Tampa Restaurants Where You Can Eat Like Tom Brady

It doesn’t matter where your sports allegiances lie. It’s irrelevant whether or not you’ve been personally victimized by his performance. There’s no way around the cold hard reality, as difficult as it is to admit out loud…

Tom Brady is the GOAT.

WIth 7 Super Bowl rings, 3 NFL Most Valuable Player awards, 5 Super Bowl MVPs, and enough NFL records to fill Raymond James Stadium, there’s no athlete who has ever dominated his or her sport at such a consistent level for such a long stretch of time. 

The question so many analysts, pundits, fans, and athletes themselves have wondered is, how? How can a person not only maintain their skills but actually improve and play better in their forties than as a spry twentysomething?

While there’s undoubtedly an element of increased football IQ as well as a massive cache of confidence, it’s a whole other level of talent to physically execute the plays you’re running in your head.

That’s where the TB-12 method comes into play.

Despite being midway to fifty, (at the time of writing; at this rate, he may very well still be slinging the pigskin well into his sixties) Brady has only become stronger and more agile. In addition to his robust training regiment that focuses on strength and flexibility, he has a strict diet called the TB-12 method.

The TB-12 Method entails a strict set of dietary guidelines:

• 80% plant-based foods (mainly vegetables) and 20% animal-based foods (dairy, meats)
• No white sugar or white flour
• No tomatoes, pepper, mushrooms, or eggplants
• No coffee or caffeine after 12:00 PM
• No strawberries (note: this is mainly because he doesn’t like how they smell)

No wonder the guy’s so limber.

We’re not here to tell you that if you start following this diet that you’ll suddenly be a best-in-class athlete with a supermodel wife and countless endorsements and accolades…but we’re not saying that you won’t.

If you’re not trying to spend hours at the farmer’s market several times a week (or can’t hire a personal chef like Tom has), here are some Tampa Bay restaurants where you can take the first step to greatness.

Bamboozle

516 N Tampa St, Tampa, FL 33602

(813) 223-7320

This place is ready to bamboozle you into healthy eating! Bamboozle was named one of Tampa’s best restaurants in 2021, you’ll soon discover why. With their largely gluten-free and vegan menu, a customer with any nutritional goals will have a tough time narrowing down their options! 

Why not start with lemongrass tofu? Or maybe the Vietnamese green papaya salad tossed in a tangy citrus dressing with fresh red bell pepper (strike this for the true TB-12 method), cilantro, roasted shallots, cucumber, and roasted peanuts. If this doesn’t tickle your fancy, choose your own adventure with the BBQ jackfruit boozle bowl, in which you choose your base, five veggies, an herb, and a dressing. For dinner, you can’t go wrong with the Haas avocado roll with cucumber, mango, carrots, cilantro, and citrus vinaigrette, or maybe the vegan pho with tofu.

Fresh Kitchen

1350 S. Howard Ave.

Tampa, FL 33606

(813) 280-0515

The Fresh Kitchen “food ethos” is that they believe in serving fresh, high quality ingredients that nourish and energize your body. Doesn’t this sound like the TB-12 method to a tee? The restaurant is 100% gluten free with plenty of dairy-free and vegan options. 

The name of the game at Fresh Kitchen is to build your own bowls by picking your own bases, veggies, proteins, and sauces. Bases include: brown rice, kale slaw, spinach salad, coconut ginger rice, and cauliflower potato mash. For veggies, opt for sesame green beans, maple sweet potatoes, and golden spice chickpeas. As far as proteins, chilled caprese tofu is the only vegan option, but Brady still eats lean meats every now and then like roasted salmon and grilled citrus chicken, so feel free to do the same. For sauces, go for coconut sriracha or herb balsamic vinaigrette. 

Queen of Sheba

11001 N 56th St, Temple Terrace, FL 33617

(813) 872-6000

Come to Queen of Sheba to experience the unique and enticing flavors of Ethiopia. Named after Makeba, the Queen of Sheba, who was known for her beauty, intelligence, resourcefulness, and understanding. I’m sure there’s a Brady connection to be made, but I’ll pass on the low hanging fruit. 

To start your meal, order the azifah, or crushed whole lentils seasoned with mustard seed and olive oil. Another great option is the buticha: crushed chickpeas seasoned with garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. For your main course, there’s countless ways you can deck out your combo platter, in which you can assemble four, six, or eight different dishes. Some highlights include gomen (steamed collard greens simmered with minced onions and garlic), tikil gomen (chopped cabbage and carrots in a mild sauce), or ye misr wot (spicy, red split lentils simmered in finely chopped onion, garlic, and ginger and seasoned with berbere).

The Mediterranean Chickpea

3217 S MacDill Ave Suite C, Tampa, FL 33629

(813) 515-7981

There’s a reason why people who live near the Mediterranean are so fit! The Mediterranean Chickpea features all of your favorites, striking that rare balance between healthy and devastatingly delicious, thanks to the fresh and whole ingredients and plenty of olive oil. Your best TB-12 orders are cilantro jalapeno hummus as well as the quinoa salad with lentils, celery, dried cranberries, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, and black pepper.

Water and Flour

1015 South Howard Ave, Tampa, FL 33606

(813) 251-8406

Water and Flour is a restaurant and food test lab that combines sushi, bowls, pasta, pizza, and so much more. You never know what you may find on your plate. Maybe it’s the chicken and broccolini bowl with plenty of great base options like lemon turmeric rice, citrus shredded kale, and spaghetti squash. Or perhaps it’s the small plate of Asian Water Guacamole with sesame, togarashi, fresh tortilla chips, carrots, cucumbers, and jicama. If it’s brunch you might just get the three egg omelet with pistachio pesto and feel like the MVP of your meal.