We chose Ceviche based on TripAdvisor reviews, and we were happy we did. The only challenge we had was in finding the restaurant as it is tucked back into a neighborhood even though it holds a North Shore address. The restaurant doesn't accept reservations so the two of us showed up around 9:30pm on a November Saturday night to find a very lively place. We had 3 seating options: restaurant, lounge and outside patio. We tried the lounge first because there was a very entertaining salsa band playing and it was definitely the place to be filled with beautiful people young and old. This was a hip place to be regardless of age or ethnicity. The tables however - it was open seating in the lounge - were very hard to come by. We went back and checked with the hostess - very friendly - and she provided a buzzer to let us know when something opened up in the restaurant. We headed back to the lounge and enjoyed the music, a great mojito and one of the best white sangrias that we had ever tasted. About 15 mins later the buzzer went off and we were seated in the restaurant. The waiter was very friendly and helpful and we decided on 5 tapas from a very good menu of options sorted by category: seafood, vegetarian, meat, cold, ceviche, etc. Our choices were the Ceviche de la Casa, the slow braised Ox Tail, Scallops with Manchego Cheese in a sherry cream sauce, White Beans with bacon and chorizo, and Mahi Mahi with vegetables wrapped in parchment paper. Wow they were all incredible. The Ceviche fresh with a nice citrus taste. The Scallops were unbelievable as the Spanish Manchego played well with the sweetness of the Scallop and cream sauce. The Ox Tail literally fell from the bone and melted in your mouth. The Mahi Mahi had us wanting to lick the parchment paper once it was gone, and the White Beans were a traditional stew-like dish that played great as a supporting character but would have held up as the main attraction. We completed the meal with the Bread Pudding served with rum raisin butter sauce, vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries. Do not leave this restaurant without trying this dessert...um yeah, it was that good. Final verdict? Ceviche is a must when visiting the Tampa area and seemed very reasonably priced. The entire meal was only $56 and the drinks from the lounge priced about $9 a piece. It was well worth it and I'd recommend this place to anyone.




