Downtown Tampa is a veritable mecca for business professionals in Tampa. If anything, the plethora of enormous skyscrapers dotting the town are a testament to this. With so many professionals working in this concentrated locale, you can bet there are a ton of places catering to those on their cherished lunch breaks in this city.
From classic American to regional cuisine like Italian, Greek, and more, there are a ton of varied dining options for a great, quick lunch in Downtown Tampa. Here are five assuredly great ones.
Zudar's - Straight up, if you're looking for not an ok, not a good, but really great deli, Zudar's is the place to be in Downtown Tampa. Serving up classic, hot and cold deli sandwiches piled to the ceiling (ok, maybe not the ceiling, but you get it), Zudar's will throw those huner pangs a one-two punch and probably leave you with some leftovers too. Enjoy sandwiches like Cubans, Reubens, and smoked turkey.
Cafe Hey - For a quaint, relaxed lunch in an authentic cafe atmosphere, Cafe Hey is a great option for workers in Downtown Tampa. Doubling as a competent coffee shop and lunch joint, Cafe Hey is the eatery for those with freshness and taste in mind.
Try the Rebel Rebel with avocado, smoked turkey, jalapeno jack
cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise, or a ton of their vegetarian options including the VLT - vegan bacon, lettuce, tomato, and veganaise, dry pressed - the Summer Lovin' with shredded jicama, cream cheese, avocado, tomato and sesame sunflower dust and the Hummus and Fresh Vegetable with housemade hummus, shredded carrots, lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers.
Moxie's - Moxie's keeps it simple; an unassuming cafe in the heart of Downtown Tampa serving up quality breakfast items, sandwiches, wraps, soups, smoothies, and more.
All bread is baked fresh daily and they receive shipments of deli meat five days a week to include in their hearty sandwiches like the Italian with spicy cappacola, Genoa salami, pepperoni, provolone, roasted red peppers, topped with pesto sauce and the Tuscana with grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, topped with arugula mayo, and baby spinach.
Fresh - Fresh does not mess around when it comes to serving up some delicious, inventive breakfast and lunch in Downtown Tampa. Cereal bar? Check. Huge, delicious paninis? Check. Frozen yogurt? Uh huh.
We'll stick to lunch here, though. Pressed paninis like the Cubano - slow baked ham, roasted pork, swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard - and the Blu with slow-roasted beef, spinach, caramelized onions, bleu cheese, and horseradish glaze will get your mouth watering in no time.
Jackson's Bistro - Beautiful, scenic lunch on the water? Only at Jackson's, my friends. As a typically upscale, fine-dining kind of joint, it's nice to see they offer a lunch menu in a bit more of an affordable range with all the deliciousness and quality they pride themselves on.
Menu highlights include a grilled chicken panini with grilled chicken, avocado, vidalia onion compote, Neuski sliced bacon,tomato, baby arugula and basil pesto spread; wild mushroom marsala with seared chicken cutlets, wild mushrooms, and Marsala wine sauce; and a Maryland Crab Melt with tillamook cheddar, zesty remoulade sauce, tomato and arugula.
Lucky for Downtown Tampa professionals, Ybor City's got a ton of great lunch spots and the Channelside lunch scene is not too bad either. Both these locales are a stone's throw away from Downtown and are easily accessible via the quick, affordable TECO Line Streetcar. Explore dining in these other neighborhoods without ever losing your parking spot and beating all the traffic with the streetcar.
