I spend a lot of time at coffee shops. As a millennial who lives in a trendy metropolitan area and sometimes works remotely, it's practically destiny to visit these spots every week for a little treat.
However, there are very few stores that are just coffee shops anymore. The coffee shop experience has transformed into a modern cafe experience, a gathering place that can serve just about anything: lattes, of course, but also kombucha and pastries, breakfast platters and salads, and sometimes beer and cocktails.
Bandit, a long-established St. Petersburg restaurant, prepares more than a dozen types of food from its recently expanded kitchen. The ambitious menu is helmed by a veteran of Tampa's famous restaurant Rooster & the Till. King State in Tampa has been serving light breakfast and lunch since opening in 2019, and the menu is only expanding. Sugar Baby is a coffee shop that opened in Seminole last year and offers a solid breakfast and lunch menu in addition to drinks.
When it comes to food, many local coffee stands offer solid menus that go beyond the default pastry selection and are prepared in full kitchens. And some of them are really good. Here are five of my favorites.
sugar baby
Sugar Baby opened in Seminole in late 2023. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]
Yauen Jurhelevicz and Viktoria Sibok opened this spot just off Park Boulevard in September 2023. The couple chose the Seminole location because they live nearby and felt there was a lack of strong coffee options in the area. The cafe offers an all-day breakfast menu, salads and sandwiches, as well as standard coffee and espresso, and daily rotating seasonal drinks such as Strawberry His Espresso Tonic and Lime Basil Lemonade. Yurhelevich, who previously worked as a restaurant chef, creates the menu and prepares the food to order. He has always wanted to open a breakfast spot, and Sibock has always wanted to open a coffee shop, and here their interests merged beautifully.
I was fascinated by the photos of the breakfast options on social media, especially the extensive breakfast plate consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, roasted tomatoes, hash browns, and toast. I ordered takeout on a busy day, and everything was carefully made and delicious. (The roasted tomatoes were especially delicious.) Next time I stop by, I'm eyeing other menu items, like the Breaky Bowl with kale, quinoa, bacon, avocado, six-minute eggs, and lemon vinaigrette. Or kimchi grilled cheese with cheddar cheese, bacon, and all the bagel seasoning.
Sugar Baby opened in Seminole in late 2023. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]
9191 Park Blvd., Seminole. 727-235-0011. oursugarbaby.com.
thief
St. Petersburg Bandit pastry case. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]
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What started as a humble coffee shop has continued to grow, literally expanding in the last few years to include a larger kitchen and (most recently) adding a food and drink takeout window. Earlier this year, owners Sarah and Joshua Weaver announced another venture: Spitz, a wine bar just down the street in St. Petersburg's Grand Central neighborhood. Wine has always been a big part of Bandit's offering. Bandit first brought quality coffee to this part of downtown nearly a decade ago and continues to surprise and delight today.
We also have a wide selection of pastries, as well as daily homemade focaccia and sweets. The flavorful breakfast menu is also appealing. The OG Egg and Cheese (add bacon!) and Simple Bandit Breakfast are some of the best options, serving simple dishes to a high standard. Half of the menu changes seasonally, usually consisting of two sandwiches (chicken biscuits are always a strong candidate), bowls, and the current chicken and grits (sous vide chicken-over-rice grits topped with citrus hollandaise). We offer large plates such as ).
2662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Banditstpete.com.
Cafe Kukiriki
Hotel Haya's Cafe Cukiliqui's tortilla español. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]
This is a coffee shop located inside Hotel Haya in Ybor City, but it's much more than your standard lobby coffee shop. With its own private entrance off 7th Avenue and 14th Street, this bright, airy space features a coffee bar serving classic fare, a case of homemade pastries (we recommend the guava pastelito!), and some of the area's favorites. It features breakfast and lunch dishes that draw from Cuba's rich history. .
For breakfast, try the Tortilla Espagnole, inspired by the Spanish tortilla. Although tortillas are not used, the dish is similar to the omelet as we know it. In this version, the eggs and potatoes are cooked together in a thin layer, giving them a nice browning and crispy edges. The best part: It's topped with crunchy prosciutto and red peppers. There's also overnight oats, Cuban rice pudding, and classic breakfast sandwiches. These menus will be served until 11 a.m., at which point they'll switch to lunch, with offerings like avocado his toast, Cuban cobb his salad, and mojoaoili empanadas.
1402 E. 7th Ave., Tampa. 813-568-1200. hotelhaya.com.
atria
Chicken and berry salad at Atria Cafe in Lakewood Ranch. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]
I talk about this place a lot, and for good reason. Because you can't go wrong with this cafe in Lakewood He Lunch, which started as a bakery pop-up. When owners Jim and Weyli Angus opened their brick-and-mortar store in 2020, the focus was on high-quality coffee and sourdough bread, which they still handcraft daily in-store. Since then, it's grown even more, with a strong coffee program and an even stronger food game that includes some of my favorite snacks in all of Tampa Bay. In the evening they serve really great sourdough pizza.
Bread options, classic crusty sourdough bread and soft Hokkaido milk bread, are still the stars here, but the pastry program is next level, too. There are staples like citrus cardamom cinnamon rolls and ham and cheese croissants, as well as specials like the recent blackberry lobster his tail with almond frangipane and fruit filling. The breakfast and lunch menu varies slightly depending on the season, ranging from hearty egg sandwiches to the amazing BLT, pancakes, avocado toast, chicken salad and other standbys. Oh, and for the ultimate coffee shop vibe, order a plain shot of espresso with orange zest and seltzer in a small glass.
Blackberry “lobster tail” pastry at Atria Cafe in Lakewood Ranch. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]
4120 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch Atria Cafe.
king state
2023 Breakfast Plate at King State in Tampa. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]
Recent turmoil aside, King State's Tampa store continues to sell a wide range of products. During the day, it's a coffee shop with a full food menu. In the evening it becomes a bar serving cocktails and pizza. The BLT is a solid choice, with crispy bacon on multigrain bread and garnished with spring mix and green tomatoes. I love that it comes with grits, fruit, or salad. If you're looking for something more breakfast-y, try The Bowl, loaded with chorizo, Cajun potatoes, scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, and Cotija cheese. The simple breakfast plate is also nice, a home-cooked meal with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, grits, and fruit.
520 E Floribraska Ave., Tampa. kingstate.com.