Ciccio Cali

LOVE this place! Went ALL the way to the one in St Pete .then found out I had one right down the street from me on Bloomingdale. I have e gotten the same thing every time. Ahi bowl or something to that effect. Delish. The only bad mark I can say was I got a cookie for dessert and it wasnt fresh. Tasted old.

I already knew I wanted to make
a bowl…
THE YELLOW RICE AND THE
BOOM BOOM CHICKEN —
You can chose between three
choices of rice (Yellow Rice),
sticky rice and brown
rice. I chose the yellow rice.
This dish had crispy chicken,
carrots, water chestnuts,
scallions, cilantro, chopped
crisp lettuce, sesame seeds
and a sweet Thai chili sauce.
This dish is full of heat that I couldn’t
eat much of it. It is a super spicy dish.
I felt like I needed some sweet tea or something but after the heat started
to settle down it had a good tolerable
heat level. I liked the cool down but I
needed something to put the fire out.
The chicken was white meat but I
did not like the taste of it. The
water chestnuts were my favorite
part of the dish. They were
sliced thick and packed with a lot
of flavor and crunch. I thought the
carrots were diced too big
and over powered the yellow rice.
There is also dessert. I had a salted
caramel cupcake with a vanilla cake.
It was light, airy and moist. The
frosting was delicious and sweet. It
was good. There are other dessert
options they have too. I was pleased
with the one I got. Not too sweet.

I heard a lot about Ciccio Cali from friends (all good), and decided it was time to try it. I quickly scanned their very minimalist menu of salads, bowls, wraps & stir-​frys & decided on the Short Rib bowl.
We ordered take-​out, because I did not like the atmosphere of the place at all. It is hard to describe, but let’s just say cheap multi-​colored uncomfortable-​looking chairs & tables made of cheap plastic, and cheap minimalist decorations to go along with it. Bland, boring & uncomfortable seating to say the least.
The food was a-​ok, nothing I would write home about. I feel if you are going to offer an exotic touch such as a short rib to a meal, you need to bring out those bold flavors, and Ciccio Cali just did not bring them together. Kinda sad, because I expected more.
The dish was served over yellow rice, which was also nothing special. It was a little bit dry, and had I eaten it alone, it would have been boring. The side salad was chopped lettuce leaves which were already browning on the edges, and they did not make a great presentation. But they were crisp and the salad dressing (blue cheese) was tasty. That was the highlight of the meal.
I also had a chocolate cupcake. The cake was good and moist, but the frosting was too sweet. The frosting seemed as though it was made with shortening, something I don’t like in frosting. I’m not sure if that’s a fact, but it tasted as though it was.
Would I go back? I don’t think so. I just don’t see anything else I would like to order.

Came here for Sunday brunch! Great customer service. Nice atmosphere and great weather for outside seating. Had the ahi tuna on spaghetti squash was pretty good highly recommend the cupcakes too!

Contrary to popular belief, it IS possible for a restaurant to have healthy food, great service, AND reasonable prices. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself. I mean, somethings got to give… You can’t expect all of this deliciousness to be both affordable… And healthy!!! Maybe it’s possible that Unilocal has recently adopted a six star rating system, –because this place fits nicely in that echelon. Otherwise, I’m going to have to sadly downgrade them to only five stars :(
I am officially addicted to their bowls, and there’s no hope for me, sadly because I haven’t discovered a 12 step program for rice bowls yet. Putting aside the satire, this place seriously deserves credit for what they’ve accomplished. Everything they make is fresh, crisp, and extremely tasty. They have so many unique sauces that seem to add incredible dimension to their already delicious menu options. Everything is well thought out, and executed with incredible attention to detail. Also, the service here is both helpful and attentive, which is great because I can never seem to decide what I want to get. If only there was someway that I could get everything at once. Oh well, I guess I will just have to keep coming back…

I enjoyed this place. There are so many options for rice or noodle bowls. You can build your own! I will definitely be visiting again.

Great service Lindsey was great and very attentive. I had the curry chicken with spaghetti squash. Over all it want bad but I couldn’t taste the curry in the chicken it was bland. My husband has the spicy Brazilian chicken he liked it. It wast out type of food. I would rather go to Boca next door.

I have always enjoyed Ciccio in St. Pete, so I was excited to see one in Riverview.
Always love the clean, fun, bright atmosphere.
Brightly colored vegetable items with SO much flavor and ridiculous portion sizes.
This location has great outside seating, perfect for brunch, and sometimes even live music.
Ciccio is positioned close to several popular places, so I don’t think parking on the grass would be unusual.

Lovely place for brunch on weekends and lunch on weekdays. First you order and pay for food upfront at the register, then you find a seat and wait for your order to arrive. Food represents the place and ambience, fresh, simple and tasty. I would call this place modern industrial freshness. The staff were very attentive as well.

Great brunch spot in brandon. The egg bowls are fantastic and made fresh! The come served on fresh sliced potatoes that are seasoned wonderfully.
Their menu has a good variety. On our first visit our son got one of the pizzas and thought it was great. He scarfed it down. We’ve also tried the white bean hummus which is a nice starter.
They have a good bar menu, but we never get to that since we keep hitting up brunch.
It’s in a busy plaza so come early. They open at 10 Saturday and Sunday, but if you arrive right around then you can get a table without a problem.

I visited this place with my friend when I was in town from Orlando and we sat on the patio, after a little bit of a commotion outside, the (what I’m assuming to be shift manager) Monica came outside to let us know that our meal has been taken care of because of the commotion. Monica’s amazing customer service on top of Megan’s equally amazing customer service and personality plus the mind blowing fresh and delicious food made this place a definite must go when I’m in the Tampa area!
While we were there we shared a chicken Thai bowl which was so great! It had sticky rice, grilled chicken, mangos, lettuce and a tasty sauce to go with it, and I even got a free cookie for dining there for my first time!
If you want an amazing server ask for Megan and make sure to tip well!

Went here on a Sunday around noon for brunch. 25 minute wait and was alerted via text message when my table was ready. There is loud music playing in the background (guy singing and playing a keyboard over 70s & 80s hits.
Our server was great and attentive. We ordered a Maximosa (giant mimosa) and it was very good. I ordered a piggy in a blanket (chopped up wheat pancake, grilled ham, scramble eggs, potatoes and maple syrup served in a bowl. It was served at a good temperature and was good.
This place also has a bar in case you just want to grab a couple of drinks.
There is also sufficient parking for big crowds.
I would definitely recommend this place for brunch if you live in the Brandon/​Riverview area.

My BF and I came here on Saturday for brunch. We happened to be in the area and I was impressed by their menu (I saw online) and I am a sucker for patios. We arrived and were seated immediately. They had live music which was very pleasant. I recently moved out of Florida, but in the year I lived here, this place had by far the best service I have ever had in the Tampa area. He ordered the Cali Bowl and I had the Hot and Spicy Tuna crunch bowl with spaghetti squash. Both were phenomenal! Of course I also ordered the Maximosa You definitely have to get one when you come here. To top it off, because we were first-​timer, we got a free chocolate chip cookie… Yay!
Great experience and we are going to dine here one more time before we head back to DC

Sunday morning in a new part of Florida. Decided to spontaneously visit Tampa and this was the place suggested by the locals. It’s such a hip place, you’d never know it was there if t wasn’t for the barn located next to it. The outside seating is such a nice treat. The waiters greeted us from the get go and more then once were we asked if we needed help. To begin with the mimosas were delicious, and the Bloody Mary was something different. I ordered the Tex mex omelet and my god was it fresh. The spices were running through my mouth with great fluidity, it fit right in with the fresh eggs. Must visit again for brunch.

I absolutely loved this place for brunch. Mostly because of the easy going atmosphere and how easy it is to get parking, a table and even order. The restaurant is perfectly staffed and their service is commendable. It doesn’t matter who started serving you because the entire staff passes by asking if you need anything.
Our waters were always full and so was our coffee. The food when ordered came out feet quickly and at the right temperature. The parking was easy and free. The outdoor seating is pleasant. The restaurant had a acoustic guitar artist playing live cover music. It was a great experience all around.
The only thing I did wish was that there was stalls in the bathroom rather than one bathroom. But that’s not even a deal breaker here.
Love this place if I ever come back to Tampa this will be a go to stop for me.

Unknowingly, I came by for dinner on what happened to be $ 2 taco day. Not only were the tacos only $ 2, but they also had $ 2 draft beer and $ 2 sangria. No wonder this place was so crowded! There was a 30 minute wait for a table, but no wait at the bar. I ordered all their $ 2 tacos — Mexican, spicy Brazilian, Thai, gigante, napa blue, hot & crunchy tuna and the millennial. My favorite of the bunch was the gigante with its crunchy goodness. The side of spaghetti squash were good. They also displayed cupcakes and cookies on the counter for dessert. I tried the red velvet one, and although good, was very sweet.
As for the dinner menu, they offer bowl culture, light bites, salads, pizzas, stirfry, and wraps. For the «Bowl Culture» section, you can pick a base and then pick a flavor.
Base: Rice (yellow, brown, or sticky), Kale Blend, Spaghetti Squash (+$ 2), or Asian Noodles (+$ 2)
Flavor: Mexican, Spicy Brazilian, Thai, Gigante, Napa blue, Hot & crunchy tuna, vegan, etc.

Ciccio Cali is a much needed addition to the Brandon food scene. The fact that Ciccio’s is not a major chain or fast food restaurant is a great enhancement to the area. Ciccio exudes a relaxed atmosphere and implores the «West Coast» wraps and bowl culture into their menu and resturant.
I typically order a wrap or bowl and have not tried the pizza (Brandon actually has good pizza options). Tonight I enjoyed The Rio Wrap which combines elements from the Brazilian Bowl including blackened chopped chicken, avocado, and an excellent lime caesar dressing. The Southwest bowl is a great as well because of the combination of onions, grilled chicken, and jalapeño jack cheese. My main critique is some dishes are a bit bland.
Suggestion:
I wish Ciccios offered spicier items and suaces. This restaurant used to serve, «The Diablo» which was awesome, especially the sauce. I wish they would add a truly spicy option and/​or sauce to their menu. Perhaps the chef could invent a wrap called «Diablo extra hot». One item would not offend the general publics’ taste buds and would make the menu more interestng.

I moved to ciccios two years ago and this is still one of my favorite places for happy hour! Their slamgrias are the best, and did I mention huge?! It’s definitely worth the money. You also can’t go wrong with the California bowls. The hot and crunchy tuna is probably my favorite and the fish is always so fresh!
Did I mention that you get a free shot bucket for your table on your birthday? It’s awesome! The only downside is the wait can be pretty lengthy.

I really dig this casual spot.
They’ve got dining inside, covered dining outside, bar area with tvs, and a ‘fast food’ ordering line/​bakery set up.
Maximosas ftw. Giant mimosa with a fruit base (I chose raspberry… nom nom nom!)
White bean hummus. Holy moly. So good! I love hummus and if I was going to have to sub something in for chickpeas, it would have to be these damn white beans. Perfection. They have the option to get it with veggies or with chips. We went chips but I’m sure veggies would have been a fabulous choice.
The pizza was really good and really filling. For half a pizza (3 regular sized pieces) it was $ 5. Can’t beat it.
Let’s talk about dat s’mores cookie, y’all. Huge and deeelicious.
So much nom in this place. I will def have to come back next time I’m in town!

So… I found this place from one of Anna M. reviews that she posted this huge delicious looking Bloody Mary with bacon. Since the thought of bacon and a Bloody Mary together makes me want to go into a full on MC Hammer routine… I thought I should give the one in my neighboorhood a try. The SOHO location is next on my list. I had really high expectations based off these AMAZING REVIEWS. So, I’ll start with the Good…
They seemed really REALLY excited to have a first timer in the house. I sat at the bar and she was extremely helpful and gave me a run down of the menu, how to order, personal reccomendations and popular dishes. PERFECT! I love that! I had a lot of interaction with her about drink choices, also. She was an absolute doll! I’m under the impression that they really care about reputation and go above and beyond to make sure you leave happy and come back. The staff is a little more attentive than the average diner or dive. The manager came and introduced herself, and already knew it was my first time. *Attention to detail makes good GREAT, in my humble opinion* She also gave me a 10% off card for being a local. How awesome is that?
On to the drink… while I was waiting on my spicy Brazilian, I ordered a happy hour special, the passion fruit mimosa. It was pretty good. I didn’t burst into song and dance but it was better than average but small. Or maybe I drink to fast. Dunno. I just know the passion fruit mimosa experience was over quickly. I was looking over the description of the organic sangria and I was given a COMPLIMENTARY WINE TASTING of the house wine and the Eppa, organic Sangria! FREEE? MEE? YESSSS DAHHHLING! She loves free wine. OWW OWWW OWWW! The house sangria was good. But, that ORGANIC SANGRIA WAS SPECTACULAR!!! It tasted JUST like the real deal in Spain… Authentic tasting sangria in Tampa, Florida? That’s a win for the universe in my book! I was also given another free glass by the manager! *ooww owww owwww* I’m convinced they want you to come back.
Now the food… I ordered the spicy Brazilian bowl with asian noodles. It was really good! I didn’t know what to expect because people act like they got into a fit of convulsions at first bite here because it’s that good. But, it was fresh and flavorful. A few pieces of my chicken were hard, tho. eeekkkk! But, the food is good. just good… PEOPLE MADE IT SEEM LIKE THE PERSONAL CHEF OF THE GOD’S WORKS THE GRILL HERE. Stop it! IT’S JUST GOOD, like many places in Tampa.
WHAT THIS LOCATION HAS OVER OTHER RESTURANTS is service, attention to detail and FRIENDLY STAFF! You don’t find that everywhere. I don’t find the prices to be unreasonable for the quality of food. Overall, it’s a GREAT place to check out! I’m a big fan of Ciccio’s and I can’t wait to try the SOHO location.