TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay area is making a name for itself in Florida's food scene.
On Tuesday, Yelp released its list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in Florida 2023, and a whopping 22 local restaurants made the list.
Tikka Indian Cuisine in Venice took the No. 2 spot, coming in just behind a Miami-area tapas joint.
The restaurant features authentic Indian cuisine in a "modern, family run atmosphere," according to its website. With a philosophy of only using the "finest and freshest seasonal ingredients," some sourced directly from India, Tikka Indian Cuisine has racked up a number of impressive awards from foodie communities across the state.
"I must say this is the best Indian food I've had in Florida, might be my life. Everything is prepared fresh, the flavors are potent and the heat level is just right," Yelp elite user Brian D. wrote.
Other Tampa Bay area restaurants on the list include:
#20 Rice & Spice in Tampa
#22 Fork & Hen in Sarasota
#25 Mazzaro's Italian Market in St. Petersburg
#30 OLIVIA in Tampa
#35 Uptown Eats in St. Petersburg
#36 Box of Cubans in Riverview
#40 Château 13 Restaurant & Wine Bar in Bradenton
#45 Izakaya Tori in Tampa
#49 Lenny's Restaurant in Clearwater
#54 Dry Dock Waterfront Grill in Longboat Key
#60 Oxford Exchange in Tampa
#61 Cafe Soliel in St. Pete Beach
#63 Kojo in Sarasota
#66 Cristino's Coal Oven Pizza in Clearwater
#67 Willow's Cafe in Sarasota
#72 Pia's Trattoria in Gulfport
#74 Wright's Gourmet House in Tampa
#75 Mangos & Marley-A Coastal Cafe in Dunedin
#80 Clear Sky Cafe in Clearwater
#85 Meliora in Sarasota
#88 Daily Eats in Tampa
Yelp generated the list by ranking the restaurants based on the total volume and ratings of reviews between Jan. 1, 2022, and Jan. 1, 2023.
Uptown Eats, which claimed the No. 35 spot, piqued the interest of hungry locals earlier this year when it was listed at No. 21 on Yelp's Top 100 U.S. Restaurants in 2023.
The mom-and-pop shop is a staple in the Historic Uptown neighborhood of St. Petersburg, hence its name. Their seats are normally filled with regulars and returning customers who enjoy the "Uptown" breakfast sandwich. But since Yelp gave the restaurant a shout-out, new faces have been walking through their doors.
"We think we do a really good thing for our little restaurant and we produce a really great product," owner Dan Schmidt said. "And we help a lot of people in our community."
10 Tampa Bay's Jordan Highsmith contributed to this report.
