"Tampa International Airport is a standout for many reasons (not least of which is the enormously Instagrammable mega-flamingo statue, Phoebe), but one of the best parts is that many of the city’s top restaurants have outposts on site—which comes in especially handy when I’m visiting my folks. In “Airside C,” Ulele (named for a perhaps apocryphal Tocobaga princess who reputedly saved a Spanish explorer, à la Pocahontas) serves gator tail and okra fries; Goody Goody is the reboot of a local 1920s burger shop known for its tomato-based secret sauce; and Cigar City Brewing was the first micro-brewery in North America to make beer at an airport. But if this is your first time in Tampa, you have to try Columbia Restaurant—Florida’s oldest restaurant, which opened its doors in 1905. The original location in the historic cigar-manufacturing district of Ybor City is a tile-covered Spanish Revival gem with live flamenco, but the airport location in Terminal E has quite a bit of character as well, thanks to a dark-wood bar, ornate chandeliers, and framed archival photos. There’s a full menu of Cuban and Spanish dishes, but if you’re a first-timer, I’d stick to a trio of Tampa-specific specialties: deviled crab croquettes, best served doused in hot sauce; the signature “1905” salad, which is loaded with shredded ham, Swiss cheese, and olives; and a pressed Cuban sandwich, which in the Tampa iteration includes Genoa salami as a nod to the city’s Italian immigrants. —Nicholas DeRenzo, contributing editor" - Michelle Baran
