Cafe Don Jose Menu

  • Appetizers - Tapas
  • Soups & Salads
  • Chicken
  • Beef & Pork
  • Seafood
  • Pasta & Vegetarian
  • Latin Bowls
  • Sandwiches
  • Side Items
  • Desserts

Healthy Meal suggestions for Cafe Don Jose

  • Appetizers - Tapas
  • Soups & Salads
  • Chicken
  • Beef & Pork
  • Seafood
  • Pasta & Vegetarian
  • Latin Bowls
  • Sandwiches
  • Side Items
  • Desserts
  • Henry H.

    Excellent choices and service. This Spanish restaurant was very nice from the time we arrived through an enjoyable dinner. The waiter was just the right amount of attentiveness and the food was especially good. Salads, seafood and chicken were all excellent. Also props to the manager, who apologized for the wait when we arrived - even though the "wait"'was less than a minute. Would definitely eat here again.

    (4)
  • Occy V.

    My aunt wanted us to try Cafe Don Jose but it just wasnt hitting any marks. Bland food, Croquettas were like hush puppies, and the server laughed when we asked her to remove the Sangria and kept saying you guys are funny. I dont drink but my family said it had powdered cinnamon and wouldnt touch it. I just dont want to be too negative so I will leave it at this =/

    (2)
  • Really H.

    A coworker and I were training in Tampa and decided to try this place. I'm so glad we did. We went for a late happy hour and dinner and we were so pleased. The place wasn't packed so we sat at the bar to relax. The regulars were so friendly and Dominique the bartender was lovely. We had tapas since they were on special do we got to try a little bit of everything. It was all amazing!

    (5)
  • Will W.

    Solid Spanish food. Great yellow rice and peas. Always a fantastic fish special to enjoy. I would frequently bring business guests to eat lunch here and it was never a disappointing experience. Good prices and prompt service. If you are looking for a white cloth up scale lunch experience, this is the place to go.

    (4)
  • Shabba R.

    I've been a few times but thus far have only ordered the paella, so my review is basically just a paella review. To give you a frame of reference, my favorite paella anywhere is from Columbia in Ybor, but not eating it on site, I think it tastes even better as a to go order where everything gets to marinate even longer on the drive home. Eating it at the restaurant is #2, and Cafe Don Jose's paella is my #3. I've had it all around the country at other places and haven't had a paella yet that would bump those out of my top three. Their paella has lobster as a unique ingredient but it's a little half tail so don't expect to be getting a lobster meal for the price of paella. It also has an asparagus stem on top, so if you're in the anti-asparagus club, you should make sure to order it without that or you may get some residual taste even after moving it out of the way. The clams and mussels are very fresh tasting and the calamari is cooked to the correct amount so it's not too chewy and not too soft. There are green olives in the dish so if you don't like those, you can also order it without that. The rice has been cooked properly each time I've had it. It's really just a great all around paella with only Columbia's being better in my book. Booze-wise, they have liquor, a great home made sangria and one light beer from Spain on tap (to accompany a normal beer selection). Service-wise, we've been treated well on each visit; no consistency problems.

    (4)
  • Kathy D.

    Cafe Don Jose has grown up. I haven't been there in years and it used to be located in a small strip center on the West side of 5th Street, in Temple Terrace. Now it has moved North of Fletcher, and has a it's own large building on the East side of 5th Stree. The last meal I had in the old location was one of the best steaks I have ever eaten, with a fabulous salad made tableside. Since this was a long time ago & a very fond memory, I tried to recreate the experience. The new restaurant is just as quaint, just on a larger scale. Brick deco & wrought iron bars with fairly bascic, clone type of paintings. It could be considered a romantic ambiance or quaint & casual. The night I was there, there was no flamingo dancer or Spanish guitars or singing, just offbeat type of music, that did not seem to match the restaurant. Due to the steak ideas in my mind, I eventually ordered a steak, house salad & stuffed baked potato. Let me start by saying that it feel so short, on all fronts of my expectations. I gotta give part of the blame to me, for ordering a steak ( & not a flank steak) in a Spanish restaurant. The steak was thin, chewy & overcooked. The stuffed potato tasted like it had been frozen or totally over whipped & very bland. The salad was terrific & fresh & the house dressing was light and a great accompaniment to the entire meal. My fellow dinner got the chicken & yellow rice. Another miss. It was a huge bowl of yellow rice (I mean several cups of rice), with some fairly moist chicken pieces in it. You can find this dish, some better, some worse at almost any Spanish restaurant that has a hot line set up for lunch or dinner, for a fraction of the price. On all the meals, I feel they were way overpriced for what we received. Even the fried plantains were tough and difficult to eat. The service was quite good & I wish I had gone with one of the servers entree selections. The Sangria, though quite tasty, was not the best I have had in Tampa. Overall I had the bar set high & they just didn't deliver. I don't think I would return, but if I did I would stick to seafood. What's a girl to do? We all have memories that will never be matched or surpassed.

    (3)
  • Michelle P.

    I went to Cafe Don Jose Wednesday, March 11th, with my dinner club. We had a group of 9 people and were seated in a comfortable room seemingly designated for larger parties. Apparently they have a violinist/singer combo and a flamenco dancer on the weekends. I think either of those additions would have added to the experience. I decided to have their red sangria with my meal. It was delicious and spicy, with a delicate hint of cinnamon. Not too overly strong or boozy, but definitely not watered down. For a starter, I chose the Don Quixote Puffs: chorizo, manchego cheese, and onions in little pockets of puffed pastry. They were savory and surprisingly not too heavy. The chorizo, never subtle did not take over the dish, which I found pleasing. For dinner, I went with the camarones rellenos (stuffed shrimp) and maduros (sweet fried plantains) as a side. The dish was basically breaded and fried shrimp stacked double-decker style filled with a lobster and shrimp stuffing, topped with a creamy bechamel. If the dish sounds heavy, that's because it was! It was tasty though and filling. I ended up taking one one of the shrimp and half of the maduros to have for lunch the next day. As per usual, I passed on dessert. =( Overall, I would give the restaurant a rating of 3.5 stars. We only had one server, Michelle, but she was always around when we needed her for drink refills, etc. Even with a semi-large party, our food arrived in a satisfactory period of time. I wouldn't be opposed for going there again...when the flamenco dancer's there!

    (3)
  • Brian M.

    Have known and heard about this place for a long time. Finally gave it a try and lets just say that we left slightly disappointed. The ambience inside is nice. Dimly lit and has a somewhat Spanish feel (which obviously it should have). It was sort of odd they were playing jazz music on the satellite radio but halfway during our dinner a gentleman started playing Spanish guitar/music which was a nice and unique touch. And he didn't play too loud which eased or dinner conversation experience. I've heard great things about their Sangria (which you can either get red or white). And even their menu states that it's the best in Tampa Bay. Well, although it was quite good - even having cinnamon with apple and lemon slices in the pitcher - I don't think it's the best in town. Reasonably priced. Maybe in the top 5 in the Tampa Bay area. Still really good though But my main gripe about this place is the pricing for the quality of food you get. I got the chicken and yellow rice dinner. The chicken was decent. Was tender but could have been more tender and tastier. You get a fair share but could have added more. The rice was good but again I've had better. But here's the thing - the platter was $18.99! Are you kidding me!? Way overpriced for the quality and amount you get. My girlfriend got the paella. And that too was sort of overpriced. It was a medium sized plate. Had a lot of seafood including a lobster tail and the same rice that my chicken and yellow rice came with. But the mussels and other seafood items were decent; meaning, nothing to write home about. Our waiter and host were friendly, nice, and informative. Although Cafe Don Jose is a little overrated, I would still come back. Just won't really be raving about it to people 3.5 stars out of 5

    (3)
  • Amanda P.

    This was our first visit to CDJ. We had a free tapas coupon and we are new to the area, so we thought we would give them a try. Our first impression walking through the door was a very good one. We arrived 15 min before lunch ended but were greeted openly. Unfortunately our waitress seemed unhappy and her service was non-existent other than to enter our order in the system. I suspect this isn't the first time she has given bad service. We will be back BC of two things: the food was tasty AND there was another server, very nice Spanish speaking man, who adopted our orphaned table. Thus far the prices aren't commensurate with the food quality/quantity, BUT we suspect there are some gems on the menu that will be worth coming back to discover. Today our choices were Beef Empanadas, Chorizo Pastry Puffs, and Truffle Fries.

    (3)
  • Chuck K.

    We enjoyed our meal, service was excellent, prices a little high. My husband had Trout LaRussa and I had Ropa Viera. Presentation on both was nice, flavors good. We will return on special date nights or events due to prices.

    (4)
  • William P.

    Went there for our Anniversary, have been going to this restaurant for 35 years. First wait staff is still great like the days when this was a white table cloth restaurant. Unfortunately in goes down from there. The recipes have been changed to cheaper ingredients, had Paella, seafood rubbery stringy chicken. Wife's favorite yellow rice and chicken has turned into rice mix from a box. Bread is even different, cheaper I guess. Only the salad hasn't changed much but you can tell they scrimped on the expensive parts. The worst part is the acoustics in the restaurant. It was never this loud at the old location. On top of they they had a flaminco show. Apparently this was added for tourists. The stage acts like a giant megaphone so conversation is impossible during the sets, but guitarist is very talented. Do expect an intimate experience like the old restaurant. Way over priced for the food quality. My wife hasn't given up on this place yet, but not on tourist night ever again.

    (2)
  • Dilan B.

    I gave it a good review last time. This time I got a large Caesar salad, to go. HORRIBLE! I understand that in Florida, they don't make traditional Caesar salads. I knew well enough to ask for bacon to be added, but did not even bother with anchovies or anchovy paste. They charges me $9.50 for this nothing salad! That is the same price they charged me for the Calamari! - How is that?! Also, I've never seen such cruddy croutons. They were the size of mini-marshmallows, and had no flavor. Not again.

    (2)
  • Charlie G.

    Went for a lunch of Tapas... to introduce my girlfriend to the cuisine. We had the Ceviche Sampler, which was delicious... although I thought the portions were a little less than generous.. The Albondigas, very tasty, and the sauce was yummy! Crab Cakes... very very good... and a nice size. The Don Quixote puffs seemed like an interesting combo... so I ordered those also. Very good! The chorizo in them was excellent... highly recommended. Alas, we didn't indulge in the Sangria, or any wine (GF is allergic to the tannins)... but they did appear to have some decent choices. Normally we do not do deserts (I prefer to make them for us) but we did try the Tres Leches cake... and it was very well done! Delicious, moist and well presented (my GF's new favorite!) Service was very good (Christa?) and all personnel were attentive and polite. We will be back!

    (4)
  • Will D.

    The prices are high, the food is mediocre, and the beer selection is poor. (2 different drafts, one of which is Bud Light) Nothing was bad here. I'm just having a hard time justifying any reason to come back.

    (2)
  • JP P.

    Poor service and dry, bland ribeye. Two points to deduct stars. Other servers seemed great just not mine. Food was over all good. I loved the twice baked potato. I might try it again but I'm mostly on the fence.

    (3)
  • Pamela C.

    The food was quality. The atmosphere was relaxed but not too casual. The prices are quite a bit more expensive for dinner than for lunch but I enjoyed my lunch with my coworkers and then I enjoyed my dinner with my husband another evening. In the USF area there are either sports bars or franchise restaurants. This was a pleasant change.

    (4)
  • Shannon B.

    Great atmosphere multiple dining rooms all with great ambience. Huge bar area separate from dining area with patio tables and smoking area. Live music on saturday night was a welcome surprise as the violinist and singer were a pleasant background sound. We had 7 different tapas and each one was perfection. By far one of the best tapas restaurants in the Tampa Bay area. A hidden gem. Full liquor bar and extensive wine list as well. Our two servers were accomplished and attentive. A wonderful meal. I can't wait to go back again.

    (5)
  • Pete C.

    First time here, the escargots are delicious! Good sangria, I can taste a hint of cinnamon.

    (4)
  • Lady D.

    Arrived for lunch and what a treat. They have daily lunch specials and today, you could order from any of them. My Ropa Rojas was exquisitely flavored. It was served with a side salad that was not expected. Fresh, a lot I ingredients and oh, so good? The brown bread was warm from the oven The roast pork was wonderful and the waiter did everything to satisfy the customers taste. Wow. I'd go here again!

    (5)
  • Richard C.

    I was taken here by one of the companies that I use. Cafe Don Jose claims to be a Spanish food place, and was highly recommended. I have eaten in restaurants in Spain and a Spanish restaurant in Palm Beach. I am not sure what was going on with this place the night we were there, but most everything was not very good. To begin with, there was 2 plates of the same appetizers floating around our table of 10. It had crab cakes, shrimp, things in pastries...most of it total dreck. In fact, Plate #2 was left totally populated with food. I ordered an escargot appetizer. The escargot were a little on the chewy side, and they had no pastry with them, but garlic butter and the mushroom cap made up for it. I actually ate all these. Which was good because my entree was basically inedible. Several other people at the table only ate a little of what was ordered. On the bright side, their Crème Brûlée was fantastic.

    (1)
  • Rick S.

    In Tampa for a conference. Got the name from the front desk. The food was good and well presented. The restaurant is quiet with very good service. The prices were a surprise - more expensive than I thought, $26 for entree and salad.

    (4)
  • Stephen M.

    My wife and I found this place when we were staying at a nearby campground. The reviews on yelp and trip advisor indicated we might want to try it. Boy were we glad we did. We went when it opened at 5:00 for the tapas happy hour. $5 tapas and we loved all of the ones we ordered! Had 5 between us and were helped by the bartender Dominique. Her recommendations were spot on! A few glasses of wine and sangria and finished it off with a molten chocolate coconut ice cream dessert. We thoroughly enjoyed this place and recommend It highly. We'll probably see you there the next time we are even remotely close to it!!

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 2:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Accepts Bitcoin : No
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : No
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Intimate
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Cafe Don Jose

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