Volume 29 Issue 1 January 5, 2021
Inside:
Did You Win A $100 Dining Gift Card? See pages 14-31!
A CELEBRATION OF FOOD!
Above are items from four of our readers’ favorite restaurants in New Tampa, as named in our 2020 Dining Survey & Contest, including (l.-r.) the grilled ribeye steak at Stonewood Grill & Tavern, the tagliatelle alla Bolognese at Via Italia, the Real McCoy burger at The Fat Rabbit Pub & the shrimp fried rice at Liang’s Bistro. (Photos by Charmaine George, John C. Cotey & Gary Nager)
By John C. Cotey John@NTNeighborhoodNews.com
There isn’t anyone alive today who hasn’t been touched by Covid-19 in one way or another. Restaurants, however, were more than touched. They have practically been strangled. This year has been arguably the hardest on the hospitality industry in American history, thanks to the pandemic that has been a living nightmare and is likely to have long-lasting effects. Locally, as the novel coronavirus spread through the state, restaurants were closed in the spring for more than a month. Employees lost their
jobs. Owners had to pivot to a takeout model for survival, and the community rallied around many of them. Facebook pages implored their communities to place orders and help local eatery owners stay afloat. But, even as restaurants, and finally bars, reopened, tables inside remained empty. The fear is real. Covid-19 is still in full (or is it fuller?) swing, businesses in virtually every industry — but especially restaurants — still haven’t bounced all the way back, and the road to full recovery is a long one. So this year, it’s our hope that our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest results will serve as a celebra-
tion of food and drink, and of all of our readers’ favorite places in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. The number of you who took part in the survey this year was less than half of those who entered last year, although a lot of that probably can be attributed to the fact that we didn’t spend nearly as much time in restaurants and bars in 2020 as we have in previous years. But nonetheless, more than 100 restaurants and bars in the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area received votes in one category or another. In the favorite restaurant category, 99 restaurants in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa received votes. More than
Moschella’s Market Is Worth The Drive To Wesley Chapel! So much deliciousness, so nearby! See pages 30-31!
25 Asian restaurants were selected as the favorite by readers, 26 restaurants offering sweets like cake, ice cream and drinks were chosen, and more 30 different pizza places — yes, 30! — received votes. That is a lot of choices, people. And clearly, you do have your favorites. You can see if you won this year’s contest on pg. 14 and on pg. 15, you’ll see your 20 favorite restaurants in New Tampa. Keep turning the pages to see your Wesley Chapel faves, and your favorite places for American food, pizza, burgers, Asian, Green, Latin, breakfast, dessert and drinks, plus two dining profiles on pages 30-33. And, as they say in the restaurant biz, Bon Appetit!