The team from the Rooster and the Till celebrates being selected by the Tampa Bay Times as the top restaurant.

Tuesday night’s sold-out crowd filled The Floridian Social in downtown St Petersburg for the 2025 Tampa Bay Times’ annual Top Restaurants event. This year’s edition went bigger than ever, expanding from 30 to 50 Bay Area favorites, in an elevated and much more crowded venue than last year. The winners are all selected by Times food critic Helen Freund.

Several restaurants offered up sample bites, including Streetlight Taco, Lucky Tigre, and Good Intentions Drinks and Dining. Is it a bit intimidating serving samples of your food to local industry superstars?

The newspaper has been releasing the names of the Top 50 winners, ten at a time, every day since last Friday, with the top ten announced at Tuesday's reveal. Here’s a list of the Top 10:

1. Rooster & The Till, Tampa, 2. Rocca, Tampa, 3. Il Ritorno, St. Petersburg, 4. Wild Child, St. Petersburg, 5. Koya, Tampa, 6. Elliott Aster, St. Petersburg, 7. Bar Terroir, Tampa, 8. Brick & Mortar, St. Petersburg, 9. The Tides Market, Safety Harbor, 10. Royal Thai, Tampa

Here’s a link to the rest of the top 50. Unfortunately, it’s behind a paywall: https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/food/2025/11/11/best-restaurants-50-tampa-st-petersburg/#50. If you are a non-subscriber and want to see them all, look for the printed version of TBT Weekend available at kiosks around the area.

Freund discussed the matrix she uses for judging the restaurants. The first measure is the quality of food. One bad meal on one of her visits can change the ranking, including not making the list. So, consistency matters. She also discussed the subjective nature of her list. What makes a restaurant number 36 instead of number 43? It is all very nuanced.

Her annual roundup carries serious weight, shaping where diners flock across Tampa Bay. The list’s release is eagerly awaited by locals (like myself), curious about what’s new, what’s still great, and what’s fallen off. Making the cut means something—it’s validation, exposure, and bragging rights all rolled into one. But it also leaves some hidden gems, those mom-and-pop shops in the corner of strip centers, quietly brilliant yet under-the-radar spots, waiting for a nod.

Freund didn’t go into full detail about how they determine which restaurants make the initial list of contenders. She did note, however, that this year’s search aimed for a broader reach—including food trucks. Beyond her regular food writing, she spends seven to eight months dining out two or three times a week across three counties. As July 1st approaches and the rankings deadline looms, that pace jumps to five to seven nights a week. I love eating out, but that’s a whole different level of commitment.

During her chat on stage with Michelle Stark, the Times Culture Editor, they both expressed gratitude for the paper’s continued investment in food journalism (the organization pays for all dining expenses)—a rare thing these days, as critic columns vanish from newsrooms nationwide. We’re lucky to have both the eyes and the voice that the paper brings to Tampa Bay’s dining scene.

After the top 10 were revealed, Freund invited a panel of chefs to join her on stage for a lively discussion about Tampa Bay’s dining landscape—the trends they love, the ones they loathe, and what it really takes to stay relevant. It was a candid and entertaining glimpse into the minds of some of the area’s most creative culinary talents.

Ferrell Alvarez of Rooster & the Till—this year’s top pick—was as frank as ever. He called out the espresso martini craze as a has-been, though he admitted they still serve them for one reason: the profit margin. He had similar feelings about charcuterie boards, but those are not on the menu. Other chefs chimed in about the constant balancing act between innovation, customer expectations, consumer challenges in a tight economy, and the harsh realities of running a profitable restaurant. It was an informative look at the thoughts, inspiration, and challenges behind the scenes.

The Top 10 event is open to the public, so if you are interested, keep an eye out on social media or the Times website. Keep in mind it sold out this year, so get your tickets early. Also, watch for the launch of a new feature called Food Hub starting in January. A four-person team dedicated to covering the Bay Area's food scene promises more food news.

Hollywood has the Oscars, and music has the Tonys. We need a name for these annual awards: I’m thinking the Golden Forkies. Maybe the Golden Sporks. Thoughts?

Congratulations to all the winners in this year’s annual Top 50 Restaurants.

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