reigned supreme. Two chicken sandwiches claimed the top spots in the national restaurant category, while the local restaurant category is classic Tampa with an old-school institution and two crab cake sandwiches taking the top spots. Read more about the winning sandwiches below.

LOCAL WINNER (TIE) — COASTAL CRAB CAKE SANDWICH

SALT SHACK ON THE BAY

Blue crab has been a staple of Tampa cuisine for 150 years in dishes like devil crab and crab chilau. So when the culinary team at Salt Shack on the Bay was developing its seafood-focused menu, it knew the crustacean had to be represented in some way. Thus, the Coastal Crab Cake Sandwich, made with jumbo lump blue crab and topped with lettuce, tomato and Key lime garlic aioli, was born. “The Tampa Bay community knows an authentic and delicious crab cake sandwich when they experience it,” says Bill Baratta, Salt Shack’s marketing director. “Salt Shack’s operating partner Brian Storman brought his 88-year-old family crab cake recipe from the eastern shore of Maryland to the Tampa Bay area knowing that it would be a perfect fit for the Tampa Bay blue crab lover.

MANAGING PARTNER BRIAN STORMAN

Salt Shack on the Bay
5415 W. Tyson Ave.
(813) 444-4569
Salt-Shack.com

LOCAL WINNER (TIE) – BAHAMA BABY

WRIGHT’S GOURMET HOUSE

The story behind the Bahama Baby begins with Jeff Mount’s grandmother, Marjorie Wright. “When my grandparents opened Wright’s in 1963, my grandmother didn’t want to sell Cuban sandwiches. She didn’t think they were fancy enough for her gourmet shop,” says Mount, who purchased Wright’s from his grandparents in 1981. “But she also wanted to make the register ring, so she invented the Bahama Baby.” The Bahama Baby and the Cuban share some core similarities but also have important distinctions. “Both have pork, ham and swiss cheese, but the Baby has bacon, cucumber, and an onion roll instead of salami, pickle, and Cuban bread,” Mount explains. “Grandmother chose the name because it was close enough to hint of a Cuban sandwich.” The Tampa Tribune’s Cuban Sandwich Contest soon changed her mind about selling Cubans. “Once she saw other sandwich shops winning an award and getting publicity, my grandmother decided to start offering Cuban sandwiches,” Mount says. “She knew what she was doing because Wright’s won the award within a couple of years of offering Cubans.” Like grandmother, like grandson.

OWNER JEFF MOUNT

Wright’s Gourmet House
1200 S. Dale Mabry Highway
Tampa, FL 33629
(813) 253-3838
wrightsgourmet.com

LOCAL RUNNER-UP – KAHUNA CRAB CAKE SANDWICH

Tiki Docks Bar + Grill

Tampa’s seafood heritage came through in this year’s Sandwich Hunt, as this was the second crab cake sandwich to place in the local restaurant category. The waterfront Tiki Docks Bar + Grill mixes the influences of Tampa’s laidback culture with the tropical flavors of Polynesia. The result? Dishes like the Kahuna Crab Cake Sandwich, available in the original flavor or spicy and topped with Hawaiian slaw, aioli and Key lime mustard sauce. The Tiki Docks team even created a custom roll for the sandwich to ensure a proper bread-to-cake ratio. “The tropical flavors and fresh jumbo lump crab meat needed to equally shine,” says Tiki Docks co-creator Tara Matheny. “We love living in Tampa, and our atmosphere will remind you of that. A great crab cake sandwich with citrus and key lime flavors will only add to that vibe.”

TIKI DOCKS BAR + GRILL
10708 Palmetto St.
Riverview, FL 33569
(813) 683-8454
tikidocks.com

NATIONAL WINNER – HONEY BUTTER SANDWICH

PDQ

Sweet. Salty. Crunchy. This sandwich from PDQ has it all in one handheld bite. The chicken is hand-breaded and made to order, then dipped in homemade honey butter and topped with bread and butter pickles on a toasted brioche bun. And now that PDQ has expanded from its first outpost in Palma Ceia to more than a dozen locations around the Tampa Bay area (not to mention its restaurants as far west as Las Vegas and as far north as Long Island), you’re never far from fulfilling your chicken craving.

CHEF MICHAEL BRANNOCK

PDQ
Multiple Tampa locations
EatPDQ.com

NATIONAL RUNNER-UP – CRISPY SRIRACHA CHICKEN SANDWICH

Aussie Grill by Outback

For its new fast-casual concept Aussie Grill, the team at Bloomin’ Brands wanted to create a craveable sandwich with a variety of flavors and textures, from sweet vine-ripe tomatoes and spicy, smoky aioli to crunchy breading and a buttery soft brioche bun. “We use a special handbreading technique that makes the flour really crispy and light, allowing the sauce to flow into the crevices so every bite is filled with flavor,” says chef Efrem Cutler. It’s not surprising that more than a quarter of the entries in this year’s Sandwich Hunt were some sort of spin on a fried chicken sandwich. The chef says this sammie provides a great canvas for culinary innovation. “The chicken sandwich gives you much more texture and flavor now as chefs are getting creative with spice, pickles, proprietary sauces and great buns rather than just a plain chicken sandwich on a plain burger bun,” he adds.

AUSSIE GRILL
Locations in South Tampa, International Plaza, Wesley Chapel, Riverview, Lutz and Brandon
AussieGrill.com

MEET THE REST OF THE FIELD

Mi Cubano
Café Hey
1540 N. Franklin St.
Downtown Tampa
cafehey.com

Pressed Cuban Sandwich
Café Dufrain
707 Harbour Place Drive
Harbour Island
cafedufrain.com

Braised Beef Bonzer-Wich
Outback Steakhouse
13 Tampa-area locations
outback.com

Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Pool Bar & Grill at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa
5223 Orient Road
East Tampa
seminolehardrocktampa.com/dining