3 Best Restaurants in The Tampa Bay Area, Florida

This trendy eatery on equally trendy Beach Drive offers imaginative takes on Italian fare. Ravioli Genovese, stuffed with fresh goat cheese and toasted pine nuts, or lobster mac and cheese with black truffle bread crumbs are some of the more decadent dishes; lighter fare includes colorful salads and flatbreads. Specials often feature local seafood. There's almost always a lengthy wait for a table, even on weeknights, so reservations are really a must. Sitting at the bar, which has an inspired beer, wine, and cocktail menu, is also an option.

Although this SoHo (South Howard Avenue) mainstay earned its wings by offering crowd-pleasing Italian classics, much of its popularity stems from creative takes on such dishes. Carnivores are not slighted here, but it is often more delicious to go meatless, perhaps with the pear sachet (pasta purses packed with pear and three cheeses and topped with a creamy saffron sauce). The grouper alla calabrese (lightly battered and sautéed with red wine, capers, olives, and onions) is another memory maker. Bella's is not too highbrow to ignore pizza and calzones—there are dozens of options. Offerings like these have kept the restaurant popular since 1986. If you're in a rush, there's curbside pickup.

Named for the 17th-century Italian baroque sculptor, this trendy restaurant is something of a gallery for copies of his works. In the former Bank of Ybor City building, it has a classy look and creative takes on Italian classics. The menu includes such fare as penne Sicilia (veal meatballs, homemade sausage, and hard-boiled eggs tossed with pasta and tomato sauce); cioppino à la Cinzano (a stew with fish medallions, clams, sautéed mussels, and shrimp over polenta); and pistachio-crusted grouper.