Category: Ybor

Asiatic Street Food & Noodle Bar

Asiatic Street Food & Noodle Bar describes themself as a restaurant offering casual cuisine inspired by the streets of Southeast Asia. Before COVID-19 hit, we would frequent Asiatic at least once or twice a month on our Tuesday/Thursday date nights. Ybor City tends to be pretty slow during the week and we love to wander the streets and stop in to our favorite places. When everything closed, our routine got shaken up a bit. Last night, we were able to, once again, enjoy dinner at Asiatic. We were not disappointed.

We ordered the Firecracker Shrimp as an appetizer. The shrimp is fried, crispy, and tossed in their special Thai spicy mayo. It was delicious (while writing this, I asked Kacie about it and all she said was “Yeah… that was REALLY good.”). Kacie ordered Phad Basil for her main dish and I stuck with one of my favorite Thai dishes, Green Curry Chicken – extra spicy.

  • Phad Basil
  • Green Curry – Chicken

Asiatic’s menu describes the Phad Basil as “Fragrant fresh basil leaves, green bell pepper, long bean, and ground chicken, stir-fried with our signature Asiatic sauce. Topped with a ‘sunny side up’ egg.” Kacie loved the Phad Basil. My green curry chicken was amazing. I’ve ordered this dish at other places in the area that make the curry too watery or bland. Asiatic has figured out how to cook it perfectly. We’ve tried many of their other menu items as well, and have never been unhappy with our order.

Asiatic is located in Centro Ybor plaza, directly across the street from Tampa Bay Brewing Company’s outdoor seating/bar. Here is a map of Ybor City, if you need to get your bearings. We always park in the HCC Visitor parking garage at the corner of Nuccio Parkway and East 8th Ave. The walk down East 8th toward Centro Ybor offers fun interactions with the notorious Ybor Chickens, as well as a view of the historic buildings of Ybor – and provides a little physical activity as well.

  • Asiatic
  • Across the Street
  • Sideview of Asiatic

We called ahead earlier in the day to check on availability – it’s a good practice to call before visiting any restaurant right now, due to social distancing guidelines limiting space. When I called, they reminded me that all of their tables are typically six-feet apart anyway – yet another reason we enjoy frequenting this place. It is a nice alternative to the overcrowding that many restaurants seem to practice.

Asiatic is a great place for a date night or to take the whole family. Literally, every time we walk past, Kacie says “Oh, man, I love that place.” Needless to say, we recommend you try Asiatic.

You may order online or access their menu HERE. They’ve also recently introduced a Family Style Menu.

1600 E. 8th Avenue, #D101, Centro Ybor (Tampa), FL 33605

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Visit Cuba at Jose Marti Park

If you are tired of being trapped in the house and looking for an outdoor activity, take a trip to Cuba! You can step foot on Cuban soil without ever leaving Tampa at Jose Marti Park in Ybor City. The park has been legally owned by the Republic of Cuba since 1956. A statue of Jose Marti, who was known as the “Cuban Liberator,” stands as the centerpiece of the park dedicated to his legacy. Marti was a Cuban revolutionary who instigated the movement that ultimately led to Cuban independence from the Spanish Empire in 1902.

Jose Marti Park offers a fun educational outing for children and adults alike. Take a photo or selfie on the bench with the mural of Cuba behind you.

The park itself is maintained by volunteers. The gate for the park is open from 8a-1:30p, so plan accordingly.

You can read about the fascinating life of Jose Marti HERE

Cool Down at The Blind Tiger

The summer heat of Florida can be brutal. We were out photographing some of our favorite locations in Ybor City for an upcoming series we’re writing on the history behind some of the landmarks in Tampa. Since we like to avoid the national chains and shop local, we decided to stop into The Blind Tiger Cafe in Ybor City to escape the nearly 100-degree heat and enjoy a cold coffee. 

The Blind Tiger is a laid-back coffee house environment that is normally full of folks meeting, studying, working, reading, or those just wanting to take a break from the bustle of their day. The theme of the coffee house is inspired by the speakeasy establishments from the United States’ prohibition days. Blind Tiger is another name given to a “speakeasy,” whose name refers to the demand that patrons participating in the illegal activity of drinking alcohol were not to make too much noise and alert others to the illegal existence of the location. The coffee shop was started in Ybor City (Tampa) by local entrepreneur, Roberto Torres, and has grown to six locations around the Tampa Bay area. The Blind Tiger serves food as well as coffee. A menu for each of its locations can be accessed HERE.

Every time I have visited the Blind Tiger, I’ve found the employees to be very friendly. After speaking with the crew for a while, we continued our walk around Ybor City enjoying a Vanilla Latte and a Nitro Cold Brew. It was a nice cooldown from the humid sauna-like weather of Florida in July. They are taking precautionary measures, due to COVID-19, in order to ensure the safety of their guests. A mask must be worn to enter the establishment and social-distancing guidelines must be observed.

Next time you’re in the Tampa Bay area and looking for a place to meet, relax, or just grab a cup of coffee and go, we recommend you drive right past the green circle labeled chain store and support a local business: The Blind Tiger Café.

If you enjoy reading about local businesses and attractions in the Tampa Bay area, please consider following this blog and sharing it on social media for continued updates! Thanks!

Ice Cream at Snobachi

We recently visited Snobachi Handcrafted Ice Cream in Ybor City (Tampa, FL). Located one block East of the historic Columbia Restaurant, Snobachi is a locally owned business that offers a family-friendly, laid back environment with all the offerings you’d expect from an ice cream shop and more.

We enjoyed the Cookies & Cream Milkshake and an order of the liquid nitrogen infused Dragon Ballz. The milkshake was one of the best we’ve tasted, and the smoke pouring out of our mouths as we ate the Dragon Ballz added fun to their flavor.

The shop is taking some social distancing precautions, due to COVID-19, but it did not negatively impact our experience.

We’d recommend anyone stop into Snobachi when seeking a cold break from the Florida heat. Whether you enjoy classics, such as hand-scooped ice cream and a Root Beer float, or would like to have a slice of cheesecake and try some Dragon Ballz; this place will not disappoint. Children and adults alike are sure to get a blast out of experiencing the liquid-nitrogen infused offerings.

Support a locally-owned business next time you are in the Ybor area of Tampa and stop by Snobachi Handcrafted Ice Cream!

Snobachi is open Monday-Thursday 2p-9p, Fri/Sat 12p-10p, and Sunday 12p-9p.

Snobachi is located at 2206 E 7th ave. Tampa, Florida 33605

Silent Ybor City

Ybor is usually a bustling part of Tampa, Florida. Nightlife in Ybor is famous worldwide. However, Florida is currently under various phases of lockdown. Outdoor activity is permitted, as long as social distancing guidelines are observed, but a business must be deemed essential in order to operate under the current guidelines.

I decided to get out of the house for a few hours and photograph the eerily Silent Ybor City.