Modern Mexican Cuisine with Fiesta Bowls and Margaritas
Tampa, Florida, USA
Cuisine Style: Mexican
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined in: December 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Green Lemon Zomato rating:
Are you looking for a new and more upbeat style Mexican restaurant serving Latin-influenced Tapas and Fiesta bowls in Tampa? TripAdvisor lists 91 sit-down Mexican restaurants in the city as of 2019, and Green Lemon is rated near the top of those places to go. This listing shows that there are many Mexican Restaurants to choose from, so is the Green Lemon truly different and worth going to as the social media sites say?
Green Lemon is part of the Ciccio Restaurant Group which began in New York City over 25 years ago and is named after owner James Lanza’s father, Frank (Ciccio) Lanza, who was a successful Fortune 100 CEO and founder of L3 Communications. Jeff Gigante joined the team and proceeded to open a branch of the restaurant Ciccio and Tony's in Tampa. There are now ten restaurant brands in the group including Green Lemon.
Green Lemon restaurant is located in the SoHo District of southern Tampa and is short for "South Howard Avenue.” SoHo is a residential district within the Hyde Park neighborhood which connects to Bayshore Boulevard and views of the Hillsborough Bay. Also in this district was restaurant icons like Bern’s Steakhouse and a large entertainment and bar district. My wife and I live in St. Petersburg, and she stumbled upon Green Lemon through a restaurant advertisement site, and after picking me up from the airport, we had an early dinner to pass the time until the rush hour traffic going across the bay was over.
Menu:
- Tapas
- Dips
- Salads
- Old School
- Fiesta Bowls
- Street Tacos
- Extras
- Desserts
Green Lemon is from local write-ups and magazine articles is known for their margaritas to which they have nearly ten on the menu with infusions of jalapeño, Orange Liqueur, or assorted fresh fruits like mango or raspberry. My wife had the Skinny Margarita with Patron Silver Tequila, agave nectar, and freshly squeezed lime, to which my wife enjoyed, and was surprised to the heavier pour of tequila at a regular rocks price, which most restaurants will charge extra for with a smaller pour.
From my observation, I saw that Green Lemon combined the best of traditional Mexican cuisine with modern healthy options in their fiesta bowls and salads which were more of the menu concentration instead of enchiladas and other typical Mexican restaurant fairs. Most the menu is also gluten-free and also caters to most other people that have food allergens. We started with the Dip Trio made with fresh and organic avocado guacamole, a queso blanco, and lime salsa.
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| Green Lemon / Trio Dip |
Skipping past the “old school” and street taco sections we both had the fiesta rice bowls starting with the Pollo Gigante with avocado glazed buffalo fried chicken, Napa cabbage, crispy onions, pickled jalapeños, diced celery and crumbled blue cheese with a house-made lime Caesar dressing. The dish though called a bowl was served on plates. The second selection fiesta bowl was the Chicken De Janeiro with grilled chicken, Napa cabbage, diced red onions, diced tomatoes and pureed avocado with a lime vinaigrette.
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| Green Lemon / Pollo Gigante |
I would say yes, Green Lemon in SoHo, Tampa is different from most other Mexican restaurants and they do have a modern and upbeat style menu with atmosphere with murals of Mexicans love wrestlers that are referred to limes or lemons, and they are worth a stop to check out. The service level I believe needs improvement as our server could have paid more attention to detail, and that I would say was the only downside to the dining experience.
Dessert:
We did not have dessert during this visit.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Mexican articles and restaurants similar to Green Lemon:
Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with European, especially Spanish, with elements added after their conquest of the Aztec Empire in the sixteenth century. The staples are native foods, such as corn, beans, avocados, tomatoes, and chili peppers, expanded greatly after the European occupation which introduced rice, cheese, and domesticated animals. African and Asian influences were also introduced into the mixture during this era as a result of African slavery in New Spain and the Manila-Acapulco Galleons. Over the centuries, regional cuisines based on local customs reverted back to ancient ways while incorporating the new European foods, and areas such as those in Oaxaca, Veracruz, and the Yucatán Peninsula took on a new identity which resulted in traditional Mexican cuisine being inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. Not all Mexican is created equal, as a good portion of American Mexican restaurants is a blend of Tex-Mex or “Gringo” Mexican with less flavor and spice.
Benji’s Cantina An innovative approach to Tex-Mex cuisine in Austin, Texas
Besito Mexican Restaurant Creative Mexican-blend eats chain; reviewed in Tampa, Florida
Carmelita’s Mexican Restaurant A casual local chain for traditional meals in Pinellas Park, Florida
Grand Hacienda Mexican Cuisine A recreation of Mexican comfort foods in St. Petersburg, Florida
Güero's Taco Bar Landmark Mexican restaurant on Congress Ave. in Austin, Texas
Hablo Taco Mexican-blend joint known for tacos and margaritas in Tampa, Florida
Nitally’s A Fusion of Thai and Mexican Cuisine from a husband and wife team in St. Petersburg, Florida
Nueva Cantina Vibrant, authentic, and contemporary Mexican cuisine in St Petersburg, Florida
Poppo's Taqueria Gourmet organic Taqueria Street Food, City of Anna Maria Island, Florida
Wipeout Bar and Grill Surf shack theme with California and Mexican cuisine in San Francisco, California
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Tampa restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
|
A Jazzy Upscale Seafood Eatery chain in 9 States
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Vibrant spot for classic Spanish dishes & tapas
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Sports bar, eatery, and driving range
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
A few Florida restaurant favorites:
|
Modern café for southern Grub
St Augustine, Florida USA
|
Upscale locally sourced seafood eatery with ocean views
Vero Beach
|
American Grill with an Asian twist
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
|
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Green Lemon a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they not only exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants, but they exceeded my expectations in a dining experience.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Green Lemon
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Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
|
Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
|
11
|
11
|
0
|
Food quality
|
11
|
8
|
3
|
Plate presentation
|
10
|
8
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2
|
Customer service
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11
|
6
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5
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Alcohol and other beverages
|
7
|
6
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1
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Total regular points awarded
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50
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39
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11
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.78
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“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
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1
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0
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Total bonus percentage
|
0.02
| ||
Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
|
0.8
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
|
3
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
|
3 of 5 Stars:
80% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus
Exceeded My Expectations Dining Experience
|
Corkage fees:
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Green Lemon does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style at Green Lemon:
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Mexican
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Farm to Fork, Gluten-free choices,, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required, but Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s flip-flops!
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Green Lemon Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Contemporary, Modern, Trendy, Lounge, Hotspot, Rustic, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Green Lemon has a private lot or street meter parking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium to Loud
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Smoking:
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Green Lemon is a non-smoking restaurant with a non-smoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
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Alcohol prices:
$10.00 USD
Green Lemon:
915 S Howard Ave
Tampa, Florida 33606
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 (813) 868-5463
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Online reservations
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Sun - Thur
11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Fri - Sat
11:00 am - 1:00 am
Happy Hour: Mon - Fri
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for Green Lemon:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
Esteemed old-school steakhouse with gospel brunch
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Modern British cuisine in Art Deco Space
London, England, UK
|
Traditional and classic Italian plates
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Other Green Lemon Pictures:
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| Green Lemon / Chicken De Janeiro |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
