A Food Lover’s Guide To Tampa

Towering above Tampa’s Amalie Arena with river, bay and city views, the new 5-star JW Marriott Tampa Water Street is the downtown neighborhood’s first true luxury property. With diverse dining options, the rapidly-growing waterfront is a food lover’s dream. Ideally situated between the convention center and arena, with a charming streetcar station just outside the door for easy, free access to downtown’s most popular districts, and indoor connection to sister property Tampa Marriott Water Street also brings direct access to the explosively popular riverfront. For a respite between bites and adventures, the coveted SPA by JW is an oasis among the area’s invigorating activities. Tampa’s highest rooftop bar and restaurant, Beacon, is scheduled to open later this year. Until then, here’s how to eat your way through the full day at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street and their closest neighbors.

Breakfast

If you’re the type of traveler who heads out at sunrise for a jumpstart on seeing all the sights, you can grab a quality breakfast to-go from the JW Market, where you’ll find delicate house-made pastries to pair with your morning coffee or options like cold-pressed carrot ginger juice. Open at 6 am daily on the lobby level, it’s ideal for the go-getter who needs a convenient bite without sacrificing substance. When you have time for a more relaxed meal, wander into Driftlight, also on the lobby level, and snag a cozy booth as your base for an attack on the breakfast buffet complemented by a hearty à la carte menu. Feeling particularly indulgent? Let loose with a serious pile of lemon poppyseed pancakes with lemon Chantilly cream and blackberry maple compote and great for sharing.

Lunch

JW Marriott’s sixth-floor restaurant, Six, is a casual American bistro with both a breezy dining room and outdoor seating overlooking the bay. For a lighter lunch, order the grilled grouper sandwich with spicy Aleppo pepper remoulade on brioche but, if your appetite is a bit stronger, dive into the focaccia-crusted grouper entrée with mushroom broth and arugula gnocchi; this signature recipe won the chef her position at the restaurant. The Media-Noche sandwich of sour orange pork and Gruyère is another solid choice, and this one is available poolside, where a surprisingly large selection of the Six menu is offered at both cabanas and loungers around the rooftop double-pool space. For full sun worshippers, this pool deck is best taken advantage of in the morning and early afternoon, so lunch here is a prime choice.

Dinner

Driftlight’s brand-new dinner service launched this month with a steakhouse menu that includes plenty of Tampa’s fresh seafood and a selection of pastas and salads for the vegetarian crowd. The heirloom tomato salad is a gorgeous plate small enough to serve as a starter or shared side, and the French shallot soup is a satisfying starter for an evening of rib-eye, but no meal here should start without an order of the cornbread Madelines.

Alternatively, for al fresco dining with stellar views, head to the third floor and take the sky bridge across the street to Tampa Marriott Water Street. On the ground level, along the river, Anchor & Brine is the sunset spot for waterfront dining on the terrace. Grab an order of Parker House rolls with cultured butter and organic honey while you decide between grilled octopus with pequin chile and crispy garlic or tomato conch chowder to start, followed by pan seared adobo snapper or pappardelle with rock shrimp and lobster. Don’t miss the chance to concoct your own Botanical & Tonic cocktail by choosing your preferred spirit from among the gins, vodkas and tequilas offered, along with your chosen tonic and botanical, including rose petal, burnt orange peel and rosemary (you can ask for recommendations if you’re unsure where to start with these trios). If you’re staying at JW Marriott, you can still sign dinner from Anchor & Brine, or any venue here, back to your room; guests of either hotel have reciprocal signing privileges across both properties. End the evening back at Driftlight Lounge, the JW Marriott’s four-story glass lobby bar with scads of soft seating that caters to both visitors and locals pouring in after arena events.

Riverwalk

With plenty of open space for people and pups along the Hillsborough River, The Riverwalk connects many of Tampa’s waterfront businesses and attractions with a wide promenade brimming containing colorful light installations, scenic seating and plenty of water taxi stops for those who’d rather take to the river itself. Toward the northern end of the The Riverwalk, keep an eye out for the riverfront stand of Whatever Pops to score creative flavors of frozen treats to keep cool on the rest of your stroll (strawberry lime and Earl Gray lavender lemonade are top choices). At the southern end you’ll find Sparkman Wharf, where several of Tampa’s favorite chefs serve at sit-down restaurants and take-out stalls around the central biergarten. Because of its proximity to Amalie Arena (they’re next-door neighbors), this hotspot is a foodie frenzy with a celebratory vibe almost every night. Pro Tip: If you’re interested in a couple of The Riverwalk’s connected attractions, pocket an Attraction Pass for sizable savings and seamless access to all of them.