Jimmy's Tacos Ybor City

Alta Mare Fish St. Pete (Newly Re-opened & Now known as Allelo)

Social Roost St. Pete

Chanta Hyde Park

Driftlight at JW Marriott Waterstreet

Cat's & Caffeine (Newly Opened)

ROCCA Tampa

Rasoi Indian Ybor City

The Battery: Sparkman Wharf

BABA Bakery & Cafe (St. Pete)

This was a really important dinner for us and we saved it for last for a reason. I remember when I first started blogging and YouTubing in college and having to be on a super tight budget because I was unemployed, had a house, a new car, and my husband was also in college.

There were a lot of opportunities for me, unfortunately all in LA. There was no "scene" in Tampa and its surrounding Urban and suburban sprawl. This was about the time where we were getting tired of living where we lived, being treated like children, and wanted to explore more.

Now as an OG Streetstyle blogger I followed a lot of people who may or may not still blog. Three favorites that come to mind is Karla Deras of Karla's Kloset and a favorite more on my level was Mayte of Maytedoll and of course Dulce Ruiz from Dulce Candy. I recognized most good photos were taken in the city. That's where everything was more interesting!

So fortunately for me this also was around the time when a lot was changing in our lives and we decided to move to the city finally after about 6 years. Ok so long story short when we found a place we loved Cena was downstairs. I literally was daydreaming about the day we would move to the city and walk downstairs to have date night at a real restaurant and that would be Cena. We would be real adults in the city living a city life.

Keep in mind now this was almost 11 years ago. I guess Cena became a kind of tentpole for me as a content creator because my goal was to share my love of Tampa and Florida life and food. At that time this restaurant really stood out to me and I don't know why. I used to eat at restaurants downtown and in Ybor City all the time, like my whole life. So why this place?

I don't know. But what I know is that when I moved I never visited Cena and I kept saying ok we are going to go this week and we never did until 8 and a half years passed by and Cena still remained unvisited by me Mrs. Fashionable Foodiva.

So, this Summer I made Cena my last stop and my most important stop. We have arrived a long long time ago and Cena it's nice to meet you.