Travel Guide: Tampa
Over the midwinter break in addition to visiting Disney World and Orlando Studios, we spent some time exploring Tampa. Leaving the cold and snow of Sag Harbor, we happily landed at Tampa International with warm balmy weather, sunshine, and palm trees. After picking up our rental car we decided to explore some of Tampa’s exciting culinary and historical spots before continuing on to Disney World.
After an early morning flight, our first order of business was to have a memorable meal and coffee. We decided to stop by La Segunda Bakery. Established in 1915, La Segunda is a popular Tampa bakery known for their exceptional bread and famous Cuban sandwiches. While Miami and Tampa like to lay claim to the Cuban Sandwich, food historians link the origins of this sandwich to Tampa. Both cities create the Cuban with shredded pork, glazed ham, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, and dill pickles served either cold or hot-pressed on Cuban bread. Where they diverge, is Tampa includes salami and sometimes mayo. Having had the Cuban in both cities, I found that I prefer it without salami but that the bread at La Segunda is worth all the hype. Really excellent. With our sandwich meals we also ordered a guava cheese turnover and strawberry shortcake. Both were really tasty.
When we were researching spots that would be interesting to visit while in Tampa, I was delighted to learn that Ybor City has a rich history of cigar manufacturing. Since 1895 J.C. Newman has been handcrafting fine cigars. We stoped by the headquarters, an iconic 111-year-old cigar factory in the Ybor City National Historic Landmark District in Tampa, Florida. While we didn’t have time for a full tour, we browsed the museum and were welcomed into the production room where we could see premium cigars being rolled by hand and by hand-operated, antique cigar machines. The staff were friendly and helpful and we even had the opportunity to speak together in Japanese.
While at J.C. Newman Cigar Co I was recommended to visit Grand Cathedral Cigars while in the area. Housed in an old cathedral with a bar and spacious outdoor cigar lounge, Cathedral Cigar carries some of the most exclusive cigars. I was in the market for Opus X and they had a good selection—with a limit of two per type per customer!
Wherever we go, finding great coffee is a priority. After reading Tampa Magazines “best of” list we decided to stop by Buddy Brew for some locally roasted beans and cold drinks for the road. The branding was inviting and we bought several bags of coffee beans as gifts and to enjoy at home. The nitro cold brew had a nice smooth and sweet taste. The service was excellent, and the cafe housed the original roaster—now to small for the volume that they roast. I would definitely return.
