Dating in Tampa has always been hard. Throw Tinder into the mix, and things have gone from hard to almost impossible.
Once an innocent tool for talking to that special someone, the cell phone has become a serial dater's dream come true. You can literally schedule a coffee or wine date with someone new every hour, on the hour, for weeks.
There are just a lot of options out there and Tinder brings them right to your cell phone with little effort on your part - so, where do you meet Tinder dates so that it’s not awkward AF?
This list will provide some good places to go so you can swipe right till your heart’s content. Here are the best places to meet a Tinder date in Tampa!
Buddy Brew
With prime locations for meeting Tinder dates in Hyde Park Village on Snow Circle, in Hyde Park on Kennedy Blvd, and in Downtown Tampa at Oxford Exchange, Buddy Brew is the perfect place for a casual meeting. The Kennedy Blvd. and Snow Circle locations even have wine and cold brew on tap so if you want to start happy hour early together, that’s totally doable.
Blind Tiger Cafe
If you live, work, or play in the Ybor City neighborhood, you can swipe right and head over to Blind Tiger to meet your date. Blind Tiger is famous for their potent coffee and chic workspace. You can even buy Blind Tiger clothing and other fashionable pieces from local designers while you wait for your date to show up. If things go well, ask your date to grab a 1905 Salad from the Columbia or a frozen Moscow mule from the Bad Monkey.
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Boca Brandon
Over the last few years, Brandon’s food scene has tripled. Boca in Brandon has cornered the market on locally sourced, farm-to-table food and craft cocktails. It’s a great place to meet for a get-to-know-you cocktail. When your date goes better than expected, you both can stick around for some of their famous burgers or seasonal dinner items. Boca Brandon is located in Riverview, but brings all the flavor of the original in South Tampa.
DI Coffee Bar
If you live on the island or near downtown, chances are you’ve been to DI Coffee Bar, located on Davis Island. They serve up strong coffee, big pours, and cheese plates the size of your head - all without breaking the bank. Get there early and sample a few of the wine or coffee specials so you’ll look like a coffee or wine aficionado before your date gets there. If you hit it off, take your new significant other to 220 East for a delicious seafood dinner or to Oggi for authentic Italian.
Capital Tacos
You cannot make everyone happy. You are not tacos. Located in Wesley Chapel, Capital Tacos is a great place for singles to get to know each other. I mean, there are worse ways to spend a date than to be eating tacos and drinking margaritas! The tacos are huge and the queso is just about the cheesiest in town. Some menu standouts include the Hen House and Federalie tacos but just about anything will make your mouth happy and your taste buds happier than a Mexican jumping bean. Because, let’s be real: you can’t have a bad date over tacos, even if you wished you swiped left.
For more information on where to be and what to do in Tampa check out 813area, your free local guide to your favorite city!
