The Neighborhood’s Best Food Is Just Minutes Away
Huntington at Tampa Palms has the best kind of suburban food advantage: it is quiet, leafy, and residential, but close to one of northeast Tampa’s most useful dining corridors. From the neighborhood, a short drive toward Bruce B. Downs Boulevard opens up a broad menu of Greek, Cuban, German, Indian, Asian, Italian, Mexican, and American comfort food.
The main dining clusters are along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard near Tampa Palms Boulevard, Commerce Palms Drive, and Hunters Village Road. Another dependable pocket sits farther north near Dona Michelle Drive and Preserve Walk Lane, where several casual restaurants, cafés, dessert shops, and takeout counters share the same commercial centers. Most meals fall into the $10–$25 per person range, with a few polished sit-down restaurants reaching $30 or more.
Here are the places I would put on a Huntington-area dining rotation.
Stonewood Grill & Tavern: The Reliable Special-Occasion Favorite
At 17050 Palm Pointe Drive, Stonewood Grill & Tavern is one of the area’s longtime sit-down destinations. It is especially convenient for Huntington residents because it feels like a proper dinner restaurant without requiring a trip across town.
The menu leans toward polished American grill fare: steaks, seafood, salads, burgers, chicken dishes, and hearty sides. Expect to spend approximately $25–$45 per person, depending on drinks and entrées. The setting works well for date nights, birthdays, business dinners, or an evening when you want something more substantial than a counter-service meal.
My go-to strategy is to start with a shared appetizer, then choose one of the grilled entrées or seafood specials. The restaurant’s staying power is part of its appeal; locals have continued returning since it opened in the Tampa Palms area years ago.
The Fat Rabbit: Wings, Beer, and a Neighborhood Feel
For a more casual night out, head to The Fat Rabbit on Tampa Palms Boulevard. This is the kind of neighborhood bar-and-grill that earns repeat business through wings, sandwiches, burgers, beer, and a relaxed atmosphere rather than elaborate presentation.
Plan on roughly $12–$25 per person. The wings are the obvious order, especially if your table wants to compare sauces or heat levels, but the menu is broad enough for groups with different cravings. It is a good spot for watching a game, meeting friends after work, or grabbing a low-pressure dinner close to home.
What makes it noteworthy is its local-bar personality. In a corridor filled with national brands, The Fat Rabbit feels more connected to Tampa Palms itself.
Ciccio’s Lodge: A Tampa Palms Classic
At 16023 Tampa Palms Boulevard, Ciccio’s Lodge has long been associated with casual dining, drinks, outdoor seating, and a lively atmosphere. Its menu has included American bar food, sandwiches, salads, sushi specials, and other shareable plates, with prices generally around $12–$30 per person.
It is the type of restaurant that works particularly well when the group cannot agree on one cuisine. One person can order a burger, another can choose sushi, and someone else can settle in with a beer and a plate of wings or appetizers. Live music and evening specials have also helped make it a familiar Tampa Palms gathering place over the years.
Cuban Comfort Food at Box of Cubans
Near Dona Michelle Drive and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Box of Cubans is a worthwhile stop when you want fast, filling Cuban food. Expect classic sandwiches, pressed Cuban bread, roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, rice, beans, and other straightforward comfort dishes.
Most meals are approximately $10–$18, making it an easy choice for lunch or takeout. The Cuban sandwich is the natural starting point, but daily specials can be an excellent way to sample more of the menu. Tampa’s Cuban food tradition is one of the city’s defining culinary signatures, and a neighborhood spot like this gives Huntington residents an accessible version without heading to Ybor City or West Tampa.
Mochinut and Paris Baguette for the Sweet Tooth
The shopping centers around Dona Michelle Drive, Preserve Walk Lane, and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard are particularly useful for dessert runs.
Mochinut combines Japanese-style mochi doughnuts with other eye-catching sweets and drinks. The doughnuts are chewy, colorful, and often available in rotating flavors. Budget approximately $4–$15, depending on whether you order one item or a box to share.
For a more traditional café-and-bakery stop, Paris Baguette offers croissants, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, coffee, and polished grab-and-go items. Prices generally range from $4–$18. It is ideal for a quick breakfast, a pastry box for the office, or an afternoon coffee break when you want something more refined than a drive-through snack. Both destinations are listed among the food options clustered near the Bruce B. Downs and I-75 area.
CAO Bakery & Café: Cuban Pastries and Coffee
At 17519 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, CAO Bakery & Café is another strong choice for Cuban-inspired breakfast, lunch, pastries, and coffee. This is where I would go for a café con leche, a Cuban sandwich, a pastry, or a quick breakfast plate.
Expect to spend around $6–$20 per person. The bakery counter is useful when you need something portable, while the café menu makes it possible to sit down for a more complete meal. The combination of sweet pastries, strong coffee, pressed sandwiches, and savory Cuban comfort food makes CAO particularly appealing for weekend mornings.
First Watch for Weekend Breakfast
First Watch, near Hunters Village Road and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, is a dependable brunch option. The menu focuses on breakfast and lunch, with omelets, pancakes, avocado toast, sandwiches, salads, bowls, and fresh juices.
A typical meal costs about $12–$25 per person. It is popular, so weekend waits can be real, but the food is consistent and the menu has enough variety for families. Order the coffee, one of the signature egg dishes, or a lighter bowl if you want a fresh start to the day.
Hidden-Gem International Dining
The Bruce B. Downs corridor is also where Huntington residents can build an excellent international takeout routine.
- Namaste Express offers Indian dishes at roughly $10–$20, with curries, rice, naan, and lunch-friendly portions.
- Liang’s Bistro is a good option for Chinese and Asian comfort food, generally $12–$25.
- Taste of New York Pizzeria handles the classic pizza-and-subs craving, usually $8–$22.
- Glory Days Grill is a casual sports-bar choice for burgers, wings, sandwiches, and American entrées, generally $12–$25.
- Land & Sea Market Tampa Palms is worth watching for prepared foods, specialty groceries, and harder-to-find ingredients when you want to cook something more interesting at home.
The real pleasure is mixing these stops into weekly habits: Indian takeout on a busy Tuesday, pizza after a soccer game, Cuban pastries on Saturday morning, and Stonewood Grill when you want a slower dinner.
Food Trucks and Local Food Traditions
Food trucks are less concentrated in Huntington itself than in downtown Tampa, but they appear regularly at breweries, community events, apartment gatherings, farmers markets, and neighborhood festivals throughout New Tampa and Tampa Palms. Watch local event calendars for rotating trucks serving tacos, barbecue, Caribbean food, burgers, Filipino dishes, and desserts.
The area’s most recognizable food traditions remain distinctly Tampa: Cuban sandwiches, café con leche, pressed breads, seafood, and casual gathering places built around shareable food. Huntington’s advantage is that residents can enjoy those traditions alongside Indian, Greek, German, Japanese-inspired desserts, pizza, and contemporary café fare—all within a short drive.
The Best Way to Eat Around Huntington
For the fullest local food experience, start at Tampa Palms Boulevard and Palm Pointe Drive, continue toward Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, and then explore the plazas near Dona Michelle Drive, Preserve Walk Lane, Hunters Village Road, and Commerce Palms Drive.
That route reveals the neighborhood’s true strength: not one famous restaurant district, but a practical, diverse collection of small counters, bakeries, bars, cafés, and dependable sit-down restaurants. Huntington at Tampa Palms may be residential at heart, but for food lovers, it is an excellent home base.