Some restaurants could only exist in Tampa Bay. These are our readers’ picks for the most uniquely local experiences. Here are the restaurants TAMPA Magazine readers voted Best Uniquely Tampa Bay Restaurant in our 2026 Best Restaurants List, along with the runners-up and the spots voters also loved.
Winners
Featured Winner
Bern’s Steak House
Founded by Bern and Gert Laxer in 1956, Bern’s dry-ages its steaks in house for five to eight weeks and cuts each one to order. Its wine collection of more than half a million bottles earned a James Beard Award, and no visit is complete without dessert upstairs in the Harry Waugh Dessert Room.
- Columbia Restaurant
Runners-Up
- Pané Rustica
- Ulele
Voters Also Loved
- Oxford Exchange
Uniquely Tampa Dining
Tampa’s food story runs through Ybor City’s cigar-era Cuban, Spanish and Italian communities, Gulf seafood and a handful of landmark restaurants that have been family-run for generations. These are the places locals recommend when friends want to taste Tampa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What restaurants are uniquely Tampa?
In TAMPA Magazine’s 2026 Best Restaurants List, readers named Bern’s Steak House and Columbia Restaurant the winners for Best Uniquely Tampa Bay Restaurant. Pané Rustica and Ulele were the runners-up.
How were the winners chosen?
The results are based entirely on votes from TAMPA Magazine readers in our annual Best Restaurants contest. Advertising has no bearing on the results.
Where can I find the other categories?
See every category on our 2026 Best Restaurants List, or browse the newest results on our Best Restaurants List.
« Back to the full 2026 Best Restaurants List
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