Cheap is a restaurant/bar in the Soho district of Tampa Florida (part of the Hyde Park neighborhood), heavily frequented by the young and young-acting Tampa crowds. There’s a total of three bars in the place serving distinct well drinks and a nice variety of beers. The food menu is an eclectic mix of sushi and American comfort foods like burgers and fries.
While a little overpriced, the sushi is good. The burgers and sandwiches are completely filling, especially once you’ve started drinking. If you just want something small to munch on while you drink, the tapas menu is worth checking out. The employees are all very nice and helpful, from the doormen to the bartenders and waitresses. Tip them well, they deserve it.
Cheap, in the overall sense, has a somewhat odd vibe to it. The eclectic combination of mood lighting, modern art and women in stiletto heels and skin tight dresses is what I’m basing this kind of judgment on; sort of a juxtaposition between high class and your average corner bar. It’s a large place compared to other Soho hotspots with three rooms that can hold upwards of 300 people at max capacity.
There are pool tables, couches and chairs to lounge on, and, in the back bar, they show a lot of sports on a plethora of TV’s. Many times the latest Boxing or UFC tournament matches are on and that seems to attract a lot of attention. A recent UFC tournament on their set of tubes is what brought me and my friend in this past weekend. If you get there early enough, you’ve got the place to yourself and can pick and choose your choice of seat.
Why it’s called Cheap, I have no idea; possibly a sick inside joke between the owners and managers? I say this because neither the food nor the drinks are cheap. Maybe they are talking about the clientele? I don’t know, maybe they ran out of cool club names and this is the one they pulled out of the barrel? Or maybe I’m just not in on the joke.
If you are visiting Tampa and are drawn to the lily white pseudo bourgeois meat market crowd of Soho and think McDinton’s is too college-y and Mangroves and The Drynk are too upscale for you, stop in at Cheap. You can get a good beer for market price and blend into the relatively relaxed environment while still looking at all the pretty people drunkenly flitting about to and fro.
