HOURS: Monday through Friday 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM | Monday through Saturday 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
PRICES: Moderate
DRESS: Casual
BAR: Full
CARDS: American Express, Visa, Mastercard
Quick Take
If you’ve been doing anything for 78 tears, you must be doing something right. Valencia Garden has the look of an old time Spanish-Cuban restaurant, although the accent here is clearly on the side of the Spanish. Like it’s distant cousin in Ybor City, the Columbia, the Valencia’s menu is heavy on Spanish dishes, with many items more continental than Spanish. Dishes like Del Monico steak and London Broil and several Italian pastas overshadow the Cuban offerings by about four to one.
That said, you can hardly go wrong with the tapas platter, and the ropa vieja here borders on exceptional. The lechón is also expertly prepared, tender and moist and full of flavor. Every meal features a great basket of warm Cuban bread and butter.
The property has been purchased by the University of Tampa and the restaurant closed its doors in June 2009.
Reader Barry Zimmerman writes:
"It was a sad surprise. I remember that wonderful restaurant well. I have played in the Florida Orchestra since I was a University of Tampa student in 1972 and our tympanist, Joe Beiro, was the nephew of Manuel Beiro, the owner and founder of the Valencia Garden. The place was a regular haunt for me as it was just a few blocks from the UT campus and the symphony hall. We would eat there after rehearsals, before concerts -- anytime.
Before their expansion, you would enter right from sidewalk on Kennedy Blvd. and into the tiled dining room with those wonderful murals all around the room. They moved the paintings after remodeling, but I missed the bustling, active atmosphere of the original place.
Manuel Beiro was a fixture in his ads on the Channel 13 late news for many years, where he and the sports announcer would feature a menu item and say, 'Salud! and happy days!' That became a well known catch phrase for old-time Tampa bay residents.
So long, Valencia Garden. You’ll be missed, but not forgotten."
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