I walked up to Ulele Tampa expecting a pretty riverside dinner spot and not much more. I also said the name wrong the whole way there. It's pronounced You-lay-lee, and the restaurant set me straight. 😄
Ulele is a native-inspired lunch and dinner restaurant on Tampa's Riverwalk, inside a reimagined 1903 water works building in Tampa Heights. The food comes off a huge barbacoa grill, and the beer is brewed on site. The challenges are small but real: getting a table, getting the dress code right and not mixing it up with another Ulele.
Here is everything I'd want a friend to tell me before going, from reservations and parking to what to drink and what to skip.
Short on Time? Here Are My Quick Travel Tips ⚡
This is a detailed guide, so if you just want the essentials, start here.
My top recommendations:
- Call ahead for a table. The patio and waterfront seats are the ones everyone wants at sunset.
- Try the house-brewed beer. It's made on site, and you can only get it at Ulele.
- Walk Water Works Park next door. It's the easiest way to burn off a heavy plate or kill time before your table is ready.
Where to start: The Riverwalk. Plenty of downtown hotel guests walk to Ulele along the river. On Water Street, Yard House and The Pearl are the other downtown rooms.
Where to park: Plan on valet at the front drive when it's running. Street parking fills up fast on busy nights.
One thing I'd double-check before leaving the hotel: Men need sleeves for the main dining rooms. Otherwise you may get steered to the patio.
What It's Like
Ulele sits at 1810 North Highland Avenue in Tampa Heights, right on the Hillsborough River. It's about 400 yards from the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. It opened in August 2014 and is part of the Columbia Restaurant Group. It shares a family tree with other Columbia restaurants, including the one in Ybor City, but it's a completely different concept.
The restaurant calls its food native-inspired. The story it tells is about Florida's waters and land, with ingredients that would have been familiar to the Native peoples of the area, including the princess the restaurant is named for. There are multicultural and European-explorer threads too. The sourcing philosophy is simple: Florida produce and seafood when available, U.S. family farms otherwise, and organic where they can. In that organic line, there are no hormones or antibiotics.
The star of the kitchen is a 10-foot-diameter barbacoa grill. Dishes come off it, and it's the heart of the place.
The building itself is the reason I'd come even if the food were average. It's the old Tampa Heights Water Works building, sitting beside Ulele Spring and next to Water Works Park. You feel the history as you walk in.
It's a big restaurant, too. There's nearly 7,000 square feet, with about 240 seats inside, about 95 in the beer garden and about 50 on the rooftop terrace with river views. The lawn can handle private events of about 400 people.
The riverside seats are the draw, and they're also the ones that bake in the afternoon sun before the river breeze kicks in. In summer, I'd save those tables for later in the day.
What to Order
I'm not going to invent an entree list for you, because the menu changes. Ask for the current one when you sit down. What I can tell you is what I'd build the meal around.
Anything off the barbacoa grill. The 10-foot grill is the whole point of the kitchen, so I'd choose from the dishes that come off it. After a heavy plate, I was very glad Water Works Park was next door for a walk.
The house-brewed beer. The on-site brewery is Ulele Spring Brewery, and the regular tank-to-tap lineup includes:
- Rusty Red
- Water Works Pale
- Hydration Station Lager
- Ulele Light
- Magbee's Honey Lager
- Wedding Beer
There are seasonal beers too. You won't find these anywhere else, since the craft beer is only available at Ulele and made right there.
Wine, if you prefer it. The list leans on domestic family-winery wines, plus some Spanish private-label bottles as a nod to the early Spanish explorers.
A to-go drink for the Riverwalk. Beer and cocktails can be ordered to go in a special cup that lets you drink legally along the 2.4-mile Tampa Riverwalk. That's a very Tampa quirk. Stay within the Riverwalk rules, and don't wander into traffic with a drink.
Hours and Reservations
Ulele serves lunch and dinner daily:
| Days | Hours | | --- | --- | | Sunday–Thursday | 11 a.m.–10 p.m. | | Friday and Saturday | 11 a.m.–11 p.m. |
The restaurant is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours can change, so check them the morning you go.
The kitchen opens at 11 a.m. and the restaurant serves lunch and dinner, so don't show up at 9:30 a.m. hoping for eggs.
Reservations are the first struggle. Call 813-999-4952 to book. If you hit a recording, leave the details you want. You can also book through OpenTable, but online booking didn't go through for me, and the phone was what worked. Parties of 7 or more should call instead of relying on a quick online booking. Groups of 20 or more should contact 813-310-3701 or groups@Ulele.com. For general questions, the email is info@ulele.com.
Don't treat reservations as optional on a nice evening. On a clear Saturday, I watched walk-ups lingering by the host stand while reserved parties flowed past them to the river side. If you have tickets at the Straz, build in walking time. A 5:30 curtain doesn't mean you can count on a same-day riverside table for four without calling first.
Parking and Getting There
Address: 1810 North Highland Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: 813-999-4952
Parking is where people get tense before they ever taste the food. Here's how I'd plan it.
Driving and Valet
The restaurant fronts Highland Avenue. When Ulele opened, complimentary valet at the front drive was part of the plan for Columbia Restaurant Group properties. Ask at the entrance whether it's running when you arrive, and check for any current charge.
Street parking near the building fills around curtain times at the Straz and during weekend brunch hours. I wouldn't bet a reservation on finding a free curb spot at 6:45 p.m. on a Saturday.
Walking the Riverwalk
The Riverwalk is the approach a lot of downtown hotel guests take, and it's a pretty one. You can also walk in from the Water Works Park or Doyle Carlton side. Leave extra time in summer heat. It's a lovely walk, but you'll arrive warm.
Bike, Boat, Canoe or Kayak
You can also arrive by bike or on foot. If you're on the water, you can come by boat, canoe or kayak and dock next door at Water Works Park. I didn't arrive this way, but it's the most memorable way to get there.
Tips Before You Go
Say the name with confidence. It's You-lay-lee. Softening the vowels at the host stand is a common mistake, and nobody minds, but it's nice to get it right.
Wear sleeves if you want the indoor rooms. The atmosphere is casual elegance. Formal is fine and up to you, but men must wear sleeves. If you're dressed more relaxed than they want for the main dining rooms, you may be seated outdoors instead. I watched a host redirect a sleeveless guest toward the patio. That surprises beach-vacation visitors who walked the Riverwalk in tank tops.
Know which Ulele you mean. There's a second Ulele at Tampa International Airport in Airside C, near Southwest. If your layover is the only meal you have, that's the one for you. If you want the brewery, the barbacoa grill, the rooftop and Water Works Park next door, you want the Tampa Heights restaurant on Highland Avenue.
Don't mix it up with Columbia. Whether you search Tampa Ulele, ulele restaurant tampa or ulele restaurant tampa florida, you're looking for one riverside dining room on Highland Avenue. It isn't the Columbia Cafe at the History Center or the Columbia in Ybor City. They're the same company, but separate restaurants in different places.
Ask for the current menu. The offerings change, so I'm not quoting prices. Ask what's on offer when you sit down, and check the seasonal beers.
Make a plan for the walk. Water Works Park is great for families and for anyone who needs to move after dinner. I'd arrive early enough to stroll before or after the meal.
Ulele Tampa FAQ
How do you pronounce Ulele?
It's pronounced You-lay-lee. The spelling doesn't give it away, so don't feel bad if you get it wrong at first.
Where is Ulele in Tampa?
Ulele is at 1810 North Highland Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602, in Tampa Heights on the Riverwalk. It sits next to Water Works Park, about 400 yards from the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.
Is Ulele Restaurant Tampa Florida the Same as the Airport Location?
No, the airport Ulele is a second location in Airside C at Tampa International Airport. Searching ulele restaurant tampa most likely means the river restaurant at 1810 North Highland Avenue. The Columbia Restaurant Group runs other restaurants in Florida cities, but those aren't Ulele.
Do I Need a Reservation at Ulele?
I'd say yes, especially for patio and waterfront tables at sunset. Call 813-999-4952 or book through OpenTable. Parties of 7 or more should call, and groups of 20 or more should use 813-310-3701 or groups@Ulele.com.
What Are Ulele's Hours?
Ulele is open for lunch and dinner daily. Hours are Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. It's closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas, so check before you go.
What Is the Dress Code at Ulele?
The atmosphere is casual elegance, and formal is fine. Men must wear sleeves. If you're dressed more relaxed than they want for the main dining rooms, you may be seated outdoors instead.
Final Thoughts
What won me over at Ulele Tampa was the whole setting: a 1903 water works building, a huge barbacoa grill and beer you can't get anywhere else, all with the Hillsborough River right there. Water Works Park next door makes it feel like an outing, not just a meal.
My big planning tip is simple: call ahead, wear sleeves and plan your parking before you leave. Do those three things and the evening runs smoothly. Then walk the river and enjoy it. 🌅
