Old Heights Bistro

Not sure about the food, was not able to get inside due to not being open during the posted hours. Already 15 minutes past the opening time for the Friday dinner time. There was three restaurant personnel inside, looked right at me, but refused to come to the door to at least either inform me that they were closed for the night or just a late opening…

I was cruising up Nebraska Avenue one evening after some meetings in downtown Tampa, and spotted the Old Heights Bistro just north of MLK, and before Osborne Avenue. Since this place has been on my bookmarks list for a while, I decided to stop for dinner.
The Bistro is known for small plate, elegant bistro dishes like marinated olives, beet salad, and escargot, along with larger plate entrées like steaks, seafood, risotto, and roast chicken. There are nightly specials advertised on the chalkboard out on the sidewalk. Also, the Bistro serves fresh sushi — with nigiri, sashimi, and assorted sushi rolls.
The indoor restaurant is small, with maybe 7 tables and a bar area. Inside the restaurant you’ll find a number of pieces of artwork hanging on the walls, which are all for sale by local artists. There’s a covered outdoor patio where you can order food and drinks while enjoy the sounds of passing vehicles along Nebraska. The Bistro also does a brisk carryout business, and I believe that they still offer delivery in the local Seminole Heights area.
My server was Julie, and she first directed my attention to the chalkboard over the bar which advertised all of the specials on craft beer and wines by the glass. The menu is a double-​sided sheet with sushi on one side, and the small plates & larger appetizers on the other. I was in the mood for something light, and so I decided on sushi in the Heights for my dinner.
First up was a cup of homemade miso soup which was served in a classy little teacup. The dashi broth was very tasty, and I liked this soup a lot. Next, I ordered two sushi rolls — one was a traditional spicy tuna roll, and the other was an Hamachi & Scallion roll. Both were quite good. They serve sake, both cold and warm to compliment your Japanese meal.
I mentioned to Julie that I was surprised by the quality of my soup and the sushi, and she told me the story of the chef who decided to strike out on his own, and open this little bistro in Seminole Heights. Three cheers for a local business owner who’s doing it right!
This is a place where I’ll definitely be back to try some of the other items on the menu, and enjoy a craft beer or two with my dinner.

If I were going to pick on anything about this place it’s that it was FREEZING in there last night. :) I will assume that was either at a diner’s behest (it’s a very small dining room) or because there is a polar bear serving as a line cook.
In all seriousness though, I was really surprised by this place. I’ve never bothered going in there or to it’s former namesake. I can’t really say why. Well, I can give you 100 little things that probably add up but none of them would have been because I heard bad things.
Server was downhome and kind, service was solid. Decent beer and wine selection. The dining room is tiny (not a con) but the menu expansive (though I might be hard-​pressed to get anything other than sushi since they serve it). We went because I wanted sushi and didn’t want to drive. There, I said it. ;) Glad I did though because everything we had was solid. Very generous and fresh sashimi platter. The shima bowl was OUTSTANDING. Rolls all on point.
Chef came out and brought us marinated olives to carry us for a bit since there was a 6-​top seated before us who had all just ordered. I get the idea this is not a place to go to in a hurry. And that’s a-​ok.
Unpretentious, reasonably priced, quaint, true «neighborhood» feel and didn’t break the bank for sushi. We spent less than we would have spent anywhere else in town and it’s just right down the street.

Look have I tried everything no. But if you enjoy an on point sandwich and bread that is… Toe curling good (obligatory douchey statement: I’ve eaten bread in Paris)… So good you don’t give two fucks about it being in house or not… Get a sandwich… Any sandwich… Right now!

Good find for lunch in Seminole Heights where most places are closed. Always have the same waitress and she is delightfully helpful. Small intimate location that grows its own bail and makes fresh pesto

So no joke, the place seats 23 people and the menu is massive! Lot and LOTS of creative lunch sandwiches in 2 sizes! I had a grilled mahi sandwich with amazing fresh and crunchy slaw. It had a name, but i could only think «nom nom nom». The side of the day was a potato salad i think but i subbed it out for a cup of Miso soup and it too was perfect. When i asked for tea, I was offered lightly sweetened iced green tea. Whoa. Nice! I also had a couple hours to kill so they were nice enough to not only let me sit for a while and work (and continually refilling my delicious tea), but offered me a power outlet to boot! If youre not going there, you should be, unless Im going there, and I hope you save me a seat!

This is a small restaurant by Nebraska at the Seminole height area and the chef got magical touch. The indoor seating is small only seven tables with some bar sitting. There is a cover patio on the side, plenty of parking space on the back. We ordered 3 small plates-​seared tuna, escargot and mussel. The material were fresh and the flavor was sophisticated, delicious like I had encounter at some high end restaurants. The menu is quite extensive including burger, pasta and a long list of sushi. The service was very friendly. The chef came out to greet with customs and talked to us about the food. The taste and good quality of the dish was totally worth the money.

We love our restaurant street at old height. This restaurant I have bookmark for some time. I love the creative chef went out their own and have their independent restaurant. This business owner did a good job for themselves. We were here on Friday night late after 8 pm. There were seats in this restaurant. The seating area is limited. Very nice clean bathroom.
Tonight we order three small plate. The escargot, the sear blue fin tuna, and the mussel. The escargot is seat on the bread and pour in wine sauce. It make it perfect when they are soak. The escargot is in good size and they about 10 pieces. Sauce is about the right touch for the escargot. The mussel come with creamy sauce. It is a good dish to pickup not over power the material.
I like the tuna the best. This a blue fin tuna in belly section. It is a bit fatter and rich in taste. They are likely seared top with a bit soy sauce with fragrant taste and lay over a special chili sauce.
The price for the small plate is good. The price of the large plate in about the medium to high side. Not much of seating area but good enough for the night.

This is my favorite restaurant in Tampa. Every single time I have been to Olde Heights Bistro the food has been amazing the service has been excellent and it’s consistent every time. the tuna and seaweed salad is absolutely incredible! If you are looking for a great place for a date or even just a nice quiet lunch this is definitely a spot you want to try!

This place was great! We waited a little while for our food to come out but it was well worth it. I had the Mahi Mahi sandwich. CRAZY GOOD! Their sushi looked great as well. Green tea was not to sweat. Just right. Nice little spot here!

I love this friendly neighborhood spot. Great sandwiches and sushi. On the weekends they serve up gourmet dinners!

Locally owned neighborhood bistro with a fusion of a sushi bar with New American cooking with a Southern twist. There is something on the menu that should please most everyone. Homemade soup everyday including Miso and Gumbo Louisiana style (grandma’s recipe). A nice and changing selection of wines, beer, and sake. Small, cozy and intimate space inside with outdoor seating when the weather allows. Great selection of reasonably priced sandwiches at lunch including Roast Beef Au Jus with real horseradish, PoBoys, chicken salad, nice salads as well. Great place to go if you are in Seminole Heights.

Josh was our server tonight, he was very nice. The place is small and quaint but perfect for intimate dates. We had a huge sampler of assortments and everything was phenomenal. The sangria is also delicious .Will for sure be going back!!!

We were invited to lunch by a local friend who is a realtor in Seminole Heights and he frequents the establishment often. I believe that it used to be Reservations to Go.
It is a small restaurant with a nice menu that also included sushi!
I ordered the burger with a large side of pasta and my lunch mates had a po-​boy and the meatball sub.
The food was fantastic. The burger was so flavorful and I had it medium well with Swiss cheese, pickle, lettuce, tomato and onion. Delicious!!!
The pasta salad is also delightful. Cooked al dente with black olives, sun dried tomato and basil– yummy.
The po-​boy and the meatball sub was also delicious according to my guests.
The service was lovely and speedy as well. We finished lunch off with a slice of carrot cake which I have to say– is to die for.
Excellent lunch experience and just another great eating establishment in Seminole Heights!!!
Since starting this review I have frequented this restaurant often! The food is always delightful!

Another hidden gem in Seminole Heights! I stumbled across this place looking for an afternoon sushi fix, as most sushi bars don’t open until 4 or 5pm. Upon pulling into the parking lot and looking at the building, I immediately admired the outdoor seating and décor. It is definitely a cute little outside area to bring family and friends to (humans and animals alike!)
Once you enter you will notice the ambiance and wall décor that ties in very well. It feels very homey and inviting. There is an awesome poster of Bruce Lee, old black and white photos, and a collection of rare wine bottles and beers on display. All of this is set to fantastic music such as Pink Floyd to make it all just sort of click. You walk in and just feel like you stepped into an awesome niche in time. Then you look at the menu…
And boy oh boy. The choices are all fantastic. Each item is well described, even more fairly priced, and taste incredibly fresh and flavorful beyond comprehension. As I type this my mouth is just like «wow» as I delve into each bite of the Tuna and seaweed salad!
The staff are some of the friendliest people I’ve met and a big draw to me coming back again and again. Angie is a real treat to converse with, she knows her beers and food. All of her recommendations are superb. The two chefs I have had the pleasure to meet personally offered their specials to me and you can tell that their hearts went into the creation of the dishes. I wish I remember their names but they are phenomenal individuals.
Don’t pass up on this gem folks, treat yourself and stop by the Old Heights Bistro.

Why 5 stars? Because it’s another adorable restaurant in the Heights.
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Oh, and also Why 5 Stars? Because that freaking burger.
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Old Heights deserved two intro lines. A first for me! The restaurant is as cute as they come, and the burger had to squeeze through the pearly gates of heaven to reach my plate.
I’m going to make a bold statement: this is possibly the best burger in Tampa Bay. There are quite a few fine burgers in TB, but I can’t think of one that I enjoyed more than the gem from Old Heights Bistro.
The patty is as thick as they come, but perfectly cooked and seasoned. You can keep it simple with just the basic fixin’s, or add in a bunch of extras for a nominal fee on each item. I went with quite a few of the extras, which made this one heckuva messy experience. But I find that, for the most part, the messier = the tastier. In this case, it was incredibly messy.
I’m not sure if this is the same ownership that Reservations to Go, but regardless, I’m in love. The rest of the menu looks great, but even if it’s all a mirage, the burger alone makes this a must-​visit and an easy 5-​stars.

Another cool SH joint! It’s very small, best to make reservations. We started with the Amish bacon and the cheese plate. The bacon was like pork belly. Very flavorful. We had to ask what the cheeses were. The presentation was nice and the toast points were good. Nothing special about the cheese though.
I had the risotto and was disappointed. It was bland. Definitely needed something. The others loved their meals. Shrimp scampi, filet, and the sashimi plate. The sashimi looked amazing! Big chunks of tuna, salmon, eel, scallops.
They had 7 craft beers on the board but we’re out of 4 of them! Including both IPAs.
They serve lunch during the week and it sounds good. They also have a full sushi menu. I will be back! Just not for the risotto.

Great Ambiance, friendly staff, and fantastic food. Me and my girl showed up at the dinner rush, which was about 12 people but considering the size the place was slammed. We ordered the Tampa chicken, Tampa steak and heights sushi rolls. The food took a little while to come out but I blame that on the amount of guests in the restaurant and the pace at which they came in, being that I come from this industry I understand how that could be difficult to time manage additionally this is higher quality food that generally takes longer anyway.
The sushi was delicious and different, instead of traditional the Tampa sushi rolls come with steak or chicken sautéed mushrooms and onions. It paired well with the soy.
The heights roll had a sweet and savory taste to it presented beautifully.
I highly recommend this place don’t be intimidated by the area make the trip.

The place is awesome but the server has no clue, she was overwhelmed and we could tell she was happy to see us go. Without that server this place would be a truly nice hipster restaurant. The food was incredible, everything was very fresh, they grow their herbs in the backyard.

I was always a fan of the prior restaurant that was in the same spot as Old Heights Bistro. I was happy to see the same waitress working when I came in for dinner on a Friday night!
This is a small restaurant. I would recommend getting reservations if you have more than 2 people in your party just in case it is crowded. Their dinner menu consists of fancy bistro dishes (steaks, scallops, salmon. etc) and sushi. The lunch menu has sandwiches, salads, and soups.
We ordered some craft beers and wines for the table and they have a nice selection. We started with the escargot bread pudding, which was LEGIT! I had the filet mignon for my meal and it was very very nice. One of my dining companions got the sushi and said it was very good — I will likely try this on my next visit as I’m excited to have great sushi in the Heights! The service was great and I over all liked it. I will be back!