There is a moment, right after you cross the wooden bridge into Tampa Heights and catch your first glimpse of the old Water Works building glowing against the Hillsborough River, when you realize you are somewhere genuinely special. That place is Ulele — a restaurant, a brewery, and an experience so rooted in Florida’s story that it feels less like dinner and more like a love letter to everything this region used to be and still can be.
Tucked into a beautifully restored 1903 Tampa Water Department pump house on the northern edge of the Tampa Riverwalk, Ulele sits in what was once the very infrastructure of the city. The bones of that history are still visible — soaring ceilings, exposed brick, industrial ironwork — but the spirit inside is entirely alive and forward-looking. Every time I walk in, I feel that rare combination of reverence and excitement that good historic restoration always earns.
The menu reads like a love note to Native Florida. Chef Eric Lackey built it around ingredients and traditions that trace back to the Tocobaga people who once fished and farmed along this same river. That means Native Florida pompano grilled over an open wood fire, tender alligator ribs lacquered with a cane syrup glaze, and smoked corn grits that will ruin you for any other grits you have ever had. The wood-fired cooking method is not a gimmick — you can smell the smoke the moment you step onto the patio, and it deepens every single dish in ways that a gas range simply cannot replicate.
Order the hearts of palm salad if it is on the menu that evening. Order the deviled blue crab. And whatever you do, do not skip the fried Florida avocado. It sounds like it shouldn’t work and it absolutely, completely does.
Ulele also brews its own craft beers on site, and the lineup is thoughtful and genuinely interesting — rotating seasonals that lean into Florida ingredients like sea salt, hibiscus, and local honey. The Seminole Heights Sunrise citrus wheat is light and perfect for a warm evening on the riverfront patio, which you should absolutely claim if one is available. Watching the Hillsborough River slip by in the golden hour while a cold beer sweats in your hand is one of those simple Tampa Bay moments that does not require any further improvement.
The grounds are equally worth your time before or after dinner. The native plant garden surrounding the building is lush and carefully designed, with interpretive markers that tell the story of the Tocobaga. The spring itself — the actual Ulele Spring, after which the restaurant is named — bubbles up right on the property, a reminder that this patch of earth has been drawing people to its banks for centuries.
Service here is warm without being fussy. The staff tends to know the menu inside and out, happy to talk you through sourcing or suggest a beer pairing without ever making you feel like you are in a lecture. It is the kind of place that works equally well for a long, leisurely anniversary dinner and for a solo seat at the bar with a pint and the evening paper.
Ulele is located at 1810 North Highland Avenue in Tampa Heights, right on the Riverwalk, which means you can walk there from downtown along the water if you are feeling ambitious and the evening cooperates. Reservations are strongly recommended on weekends, but the bar seats are first-come, and the wait — if there is one — is best spent outside with a drink in the garden.
If you only have one dinner reservation to make in Tampa Bay, make it here. You will leave understanding this city just a little bit better than when you arrived.
