Nestled among Tampa’s modern buildings and skyline, sits a collection of buildings that time has forgotten. Redbrick buildings, wrought-iron balconies, old cigar factories, old-fashioned family bakeries, and restaurants that all claim to make the best Cuban sandwiches, and coffee that will make the hair on your chest stand at attention. Add to that, the Cock-a-Doodle-Doo of roosters crowing at all hours of the day. Welcome to Tampa’s Ybor City. (pronounced EE-Bore) When you walk into Ybor City, it’s almost like stepping foot across the border into Cuba. Come along with us as we spend A Day in Tampa’s Ybor City.
Ybor City was founded in 1886 by Vincente Martinez-Ybor, who moved his cigar-making business from Key West to Tampa, where he bought 40 acres of unsettled land. He built a three-story brick cigar factory, then the largest in the world. Other Cuban cigar-makers followed and so did immigrants from Spain, Italy, and Germany, all bringing their unique skills that supported the cigar industry. By the early 1920s, Ybor City in Tampa had become the “Cigar Capital of the World.”
Of course, as you walk through the streets of Ybor City, you will see authentic Spanish dining, Flamenco dancing at the Columbia Restaurant, hand-rolled cigar shops, coffee shops, sidewalk cafes, art galleries, breweries, and upscale nightclubs with live music that immerses visitors into the Latin culture along Seventh Avenue. As you walk along the cobblestone streets, the trolley cars zoom by on the tracks, as well as the roosters that cross in front of you roaming around Ybor City. This gives the area its the charm and is part of Ybor’s history.
Start your day in Ybor City with Breakfast at La Segunda
To begin your day in Ybor City, you are going to need a good breakfast, and the best place to get that is the La Segunda Bakery. La Segunda has been baking authentic Cuban bread since 1915. Today, La Segunda is one of the few places remaining that employ the labor-intensive use of freshly cut palmetto leaves to create that Cuban bread split down the middle. You can smell the aroma of fresh-baked bread as you walk in the door. La Segunda produces 18,000 loaves of Cuban bread daily. But La Segunda is about a lot more than just bread. It’s also turning out delicious Cuban turnovers as well as Cuban sandwiches stacked with ham, pork, pickles, Swiss, and salami. La Segunda is as authentic as it gets.
La Segunda has no tables to sit down and eat, so grab your incredible handmade breakfast and head over to Centennial Park. Don’t forget to grab a cinnamon roll. They serve breakfast and lunch from 6:30 am until 3 pm.
Centennial Park
Centennial Park is an ideal spot for eating that delicious breakfast & cinnamon roll from the bakery. You will know it is breakfast because roosters are crowing everywhere. After breakfast, we spent some time wandering through the park to see the many plaques and statues commemorating those who helped build Ybor City. Centennial Park is an ideal spot for stopping and relaxing during your day trip to Ybor City or if you happen to visit on a Saturday, you can shop for local art and gourmet treats at the popular Saturday Market.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Well, to get to the other side. Have you not heard? You may see chickens crossing the road in many places around Ybor City. That’s a lot of road crossings. You may have to rub your eyes because you will think you are not seeing straight. You’ll see one after another and you’ll realize the place is loaded with chickens all going about their business pecking, scratching for food, and crowing for no apparent reason. About 150 wild feathered friends call this part of Tampa home. They are almost everywhere. Whoever wrote the riddle “Why did the Chicken cross the road, probably lived in Ybor City.
Although the resident poultry looks cute and hungry and would like to share your breakfast or lunch, it is advised not to feed them. In addition, these chickens rule the roost in Ybor City. Harassing them in any way is strictly off-limits. Tampa’s Bird Sanctuary Law protects these critters and all wild birds in Tampa city limits. The chickens and roosters are descendants of the flocks from over 100 years ago. The first Ybor City residents brought the chickens from Key West when they moved here to work in factories.
Ybor City Museum State Park
Just across the street is the Ybor City Museum which is a great place to get a lay of the land and gather information on the history of Ybor City. From the opening of the first cigar factory in 1886 until the 1930s, Ybor City flourished. The Ybor City Museum State Park is dedicated to the preservation of Ybor City’s unique cultural heritage. Inside you’ll get the lowdown on the city’s history through videos and exhibits. I recommend starting your day here to learn all about Ybor City before you continue exploring!
The Ybor City Museum tells the story of the immigrants who settled here and created the colorful, unique community of Ybor City. The museum is located in the old Ferlita Bakery building rumored to have served the first loaf of Cuban bread. There is also a beautiful Mediterranean garden and a replica of a cigar worker’s house known as a casita.
Of course, here is where you will learn about the founders of Ybor City and what life was like in the cigar factories. You will learn about the various immigrants that moved to the city and the ethnic social clubs that supported these workers. The museum tells their stories and focuses on their hardships and struggles.
The museum also offers walking tours of Ybor City led by experienced guides.
Ybor City Museum State Park: 1818 9th Avenue, Tampa, FL
Mutual Aid Societies for Immigrants
Each ethnic group built its own Mutual Aid Society, or social club, where people gathered to talk about the day’s events and receive medical checkups. They played a major role in immigrant life. El Centro Español was for transplants from Spain, while L’Unione Italiana catered to the area’s Italians. These societies provided a sense of community in Ybor City for citizens with common backgrounds.
Italian Grocery Stores
Many Italians founded businesses to serve cigar workers, mostly small grocery stores in the neighborhood’s commercial district. The tradition of local Italian-owned groceries continued and a handful of such businesses founded in the late 1800s were still operating into the 21st century. One open-air market that was quite popular in Ybor City was Charlie’s Market. This grocery was run by the Manali family for years in Tampa. I can remember walking into the store that had sawdust on the floor and bananas hanging in bunches from overhead.
The Columbia Restaurant and a Cuban Sandwich for Lunch
The Columbia Restaurant is Florida’s oldest restaurant and the oldest and largest Spanish restaurant in the United States taking up an entire city block in Ybor City. Family-owned and operated for more than 115 years, Florida’s Oldest Restaurant, was founded in 1905 here in Tampa’s historic Ybor City.
I believe there is an unwritten law that says you can’t come to Ybor City and not dine at the Columbia Restaurant. When we arrived, they had quit taking walk-ins, so I would recommend that you make reservations, yes even for lunch.
I enjoyed a Cuban Sandwich and the 1905 salad which was prepared table-side. The Cuban Sandwich or Cubano Sandwich is one of the most famous sandwiches in the world and was invented right here in Tampa. In the early 20th century, Ybor City in Tampa was the “Cigar Capital of the World”. As a result, thousands of people globally moved here to work in the industry, mainly from Cuba, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Eastern Europe.
The sandwich was developed as a clever way to feed these workers for lunch, meaning they didn’t stray too far from the factories. But each group demanded a little taste of home. The Cubano sandwich is a delicious expression of the ethnic diversity in Ybor City: the bread and pork from the Cubans, ham from the Spaniards, salami from the Italians, and cheese, pickles, and mustard from the Jews and Germans. As a result of these cravings for the familiar, the fillings of the Cuban sandwich nicely represented Tampa’s multicultural immigrant history.
Columbia Restaurant
Address: 2117 E. 7th Ave. Tampa, FL
Phone: 813-248-4961 – Make a reservation for dinner or lunch. You will be glad you did.
Exploring Historic 7th Avenue (Broadway)
Because we had just eaten a big lunch at the Columbia Restaurant, it was time for a walk. Strolling down 7th Avenue is perfect for seeing what is happening in the Ybor City area.
We thought it was strange that there was no traffic on the streets but actually, on the day that we visited, the streets were closed to traffic as they were getting ready for a St. Patrick’s Day parade. It was nice to be able to walk down the streets without worrying about traffic.
Make sure to give yourself time to walk around with no agenda other than to stop in shops, bakeries, restaurants, and museums. Stop and look at the incredible murals and take in all of the beauty and history that Ybor City has to offer.
Head to Cuba – Seriously
Jose Marti Park is an unusual place to visit because it’s the only foreign-owned land in the United States. When you visit Jose Marti Park in Ybor City, you can officially say that you have been to Cuba. Wait! What? You heard correctly. Jose Marti Park is only 0.14 of an acre and is in the heart of Ybor City, but it belongs to Cuba. In 1956, Tampa gifted this land to what was then the Republic of Cuba in honor of Jose Martí, the great 19th-century Cuban poet and freedom fighter.
Martí made frequent trips to Tampa in the late 1800s to raise money for Cuban independence from Spain. While he was there, he often stayed at a boardinghouse once located on this site. The park, which is protected by international treaties, still belongs to the Cuban people. As soon as you pass through its gates, you’re standing on Cuban soil.
Experience the Modern Cigar Industry
Cuban immigrants still roll cigars by hand in Ybor City as they have for over 130 years. We found them rolling at Long Ash Cigars but you can see them at work in several stores along Seventh Avenue. At one point in history, Ybor City was the largest Cuban cigar manufacturer in the world. At its peak, Tampa produced 500 million cigars a year, earning it the nickname “Cigar City”.
We also stopped at Tabanero Cigars where you can watch the cigar makers hand-rolling cigars. Tabanero is one of the most popular and largest. They were not rolling when we arrived but there’s a nice little sitting area and a coffee bar in the back where you can enjoy a cigar of your own along with a cup of Cuban Coffee. They have a sign in the back that tells you not to even think about lighting up a cigarette here which I thought was funny. You can also visit Tampa’s oldest family-owned cigar factory at J.C. Newman Cigar Company on 16th Street.
Ride the Streetcar
Walking is the easiest and best way to see the sights of Ybor City, but one the most fun ways to make your way across the area and even into Tampa is aboard one of the TECO Streetcar trolleys. Hop aboard Tampa’s air-conditioned, vintage replica streetcar and recapture the charm of the past. Ybor City’s TECO Streetcar is a great way to get around Ybor City or go to downtown Tampa. Even if you don’t need to go anywhere, just take a relaxing loop around the city. Tampa’s first electric streetcar lines were built in 1892. You can catch a streetcar every 15 or 20 minutes. There are 4 stops in Ybor City. The Streetcar is free to ride year-round. Each station has a list of stop times and you can also go to their website to track a streetcar live.
Deviled Crab at Carmine’s
Carmine’s is an Italian, Cuban, and Spanish Restaurant located in the heart of Ybor City. The house specialty is Carmine’s Deviled Crab. This delicacy is one of Tampa’s original culinary creations. The snack first appeared around 1920 as street food in Tampa, concocted when the blue crab was plentiful. The heat from red pepper flakes gave the rolls their fiery name.
If the Deviled Crab is not on your bucket list, it should be. If you are here for lunch, you can expect anything from a pressed Tampa Cuban sandwich served with yellow rice and black beans or other favorites such as Cuban marinated baked Chicken or Cuban Roast Pork. While specializing in dishes from Italy, Cuba, and Spain; Carmine’s is home to the deviled crab and has one of the best Cuban Sandwiches in Tampa Bay. (See what I mean? Everyone claims to have the best). The Deviled Crab at Carmine’s is the best in the Tampa Bay area and can be an appetizer or a meal. We decided to take home a sack.
Centro Ybor
This is a nice place to relax and have a drink during your Ybor City visit. Centro YBOR is a unique and exciting mix of retail, restaurants, and entertainment which includes an Improv Comedy Theater.
I was glad to be able to visit Ybor City again. This is a neighborhood in Tampa with character. I have been before but never had the chance to look around past eating at the Columbia Restaurant. Ybor City is going through another revival of sorts with dance clubs and a lively bar scene. Many think that marketing Ybor City as another New Orleans Bourbon Street could destroy a true historical area. Others welcome the revitalization. Come visit and decide for yourself.
Ybor City is a very historic destination close to Downtown Tampa that you must see while visiting the area. While you won’t find many activities that would interest kids, there are the roosters that are loved by most, and it’s certainly interesting enough for lunch and a walk down the street if you’ve never been.
Ybor City and the city of Tampa is one of the best destinations to visit. Located on Florida’s west coast, Tampa is one of the best destinations to visit in Florida. The Tampa Bay area offers fantastic Gulf Coast beaches and world-class museums. Historical buildings have been renovated and now house restaurants, bars, and retail stores. There are many ways to enjoy Tampa Bay, so come along with us as we take a Three-Day Trip to Tampa.
Have you ever been to Ybor City? Let us know your favorite spots by commenting below!
