Around the time CB radios were reaching their peak of fame, the Capdevila family founded this taste of home from which they emigrated during the rise of Fidel Castro. Not far from “Malfunction Junction”, as CB chatter called the Intersection of 1-4 and 1-275, La Terisita was born in 1972 as a grocery store on Columbus Drive in “Cigar City,” also a reference to Tampa’s heritage with the Cuban culture. The thread of political significance has endured as the restaurant has hosted the likes of George W. Bush and Al Gore!
Politics and trucker lingo aside, La Terisita is as authentic and delicious as any restaurant can be, Cuban or otherwise. There are three distinct aspects to the place; the full sit down experience, an old school lunch counter and even a take-out wing in the back. Full disclosure, I love Cuban food and I’ve been eating it in Tampa even before La Teresita opened, but LT does it with a real family feel. This is why I always pick up a Cuban sandwich from LT and bring it to my Mom any time I visit Tampa! Their ropa vieja and palomilla are absolutely amazing, especially when accompanied with a bowl of the Spanish bean soup and some plantains. Made even more divine when topped off with some flan and café con leche. Oh, and did I mention the prices? Well, it reminds me of traveling in the Asturias region of Spain (who populated much of Cuba!), where the cost of the amazingly prepared meal seems to be the same as the cost of the actual ingredients! From Havana, to Miami, to Tampa, nobody does it better than the restaurant La Teresita. Do yourself a favor and take a trip to a place where tradition and flavor live.