Comfort foods abound at Ybor City Diner
By Marcia Biggs
YBOR CITY DINER
WHAT: All-American favorites including breakfast, lunch and dinner in a 1950s diner setting
WHERE: 1724 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City
HOURS: 8 a.m. to midnight Tuesday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday
CREDIT CARDS: V, MC, D
CALL: (813) 248-2828
R E V I E W
TAMPA - Please, don't tell my mother. Not that I was deprived as a child, mind you. It's just that home cooking - really good home cooking - is hard to come by these days. And when it's better than Mom's, well, maybe it's best she doesn't find out.
Thick slices of meatloaf, crispy fried chicken, roast beef and lumpy mashed potatoes covered with gravy, lasagna and macaroni and cheese - these are just some of the heartwarming items found on the menu at the new Ybor City Diner.
Co-owner Christina Speinman, along with her husband Joshua, stays away from the typical Cuban fare found at many neighboring eateries. Instead, they offer up a true American diner menu complete with an ice cream soda bar and a Wurlitzer jukebox spinning oldies from the center of the dining room. A family collection of 1950s memorabilia lines the walls and a Marilyn Monroe mural greets you near the door.
The menu is extensive, offering such American standards as chili cheese dogs ($4.75 for a foot-long with fries), double cheeseburgers ($5.75 with fries), spaghetti and meatballs ($6.95 with garlic bread) and Buffalo wings ($5.95 a dozen).
Ybor City Diner is aiming to attract the breakfast and late-night crowds, says Speinman, with hours that run from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends. To the delight of many, a full breakfast menu also is available.
The breakfasts are immense and served at all hours. Where else in Ybor City can one find whopping omelets ($5.95 for a Western), Belgian waffles ($3.75), blueberry pancakes ($5.25) and a country fried steak platter ($8.95) with two eggs, home fries and toast?
After a long night of discoing, it's good to know that this place is open until 5 a.m. serving hearty meals, breakfast or munchies before the drive home. Try the excellent Philly cheese steak ($6.50) or a tasty meatball hoagie ($6.25) to stave off those hunger pains. If it's a sugar rush you need, belly up to the ice cream bar for a hot fudge or caramel sundae ($4.50 to $5.50), a banana split ($5.95), a milk shake or malt ($3.25) or a sinful brownie sundae ($6.50).
Ybor City Diner also serves beer and wine.
Craving a big home-cooked dinner after the holidays? You can get a top-notch Thanksgiving dinner all year round ($8.95), with a steaming plate of real turkey breast, lumpy mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh green beans, stuffing and cranberry relish. Heavenly!
Ybor City Diner
