Calling all carboholics: The complimentary bread basket is endangered. It has been for some time now. Many restaurants find it more financially and environmentally sustainable to charge for higher quality bread. Offering cost-free carbs that might not get eaten, and therefore end up in the trash, is wasteful. Some have ditched the predinner tradition altogether, making the moment a fresh-baked bounty hits the table that much more special.
Here’s a list of nonchain restaurants in Tampa Bay offering up a labor of “loaves.” And if all else fails, there’s always Olive Garden’s bottomless breadsticks.
Athenian Garden: This Greek spot offers a sturdy white loaf served with butter. 2220 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg.
Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria: The family-run restaurant makes all of their Italian loaves in-house, using 100-year-old yeast. 945 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; 514 N. Franklin St. Suite 101, Tampa; 468 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater.
BellaBrava: Another Italian joint serving up a doughy predinner loaf with garlic butter and olive oil for dipping. 204 Beach Drive N.E., St. Petersburg; 1015 Gramercy Lane, Tampa.
CD Roma Restaurant: All entrees come with warm breadsticks lathered in garlic butter, perfect for mopping up extra sauce. 1462 66th St. N., St. Petersburg.
Cafe Cibo: Guests are greeted with an overflowing basket of brick oven long rolls from Clemente Bakery and hunks of house-made focaccia, served with a secret sauce for dunking. The first round is free, and additional bread can be bought for $2 per person. 8697 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg
Café Largo: It’s only right that a traditional French bistro welcomes guests with warm, crusty French bread. Café Largo serves theirs with butter and house-made olive oil and garlic. 12551 Indian Rocks Road, Largo
Columbia Restaurant: Serving up Spanish-Cuban cuisine, the Columbia Restaurant gets airy and thin-crusted Cuban bread from Ybor City’s La Segunda Central Bakery daily. 2117 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa; 801 Water St. (in the Tampa Bay History Center), Tampa; 1241 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater.
Gino’s Restaurant & Bar: This “neighborhood Italian restaurant” offers garlic bread with all entrees; extra loaves cost $1. 10006 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa.
Gratzzi Italian Grille: Traditional Italian loaves from La Casa Del Pane are served with Gratzzi’s house-made olive oil and Parmesan. 211 Second St. S., St. Petersburg.
Guppy’s On the Beach: A basket of warm ciabatta rolls comes with olive oil and a house-made herb blend for dipping. Served with dinner; available upon request for lunch. 1701 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach.
Iavarone’s Steakhouse & Italian Grill: A fresh-baked French baguette comes with butter and oil. 3617 W. Humphrey St., Tampa.
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Italian Touch: Entrees come with fluffy yeast rolls made in-house. 8211 46th Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
Lenny’s: A complimentary basket of assorted Danishes, coffee cake and other sweet pastries preludes what their menu claims is the “best breakfast in Clearwater.” Applies for most breakfast orders, excluding a la carte menu items. 21220 US Highway 19 N., Clearwater.
Leverock’s Great Seafood: Soft white bread paired with dipping oil and herbs is served at dinner, and all day on Sundays. 840 Pasadena Ave. S., St. Petersburg.
Pipo’s Cuban Cafe: La Segunda’s Cuban bread, with a crisp exterior and pillowy inside, accompanies all entrees. It’s served with butter and delivered to Pipo’s daily. 9531 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg.
The Sacred Pepper: Warm artisanal ciabatta comes with butter and sun-dried tomato pesto oil. 15405 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa.