Fly Bar & Restaurant located on Kennedy Boulevard across from The University of Tampa is not to be missed, but don't be fooled by the location. You will not see loads of college students hanging out here. These craft cocktails and Fly's elevated food menu are too sophisticated for these UT kids, so it's the perfect place for you to go for your next night out!The first thing to point out is their incredible happy hour; from Tuesday to Saturday from 4-6pm enjoy their drink specials but the best part is that their food menu is half off!! Now this is a deal that cannot be beat, especially when you have Chef Mahlon Randolph's incredible dishes to savor.
Here is what I had, when I went for happy hour & what I would highly recommend you having:
If refreshing cocktails are your thing, have the Pimm's Cup! It's made with Pimm's No.1, lemon juice & Mr. Q Cucumber soda. Very light & easy to drink. One of their most popular cocktails is Honey, I'm Home, which is basically an orange creamsicle in a glass, but unfortunately not on the happy hour menu.
Now let's get to the food! I was really so impressed by all of the dishes and I didn't expect Fly to have such high end options to choose from, nor did I expect to find out that a lot of the ingredients they use are made, in-house and from scratch. Each dish was so flavorful and unique, but here were some of my favorites:
If you're looking to keep it more on the simple side, the Wagyu Patty Melt, was out of this world! It literally melted in your mouth with each bite and I would pair that with their Mac & Cheese which is a fan favorite.
Next, I'd go for the Tacos al Pastor, full of flavor and color! The perfect combo of sweet and meaty.
On the Asian flavor front, get the Shrimp Dumplings and then the Smoked Duck Udon, where again, they make the noodles in house from scratch. Fly also makes a conscious effort to be sustainable so when they are receiving the duck to make these dishes, they use it in as many ways as possible to make sure they are not being wasteful, which we love to hear!
Two other great dishes I tried, was the Chips & Roe as a starter and I absolutely loved the flavor of the Lapsang-cured Duck Leg, I could have probably eaten 2 of them!
Lastly,
make sure you save room for dessert. The Tiramisu is mind-blowingly good and probably the best one I've had in Tampa since I've moved here. Chef Mahlon uses the espresso from their neighbor next door, Craft Kafe, to make this the most decadent tiramisu, you'll ever have! And you'll have to stay tuned because there's more desserts soon to come to Fly.
I cannot stress enough how taken back I was with the food menu here. I always heard people talking about the cocktails at Fly, but I really think the food is where the credit is deserved. It is very obvious that Chef Mahlon puts his time, heart, soul and creativity into each and every dish so that you leave fully satisfied yet wanting more.
Besides their happy hour, they are open Tuesday through Saturday with live music on Thursday's, which is also when they have their late night happy hour from 8pm to 2am! So whether it's date night, catching up with friends or watching a sporting event (they have a projector that comes down to watch tv from), Fly Bar & Restaurant should be at the top of your list of where you should go for any occasion!
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