Hyde Park Village Full Send

Most modern cities in the world seem to offer endless possibilities of activities to do, new places to see, and different experiences that are incomparable to other cities. Tampa is no exception when it comes to all these qualities, even with the global pandemic. The city of Tampa offers countless things to do in every corner of the city, with safety guidelines in place. However, the hardest thing to decide on is where to start, especially for college students who need to stick to a tight budget. Luckily, this blog was written for this reason! I have decided to base my day in Hyde Park Village and provide tips and tricks on how to safely “Full Send” as a college student during a global pandemic in the city of Tampa.

Hyde Park Village is a great place for college students and tourists to get out and explore, even though it might look expensive at first. The best experiences are not always the priciest. To start a day in Hyde Park Village, I recommend getting the day going with some caffeine in my system. The Buddy Brew Coffee Café gives a unique angle on the average coffee shop. The atmosphere in the café gives off an industrial vibe mixed with a humble aura. You can also find many people working on their computers while sipping their coffee. The menu offers a wide range of beverages and food items to browse upon and even sells their own coffee beans make at home. My personal order is the cold brew on tap mixed with cream and sugar. My order total comes out to be about $4! I would say that is cheaper than Starbucks, but 10 times the experience.

After you finally have a little caffeine in your system, a good way to use that energy is to browse the stores located within Hyde Park. Window shopping is a great way to use that energy from the coffee, as well as explore the stores in Hyde Park. My favorite store to go is called Social Status. Social Status sells clothing that is popularized on social media for men and women, hence the name. The store sells popular known brands like Adidas and Nike, but also sell exclusive brands Born X Raised and Ambush. The inside is very modernized and eye-catching. Their merchandise focuses to fit the “streetwear” style and chooses to sell brands that fit that fashion trend. It is a great store to browse around to see what trends are popular at the moment and possibly buy a new cool piece of clothing to add to your wardrobe.

As well as the great stores, the restaurants located at Hyde Park is the best part of the whole area, in my opinion. There are several restaurants located in the park that shows Tampa’s diverse restaurant scene. There is an Italian restaurant called Forbichi’s, an American diner-based restaurant called Goody Goody, and my personal favorite is the Brazilian restaurant called Bartaco. They focus their menu on upscale street food and is very delicious. However, there is always a wait on the weekends because of how popular it is, so I suggest going on a weekday or making a reservation. They serve a variety of different drinks, tacos, dips, and bowls. With everything Bartaco offers, you cannot skip on the guacamole. It is hands down the best guacamole recipe, topping Chipotle, Moe’s, and Taco Dirty. The dish that I ordered when I went was the Portobello Rice Bowl. It is a light yet filling dish and only costs about $9.

Bartaco also offers indoor and outdoor seating which is very convenient. The safety precautions are strictly enforced here due to the pandemic, so you will feel safe dining at the restaurant while enjoying your meal. Lastly, Bartaco has a bar inside that you can sit at and listen to great music while ordering your drinks and food. A night spent at Bar Taco is never a bad night and is also very affordable for us college students to get a good meal.

After a delicious dinner, if you choose to not end your night with Bartaco’s gelato, there are plenty of options in Hyde Park, that is if you still have some room in your stomach! The two most popular I would say are Sprinkles Cupcakes and The Hyppo Popsicle Shop. Sprinkles Cupcakes is a dessert café that bakes gourmet cupcakes that are perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth. They also have a cupcake dispenser located on the outside of the café, so you don’t even need to go inside. This also makes it a convenient covid-friendly option if you are uncomfortable to order inside. Sprinkles also includes seasonal cupcake flavors that you can order if you want something else than the basic cupcake. For fall, they added a pumpkin cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Pumpkin already sounds good to me, but I am excited about their Christmas flavors to try next! When I went, I ordered the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles as seen in the picture. This sweet treat was only $4.99! If you have a sweet tooth and a budget, you can never have a bad experience at Sprinkle’s Cupcake Café!

In addition to the desserts in Hyde Park, The Hyppo Popsicle Shop sells ice pops made from fresh fruit and other ingredients that give a twist on your average popsicle. The Hyppo Popsicle Shop is a lighter choice for dessert but is just as good, and for a cheap price too. The ingredients used in the popsicles always include some healthy elements like fruits or vegetables. However, it does not take away from the flavor. A good example is Granny’s Apple Pie. It has all the flavor of apple pie but made with fresh apples and does not use a lot of ingredients. I recommend this place if you prefer a healthier option but still want the satisfaction of something sweet. The popsicle shop also includes its own assortment of seasonal flavors to choose from. The Granny’s Apple Pie flavor is one of them, which is fitting for the fall season.

To conclude my blog about how I would “Full Send” in the City of Tampa, my trip to Hyde Park Village is by far one of my favorite places to spend the day for a good time and cheap price. I suggest getting a couple of good friends and use my tips and reviews to enjoy a relaxing day to get out there, obviously in a covid-safe way. There is nowhere else with unique shops and restaurants like Hyde Park Village in the city of Tampa!