Predalina Seafood-Driven Mediterranean Cuisine on Tampa’s Water Street
Predalina, a new Oxford Commons restaurant in Tampa’s Water Street district, is inspired by a coastal and Mediterranean heritage. The new restaurant has been a popular spot on Instagram, with many locals showing off their colorful dishes and the lovely interior design of the space. Open for lunch and dinner every day, Predalina is already becoming a big name mediterranean restaurant in Tampa, Florida. Read my honest thoughts on this new Tampa restaurant here:
First Impressions of Predalina
As a huge fan of pretty much everything Oxford Commons does, I was eager to give this restaurant a try. Similarly, as a pescatarian, the mediterranean roots of the menu called my name. The images shared online ahead of the opening, and then on Instagram from patrons, only served to increase my interest.
Like all of Water Street, parking seemed complicated, so my friends and I Ubered to the restaurant. It was quiet for Monday lunch, but the service was no less attentive. I absolutely loved the aesthetics of the restaurant — think earthy tones and textures mixed with golds and ceramics. A kind of old world organic modern style, with some convincing faux foliage throughout.
The Menus
As I mentioned, we stopped in for lunch, with a reservation for 12:45. Even having reviewed the menu ahead of time, we all needed a few minutes to ultimately decide what we wanted from the Predalina lunch menu.
Overall, there are a pretty wide range of options on the lunch menu, from warm appetizers to chilled salads, burgers to flatbreads.
What there wasn’t too much of, though, was fish. I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the seafood selection. It seems the majority of their fish dishes are only available for dinner, including a Blue Crab Chimaera that is making my mouth water just reading about it.
Regardless, I did enjoy what we ordered to share and what I had for my meal. For the table, we split the Zucchini Chips and the Crispy Brussels. Both were delicious, but the Crispy Brussels were the clear winner across the board. The whipped feta and lemon honey vinaigrette, topped with just a few pistachios, was absolutely delicious, and the Brussels sprouts were roasted to perfection.
For my meal, I opted for the Falafel Burger with the Tabouleh side. The falafel was cooked very well, with a nice crispy exterior and robust, herby center. It came with some of the tasty whipped feta we saw with the Crispy Brussels, which was a plus. The Tabouleh side was pretty tasty, more of a salad than a traditional tabouleh, in my experience. Beyond the fregola, sumac onions, and traditional tabouleh ingredients, this side came with pomegranate seeds, which was a pleasant surprise.
Closing Thoughts on Predalina
Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Predalina. I think the restaurant likely shines during dinner service, with the lunch menu serving as a bit of an afterthought. The pricing of even the lunch menu made me expect something more along the lines of a nice date night restaurant, down to the iced tea I ordered (which was ). They’re also still working out some kinks, I think; we had some issues with multiple pieces of dirty silverware, for example, and other little hiccups. I would definitely go again, but probably save it for just that — a fancy date night in a few months, rather than a luxurious lunch. So, I reserve full judgment until I visit for dinner at some point.
Visiting Predalina in Tampa
Address: 1001 Water Street Tampa, FL 33602
Useful Links: Website | Menu | Instagram | Reservations
P.S. Parking is tricky – we Ubered to Predalina, which was easiest,
but you can find information on Water Street parking here.
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*This post was originally published as part of my Tampa City Guide in September 2023. It was most recently updated on October 12, 2023.
