With this being my senior year at UT, I feel like I have a pretty decent grasp on college friendly restaurants and bars. By that I mean I know what’s easy on our pockets, we all are on that college budget after all. Even though I have been all around the Tampa scene, I have 5 top spots that you will definitely have to hit before graduation.
1. Oxford Exchange
This place is still pretty new in the Tampa area. This is a very popular place with UT students because they have a tea bar sponsored by TeBella and a coffee bar run by Buddy Brew, one of the best coffee places in the Tampa Bay area. While they provide your daily dose of caffeine, they also have seating where you can sit in a pretty and quiet lobby, where you can write a paper or study. They serve breakfast, lunch, and now even dinner service on certain days of the week. On the weekend if you’re not feeling the Caf, you can hop over there for brunch. They now have monthly activities such as Bingo Night and Tequila and Taco Tuesdays, you just have to make sure to check their calendar.
2. The Retreat
This bar is one of my favorites because it’s in walking distance and you don’t have to pay a $3 cab fare. In my experience Thursdays are the best night to go. It’s $10 all-you-can-drink, which is perfect for us who want to go out and have a good time, but still go easy on our bank accounts. It’s also pretty quiet on the off days and they have $5 shot specials every night!
3. Koizi
This place is actually a good bit away from campus, but if you can make the drive it is definitely worth it. They have a running lunch special that offers $10 all-you-can-eat sushi and hibachi. If you love sushi, or are like me who is OBSESSED, then this place is not something you want to look over. It isn’t like those crappy buffets that serve hard and cold sushi, trust me I cant even stand sushi on a buffet line. Koizi actually makes the sushi fresh to order. A waitress comes around and continues to take your order until you tap out. However, with great power, comes great responsibility. Make sure that when you order your food, you can actually eat it. Since it is fresh to order, they charge for every piece that you don’t eat.
4. Dubliner Irish Pub
When I finally turned 21 last year, I got to experience the sweet, sweet greatness of SoHo where I found this gem. Some how I ended up at “The Dub” on a Friday night with a few sorority sisters and it was one of the best experiences ever. There was no drunken underage teens, no creepy old men leering in the back of the club, and no crazy Ybor City scene. It was just adults drinking beers and listening to the live band they had performing that night. This is a place I try to get to whenever I have a free Friday night. No club in Ybor can compete with singing Wagon Wheel with good friends and an even better glass of Blueberry Ale.
5. The Outpost
Let me start off by saying I love this place way more than anyone should. For a sports bar this place has the best food! Usually a sports bar only has good beer and fried food. The Outpost exceeded all of our expectations. They have delicious burgers and sweet potato fries! They also have great customer service. On my birthday the bartender bought me my first beer and now whenever he sees me, which is way too often, he always says hi. On Monday and Wednesday they have Trivia Nights. A bonus on Monday is that after 8pm it is also College Night, where you get half off of your tab. On Tuesdays they have Karaoke Night, which is great if you want to just get out of the room and be entertained.