The 9 best wine restaurants and wine bars in Tampa 2024
Tampa's varied and ever-growing wine scene is just waiting to be explored.
Whatever the occasion, here are the wine bars and restaurants boasting the most interesting and exciting wine lists in the Florida city, chosen by our local ambassador.
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Phone: +1 (813) 906-5445
Address: 323 West Palm Avenue, Tampa
Rocca is the Michelin-starred Italian anchor in the sprawling waterfront Armature Works complex in Tampa, helmed by Executive Chef and Partner Bryce Bonsack. Inspired by his travels in Piedmont, Italy (home to the wine regions Barolo, Barbaresco, and more), Rocca is a reliable fixture of the bustling Tampa dining scene. From smart, inventive cocktails to a robust wine list, Rocca’s beverage program hits all the right notes without being pretentious, or too fussy. The list pays rightful homage to classics and also includes welcome, unexpected surprises like the perfumed, snappy Petit Rouge fro...
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Phone: +1 (813) 542-2021
Address: 615 Channelside Drive Suite 112, Tampa
This sceney, club-like ode to Japanese cuisine is the sister spot to Michelin-rated Koya and easily one of the best for raw fish in Tampa. With a dark, brooding atmosphere and pulsing electronic music, the space evokes futuristic speakeasy vibes and has top-notch, warm service. The fish is almost all flown in from Japan and is of the highest calibre, alongside the compulsory A5 cuts of beef and rotating specials. The wine is deftly curated to match the grace and subtlety of the food, with sake, of course, and thoughtful wine selections ranging from the likes of a silky Sancerre Rouge to aged...
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Address: 815 East 7th Avenue, Tampa
Ybor City is to Tampa what the French Quarter is to New Orleans – full of history, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, its fair share of ghosts, and a vibrant drinking culture. Opened in late 2022, La Sétima takes its name from the iconic Seventh (“Sétima”) Ave. in Ybor City and is a self-described “natural wine bar,” opened by the minds behind the nearby Jug & Bottle Dept. bottle shop. Focusing exclusively on minimalist, natural, and “zero-zero” wines, the intimate, warm space echoes the ghost-filled past of Ybor, so much so that one almost expects a grizzled Cuban vaquero apparition to e...
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Phone: +1 (813) 921-0570
Address: 1057 Water Street, Tampa
Billed as “Tampa’s tiniest wine and cocktail bar,” Wine on Water is aptly found on Water Street in the see-and-be-seen Channel District. It’s a combination bottle shop and wine/cocktail bar with a small array of bites including charcuterie, pizza, and sandwiches served by Small Giant, a concept next door from the same hospitality group. They have a fairly comprehensive 150+ selections available for retail purchase, for which you can also pay $15 corkage to enjoy on-site, or choose from about seven wines by the glass and classic cocktails. The wines by the glass have, of late, skewed towards...
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Phone: +1 (813) 582-7755
Address: 1010 Gramercy Lane, Tampa
Helmed by the eponymous chef Chris Ponte, the restaurant’s name says it all. High ceilinged, elegant, and airy, the restaurant is found in the Midtown Tampa shopping and eating complex. Expect refined, multifaceted service, luxurious cuisine, and concomitant prices alongside a large wine list that’s a trophy hunter’s dream, replete with, for example, verticals of classic big-name California Cabs, key Bordeaux estates, Burgundy, and more. Their Champagne and caviar cart is splurge-worthy, and it’s not uncommon to find some of Tampa’s moneyed elite dining here on any given evening.
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Phone: +1 (813) 771-8022
Address: 500 Channelside Drive, Tampa
Located inside the award-winning Tampa Edition hotel on posh Channelside Drive, Lilac is a lush, clean, and inviting splurge destination. The Michelin Guide arrived in Tampa in 2023, and all eyes were on Lilac to earn one of Tampa’s first stars. They didn’t disappoint, and chef John Fraser’s tasting menu cuisine is equally matched by a substantial wine selection covering the classics from the Old and New World, with a special emphasis on Champagne and sparkling. Well-heeled guests can revel in an ultra-high-end Champagne by-the-glass program (think three figures) and more. Request one of th...
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Phone: +1 (813) 374-8940
Address: 6500 North Florida Avenue, Tampa
A Tampa institution for over a decade, Rooster & The Till brought ‘farm to table’ dining to Tampa long before the term was as well known as it is today. The restaurant is led by the formidable Proper House Group and is arguably their flagship property. Prices across the board are reasonable for this day and age, and the service is amicable, knowledgeable, and unpretentious. Just like the cuisine, their often-changing wine list is efficient and well thought out, freely traversing the globe according to flavour profile and smartly grouped by common price point. Standouts include boutique vinta...
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Phone: +1 (813) 768-9988
Address: 1001 Water Street, Tampa
Comprising a sprawling footprint with over 200 seats on Tampa’s Water Street, Boulon’s brightly-lit décor screams “brasserie!” and belies an impressive beverage program. Focusing on the major French appellations and a smattering of California and Pacific Northwest appellations, the list is classic brasserie fare, even featuring some diamond-in-the-rough values such as affordable, aged Right-Bank Bordeaux and insider Burgundy. Their brunch is among the best – if not priciest – in Tampa; their pitch-perfect croque madame pairs perfectly with one of their nearly 30 different wines by the glass,...
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Phone: +1 (813) 251-2421
Address: 1208 South Howard Avenue, Tampa
Decked out in full Victorian splendour of red and gold, no visit to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area would be complete without a stop at Bern’s. Arguably the most famous restaurant in the Tampa Bay area, Bern’s is a multi-experience dining destination, consisting of a bar, eight dining rooms, a ‘Dessert Room,’ and of course its award-winning wine cellar – billed as one of the largest collections in the world. You don’t have to love their house-dry-aged steaks to warrant a visit; the wine collection alone is more than enough to make any aficionado swoon. With over 6,500 bottles, depth and breadth...
