Tampa and St. Pete have always had a friendly, sibling-style rivalry. Consider the Tampa Bay Rays. After last hurricane season’s damage to Tropicana Field in St. Pete, the team crossed the bay to play their 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field, reigniting the debate of where the team’s stadium should reside.
A similar spirit of amicable competition rallies chefs on both sides of the water when it comes to our culinary world. And with St. Pete/Clearwater considered for Michelin recognition for the first time this year, the stakes for who cooked it best have increased all the more.
Looking to local restaurants with outposts on both sides of the bay, we drilled down what makes them similar and unique–and what keeps them striving to up the entire region’s food scene.
In the end, it’s always about pleasing the local customer.
“There’s always a friendly rivalry between Tampa and St. Pete chefs to drive the culinary scene in our community and draw the attention,” says Richard Anderson, Culinary Director for Oxford Commons. “We all know our markets and guests better than anyone, but both sides of the bay are constantly working towards the same goal….unbeatable experiences for our guests and undeniably great food.”
Read on for a few of our favorite restaurants bridging the bay and striving to keep Tampa Bay’s gastronomy at the top of its game.

Olivia
With locations in South Tampa and downtown St. Pete, Chris Ponte’s beloved modern Italian restaurant is known for its glass-enclosed dough room where the magic of handmade ravioli and other favorite pastas unfolds.
“The restaurant was such a success in Tampa that we wanted to duplicate it in St. Pete,” says the restaurant’s James Beard-nominated owner, mentioning plans to open a third Olivia outpost in Sarasota in 2026. Since the restaurant’s bar has been such a social hot spot in Tampa, Ponte opted to expand St. Pete’s bar seating even more. “It’s full every night. There’s a real walk-in crowd in there. People are strolling everywhere around downtown, it’s a real hustle and bustle,” he says.
Dates Opened
- Tampa: 2019
- St. Pete: 2025
Chefs
- Tampa: Ben Clark
- St. Pete: Dion Jumapao
Menus: Identical
Signature Dish
- Tampa: Rigatoni Bolognese
- St. Pete: Lobster Fettuccine

Oxford Exchange and The Library (Oxford Commons)
Oxford Commons eateries have common threads, as is the case for these two beloved restaurants. Both design-driven spaces offer approachable menus and energetic weekend brunches (don’t miss the Brunch Tower at Tampa’s Oxford Exchange, piled high with frittatas and French toast, and the Brunch Board at The Library in St. Pete, with benedicts and sweet and savory items o’plenty). Both addresses also have tons of great programming throughout the year to provide a place to converge, create and relax among The Library’s book-lined walls and inside Oxford Exchange’s historic century-old building. “It’s all part of creating places where the community gathers, and that’s our number one focus no matter which side of the bay we’re located,” says Anderson.
Dates Opened
- Oxford Exchange: 2012
- The Library: 2018
Executive Chefs
- Oxford Exchange: Joseph Meyer
- The Library:Louis Meyer
Menus: Different
Signature Dish
- Oxford Exchange: Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
- The Library: Jumbo Sea Scallops

Noble Crust
With three locations across the bay area, including in Wesley Chapel, Noble Crust has become a neighborhood standard thanks to its fun and casual atmosphere and inspired Deep South Italian fare (a fusion of fine Italian cooking techniques with Southern ingredients). The menus don’t differ at the restaurants. “Why fix what isn’t broken?” says the company’s director of operations, Chris Sweeney, adding that Noble Crust has been careful to pick spaces and neighborhoods that will receive the brand favorably and “partake in the whole experience.”
Dates Opened
- St. Pete: 2015
- Carrollwood: 2017
Corporate Executive Chef: Fernando Sanchez
Menus: Identical
Signature Dish:
- St. Pete: Bronzed Salmon and F.G.B.L.T (fried green tomatoes, Tabasco honey glazed pork belly, pimento cheese)
- Carrollwood: Southern Fried Chicken

The Mandarin Hide and Mandarin Heights
A cornerstone of St. Pete’s cocktail scene, The Mandarin Hide beckons guests with a more classic and moody sense of design than Seminole Heights’ The Mandarin Heights, which takes a more design-forward tack. The brand’s signature bathtub–a nod to the Prohibition Era, when tubs were often repurposed for distilling spirits at home–can be found at both locations. Come for perfectly crafted cocktails in an atmosphere buzzing urban energy.
“In both spaces, we lead with intention—crafting menus and environments that feel right for their communities, while keeping quality, hospitality and attention to detail at the core of what we do,” says Jessica Campbell of parent group, Seed & Feed Hospitality.
Dates Opened
- The Mandarin Hide: 2010
- Mandarin Heights: 2018
Beverage Director The Mandarin Hide: Wade Murata
Bar Manager Mandarin Heights: Jesse Hall
Menus: Different
Signature Cocktail
- The Mandarin Hide: Espresso Martini
- Mandarin Heights: Old Fashioned

Naked Farmer
The farm-to-table restaurant group devoted to sourcing ingredients from Florida and the Southeast debuted in St. Pete in 2020 and has since grown to eight additional locations across Florida (including two in Tampa). Founder and CEO Jordan Johnson said St. Pete’s vibrant foodie culture played a pivotal role in shaping the menus. “St. Pete is known for its elevated culinary scene — it’s a place where you really have to earn it with delicious, craveable food day in and day out,” he says. When Naked Farmer opened its Water Street location, the company was challenged to elevate every aspect of the restaurant’s design in the cutting edge setting. “It was a moment to push the boundaries of what’s typically expected in fast-casual dining,” says Johnson. “Each city brings its own energy—Tampa with its polished, metropolitan vibe and St. Pete with a more grassroots, artistic feel.”
Dates Opened
- St. Pete: 2020
- Tampa Water Street: 2022
Chef
- St. Pete: Sekou Henry
- Tampa Water Street: Kevin Maggard
Menus: Identical
Signature Dish
- St. Pete: Wild Spring Mushroom Salad
- Tampa: Surf & Turf Plate with Grass-Fed Steak and Faroe Island Salmon

BellaBrava
With an enviable corner set-up along Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete, Tuscan-inspired restaurant BellaBrava has been a fixture on the city’s dining scene for roughly two decades. When the Midtown Tampa location opened in 2021, 2BHospitality president, Thomas Sanborn, says the company didn’t stray from tradition when it was clear they had a working formula. That said, the Midtown location tends to draw more business traffic from the nearby hotels while St. Pete sees a more tourist-driven customer base. “We’re a scratch kitchen. We make all of our pastas here internally, we bake all of our table bread. Everything we make, we make here,” Sanborn says.
Dates Opened
- St. Pete: 2005
- Tampa Midtown: 2021
Chef
- St. Pete: Pablo Jaramillo
- Tampa: Rebecca Shaw
Menus: Identical
Signature Dish
- Both Locations: Pasta Brava, radiatori pasta with grilled chicken, cotto ham, wild mushrooms and asiago cream.

Cali
Channeling the California mood and state of mind comes easy whether you’re at the St. Pete or South Tampa location of this casual eatery from the creative brains and taste buds of Ciccio Restaurants.
Known for delicious bowls and pizzas featuring locally fermented sourdough crust, Cali’s menu calls upon fresh, whole food ingredients, with no added sugar or preservatives and only responsibly caught-fish, hormone-free chicken and grass fed beef.
“The St. Pete location is definitely a beloved neighborhood spot. People have always gone there for fresh food that feels really elevated and captures the vibe and palate of California,” says Primo Amicucci, Cali’s chef and president. The South Tampa location underwent a redesign in May to conjure the current vibes of LA’s ever-evolving dining scene.
Dates Opened
- St. Pete: 2005
- Tampa: 2018
Chef: Primo Amicucci
Menus: Identical
Signature Dish
- St. Pete: Hot & Crunchy Bowl
- Tampa: So Cal Bowl

Malio’s Prime and Malio’s Beach House
Malio Iavarone first opened his namesake steakhouse in Tampa in 1969. In 2007, his son, Derek and daughter-in-law, Jen, opened Malio’s Prime alongside the Hillsborough River downtown. The couple’s latest venture, Malio’s Beach House, debuted earlier this year in St. Pete Beach, delivering the brand’s signature dark and moody, big city steakhouse experience. “We didn’t really reinvent the wheel, we wanted to keep it consistent so people knew they were at Malio’s,” says Jen, the project’s lead designer.
“We wanted to bring something that the beach didn’t have to offer yet–and give people something to look forward to after last year’s hurricane season,” says Derek.
Dates Opened
- Malio’s Prime Tampa: 2007
- Malio’s Beach House St. Pete: 2025
Chef
- Malio’s Prime: Michael Perry Gonzales
- Malio’s Beach House: Corrie Dietrich
Menus: Similar
Signature Dish
- Malio’s Beach House: Shrimp Theresa
- Malio’s Prime: USDA All Natural Center-Cut Filet and Australian Rack of Lamb
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