Best Contemporary Italian Restaurants in Ybor City

I was pleasantly surprised, the food was amazing! I went for my birthday, everyone loved the appetizer and entreea. Good options for Cocktail and Wine. Lucas helped us so our service was A1. I will recomend 100%.

I had a wonderful experience at Ava Restaurant yesterday! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lovely, and the prices were reasonable. Everything was great. I would definitely come back!

First time visiting Ash. We came for an early dinner before a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game. The restaurant is right across the street from the stadium. Traffic patterns are modified about 2 hours before game time, but they do offer validation in a lot near by (which was $45…not sure how much they cover of that). We found street parking a block from Ash. The atmosphere is nice. High ceilings, bar seating which was full, several tables along the window, and some larger tables in back. Also they offer outside seating. I wasn’t sure how “fancy” this place might be, but I was comfortable in nice jeans and button down shirt. Casual clothes are fine here. In fact, I’ve yet to find a “special occasion” place in Tampa (maybe Bern’s?) where you really have to up your attire game. Everyone was very friendly. Numerous staff were involved in serving us. Everyone was attentive and it was a team effort. Great service overall. The cocktails were creative and tasty. The food is certainly elevated and is served as small plates meant to be shared. “Small” doesn’t equal tiny tapas plates here. We got 4 items between the two of us and it was the perfect amount. The fresh fish (snapper) was simple but done to perfection. The vegetables served with it were amazingly fresh and very tasty. Don’t hesitate to get the eggplant (trust me) or the chicken cutlet (table next to us had it). The pasta was a highlight…fresh and just good tasting. Wine list had really nice options, and the waiter recommendations were perfect. No complaints. It was lively and I’d be interested in seeing how the atmosphere is on a “regular” non game night. Regardless, we will be back for the food. Highly recommend.

This is our third, Michelin starred restaurant visit and it absolutely as expected was incredible. Highly recommend ordering way more than necessary because everything is incredible and goes incredibly together. Staff was wonderful drinks were wonderful everything was amazing. Thank you for the fantastic experience.

We drove 90 miles just to eat at Che Vita again—and this time we brought friends. The food is seriously amazing, and the staff is top-notch, so yeah, we’ll definitely be back and telling everyone we know about it. Chef Zaniboni really puts care into every little detail. Our server, Victoria B., was super attentive and warm, and she gave us great recommendations without ever being pushy. The place has such a cozy vibe—perfect for hanging out with friends over a great meal.