<div id="c3be0912bb716eee4ca644c1dfc4ecde4"></div>After a much-anticipated wait, Ten Rooms, the newest project from Tampa’s Ro Patel and Zach Pace, is set to open on April 27th in Centro Ybor.
Patel is widely known for Ciro’s Speakeasy and Anise Global Gastrobar, while Pace is a restauranter involved with Michelin 2-star, Lazy Bear, as well as Michelin and Green star, Apothic, both in San Francisco. While the two create a dynamic foundation for the concept, Chef Parker Brown, who worked with Pace in San Fransisco, will oversee the menu in this culinary experience.
If you’re still missing The Hall on Franklin’s elegant, yet relaxed feel like we are, a pleasant surprise awaits you at Ten Rooms.
But first, let’s jump into the concept’s location: in the heart of Ybor City, the building has a unique background.
Centro Espanol is a building rich with culture and vibes that can only be described as quintessentially Ybor City. It was the first social club catering to Spanish immigrants back in the early 1900s.
Walking up the steps to enter, you can definitely feel a sense of the building’s stylish past with its tiled steps, double doors, and arched entryway.
The main entrance for Ten Rooms is on 7th Avenue just steps away from Centro Ybor’s Vicente Martínez Statue, but you can also enter through the hall across from Ybor City Society Wine Bar.
Ten Rooms will provide locals and visitors alike with a vibrant and warm experience cloaked in culture. Walk into the space and your gaze will immediately be drawn to a sleekly designed venue with an open-concept kitchen, beautiful, tiled floors, and relaxed dining areas.
It’s a sophisticated space to share laughs over meticulously created dishes, cocktails, and specialty curated espresso drinks courtesy of their dedicated baristas.
The CONCEPTS
- The Cafe
- The Shop
- Genevieve the Cat
- Bar Martinez
Ten Rooms features 4 concepts that combine to serve up – whatever the vibe calls for.
The Café at Ten Rooms serves pressed juices, freshly baked pastries, and savory eats. A must-try is the rich and satisfying smoked sugar cane latte available both hot and iced. If you’re feeling adventurous, give the Florida orange mocha latte a sip. The Café opens at 7 am for those looking to start their day with a delicious, caffeinated beverage.
If you are looking to add a unique gift or specialty item to your collection, The Shop at Ten Rooms is a retail and art space featuring rotating works by local artists. Perfectly placed in a corner space of the venue which will double as an event space, The Shop provides an in-house opportunity to browse for that special take-home gift after a wonderful date night. Feel free to browse the unique offerings beginning at 10 am.
Genevieve the Cat is the swanky walk-up bar as you enter Ten Rooms, featuring craft cocktails on tap that have been meticulously crafted by founder and managing partner Ro Patel. Their blackberry lemonade made with cardamom-infused gin is a must-try for those seeking a refreshing cocktail on a hot day – a cocktail truly deserving of such a stunning venue.
Bar Martinez, opening at 5 pm Tuesdays – Saturdays, features an American fine dining menu integrating southeastern and European influences. The name honors Vicente Martinez Ybor, the city’s founder, and is a nod to the Martinez cocktail, the precursor to the modern-day Martini. The menu will boast a dry-aged beef program and culinary partnerships with farms and ranches across the state, region, and country.
NOTABLE PLATES & SIPS
The menu at Ten Rooms’ Bar Martinez is intensely focused on detail as well as the concept of Provenance – knowing where your food comes from. Here are a few not-to-be-missed libations and delectable plates from Bar Martinez.
A classic with a new spin, the Bar Martinez Old Fashioned is prepared with whiskey poured from a bottle internally coated with beeswax for added texture. A honey syrup drip adds just the right element of sweetness for a seriously smooth cocktail.
Additionally smooth was their signature gin, infused with cardamom, which had this non-gin drinker sipping it straight and shooing off bartenders thinking it was empty.
For seafood lovers, the oysters needed no dressing up and were topped with just the right touch of ginger to make the perfect, flavorful bite. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for a second or third.
The day-boat snapper fish dip is tangy and refreshing with a nice balanced flavor. An intriguing twist is the pairing of the dip with light, crispy seaweed chips that provide just the right amount of crunch to each bite.
In a true southern and fine dining marriage- the egg salad on a delicate mini biscuit round topped with caviar may have been the most unexpected, yet delightful offering. The biscuit has the right amount of density to hold up to the egg salad while remaining fluffy as a biscuit should be.
The beautifully prepared duck confit with pickled okra nestled under Swiss chard is a dish layered with flavor and texture. The dish was seasoned well and allowed all the ingredients to complement each other wonderfully.
The crowd favorite, though, was the sophisticated dry-aged beef tartare sourced from the ‘happiest cows alive’ at White Oak pastures in Georgia. A dish flavorful, enough to tempt even non-beef eaters. Delicate house-made potato chips accompany the tartare with an egg-yolk toffee, capers, and topped with delicately grated horse radish.
Yes, you read that correctly, egg yolk toffee: a Ten Rooms signature, innovative method of whipped and sous-vided egg yolks and salt. Combined with the beef, the texture creates a delectable bite that allows the beef to be the main star of the dish compared to the traditional “crack the egg on top” preparation.
To finish things off, we were presented with an edible Phoebe the TPA flamingo on top of non-edible (and very real) – acorns! A nod to the roots of their Ybor City location, it was left at that, and our delight at eating an ice cream flamingo “milk chocolate egg in a raspberry dome”.
THE ATMOSPHERE
Ten Rooms creates a classy atmosphere for guests to not only appease their thirsts but excite their palates with a range of fresh, locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant aims to provide a farm-to-table experience throughout the year.
You can expect to be pleasantly surprised by the cohesive flow throughout this restaurant and retail concept. Based on the arranged areas, a cute coffee date, a few cocktails, and an exquisite dinner are all in reach within these walls.
The open-concept kitchen provides a show for the few seating areas nearby, but most of the seating in Ten Rooms’ is situated in Bar Martinez.
The bar hosts high-top seats with a direct view of the libations being poured. Likewise, more private two-seat high-top tables are arranged along the perimeter.
Looking for something a little cozier? Lower tables are also available to create a more private and closer-to-your-date ambiance.
LOCATION & PARKING
Ready to come to experience Ten Rooms on your next date night? You can find it adjacent to Centro Ybor in the El Centro Espanol building next to the Ybor City Society Wine Bar and across the street from Cheeseology.
Street parking is available all over Ybor, however, the Centro Ybor Parking Garage provides covered parking less than a 5-minute walk away. A visit to Ten Rooms is a must-do during your next date night in Ybor City!
Ten Rooms & Bar Martinez
1536 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605
(813) 384-8338
https://tenroomsybor.com/
The Cafe: 7 am – 3 pm, daily
The Shop: 10 am – 8 pm, daily
Genevieve the Cat: 11 am to 10 pm, daily
Bar Martinez: 5 pm – 10 pm, Tuesday – Saturday