Family Cuisine

This is the only Haitian restaurant I could find
in Tampa, with the successive failures of Ooh-​La-​La and Plat Creole in the tiny hut on W. Columbus near Boulevard. Family Cuisine is actually in a rougher neighborhood on N. Florida at Floribraska, in a stark block building without visible signage. There is a parking lot, but it sometimes also serves as a car-​wash/​detailing operation, and even when not operating, there are sometimes transients loitering there.
The food offered is unquestionably genuine Haitian fare, fish, chicken, ox tails, goat, rice & beans, a dark cornmeal spoonbread slurry and a beef stew that we tried. Very tasty with mild, elusive jerk-​like seasoning – faint clove, cinnamon or nutmeg. Considering the humble fare, prices were sorta high at $ 10 for stew & cornbread, $ 12 for fish & sides but we got a huge serving that fed two of us as a fluid brown mass that had some identifiable beef chunks. It is all take-​out served from a steam-​table display with only a few options and no green vegetables. The sole worker (cook, hostess, server, cashier) was friendly and answered our questions but communication in English was difficult. The interior was run-​down, and the posted menus in Creole-​Haitian & sorta corresponding English were incomplete and not real helpful. Almost felt like the prices were negotiated.
I regret having to give a low rating to a struggling business in Tampa/​Seminole Heights as the area tries to upgrade from the lines of vacant stores and marginal businesses, but in all honesty I would not recommend this to other Unilocalers unless you have fortitude, an overwhelming appetite for Haitian cuisine… and maybe a carry permit. I took one for the team, but we do not need more samplings I suspect. We were not there on a bad day, just a normal day at noon.