We used to have Whataburger here in Tampa Bay. But it disappeared and until now, all of the Florida locations are way up north in the state. In Pensacola, you'll find 8 Whataburger restaurants. There are 7 locations in Jacksonville. Tallahassee has 5. Fort Walton Beach has 3 Whataburger stores. But there is not a Whataburger in Tampa ... yet.
Other Florida cities with at least one Whataburger include Callaway, Cantonment, Century, Crestview, Defuniak Springs, Destin, Gulf Breeze, Lynn Haven, Milton, Navarre, Neptune Beach, Niceville, Orange Park, Pace, Panama City Beach, St. Johns, St. Augustine, and Yulee. But all of those are a long drive from Tampa. But let's talk about lunch today.
Photo courtesy of Whataburger<em>The Whataburger Food Truck will be in Tampa for lunch today at 11am.</em>
But what about this return for Whataburger in Tampa?
Well at least for today, there will be one location. We got the word this morning that a Whaburger Food Truck will be making a stop at southwest corner of Lykes Gaslight Square Park in downtown Tampa at 11am.
What about a permanent Whataburger in Tampa?
Speculation is they're announcing a return to Tampa. How soon? The word is 2026. But where? That's not known yet. But we expect to find out more at the food truck stop today. Lykes Gaslight Square Park is at North Franklin Street at the corner of Franklin and Kennedy. The first 150 hungry guests to show up will get free burgers and fries according to the press release.
Not familiar with Whataburger?
According to their notes to me, "Whataburger serves up Goodness 24/7. Our original recipes are made to order, just like you like it." Their headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas. They're in 16 states right now with over 1000 restaurants around the country.
Happy National Cheeseburger Day. There are lots of burger bargains out there to celebrate this important holiday. In the fast food drive thru world, you can get a double cheeseburger at McDonald's for 50 cents. Burger King will give you a free cheeseburger with a $1 purchase. Wendy's is doing a buy one, get one free Big Bacon Cheddar cheeseburger deal. All of those require you to put their mobile app on your phone though.
If you want to step up your burger game (plus support local businesses), here are my 10 best picks for juicy, flavorful burgers here in the Tampa area.
#5: The Stein & Vine in Brandon
This is one of the things I miss about living over on the Hillsborough side. I only got to visit once or twice, but their take on the Juicy Lucy with the cheese in the middle was fantastic. (This burger in the photo is a different one, but it looks solid.)
#4: Shake Shack in Tampa
We FINALLY have our own Shake Shack in Tampa. Hopefully there are more to come. As great as the burgers are, the real star of the show is their Christmas Cookie milkshake... offered only seasonally unfortunately.
#3: Five Guys in Pinellas Park
Sure sure it's a chain. But those burgers are always done right. Whenever anyone complains that Florida doesn't have In-N-Out, I say you have Five Guys - which is way better. I lived in California for 5 or 6 years and had plenty of In-N-Out. And I'll still drop in whenever I visit the west coast, but Five Guys burgers are far better. But you could argue it's comparing apples to oranges because In-N-Out is far cheaper.
#2: Engine No 9 in St. Pete
My only complaint is it's a pretty pricy burger. Once you add tots, drink and a tip, you're spending around $20-$30. That said, that burger in the pic... I snapped that shot. It's my go to every time. So good.
#1: Portillo's in Brandon
I'm going to get a lot of grief about this pick and I get it. It's a chain. And Portillo's is known for their Italian Beef and Chicago style hot dogs. I've had both. But the winner for me on the menu is their burger. (Although the cheese fries and chocolate cake shake are close behind.)
