My Dad was up for pizza for dinner, so we looked around the Riverview area and chose Cappy’s Pizza. The exterior of the building was a clean, modern brick facade with decking on the upper levels giving it a bit of a European / New Orleans feel. The interior was full of classic agricultural and automotive signs from yesteryear and was well-lit.
To start our meal, we ordered a large Greek Salad (see picture) to share and we were not disappointed – it was delicious! We ordered 3 pizzas to share (see pictures) – 2 NY Customs and a NY Cappy. We enjoy thinner crusts and found all of these options to be very good – wood-fired edges with plenty of sauce and toppings.
A rock-solid pizza shop that I would recommend and look forward to a return.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
We stopped here for lunch with my son and parents after a tour of his current jobsite in Lakeland. The atmosphere was amazing – clean and modern, yet rustic and welcoming. It is located in an old bank building (see pictures) and thus the ‘Federal’ in the name, with some tongue-in-cheek advertising on the signs outside (see pictures).
We weren’t super hungry, so ordered a little on the light side and shared our dishes (as is our custom anyway). As an appetizer, we ordered the Onion Rings (see picture) and they were awesome – huge, crispy and bit off cleanly. For lunch we ordered (see pictures for each): Kansas City Burnt Ends, Three-Meat Combo, BBQ Reuben & Smoked Turkey Breast. All of the dishes were smokey, juicy and full of flavor – but that didn’t stop us from trying the various bbq sauces on the table (see picture).
The next time you find yourself in Lakeland and looking for some good BBQ, stop by Mojo Federal Swine & Spirits.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Another visit to our son’s house (this time with my parents) and another awesome experience at Tiki Docks! This time we had 5 adults ordering so had the opportunity to try a few things…but still stuck with a couple of our favorites.
Our dinner consisted of (see pictures for each): Mahalo Pork Sandwich, Fish & Chips, Surfing Shrimp Tacos, Pipeline Shrimp Cheese Grits and Pipeline Scallop Cheese Grits. We all shared bites and I’m happy to report that everyone thought all of the dishes were delicious!
Best of all, this time we had enough help so decided to share a Banana Bread Ice Cream Sandwich for dessert (see picture). I was heavenly – all of us like banana bread, but grilled and paired with ice cream puts it over the top! Make sure that you give this a try on your next visit.
For a combination of unique and tasty food in a great location on the river with top-end service and a reasonable value, you will love Tiki Docks! If you go, please say ‘Hi’ to Rachael from The Food & Drink Guy – she is a fantastic server.
While I give very few full 5* reviews (usually the really nice places are also very expensive for example), I found this place to be quite unique and deserving of the recognition. We were visiting our son in the area and he suggested stopping here – and it was clearly our favorite place during our stay in Riverview. We’ve done the downtown Tampa and Ybor areas and found them both to be very nice – yet this place seems to have a great balance, hitting the top of the scales in all the areas that I rate (Food, Atmosphere, Value & Service).
We started with a round of drinks, including a Mango Margarita (see picture) and a half dozen Oysters (see picture). My wife and I both love Taijin, so were thrilled to find it on the rim of the margarita – which was very good. We were surprised to hear that our son had never tried oysters before, so that was a primary driver to ordering them so he could try them. My wife and I enjoyed them, but our son is now knows that he is not an oysters fan…which meant one more for my wife to enjoy…
For our main courses, my wife ordered the Pipeline Shrimp Cheese Grits (see picture), my son ordered the Tiki Wings (see picture) and I went with the Seared Ahi Saku (see picture). As we always to, we all shared sample bites from each others plates to enjoy multiple dishes and tastes. I found each of them to be near the top of similar dishes I’ve had elsewhere. The Seared Ahi Saku was prepared perfectly, was served on some great tasting fresh salsa and included a wonderful dipping sauce. There were two different flavors of wings and both were very good – juicy, tasty and delightful. Lastly, while the Pipeline Shrimp Cheesy Grits pushed the envelope on value coming in at $24 – it was sooo creamy, cheesy and delicious (I stole multiple bites of the cheesy grits).
Lastly, and while we were already quite full, no meal is complete for me without at least a few bites of dessert. When in Floriday, it is quite hard to pass up Key Lime Pie (see picture), so we shared a piece of it. Again, it was VERY good – I would definitely recommend a piece before you leave!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
We just finished up a 6 hour pontoon ride on the river and intercoastal waterway and the owner of the pontoon recommended this place for a bite to eat. It was a very open and lively place with a nice view of the river next to I75. As you might expect with many river stops – it is set up with an island-like theme to have a good time at the bar…but there isn’t much budget allocated to the bathrooms. The food and service were solid though, so I’d be up for stopping again on another day – especially after a long day on the water.
We had already eaten lunches and snacks on the pontoon so weren’t that hungry, but did enjoy a tap beer and a Shrimp Basket (see picture). While the cole slaw quantity was minimal, the shrimp were crispy and tasty – and I really liked the dipping sauce.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
This was the closest place to our son’s home and was along the drive home from dinner, so thought we would stop and check it out and have 1 drink. It was admittedly a letdown stopping here relative to several other places in the area, although it was later at night and we didn’t order food. While it looks like a fun place with a great view during the day, our stop for a nightcap was disappointing. The mixed drinks weren’t very good and I’m big on local tap beers – but there aren’t any tap beers here.
There was plenty of space to move around and a number of outdoor games set up that would be fun during a warm afternoon – but on this evening just after a rain shower had passed through and the grill was about to shut down, it was a disappointment.
We waited several minutes for someone to serve us at a table adjacent to the outside bar, then I walked up to the bar to see what beers they had on tap. To my surprise, I learned that they didn’t have any beers on tap! In addition, I was told that she couldn’t serve me…that someone was on the way out to our table. It took more than a couple of minutes for a server to get to our table – possibly because they assumed we were going to order food, so had someone from inside bring out food menus and apologize for the fact that the grill was shutting down in a few minutes.
This place has some good reviews for their food, is set up for outdoor activities and the view looks great during the day. We had already eaten and there wasn’t much liveliness left when we arrived around 8:45 on a Saturday night, so I can only speak to our experience. Honestly, my biggest letdown was that the there was no beer on tap…I really like trying different local beers on tap wherever I go and that isn’t possible here. Maybe we’ll stop by during the day for lunch on our next trip to sample the food and experience a different aspect.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
While looking for places to have dinner near our son’s house in Riverview, we came across this place that was a short drive away and had reasonable reviews. On the way to the restaurant, my wife was reading more about it and discovered that it had been on Bar Rescue in the Spring of 2022. This increased our interest in going even more, as we’ve seen a few episodes so thought it would be great to actually be in a bar after the Rescue. Driving there does get you wondering a bit whether you are on the right path though, as you drive through a very residential area to find the restaurant at the end of the street along the river.
We started with a round of local beers and Harbor Fog (see picture) drinks and found them each to be good. For our meals, my wife ordered the Dockside Cuban (see picture), my son ordered the Steakhouse Burger (see picture) and I ordered the Grouper Tacos (see picture) – the tacos on the recommendation of Shelby our server who was great! As we always do, we shared tastes of each others orders to see what we thought.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from the food, as some of the reviews as well as the Bar Rescue excerpts we read spoke of a ‘friends and family’ staff – with the primary cook never having been a cook / chef in a restaurant before. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality each of the dishes though – finding their quality well above the average bar food. For some well above average bar food at a reasonable price, Jerry’s Dockside Bar & Grill is a great stop!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Saw this on the way to lunch with our son after touring his latest jobsite, so had to stop for a flight on the way home. A solid brewery with a good selection of beers to satisfy most tastes. Looks like a great stop to enjoy live music also, although it wasn’t yet happening when we were there.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
This place was recommended by our son who lives in the area and has been here for lunch since it is near his latest worksite. This is a top-notch restaurant and was quite impressive – what I would have expected to find in downtown Tampa. Everything about the experience was excellent, with the only ding I can give it based on value – as it is a bit pricey.
This was a bit of a brunch stop for us, so we ate fairly lightly. My wife ordered the Arroz Chaufa Pollo Lunch (see picture) and 1961 Side Salad (see picture), my son ordered the Classic ’61 Tacos (see picture) and I ordered the Peruvian Ceviche (see picture). As is our custom, we all shared bites from each others orders and all really enjoyed all of these dishes, so would highly recommend them. The ceviche was creamy and tangy, the arroz chaufa pollo was moist and flavorful and the tacos were zesty, cheesy and delicious!
If you are looking for a great lunch or dinner stop in Lakeland, especially if it is a special occasion worthy of a bit of a splurge, Nineteen 61 will not disappoint you.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Peruvian CevicheArroz Chaufa Pollo LunchClassic ’61 Tacos1961 Side Salad
We have enjoyed the Bahama Breeze in Lutz, Florida so thought we would stop by this one on our way to the airport to fly home from vacation. The experience was very similar and we enjoyed this location just as much as Lutz.
We started with a Cuban Mojito and Aruba Red beer (both hit the spot), then moved on to our main courses. I ordered the Tropical Fruit Chicken Salad (see picture) and can’t express strongly enough how much I enjoyed it – light, refreshing and so tasty! My wife ordered the Fish Tacos (Blackened) with a side bowl of Seafood Chowder (see picture) – both were delicious and are highly recommended.
Stopped here for dinner during our last night in town with our son based on one of his co-worker’s recommendations. It is a beautiful restaurant in the Armature Works building and the food & service were great – just be aware that it is a bit pricey.
We started with drinks and an order of Buffalo Cauliflower (see picture) – it was delicious and I’d highly recommend it! For dinner we shared a 20oz New York Strip (see picture) as well as a Sweet Potato (see picture) – all of which was as good as you would expect from a place that looks this good.
I would highly recommend this restaurant if the high prices don’t scare you, as the experience was great. As to our server, she was top-notch – shout out to Charesse and her great service!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
How can you go wrong with ice cream – right? We stopped for dessert after eating at a nearby restaurant and really enjoyed the stop. It is convenient, located near the north end of the Armature Works building and they have a great selection of candies in addition to cookies and ice cream (see pictures).
We only had the ice cream on this stop, but if you like any of these listed desserts, you will likely be glad that you stopped by to sample what they offer!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
This was my 3rd visit to Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill – all with my son while visiting him in Tampa. This time, we have a VRBO and stayed on Clearwater Beach within a mile of the restaurant.
We started with an order of General Antonio bacon wrapped Scallops (see picture) – have enjoyed them before and once again, they did not disappoint. My wife ordered a bowl of the She Crab Soup (see picture) that we shared and both found to be delicious (very thick and rich).
For the main meal, my wife and I shared The Three Kings pan sauteed grouper (see picture) and found it every bit as good as the description. My Mom ordered the Seafood Pot Pie (see picture) and loved it, while my Dad had to be talked into the Old School grouper sandwich instead of the hamburger he wanted…but really liked it.
For dessert, we shared a piece of Keylime Pie – and I’d highly recommend you have a piece before you leave on your next visit. As you can tell from our multiple visits, we really enjoy this place and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for dinner on the beach.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
General Antonio ScallopsShe Crab SoupSeafood Pot PieThe Old School Fried Grouper SandwichThe Three Kings
We ate at the downtown Tampa location on an earlier visit and liked it so much that we sought it out for lunch during our stay in Clearwater Beach. Similar to our earlier visit, we thoroughly enjoyed the stop and would highly recommend it to anyone in the area looking for some great Spanish / Cuban food in a luxury atmosphere with a great view.
We had not ordered a pitcher of drinks before, but since we had 4 people in our party, we ordered the Mojito Pitcher and enjoyed the preparation performance as well as the drinks (see pictures). Given our previous experience with the 1905 Salad made at your table, we ordered it again and enjoyed the waiter’s performance (see pictures).
We initially enjoyed the complimentary table bread (see picture) – but be forewarned, it is very crumbly so it is hard not to make a mess eating it. My wife enjoyed a side salad (see picture). For our meal, I wasn’t very hungry so ordered the Empanadas de Picadillo (see picture) and would rate them highly. My wife ordered the Filet Steak (see picture), my Mom ordered the Shrimp & Yellow Rice (see picture) and my Dad ordered the Salmon Aurora (see picture). We exchanged tastes and all thought each of the dishes was delicious.
Lastly, no meal is complete without dessert. We ordered Cafe con Leches (see picture) and an Espresso (see picture) to enjoy with the main course – the Bread Pudding (see picture). All of them were delicious…but keep in mind that the Bread Pudding is very heavy and dense – so you’ll want a few people to help eat it or a box to take the extra home!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Stopped here mostly to warm up while on a chilly morning walk, but found the place definitely worth a return trip for breakfast / lunch. Everything was made fresh and the Breakfast Scone that we sampled was delicious!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Excellent pizza and Italian food that we enjoyed courtesy of our son’s recommendation while visiting his worksite in the Lakeland area.
You order from the counter while looking at the previously prepared menu items, then your selected items are warmed up and delivered to your table (see pictures). It is definitely an area favorite, as the place was buzzing when we stopped by for dinner. Tables were at a premium since it was quite chilly outside, so the outside dining area was not being utilized.
The Garlic Knots (see picture) are unbelievably good – soft, warm, buttery and with just a slight outer layer crunch. In almost the same category was the Bruschetta (see picture) – crunchy bread, fresh ingredients and tasty seasoning! All of the pizzas that we tried (see pictures) were fantastic – not sure that you can go wrong with any of them.
Most importantly, make sure you save some room for dessert (see cooler picture) and sample one or two before you leave. We had the Tiramisu and Chocolate Cheesecake – and both were oh, so delicious!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Excellent local stop that we enjoyed during a drive along the beach. My wife and I shared the Tampa Cuban (see picture), enjoyed it and found it to be more than enough for both of us as we weren’t that hungry. My parents ordered the Reuben Cuban (see picture) and Chicken Cuban (see picture) and enjoyed both of them…just found it to be more than they wanted to eat for a light lunch.
As the pictures show, this place isn’t all that fancy, but the Cuban sandwiches were served quickly and were very good. Best of all, there was a good selection of ice cream to enjoy with your meal. I sampled the Espresso with chocolate before the meal came and loved it! If you are looking for a quick stop to eat you will enjoy this place.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Given my sweet tooth, it is hard not to explore almost any place with “cookies” in it’s name. This place was no different. While we hadn’t eaten at a Crumbl Cookies before, I saw the sign on the way back from the aquarium and nearly had the car on 2 wheels as I turned sharply to get into the parking lot. 😉
There were 4 of us, so we ordered the 4 cookie combo box and each enjoyed our cookies that were fresh out of the oven and warm. I especially enjoyed the German Chocolate Cake, with a delicious melted chocolate center in an already great cookie.
on our second stop during our next visit, we ordered Milk Chocolate Chip, Rocky Road, Peanut Butter Cup and Confetti Cake. While I almost didn’t order the Confetti Cake for fear it would be too sweet, most of us agreed that it was our favorite…the icing was light and delicious.
If you like cookies, you can’t go wrong here!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Our son lives in Tampa and recommended this place for dinner during our visit – and boy is it ever a gem! It is situated almost right next to the Armature Works on the river in North Tampa and is such a beautiful area to see before you even go inside. Once seated, Shelby our server introduced herself and she was awesome – great recommendations and information on all of our questions.
I started with a Honeymoon Strawberry Heffe (see picture) and it was great. For an appetizer, we ordered the Gator Tail (see picture) and while we enjoyed trying gator, we found it a bit tough to our liking.
For our main course, we ordered Water Works Meatloaf (see picture), 8oz Flank Steak (see picture) and Seafood Risotto (see picture). We found all of them very good – with the Seafood Risotto being the favorite and the green beans being very good as a side. Most importantly was our dessert…if you go you HAVE to finish with a bowl of Espresso Chocolate Swirl ice cream (see picture). It is SO good – everyone at the table loved it!
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
Our son picked this place for a late lunch on the way to the aquarium and boy, did we enjoy our meal!
The exterior was beautiful (see front and back entrance pictures) and the Corazón Buffalo Trace Barrel Aged Reposado tequila drinks sign immediately captured my attention. The bar was will stocked, the atmosphere was festive and the decor was modern and well lit.
We first shared Pork Dumplings, then my wife ordered the Fort Harrison Steak and I opted for the Half Buffalo Chicken Salad. All of the food was every bit as good as it looks in the pictures and then some…I highly recommend all of them.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. To receive Tweets of the latest Reviews, follow on Twitter: @TheFaDGuy
Our son picked this place to meet for dinner when we were visiting and boy was ita great choice! It was very lively, modern, open and chic as we walked up (see pictures) and it only got better from there.
We initially ordered the Scotch Eggs and all thought they were great. We had a hard time deciding on the main course (so many great looking dishes to choose from), but I eventually settled on the UK Meatloaf. I’m not a huge meatloaf fan, but this was fabulous – so light, crumbly and delicious that I was sad when it was gone.
If you do only one thing while here, do NOT leave without having The Yeoman Dessert. That sticky toffee pudding just might be the best dessert I’ve had ever and the rest were also delicious.
If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. To receive Tweets of the latest Reviews, follow on Twitter: @TheFaDGuy
