Fresh Kitchen in South Tampa

I always love trying out new food and exploring new restaurants in the area. A popular restaurant group in the Bay Area, Ciccio Restaurant Group, recently opened another winning restaurant concept just down the street from their other eateries in South Tampa called Fresh Kitchen. This restaurant features healthy and delicious entrees, desserts and cold-press juices. The concept reminds me much of chipotle, where you go down the line choosing your base, meats, veggies and toppings, except everything is healthy. You have your options of bases like quinoa, sweet potato noodles, kale slaw, brown rice and more.

With my friends from Never Have I Ever Tampa, I was able to sample a number of the cold-press juices, gluten-free and paleo friendly desserts and also an entree. It's no secret that I believe the best tasting foods have unspeakable amounts of sugars and fats, so I was a bit hesitant to think that these healthy green juices and paleo-approved snacks could actually taste good. I was wrong. The juices were phenomenal, the brownies, cookies and rice krispy alternatives were great and I cleaned the entire bowl I had of kale slaw, bbq chicken, steak, roasted brussels and green beans.

The location can be a bit tricky to get to since there are limited parking spots, and those spots only have a 7.5 or 16 minute limit. Just enough time to get your order to go, or like many of the patrons, come after your work out. If you are not dressed in workout gear, you are definitely the minority.

Local eateries like this and many others popping up in the area that are focused on healthier options are really transforming the way we view our food. A foodie's dream.