Sono Cafe

This is easily the nicest place to eat in this area. It’s in the first floor of the museum, and has a nice view of the riverwalk.
Healthy menu options, which we hadn’t seen in surrounding restaurants that served more «bar food» dishes. Susan was our server both times we came, and she’s awesome! Very knowledgeable about local beers, and gave us great suggestions for things to do in the surrounding area. If we were back in Tampa again we’d definitely come back for a nice calm date at Sono.

I went with a friend for brunch around 12p on a Sun. It is mostly outdoor seating. We sat inside and it is communal seating. The service was meh, our waiter was stressed, frustrated and throwing kitchen under the bus. Open kitchen so you see food being made. We had cheese with accompaniments, thyme black pepper biscuits, and the breakfast Sammie. My friend raved about her potatoes. The food was great. I had a spicy Bloody Mary which was a little over priced. Worth going, great view, on the water. Enjoy!

The sono Café is located behind the Tampa Museuem of art museums by Curtis Hixon park. It is right on the river which makes for beautiful views of the best of Tampa Bay.
We went there for brunch and were quite pleased with the service and the staff that we interacted with. The café is ceiling to floor windows completely an open field of silver and glass. It gives you an overall eclectic and restful feeling. Of course my favorite views are always of the water.
We played around with some of the different choices of food so we could have several samplings of different things. An omelette was very tasty and head cheese and fresh vegetables contained in it. The blueberry muffins very tasty, well cooked and not overly sweet. The mixed fruit was a nice portion of various melons and berries, which were seasonal and the smoked salmon was fairly good but a little dry.
I didn’t particularly like the coffee but maybe it was old or it wasn’t a very good batch.
I learned during our visit that the establishment was owned by our own famous Mise en Place. There’s also a little shop inside that’s quite unique in is fun too wander around and see what delights you might discover.
Overall it didn’t feel like an independent restaurant. The menu was representative of a lot of things that were healthy yet they had variety. I can’t say I loved all of the food, but overall the food was good.
I really like to come back later in the day and try this establishment for happy hour and some appetizers. It says its open on Friday nights for dinner and maybe that would be a good time to try it out the next time. Either way I think it deserves a second try before I can adequately rated. I don’t know maybe it’s just me I want to believe that they can do better with their service times and quality of service as well as or unique dishes that are more remarkable.
What’s a girl to do? Well, everyone deserves a second chance. This place is a choice location and I just want it to be perfect.

Sono Café is located on the ground floor of the Tampa Art Museum in Downtown Tampa off Ashley looking onto the Hillsborough River, University of Tampa, and the Curtis Hixon Riverfront Park. The Sono Café’s menu is the creation of the owner of the famous Mise En Place so you know it’s good. Sono Café is probably the single best thing about the Tampa Art Museum. Sono Café has 7 White Wines, 6 Red Wines, 4 Specialty Cocktails, Sandwiches, Salads, Wraps, and Coffee. For Dessert, Sono Café serve incredible Artisan Gelato hand-​crafted locally By Roberto Mori of Del Duomo. Sono Café also serves flour-​less chocolate cake, pound cake, and Dark Chocolate brownies for dessert. With a Unilocal Check-​in, you can get a free glass of wine! So I make a stop here and get some gelato whenever I’m in the area! Will be back again soon! There is limited street parking available downtown. There is no bike parking but you can chain your bike to the railing on the stairs. The décor of the Sono Café is very modern w ceiling to wall glass windows and a very open layout with no booth separations. They also have an outdoor patio area. Noise level is quiet to average, dress code is casual, and this place is best for brunch, lunch, or dessert. On another occasion, I had the Chicken salad sun-​dried tomato wrap w arugula pickle aioli onions scallions sunflower seeds diced celery tobasco & arugula side salad and it was delicious! Ask for Tony! He’s super nice and funny! :)

Great spot for coffee or brunch! You’ll definitely want to sit outside because the view is spectacular — Curtis-​Hixon park, the river, UT, and the downtown architectural landscape. Plus, the inside can be a bit chilly.
The gelato is amazing! I am a little nutty so I recommend the peanut butter and baccio (which is a combination of chocolate and hazelnut). A friend of mine turned me on to the affogato, which is espresso with gelato, and what a love affair that is.
If you get that warm and fuzzy feeling from your childhood when you think of grilled cheese sandwiches, then you won’t be disappointed when you try Sono’s grown up version. You could pair it with red wine and say nanny nanny boo boo to that tomato soup can. Not the artsy one (it’s in a modern art museum after all).
The restaurant shares its space with the museum gift shop which has some really unique items including books, toys, and jewelry. It’s worth taking a look.

I’ve always liked Sono Café. On the ground floor of the Tampa Art Museum with inside and patio seating it is modern styling. You can enjoy a salad, wine, Orangina, Perrier, the best gelato around, brunch cuisine, and other goodies overlooking Curtis Hixon Park, the Hillsborough River, and Henry Plant Hotel /​University of Tampa across the way. Part of the Mise en Place and chef Marty Blitz empire the food and service standards are very high. I’ve enjoyed all my visits. The restaurant is also next to the artsy gift shop whcih is fun to explore. At least taste the gelato.

Nestled in the back of the first floor of the Tampa Museum exists this little piece of sweetness. The owners of Mise En Place have created a delightful place to grab a quick and casual bite while maintaining its classiness.
As with the museum, the areas of the restaurant are contained by and furnished with white and metallics and is an open air concept. For what it is (a true «café»), the menu is pretty expansive and has a good variety of options. They offer a soup of the day, several salads and sandwiches as well as gelato for dessert. For breakfast they have interesting hash offerings with eggs and some non traditional components. There menu has an emphasis on healthy (while of course there are some not-​so-​healthy items).
On a recent day I went for brunch and sat outside to enjoy the fresh air, beautiful weather, and scenic views. With Unilocal check-​in, I discovered an offer receive a complimentary glass of wine (Free wine? YES PLEASE. which I gladly utilized. I had a three bean chili to start which was well-​spiced and I had a quinoa breakfast hash that was excellent. My dining companion had a sandwich accompanied by mixed greens which was also quite tasty and fresh tasting. We opted out on getting mimosas but it seemed that they were a popular brunch accompaniment. The views were beautiful, the service was excellent and the food came out fast. We didn’t have dessert but upon checking out the case the gelato looked enticing.
There are happy hour specials throughout the week which can be found on their website. I recommend Sono Café for a unique dining experience and if you want a quick bite with offerings unlike any other downtown eatery.

Our brunch was great. The weather was calm and cool so we sat outside. I had the breakfast sandwich and my wife had the blueberry pancakes. Both were very good.

Excellent place for local residents to play Tourist. Shrimp Salad was outstanding on the outside patio with a refreshing glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

After an early dinner downtown, dessert was necessary to finish a great evening off the right way. The only problem was that it was a little confusing finding Sono Café. I’m sure it was hilarious watching us walk around the entire building, which has floor to ceiling windows, trying to make sure we were in the right spot. The staff wasn’t welcoming and almost looked at us with disdain when we entered. Maybe it was just indifference? Maybe it was close to closing time? Either way, we verified that we were actually in the café and I gave him a card I had received for a free small gelato. The small was more than enough and it did taste pretty good. We decided to stick with classic chocolate, but there were about ten flavors to choose from. I was also surprised to see that they offered beer and wine at Sono.
The café has a modern feel, with lots of metallics making up the décor. It is located inside the Tampa Museum of Art, so I’m sure that the theme matches the rest of the establishment. With so many great restaurants in the downtown area, I can’t imagine that I would go back to Sono Café unless I was visiting the museum again.

Enjoyed the beautiful views but it took almost an hour for food to arrive because they said my order for a Eggwhite scramble was a special order. It was just egg whites with spinach and tomatoes.
Even on a rainy day, the view of university of tampa and the river is just an amazing view but if you go there for food — you will be disappointed.

Good tasting healthy food in a spectacular setting overlooking Curtis Hixon, the Tampa skyline, UT’s minarets, and the river. I feel this restaurant is the most underrated, overlooked, hidden gem in Tampa.
I’ve been countless times to Curtis Hixon park and the children’s museum and never knew this restaurant was just on the other side of the building. We did an online search for brunch spots and what a pleasant surprise to find this little restaurant so close to our regular hangouts. And, bonus it’s healthy and fresh. Don’t let healthy turn you off, everything tastes great. It was no surprise to learn the place is related to Mise en Place. There is definitely the same gourmet flair to even simple sandwiches and salads. Servers are just as professional, too.
Dinner is only available on Friday nights, so most of the menu is lunch and brunch fare. A Unilocal check in gets you a free glass of wine and there’s often a CL deal available.
Long communal tables are inside and individual tables are outside. Even on hot Florida days the breeze comes through the patio making outdoor seating still possible.
The gelato is also some of the best I’ve had. The prices appear high for the portion cups, but its size is deceiving. They will more than top it off to double it’s size! See all the pictures for an idea of what to expect.

We managed to snag a spot here as a 3-​party walk-​in on Mother’s Day! I had given up on making reservations and we drove downtown and I hoped there would be a spot for us there or nearby. The weather was lovely and it looked fairly busy in the outside seating. We were sat at the opposite end of an inside high top where another couple was sitting. We had a nice view of the river and the dog park, although the high top was right up against the ‘kitchen’ and where the servers ran tabs and picked up food so it was a bit crowded. Though I liked the open kitchen area! For the occasion they were serving from a ‘prixe fix’ menu — $ 19 for a first course of tomato gazpacho, choice of entrée, and choice of dessert. Mom and I each got a yummy bellini (which, btw, if you check in on Unilocal you get a free glass of wine! Our waiter used it for the bellini :) but not sure that’s standard). My parents ordered off the special menu but I opted for just an entrée since I was counting on some gelati afterwards at my favorite Italian ice shop.
The tomato gazpacho was tasty — kind of salsa meets marinara and served cold. My mom ordered the frittata (I believe with bacon, red pepper?) and it was delicious! Dad had the kale chicken caesar which was also very good, a good mix of different things in it and enough dressing. I think I won though with my grilled cheese! Like a solid inch think of mozzarella inside the whole sandwich, a sweet tomato spread, and basil. YUM. Toasted just perfectly and served with a side salad of greens, pine nuts, some light dressing… not normally a salad I’d pick but I enjoyed it.
Dad finished off with the lemon cheesecake which was petit but yummy served with a fruit coulis. Mom opted for gelato (despite my insistence she order the cherry bread pudding) and was a fan of the caramel cookie crunch. When we got the bill I realized I might as well have ordered the 3 courses since my sandwich alone was $ 14. I really wasn’t hungry enough for all 3 but as far as value it would’ve been a good deal.

«Best Outdoor Seating in Tampa Supported by a Quality Menu»
The menu is short but filled with quality ingredients. And, if weather permits, enjoy a table outside, overlooking the river and the University of Tampa Campus and Curtis Hixon Park. You’ll be glad you did. This location is pet and child friendly and boasts one of the most active views to «people watch». Enjoy!

Relaxed and easy. Previous reviews said service was slow – ours was just right. Sit outside – nice breeze, pleasant view. Husband ordered a brunch that had yucca – yikes there was a lot of it – his mistake. I ordered Chef’s Choice meat/​cheese – no regrets. Wine & cocktails too $$$.

We enjoyed having lunch here on our visit to the Tampa Museum of Art. The menu was a bit limited but the food very good and the service fine. The only downside is that it does take quite a while to get the food (on the menu Sono says that it’s part of the «slow food movement»).

Very good. Museum cafés can be hit or miss, but I had a great brunch here. Breakfast sandwich with potatoes (a little undercooked but well seasoned — still tasty!) Grab a seat outside for views of the river and park.

Beautiful atmosphere. Unique place to visit in Tampa and it’s nice that it’s do close to Curtis Hixon. The good was relatively good but not quite up to standard of the price you pay. I does the job of you’re liking for an up scale place for brunch on Sunday, or a glad of wine before out after you visit the art museum.

Sono café is a cute café with a great view. Had brunch with a delicious egg sandwich. The negatives include poor service and long wait once we were seated and for the food. 45 min for grilled cheese and an egg sandwich when the place wasn’t even busy.

In late July, we had a staycation at the beautiful Le Meridien Hotel. With our accommodations we were given complimentary admission to the Tampa Museum of Art. My boyfriend at the time was suddenly called back to Orlando on business, so I decided to celebrate Sunday Funday by myself.
After touring the Tampa Museum of Art, I wandered into the gift shop located on the first floor. Sono Café is located downstairs adjacent to the gift shop.
It was time for an afternoon snack, so I decided to try Sono Café out. What a delightful surprise this quaint café turned out to be!
The restaurant was fairly empty and I chose a table outside. I was lucky that day because it was overcast and not too humid. There was quite a breeze that day too, due to an impending storm. Bad weather or not, the beautiful view of Downtown Tampa, the Hillsborough River, and Tampa’s Riverwalk was worth dining here.
When I checked in on Unilocal,I was so happy to see that Sono Café offered a free glass of wine for checking in!
I ordered a Spanish Tempranillo and a Smoked Salmon Brunch Plate. The Smoked Salmon Plate was made of House Cured Salmon, Capers, Pickled Red Onion, Marscapone, and was served with Pumpernickel Bread.
The wine and the Smoked Salmon were both delicious. The portion of the brunch plate was perfect for a quick afternoon snack.
The staff here is friendly and attentive. The seating is limited both indoors and on the patio, but the winning factor here are the gorgeous views. Also, you can dine at Sono Café without actually touring the TMOA.
I will definitely be paying Sono Café another visit when the weather is cooler. It is the perfect place to have a quiet relaxing lunch or dinner with a breathtaking view.