While this Tampa stalwart has been on my must-visit list for years, I finally had a chance to partake when a bunch of Yelpers headed over after Anna's Cheese Please wine and cheese event Friday night. Flush with a few tastes of wine and a bit of cheese and hilarious entertainment, we walked over and got a table for 12. OK, it was a table for 8 or perhaps 10 but I borrowed a few chairs from other tables when nobody was looking and we made it work. The menu defied description, with a great variety of modern, flavorful dishes with a smattering of Italian influence. My wife had a coffee and cocoa coated skirt steak that she reported was incredible. I had the Penne Rustica which packed wonderful flavor in to a vegetarian meal! Wow, I'd order that again in a heartbeat. Since it was time to continue a bit of drinking and a lot of fun, I got a single vodka on the rocks and they brought me a large tumbler filled to the brim with a tiny amount of ice. One taste confirmed my hopes... 100% booze. Thanks! The service was timely and unobtrusive as we laughed loudly, chatted and planned our world-takeover starting with wine and cheese events. They split the checks multiple ways without blinking or even rolling a single eye. Thanks for letting us do our thing and thanks Anna for making it happen! We look forward to returning! read more

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Pane Rustica has many faces. It began as a small artisan bakery in a tiny shop about a mile from the current location and has grown into a Bakery, Bar and Restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner each with a life of its own. The bakery provides 8 fresh breads daily along with the baker's pick of the day. Breakfast begins at 8 am and includes frittatas, breakfast sandwich, scones, sticky buns, strudel and such. Lunch specials change each day. Standing favorites are the hamburger, roasted acorn squash filled with chicken salad and flatbread pizza. Other items change daily. The hamburger comes only one way as the the specialty of day - today's was natural beef, double Gloucester, arugula, pickled onions and Tabasco Worcester aioli. Large enough to share. It is so good I rarely order anything else. I have never been brave enough to order "Shut up & Eat don't ask....you'll love it" but it is always in the menu. Bakery treats not be be missed are Double Chocolate Expresso Cookies and Macaroons. Although Pane has been here 6 - 7 years, the decor is neo-rustic which is the standard theme of most new restaurants opened in Tampa the past several years. The concrete floors, painted walls, wood or metal table tops and high or open ceilings make it very noisy when the restaurant and bar is packed (The Rooster & Till is another example). This occurs mainly in the evening. All considered, it is one of my favorites in Tampa. read more

Wow - I can't believe this was my first time here. This is one of those places that has been on my list of places to try for a while. I pass it almost everyday but only just now stopped in. I'm so glad we did! The location is ideal for us as it is nestled right on MacDill in the middle of South Tampa. The parking is easy as the parking lot right in front is huge. The service was really awesome. Our waiter was knowledgeable and made great recommendations. My husband got the pumpkin ravioli special. It tasted like all things fall on a fork. It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. It even had some fall spices. I had the fish special - it was incredible! The flavors were rich but not over powering. The truffle quinoa was exactly the right side dish. We both ordered off the specials menu which appears to be ever changing, but the regular dinner menu look absolutely scrumptious. I want to try at least 6 more dishes off of the regular menu! I had the recommended Cabernet of the night which was excellent and my husband got the blackberry whiskey sour which was also delicious. The bar got backed up and ended up delaying our second round of drinks so they gave us free dessert of our choosing! I love when restaurants do that. Remedying problems for customers is really impressive and always guarantees that I will come back. For our free dessert we chose re espresso chocolate cookie sundae. Dear lord, it was decadent, rich, and perfect. Needless to say, we will be coming back and soon! I want to check out their bakery and maybe get some bread to go next time. read more

Pizza rocks. Charred octopus is the bomb. Chicken salad sandwich is perfect. Kristi, the bartender, is the best person on the planet.

Waited for our friends at the bar on a busy Saturday night, and had a delicious gin specialty drink. Our table was ready when our friends arrived - TG for reservations, because this place filled up early and quickly. For my meal I went with 2 starters: the crab cakes and the watermelon salad. The two plump crab cakes had a nice amount of crab in the mix, and were very tasty. The watermelon salad, however, was awesome! Fresh chunky watermelon, feta, almonds, arugula, with a light dressing - I've never had anything like this, and I've been longing for it in the weeks since my visit. For dessert I had one of their nightly specials - a red apple tart. And it was good, but my BF got the summer cake, and it was better. Nice ending to the night - we got two complimentary loaves of bread to take home - great touch! read more

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I got a gift card for this place last spring from one of my students and finally decided to use it! I placed an online order and went to pick it up. Options for online order were easy to use and using the gift card was super easy too. Food was ready exactly when they said and still hot when I picked it up. I ordered Penne Rustica Penne Pasta with chicken, Caesar salad, and specialty oatmeal cookies. The piece of bread that came with the meal was humongous and the servings were nice sized. Ethel salad was a bit salty, but the pasta dish was delicious and I'm glad I added the chicken! The cookies were fantastic! Only thing I didn't love was that I couldn't just get one cookie.. lord knows I don't need 4 but they will get eaten eventually. I was also surprised that just for one person I still managed to rack up a bill of over $40. At least I'll be able to get a few meals out of it! I will definitely be exploring more of the menu! read more

Pane Rustica - Specialty Cookie, Caesar Salad, Penne Rustica - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Been here a few times for drinks and their bartender Kristi was telling me how great their food is. Had dinner here last night and I can say by far one of the best places I have ever been to. Attentive staff, perfect food and overall great place to enjoy yourself. read more

My favorite go to restaurant. Never disappointed. Lunch time they have assorted flatbreads and desserts. They also have a large bar with tables around it. This has to be a place you visit when you come to South Tampa. read more

The place was very nice and spacious, they had cold water ready at the table at all times and had candles set as well. The waitress was very informative on the specials that they have daily, and was able to steer in us in the direction of what to try since this was our first time. The food was very good, fresh, and hot when it arrived to the table. Me and my girlfriend cleared our entire plate before leaving the restaurant. I would definitely recommend the place to anyone looking to a nice date night with amazing food. And make you leave room for the chocolate moose cake!!!!! 10 out of 10! read more

My friend and I wanted to hit a place in South Tampa for lunch and we had never been here so we met at Pane Rustica. I must admit, it is a little confusing when you walk in because there is stand that looks like a hostess station, but there is also a counter where you place your order. The right side of the restaurant is serve yourself and being a weekend day we thought it would be hard to get a table and try to keep it while we went up to check out the food line. The left side of the restaurant and the bar has servers. We sat there. Since I love soup, I tried the soup of the day, mushroom marsala with spinach. Good but not as I thought it would be. I expected it to be creamier or thicker and to taste more like marsala. My friend got the acorn squash with chicken salad. That was great (she let me try it.) Both items came with crusty bread, which was good and I got an espresso cookie to finish the meal. Get the cookie! It was the best thing I tried! It is the melting chocolate lava cake of cookies. I also had the white sangria and it was tasty as well. I would go back, but to be honest, I would compare it to a Panera Bread with possibly better baked goods. read more

Pane Rustica - White sangria at Pane Rustica - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Wonderful experience! The food was outstanding, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Highly recommend this local spot. read more

The food is absolutely amazing...but... We have been there many times for dinner. The waiters at night encouraged us to bring our 4 kids for lunch. Since it's a family friendly restaurant. We have seen kids at the restaurant during dinner. So we decide to give it a try during lunch with the kids. Knowing we had four kids they allowed us to have the room with the doors since the baby is one and on the move. They told us it's ok to close the doors since we didn't want him disrupting the other customers. One of the waiters.... Was absolutely so rude and stormed in and said. "This isn't a private dining" and just opened the doors. Didn't ask if we already had approval to keep them closed. It was brought back up and our waiter... again she ensured us to keep the doors closed. At the end of our lunch the three other kids were playing. They were playing peek a boo behind the curtain. They were being kids and playing nicely. We were there watching them. The same rude waiter came in and said they are not allowed to touch the curtains. We are responsible parents and if our kids were to damage anything....We would take responsibility. But nothing happened. For a "family friendly" restaurant... I think the owners should consider how their waiters are treating their customers... As a family we just wanted to go eat lunch at a "family friendly" restaurant. That's is not the experience we received from that one waiter.... We have loved their food and considered using them for catering for our school events but not after this horrible experience. It's super easy to be kind. And use kind words. Ask questions and not assume... being kind is free. read more

Hidden gem!!! We just visited for the first time and had great service and even better, fresh food. The inside is nice and open with an eclectic vibe. We tried the pizza, burger, and bbq sandwich and all of it was delicious. You can't beat the fresh bread either. The cashier who helped us was engaging and kind. All positives and will definitely come back next time I'm in Tampa! read more

Pane Rustica - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Food - I got the Penne Rustica Pasta and their was too much greens on top, it took away from the flavor and the sauce was watery. Service - Our server was wonderful, we never felt rushed and she made us feel welcome. Ambiance - The place is dark and loud. Was a little hard to have a conversation, but it was nice. read more

I love everything I have had. Their chicken salad is a favorite. Caesar salad first rate. Must get something with fresh bread or take a loaf home. Good service, nice employees who will do whatever to make you happy. It may be a little loud but a happy place. read more

From the outside it doesn't look very impressive but we went on a Saturday night for dinner and had a great experience. The inside is clean and bigger then anticipated. The server, Zack or Zakee (sorry if I messed up the name) was awesome. He recommended great dishes because the food was perfect. Salad, main entree and the cookie sundae dessert. We will definitely be back because there's other dishes we wanted to try. read more

I'm going to have to go back & try some other things. I had: Asparagus w/ Cheese Fondue (Yum) Butternut Squash Ravioli w/ Figs (Mediocre...kind of tasteless) Apple Tart with Ice Cream & Caramel Sauce & Black Salt (Yum) We sat in the bar area. The booth was comfy & the servers were very nice. read more

Pane Rustica - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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First time here for me and can't wait to go back. Went here on a late Sunday afternoon, one hour before they closed. The windows leading up to registers were nearly empty, whereas they're usually chock-full of all sorts of sweets, I hear. The interior is HUGE with seemingly unlimited seating, and the menu is pretty much uncomplicated. Between the two of us we got a brownie, curry chicken sandwich on 7 grain bread, and mozzarella sandwich on French roll. Looking around, I found the diners were varied from families with kids to senior couples, and it didn't take long at all to get our orders. Curry chicken sandwich was just a tad dry but the mayo helped moisten the whole sandwich, and I much liked bits of roast potato and red olive -strong!- on the side of the plate. Needless to say, I devoured the whole thing. I also had a bite of both the brownie and the mozzarella sandwich, and both were excellent. You can really taste the mix of mozzarella and olive oil on the sandwich. Apparently the curry chicken sandwich is a daily special that changes often if not everyday, but I've got my sights on their turkey and roast beef sandwiches as well, so I'm sure I'll get either on my next visit otherwise. *** I had to flag down a waitstaff to get my water refilled, as none of the several staff passing our table offered or asked. Not impressive, but their food is solid. read more

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There have been times when I have had trouble between choosing 4 or 5 stars for a review. In the end, I always conclude that a 5 star business should be 5 stars - no question. If you have to debate it or have trouble figuring it out, then it shouldn't get 5 stars. So lets give this one a clear 4.5. What was wrong with Pane Rustica? Nothing. The potatoes that came with my sandwich were cold, but maybe they were supposed to be? If so, then I disagree with that choice, but then at least they were served the way they were intended to be served. And they were still good, but not what I wanted. What else...well, the sandwich was a bit greasy. Not sure if that was from the steak, or too much butter on the focaccia bread, but it was a tad greasy. Finally, I only got half a sandwich. Don't tell me focaccia bread is huge and a half focaccia sandwich is like a full regular sandwich. I call shenanigans. My fat cells need feeding! The thing about the size of the sandwich and the grease is mostly tongue in cheek though. While true, they didn't do much to detract from how good this sandwich was. I ordered a steak and bacon sandwich they had on special, and thank god they had it. Their regular sandwich menu didn't really impress me, but one look at this on the specials and I knew what I was getting. I ordered it on onion focaccia bread and it came with a garlic aioli sauce. I think I ate this in 4 bites. I wanted to savor it and enjoy it, but it was so good, I just kept shoving it into my mouth. My girlfriend got a veggie burger - also on special - but why this isn't on their regular menu is beyond me. It was well deserving of a permanent spot as one of the better veggie burgers I have tried. I also bought a loaf of their fresh 7 grain bread. We were munching on it waiting for our sandwiches to be ready (what? we were post-run carb loading; it's a new weight loss plan I just made up). I don't see a reason to buy a multigrain loaf from publix ever again. I'm curious if their regular menu is as good as their specials. Guess I'll have to go back and find out. read more

So much variety and tasty dishes. I love the pizza, soup, Turkey sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, and fish entrees. The expresso cookies help me wake up in the early mornings even when my ear is deaf to the alarm clock. read more

Pane Rustica - Kevin is a Super Bowl Manager! - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Great little Italian place. Doesn't look like much from outside but definitely one of the best in Tampa Bay. Waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable. Food presentation was beautiful as well as very flavorful. Steak was very tender. Bread and oil given was interesting as the oil was mixed with peppers, olives, and hummus. read more

Pane Rustica - Everything here from the veggies to potatoes to steak were incredible Oak grilled 7oz Hereford Filet Mignon - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The best Italian pizza ever in Tampa , los their pizza , they have always ready 3 to 4 flavor of pizza ready to go , love the margarita next time I will get other flavor. Their coffee make me feel in Italy , very very good . A caffe latte after lunch They have a variety of sandwiches that you can make them salad they come with a roll bread they do and goat cheese, you can change the selection of your bread I did get rosemary focaccia was the best I had here In Tampa I had a bake pumpkin with chicken salad and bread , was amazing looking forward to go again read more

Pane Rustica - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Great service and food was fresh and flavorful! The salad was my favorite part of the meal.

The food is always good here. The reason for the three star is because our customer service experience was very disappointing today. The bad portion of this review is directly to the inter action with the male employee that was working the pastry area on Sunday March 8th around 1:30pm. There wasn't a lot of pizza left as options so we asked if there was anything else currently cooking that we could wait on. The male employee responded with "they might have more in the oven. If you're really desperate I can go check for you." Who says that to a customer? It wasn't in a kind voice that he said it either. There was no one else behind us in line so it's not like we were putting him in a tough spot. If you look at my track record for my Yelp reviews, I'm usually only leaving five star reviews. I'm disappointed I have to leave a bad review in general. read more

My favorite see-and-be-seen place to grab an amazing sandwich or salad in South Tampa. You are guaranteed a great meal and running into someone you know! :) I always order my turkey or mozzarella or prosciutto sand on focaccia (tomato, onion, Rosemary - yummmm, which do I pick????), -and they have tons of other fresh bread options every day! Fresh Ana delicious tomatoes on those sandwiches too - hard to find a great tomato for a sandwich these days!! Flat breads are awesome too. Great place for a romantic meal at night too - more flatbreads, pastas and salads - always fresh, always great service. I love the bar area they expanded into a few years ago - great vibe! read more

Loveeee! The pasta, the bread, the cookies, the pizza! Great service and winner list too!

Whether you are dining in or having an event catered, Pane Rustica is always a great option. They have plenty of variety to accommodate all. The photos included are all from an event we had catered by Pane Rustica and the food did not disappoint. The staff was lovely and everything was portioned out correctly based on the amount of guests attending. The rosemary meatballs were juicy and delicious. The sliders were a hit, as well as the veggie skewers. My favorite was the truffle chips and onion dip--DAMN. The desserts (espresso cookies and key lime bites) were to die for. I also love dining in here, because everything is made fresh and there are so many options. Whether you want to keep it light with a salad or carb it up with pizza or a sandwich, this is the place! read more

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Love their sandwiches and baked goods. Their pizza is perfect for lunch . Location is great but parking can be a challenge when it's busy

I am in LOVE I ordered the blackened salmon sandwich and it is delicious. So fresh. I added the fresh mozzarella which took it one step further. Completely recommend. read more

Pane Rustica - Blackened salmon, avocado, tomatoes, rustic Italian bread and fresh mozzarella. - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Not long ago, I wrote a glowing review for Pane Rustica. The food "was" sublime and one dish in particular, the Pappardelle with Lobster, Jumbo Shrimp and Scallop in a Saffron Lobster Sauce, was to say the least one of the best dishes I've had anywhere. So to celebrate our wedding anniversary we chose to dine at Pane Rustica tonight. Much to our surprise, the aforementioned dish is no longer on the menu. We had been told this dish was the most popular on the menu and it would never be removed. When we asked why the dish was no longer available, our server said they were going in a new direction. Unfortunately, the new direction is the wrong one. We asked what replaced the Pappardelle dish and our server enthusiastically recommended the Rissoto, with Red Crab, Lobster and Scallop. Sounds good right? WRONG. What arrived was a large bowl, with a Rissoto'ish mixture in the middle, surrounded by a clear reddish broth. The rissoto was flavorless, and instead of what we anticipated would be chunks of succulent crab, lobster and scallop, was a mashed up mess that resembled a Frozen Dinner from Lean Cuisine. I did find one little piece of lobster and there was one smaller grilled scallop. For $28, this dish missed on so many levels, and it wasn't one dish, three of us ordered this dish. One member of our party ordered the Salmon and requested it be cooked Medium. It came well done and for $32 was not nearly as good as the Salmon dish she'd had previously. I will say the flat bread pizza options are always good, so that didn't disappoint. Our server asked how our dishes were and we told her they were truly disappointing. She said the manager offered free dessert, but the manager certainly didn't feel it worth his or her time to visit our table. We declined the dessert and paid our bill. The total for 4 (including a $32 bottle of wine) was $180 (not including tip) and it truly wasn't worth the price of admission. I'm sorry to say we thought after multiple visits to Pane Rustica, we had rediscovered a forgotten jewel in Tampa. Tonight's visit cured that. There's an old saying. If something isn't broken, don't fix it. Too bad Pane Rustica forgot that golden rule. read more

Have been coming here for years with family, friends, and clients for fresh wonderful food. Have never been disappointed. The services has always been on point and have always had a great experience. read more

Had PR at Armature Works and it did not disappoint! So much food for the price and the quality was second to none. read more

Pane Rustica - Pane Rustica at Armature works - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Very impressed with the quality of the food. Had the grilled calamari appetizer very nicely prepared. Also the grilled salmon perfectly cooked and the couscous was amazing. Also their selection of wines is extraordinary! Certainly will be back and will recommend this restaurant. Nice wife had the arugula and watermelon salad and loved it. The only issue was that it was too large. What a shame. Again good food good service good choice. Don't miss this one read more

Soooo good. We drove in from Wesley Chapel, to an unassuming strip mall. Not to get too geeky, but it was like walking through the wardrobe into Narnia. Once inside, you are consumed by the wonderful smells proliferating from the bakery and kitchen. The ambience is subtly darker and teeming with appropriately toned, but excited conversation. Our waiter was amazing, filled with knowledge of and excitement for the menu. Lastly, but certainly not least, the food was fantastic. A great selection, well prepared, perfectly seasoned and presented. We will definitely go back time and again. read more

Why 3 stars? Because our experience at dinner wasn't the greatest. --- --- --- I aspired to try Pane Rustica's dinner for years, but the stars had yet to align, until recently. My visit was unfortunately not everything I had hoped it to be, and here's why: 1) I ordered the scallops, because that;s what I have always heard is the go-to for dinner. While the scallops were delicious, there were only four of them (albeit large ones,) and some miscellaneous filler on the plate. I found that everything mixed well together, but when the plate was brought to my table, I was immediately underwhelmed with the value of what I was getting for $29. I wouldn't say that I walked out of the restaurant still hungry, but I think that the price point commands more of a scallop presence, and maybe less pea shoots? 2) My girlfriend ordered the ricotta and potato gnocchi. I love ricotta and gnocchi, yet I really couldn't stand more than a couple bites of this dish before conceding any remaining samples that she offered. I can't even describe the flavor, but it was definitely the worst gnocchi I've ever had, and again, it was $22. 3) Our server kind of struck a bit of a nerve with me. I was having a hard time deciding between the scallops, and the special of the night, so I asked for his opinion. He immediately said that the special was the way to go. When I asked why, his answer was, "because it's the best thing we have going tonight." I'll never forget the advice that I was told from someone who has worked in restaurants their whole life. He said to never order the special because the only reason it's "a special," is because the chef wants to get rid of it. Like, maybe the salmon is about to go bad, so they say, "Our special tonight is the Alaskan Salmon, blah blah, blah." I have no idea if this is true for Pane Rustica, but his answer certainly made it seem that way. So, I said, "..... you know what, I think I am going to go with the scallops." To which he kind of smugly replied, "oh, so you didn't actually need help deciding then, did you?" While it rubbed me the wrong way, I would have given the same star rating, even if the service had been spot-on. I don't believe in downgrading stars based on one, isolated incident of rude service. If it's the usual circumstance, or ownership that's rude, well then, that's another story. My star downgrade is strictly due to the food and the price for it. But overall, I still like Pane for lunch and the bakery. But I doubt I'd ever return for dinner. read more

This is a tale of two different restaurants. Unfortunately both restaurants occupy the same space, and they share the same name, but they are as different as night and day. Pane Rustica is a Zagat-rated restaurant and artisan bakery featuring handcrafted baked goods, and savory, seasonal lunch and dinner specialties. Normally the Zagat rating signifies one of the best fine dining establishments in the city, but my recent dining experience certainly has me scratching my head. Pane Rustica is located in South Tampa on MacDill Avenue, just south of the Crosstown Expressway. Pane is in the same shopping center as Cheese Please and Redneck Wine. I have always eaten at Pane for lunch, or a quick appetizer in their lounge area, and in those cases my experiences have all been good. For lunch you can choose from hearth-baked pizza, sandwiches and salads in a casual atmosphere. The Lounge menu has some small plate options which are also very good. Dinner is a whole different matter with unique wood-fired entrees, appetizers and small plates which change each week according to seasonal availabilities. The emphasis is on a high-end dining experience, but the ambiance is just awful. The noise level in the restaurant is so loud that you have to shout in order to be heard by your dining companions, and after a while that stops being funny. The floor looks like poured concrete so the sounds just bounce all around the dining room, with nothing to deaden the very loud background music and general chatter noise. There is minimal lighting in the dining area, to the point where we all had to fire up our smartphones in order to illuminate the menus and see what our choices were for dinner. Those are both easy things to fix, and should seriously be considered by the management. Our waiter was nice, but very slow, and lacking in the experience to do two things at once. He refilled each water glass one by one, by bringing a fresh glass of water from the kitchen for each diner -- no tray of water glasses or pitcher of water -- just one glass after another. It wasn't until later in the meal that he finally brought out a pitcher and walked around our table. Under normal circumstances I would have asked a question or two about how the food was prepared, but in this case it was so loud that I couldn't carry on a dialogue with the server. That is simply inexcusable for a fine dining restaurant. I ordered one of the seasonal entrée specialties for my dinner, and opted for the pan-seared Rainbow Trout which was served with a crab and arugula salad with pecans and chopped fennel over a bed of cous cous and topped with a maple bourbon reduction. While the meal was good, there were some issues. First, for $27 I would have expected the kitchen staff to pick out all of the pin bones. They didn't, and trying to pick out fish bones in the dark wasn't fun. Second, for that amount of money I expected that we might have a small salad appetizer or maybe some vegetables with the entrée. Nope, that didn't happen. Finally at the end of the meal I was tired of fighting with the pin bones, and I asked for the remainder of my dinner to be wrapped up so I could take it home. Normally the server transfers the remaining food into a to-go container at tableside, but in this case our server took the food back into the kitchen and emerged minutes later with a stapled brown paper bag. That was baffling to say the least. At the end of the day I don't think that Pane lived up to the hype, and I certainly don't think that the quality of my meal was worth what I was charged. I have not experienced this problem when I'm there for lunch, and so I can only conclude that this is a tale of two different restaurants. read more

Pane Rustica - Pan-seared rainbow trout, crab and arugula salad over cous cous with pecans, fennel, sage, and a maple bourbon reduction - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Where's the 8 star button? Finally went for lunch today after reading the insanely good reviews. Oh yes, they are extremely well deserved. Had a ham and guyere sandwich that was somewhere between delightful and orgasmic. It came with a sweet onion mustard that was just the perfect compliment, and some fried chips that are awesome. And I don't even like potato chips! Also stepped into a delicious Heath Bar cupcake, and I was doing so well by only eating half, but it kept looking at me, all half-eaten, saying "are you to good for me? WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME??" So I finished it. Sorry new August diet, I can't always control the voices. My bartender Sabrina also said it's an entirely different atmosphere at night for dinner, but that the food is just as amazing. The owner Kevin even gave me a tour of their amazingly impressive kitchen, and I found out when you're eating the bread at some of your other favorite local restaurants it was actually prepared by Pane earlier that day. And wow, what bread it is. This place is truly special, and I'm a little mad at myself for not making it there until now. So the good news is I finally got to Pane Rustica... but the mission is only half-complete. I now have to head back for dinner sometime soon and get the hanger steak that looked just incredible on the menu. read more

Pane Rustica - Hanger steak - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

If someone where to approach me and declare: "Pane Rustica is the BEST restaurant in Tampa", I couldn't argue. I couldn't give them the number one spot, but what restaurant really deserves that in any city? With great ratings come great responsibility. Fortunately for us hungry mortals, Pane Rustica fully understands their great, well-deserved responsibility. Yelpers, want to experience life as a true foodie? Head to Pane Rustica. When they offer you a menu, scoff at the suggestion (politely, of course, don't be an ass) and head directly to the register. Explain to the lovely human being behind the register that you will proudly "Shut up and EAT!!". Pay eleven bucks or so, get your drink, and head back to the table. The next ten minutes of your life will be as close to zen monkhood as we gringos could hope for. Within a sixth of an hour, you will be served with a meal you didn't ask for, you have no idea what is coming, and this kind of surprise is entirely lost in modern consumer culture. The waiting may be as fruitful as the delivery of your meal. It's ten minutes in heaven, while you can contemplate the lack of trust in others in a world where "I want this, I get this" fades from memory. Then the main course arrives. You're served with a plate of heaven. On my first "Shut Up and Eat", I was given an amazing lamb-on-the-bone meal (pictured in the photos for Pane Rustica by yours truly), and it rocked my world. Eleven bucks. Best meal I had since moving to Tampa. Tasted so good I nearly had to put my wife in a choke-hold just to ensure that half of the meal would go in my mouth. Fortunately for my wife, she is the better wrestler, so I got mostly potatoes. But still, I FOUGHT for it. I've since had the "Shut Up and EAT!" five times. Every time, no let down. Go anywhere else in Tampa, and try to have a lunch-time gourmet experience better than this one for just $11 bucks. Try it. I'll wait here... ...Fail yet? Thought so. In short, go Shut Up and Eat, Tampa. You'll thank Pane Rustica. No need to thank the messenger. read more

Pane Rustica - Shut Up and Eat!! Courtesy of Pane Rustica. - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I haven't been in so long I almost forgot it was there. Tucked away in a shopping center, Pane Rustica is a South Tampa gem.

We've been to Pane twice now and had a great experience both times. This last time was on New Year's Eve and my husband got the gnocchi with meat sauce and it was AMAZING. It seemed more like a shredded beef than chunks of meat, which was even better. I ordered the rigatoni and it was also very good. Our server gave us some bread and butter to go because we loved it so much! We love that it's close to home and has a lot of cuisine options; not just Italian which is nice for folks who like variety. read more