Florida's 'Cigar City' Is A Vibrant Cultural Melting Pot With Legendary Cuban Sandwiches And Cobbled Streets

The Cuban sandwich is a hand-held art form. Thick layers of rich, slow-roasted pork stacked against thin, salty ham, slicked with mayo and mustard (especially mustard). They are perhaps glued together with barely-there Swiss cheese, and studded with sweet, briny pickle coins. And it's all pressed on soft yet resilient bread, akin to if a hoagie roll and a French baguette had a baby. Though many assume this delicious creation hails from Miami, the Cuban sandwich, or "Cubano" in Spanish, is proudly claimed by Tampa, specifically, by a small enclave northeast of downtown called Ybor City. Here, workers hand-rolling cigars in local factories needed easy lunches. Tampa's Cubano is a cultural amalgamation of the Latin, Jewish, and European influences converging in Ybor for 150 years, with a regional twist — it adds salami, reflecting its German and Italian immigrant communities.

Ybor City was once widely known as the "Cigar Capital of the World," still evidenced today by brick buildings — former cigar factories — throughout the neighborhood. Vicente Martínez-Ybor moved from Key West to Tampa in the 1880s to take advantage of ports and the railroad, bringing thousands of workers north and establishing a company town with housing and social clubs. At its peak, over 230 cigar factories produced 500 million cigars annually, the largest of which was J.C. Newman, aka El Reloj, which visitors can tour today and try rolling a cigar themselves.

Ybor's cigar manufacturers also made beer, opening Florida's first brewery, Ybor City Brewing Company, in 1897. Although it closed in 2003, Cigar City Brewing honors its cigar history and is now a flagship of the Tampa Bay area, Florida's craft beer capital. Despite the industry's decline, Ybor City was revitalized in the 1980s and is now a thriving hub of food, history, and nightlife.

Wander 7th Avenue ("La Septima"), Ybor City's main throughway, with an eye and ear out for chickens that roam freely and often dart across traffic. Indoor/outdoor bars line the strip where you can pop in for a drink, snack, or cigar. Browse boutiques, have a Cubano and sip a cortadito at Flan Factory, or relax at a cigar lounge. King Corona Cigars and Sterling Cigar Bar feel like a step back in time.

La Segunda Bakery, one of Tampa's oldest bakeries, serves Cubanos and breakfast sandwiches but also supplies bread to local restaurants, including Ybor's most storied: the elegant Columbia Restaurant. Open since 1905 and still family-run, it takes up an entire city block with beautifully decorated dining rooms and a wine cellar that you can tour if you ask your server. Sip sangria prepared tableside in signature Spanish ceramics alongside the famous 1905 chopped salad and devil crab croquettes. Reserve for live Flamenco performances in the evenings. Crepes in Ybor are also popular, especially for breakfast. Start your day with a sweet or savory crepe and a cappuccino — a fusion experience typical of Ybor. There are also Greek restaurants; try Acropolis Taverna for gyro or snapper (although for a true Greek island flavor, head to the nearby village of Tarpon Springs).

Walk several blocks to tiny Parque Amigos de José Martí, a peaceful, hidden gem gifted to Cuba in the 1950s. Or take a guided walking tour of the designated National Historic Landmark district.  The Ybor City Museum is a small but interesting $4 stop in the historic Ferlita bakery building. And, if you skip the paid J.C. Newman cigar factory tour, check out its free museum instead.

To get to Ybor, fly into Tampa International Airport, just a 15-minute drive away. You can take the free TECO Streetcar, a hop-on, hop-off ride from various downtown stops to Ybor along 8th Ave. It runs every 15 minutes, as late as 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. There's ample parking in town, but expect to pay between $1 and $2 per hour in most lots (the Columbia restaurant has free parking for patrons). Most parking is on side streets, restored in brick, a block off 7th, between 4th and 6th Avenues or 15th and 22nd Streets. These residential stretches offer a glimpse of Old Florida with historic homes, many of which predate the First World War. 

While Tampa offers a wide range of hotels, there are some good options right in Ybor if you don't mind hearing roosters in the morning. Hotel Haya is a hip spot in the heart of Ybor with a pool and a trendy, Cuban-inspired restaurant (Flor Fina). Nearby, you'll find chains like Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn, both close to the action, with pools.

Ybor's nightlife is buzzing. Bad Monkey Ybor, The Ritz, Coyote Ugly, Club Prana, and Disco Pony (a new LGBTQ+-friendly dance hall) are popular, and on weekends, you'll even find daytime parties. Madame Fortune Dessert Room & HiFi Parlor is a speakeasy with a full menu; entrance requires a secret password. There's also a dueling piano bar. Two craft breweries, BarrieHaus Beer Co., with crisp, easy-drinking lagers, and Coppertail Brewing Co., with its comfortable art-filled space, are both worth a visit. You'll also want to take a tasting or tour at Gasparilla's Distillery and Cocktail Bar, Tampa's oldest rum distillery named for famed local pirate, José Gaspar.