I have been going to this restaurant since I was an infant, before I can even remember. That makes this restaurant the very first one in my memory, and also my most favorite and loved. With that said, however, this will be a very biased review. After all, most people (especially critics!) review new things that they have never tried before. It can be best for that in order to present it from a neutral standpoint. But, it can lead to some of the most amazing things being missed out on.
So is this the best Italian ever?!?
“Nope.”
well there must be at least shine-your-shoes service from a world-class staff?!?
“Uh…no.”
Is the interior brimming with elegance and design that will make even future generations jealous they didn’t think of it first?!?
“…let me think…nope”
…Well then how in the wide world of sports could anyone dare call it their “favorite and most beloved” restaurant when the answers to the above questions are all a resounding “NO”?
Comes down to one thing: character. This place is brimming with it. It has this charm and vibe in the air. Maybe it is some ancient mind-controlling herb they burn to fill the air with, I don’t care, whatever it is it works great. It’s the atmosphere. When people come to Ybor City, they come for the environment, the Old World feeling of a century ago. That and to get stone plastered drunk. It’s a shame sometimes really. It is nice that the hip spot in town is in such an old and culture rich place, but at the same time, it would be nice to see it as more than just a the “party haven” for my younger generation. That’s another thing about The Warehouse, its off the main strip and is in the quieter northwest corner of the main Ybor area. So you get the Ybor vibe without as much of the Ybor party. If you are lucky, you can find some street parking right in front but I wouldn’t place any bets. The Hillsborough Community College has a campus in the surrounding blocks, so much of the parking is commonly used by the students. There is a garage to the west of the restaurant next door that only costs $1 for up to 3 hours, so even the cheapest of skates will find parking affordable, should on-street not be available.
When you first approach the restaurant, you will notice it doesn’t draw much attention to itself. They have had the same green neon sign for as long as I can remember, but other than that, there would be no other indication of what the building was. Brick covers just about everything from the roads to the pathways to nearly every building in the area. Walk inside and its like going back in time to 1890. The wooden floorboards creak and make that “click-click” sound when you walk on them. Early turn-of-the-century posters, advertisements, nick-nacks, clocks, signs, you name it, the walls are covered with them. It almost looks as though all this stuff was just sitting inside when they purchased the building, waiting to be seen again, like a time capsule. Industrial pipes are running about. Even the table and chairs look as though they were from days long ago, and I don’t mean just appear in style to be old, I mean they physically seem very old. They even have a giant old trolly towards the back of the building that has been converted into a dining car with multiple tables inside. How many restaurants can claim to have that?
My favorite place to eat, however, is on the far right side in The Pit, as I call it. Here, the wooden floor drops down to exposed brick. And not imitation brick, actual brick from the 1880′s. You can tell its been through a lot between the weathered coloring and uneven texture from brick to brick. This can sadly make the tables and chairs rather wobbly in this area but I think its worth it. They have also converted the wall that used to be here into a Wendy’s style glass section to give an outside feeling. Although, it does give nice views of the area, it does seem out of place, seeing as how the first thing one thinks of is Wendy’s when seen. But its also more dimly lit than the other parts of the restaurant and quieter as well. My favorite thing is seeing the old train tracks that were obviously covered with the bricks, or attempted to be covered that is. Some sections the rails can be easily seen running down the main walkway next to the tables towards the back.
The building was built in 1886 and was the largest cigar factory in the world at the time. The main factory was in the building across the plaza, where the Scientologists have made their evil space-faring headquarters for Tampa now apparently. The Warehouse building itself used to be a storage warehouse for the factory (Who would have thought that from the storage area for a Cuban cigar company an Italian restaurant would emerge?). It’s wonderful to be able to relax and dine inside such a fine piece of Tampa history.
If I haven’t lost you yet with my excessive boasts and joy for the old building, I shall reward your good deeds of reading with the “meat” of this review concerning the food. The food in general (to the typical person) is good. Not great, not amazing, but good. Personally, I love it, but when someone says to me that it wasn’t anything terribly exciting, I can very much see their reasoning for that. Do not expect anything fancy here folks. This is just basic homemade American Italian at its best. It’s as simple as can be and I love simple. Everyone gets the famous loaf of bread and whipped garlic butter. I could literally survive for the rest of life on their bread and butter, it’s amazing. Always comes out piping hot and smelling something scrumptious.
Being a simpleton diner, I rarely get appetizers. Betti and I might get some here and there if we know they are good, but typically at Italian restaurants where you get bread and salad as part of the meal, the appetizer is just overkill that you pay for. Standard choice of soup or salad is also offered. I have never tried their soup, mostly because I am so in love with their Italian salad dressing. Be advised, they have the most basic salad of anywhere I have ever been before. I do not like having 18 different kinds of lettuce grown in some fancy far-away farm by Monks or something like that. Unfortunately, many people don’t seem to share my palate for simplicity.
Traditional Italian fare is offered ranging from spaghetti and meatballs to chicken parm to lasagna and baked ziti, just to name a few. My favorite (me being boring me) is the spaghetti and meatballs. I do also fancy their baked ziti as well. Portions are average, if you are hungry you probably won’t have any leftovers but you will still feel like you had a big meal. Again, the food is nothing fancy. This is good or bad depending on the person. Prices are very reasonable, typically ranging from $9 to $12 which includes bread and salad/soup. I often frequent on Warehouse Wednesdays where spaghetti is $5 a plate including bread and salad! Extras like fresh cheese and meatballs do cost an extra couple bucks, however. I am not sure how long they will continue to have this deal, as business has pick up significantly from when I was a kid. But it is really amazing that a complete meal for two can be had here for under $15 with tip when going on Wednesdays. I have yet to try any of their deserts but they do look good and are reasonably priced. They also frequently send out Buy-One-Get-One-Free coupons in the newspaper for full spaghetti meals monthly.
Service is very good, but then again, I don’t expect much. I did not notice things like empty glasses for extended periods and the check taking a half hour to get to the table any more frequent than any other restaurant. Every place has its good and bad days. Everyone is generally very nice and personally, I have never had any issues in all my years of going there.
In the end, the atmosphere is the magic about it. Most restaurants have to try to present a particular theme to their customers or create an image. And even if the result ends up being good, its almost never authentic. Warehouse doesn’t even seem to try. And that is the real beauty: it doesn’t have to. It can just be itself because the century old time already exists inside by default. Not many places can lay claim to such things. I hope this restaurant never leaves the Bay Area, or the building for that matter. If I had to have one ever-lasting image of Tampa and a place to remind me of it, The Spaghetti Warehouse is that memory. It’s charm and simplicity is impossible to replicate, beat, or outdo anywhere else.
