Last Updated on January 21, 2024 by Marybeth
If you stubbornly stay in the “run like the wind away from the top tourist spots” camp, you’ll miss the good stuff. That was me. Then I purposefully booked a stay in Ybor City. The Cuban food especially was calling to me, and add in the culture and the vibrant walkable downtown (and the most fun vintage clothing / costume shop), I knew I could deal with party-centric.
Crowded sidewalks? Music pumping from bars and car windows? Lines to get into the-hype-is-real restaurants? For sensory-minimalist me, all of this felt like a lot when my friend and I stepped onto famous 7thAvenue. But the buoyant, all-are-welcome, happy mood shining around the sidewalks and storefronts and balconies full of flowers with residents sitting up there sipping their coffee was invigorating. I was delighted. You will be, too.
Ybor City is getting lots of good press these days, and well-deserved. Rich in history, less than a ten minute drive to Tampa’s Channel District and Riverwalk, Ybor City resonates as a small city with a wonderfully inclusive culture; building on the past and looking towards the future. From the upcoming 233-acre mixed use project of residences / offices / hotels & retail Ybor Harbor Project, to the possible inclusion in the Special Services District – which would add transportation initiatives and beautification, among other services – to many concerts, kid-friendly events, ghost tours, and foodie adventure walking tours, this National Historic Landmark district is popping up in my news feed almost daily.
You’ve most likely heard Ybor City called The Cigar Capital of the World. In the late 19th century Vincente Martinez-Ybor – a successful manufacturer who supported Cuban independence – immigrated from Cuba to bring cigar manufacturing to New York, Key West, and eventually Tampa. Overseeing the build of 176 worker houses, Martinez-Ybor helped double Ybor City’s population in four years, welcoming immigrants from Spain, Spanish Cuba, Italy, Germany, Romania, and China. Surprising and unique for this time in history, Ybor City’s diverse plentitude of ethnic groups became a model for acceptance and multiculturalism that we can continue to look to for guidance and inspiration, even today.
Here is a beautiful thing: these groups formed benevolent organizations and inclusive social clubs that offered workers medical plans and social services. This part of Ybor City’s history is especially significant for me, for my independent non-political spirit. One of my most persistent mottos is “Why can’t we all just GET ALONG?” But I digress, and I hate talking politics. No need – ever – to get mired in discussions that will never change anyone’s mind. Instead, how about let’s talk about religion? (KIDDING.)
Sadly there were economic downturns throughout Ybor’s history, especially during The Great Depression, and again in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but efforts of urban renewal and heritage preservation have triumphed to cultivate and celebrate this dynamic little city.
PLAY
“We travel to eat.”
Writer and host of the television show TrueSouth, John T. Edge said this and I’ve borrowed it multiple times, because what better way to say it? He followed that with “Want to get to know a city? Belly up to a great restaurant.” Traveling around Florida now for over ten years, we’ve learned that the two most important choices are where to dine / drink, and where to stay. The rest of the trip can be built around those two basic needs.
It’s a toss-up if Ybor City is better known for its history of Cuban cigars or its Cuban sandwiches. An all-important battle still rages between Ybor and Miami for where the Cuban sandwich originated, and who makes the better sandwich (Key West is in the running somewhere too, I believe) but local lore tells that the Cuban sandwich originated in Ybor City. Let’s go with that! It seems that just about every restaurant in Ybor serves and boasts of the best Cuban sandwich. In the spirit of inclusivity, we’re going to list all the restaurants we could find in Ybor City with Cuban sandwiches on their menus. Including the two that we experienced.
Cafe Quiquiriqui and Flor Fina in the Hotel Haya
Described as ‘Cuban-inspired’, so perhaps not truly authentic to some purists, nevertheless Cafe Quiqiriqui and Flor Fina both serve an El Cubano sandwich, and the new (opened in 2020) Hotel Haya is a cool, modern place to hang out. It was too early for us to belly up to the bar or order lunch, so we bought a water and whiled away some time in the lounge spaces overlooking the bar and lovely Flor Fina.
Carmine’s had a delightful clubby feel after walking around in the bright sun, along with friendly service and a window seat for us. Watching the world go by we enjoyed our first Cuban sandwich of the trip: Pressed Tampa Cuban along with yellow rice and black beans. My friend who is mostly vegan but flexitarian when she is traveling thoroughly enjoyed the meal, as did I. Insider tip: order the half sandwich unless you are starving. It’s huge!
You may have heard of the Columbia Restaurant! Florida’s oldest restaurant – since 1905 – began here as a tiny saloon where cigar workers could relax and sample Spanish and Cuban food, or get a Cuban sandwich to take back to work. Today the restaurant takes up an entire block, includes 15 dining rooms and seats 1,700 guests. Despite the size, we had to wait an hour (we did not have a reservation) for our table: happily so, seated at the bar with a convivial, attentive bartender (thank you Lisa Marie!) and great people-watching. After that happy hour our host led us through a veritable maze of dining rooms – some with soaring two-story ceilings, some intimate chambers, all gorgeous – to our table, where we had the most delicious meal. Highly recommend, 10 out of 10: go to the-hype-is-real famous, popular Columbia Restaurant. You can visit their six locations all around Florida, but this is the original.
Modern sandwich shop that, despite the name, also serves Cuban classics, all-day breakfast, and yes, reviewers rave about the flan. Any review that starts with “Hot damn!” and ends with “hidden gem” is worth a visit, for us!
4th-generation owned and operated La Segunda often has lines out the door. We waited, and were rewarded. Have I mentioned that this trip – a celebratory overnight with a close comrade – one of my best friends, from middle school! – for our milestone birthdays (one week apart) only lasted 21 hours? In this time we managed to visit three restaurants and one ice cream shop! We fit in so much fun in that short time, including standing in line at La Segunda, chatting and laughing, and holding the door for other customers whose arms were so full of fresh Cuban 35″ loaves they almost couldn’t see to navigate the entrance… priceless time spent! La Segunda is located just north of I-4, so not smack in the middle of downtown Ybor. Take the tiny drive, or walk, if you are staying near 7th Ave. (Or, stay in the neighborhood of La Segunda, like we did! More on that, keep reading.)
For a brew pub Tampa Bay Brewing Co. has a surprisingly giant food menu, including, yes, a Cuban sandwich. Their website is a little bare bones; click on Order Online – Ybor to view the menu (you don’t have to actually order right this minute, or at all, just look around.) Located in the lovely Centro Ybor complex, where you’ll find shopping, more dining, and entertainment. Outdoor seating is available.
Ybor City is bustling with impressive, enticing restaurants with splendorous reviews on multiple platforms: believe me, as a traveler who spends weeks (okay, months) doing research before a trip. Visit Tampa Bay has been one go-to resource, click here for their Food + Drink segment, since we weren’t able to visit them all, during our 21-hour visit!
Another cool resource who’s bio I’d love to steal: Treksplorer. “A fiercely independent guide to mid-range luxury travel for busy people.” Check out his Ybor City: Things to Do + Where to Eat & Drink in Tampa’s Latin Quarter.
Some bars and restaurants on our list to visit next time:
STAY
“Where you stay sets the tone for your whole trip.”
This quote is a mash-up between me and Conde Nast Traveler. Their version: “Good interiors set the tone for a trip.” So true. But so do the exteriors, and how about the location? Of utmost importance for the tone, don’t you agree?
For our stay in Ybor City we chose a neighborhood that is infinitesimally off the main drag. During my months-long research binge I found reviews that mentioned some partying going on into the night, directly on and surrounding 7th Ave. Fun for 20-somethings! And also 65-somethings (I recently heard that people over the age of 65 – after just staying home through ages 50-65 – LOVE GOING OUT AT NIGHT! Who knew? And also, for me, why is that fun??) Strategically planning our home base just barely away from the fray, but close enough to walk or get there in a 4-minute drive, paid off.
Naturally on Airbnb the host doesn’t give you the exact address until you book. Understandable. But you can figure it out almost exactly. Not sure the hosts will appreciate me giving out these tips:
1. View all their photos, make note of the color of the house next to theirs. You can usually see at least a slice of the neighbor’s color scheme.
2. Read all the reviews. “A block and a half away from Ybor City’s oldest and most famous bakery!”
3. ‘Drive around’ on street view. Find that distinctive bright blue house next door you saw the slice of in a photo.
You can also try messaging the host (and save yourself all that time spent sleuthing!)
Our Airbnb, shown above, had a gorgeous modern interior, responsive hosts, and the price was a bit below those Airbnb’s that were right downtown. And, the oldest bakery in town, La Segunda, was just a seven minute walk down the street. The neighborhood was mostly residential, peaceful, and felt safe.
With Ybor City’s captivating history we weren’t surprised to find plenty of historic buildings, museums, and cottages. Sprinkled in were some lovely modern homes as well!
And now onto our epic shopping experience! As a self-professed consignment junkie I seek out vintage clothing or gently-used shops everywhere I travel. Why pay full price for anything? I’ve had many jobs in my life, including retail management; that probably says it all right there. La France Vintage Clothing (in business since 1974!) stands heads above almost every other vintage / consignment shop even I have been to.
We had a blast, trying on dresses and accessorizing with hats and bags, and one of the employees, Dahlia, was happy to become our photographer. Whether you’re looking for the coolest of vintage outfits, a formal gown for a ball, something funky to wear for a costume party, or a gorgeous dress that looks vintage but is actually a current-day brand (so the store is able to stock all sizes! Just ask them – unfortunately I forgot to make note of the brand / brands) you’ll find it here. One of their posts on Facebook says “Specializing in sexy train robber outfits since 1974.” Check them out on Instagram, and Etsy, too. La France has a large men’s section as well.
Have you explored Ybor City yet? Our rapid 21-hour visit encompassed a ton of fun, but I’m sure there is so much we missed. Let us know what we need to add to our list for our NEXT milestone birthday visit to Ybor!
Ybor City is 30 miles west of Clearwater Beach – so, just a short stray away from the coast – and 80 miles southwest of Orlando.
