Award-winning

Cena

Name: Cena
Address: 1208 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL, United States, 33602
Telephone: (813) 374-8840
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.4

4.4

1481 Reviews

$31 to $50

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Oct 12, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

Charming
Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions

Cena is a modern, fresh and simple Italian food served in a contemporary and stylish setting. Located in the Grand Central building at the heart of the vibrant Channel District of Tampa, Florida – Cena is dining from the roots – great ingredients, traditional dishes, and attentive service. Join us.

Cena – “dinner” or “supper” in Italian.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian
Hours of operation
Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(813) 374-8840
Website
https://cenatampa.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Michael Buttacavoli
Catering
For catering inquiries please contact Michael Buttacavoli, at 813-374-8840 or michael@cenatampa.com

Location
1208 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33602
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
Neighborhood
Tampa
Cross street
E.Kennedy Blvd and N.Meridian Ave in Grand Central building
Parking details
Park in the Grand Central WEST Garage off E. Kennedy Blvd (entrance corner of Crunch Fitness). Go up ramp, take ticket and circle up and park in any spot near the “A/ Stageworks” marked elevator core. Parking on floors 3, 4 and 5 is free for the first 2 hours then $3/hour. Take elevator to 1st floor, go to courtyard and Cena is on the left.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

The Best Restaurants in Tampa

What 1,481 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.4

4.4 based on recent ratings

4.4Food
4.3Service
4.1Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

1,481 Reviews

p
paul
Tampa
9 reviews
2.0
9 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 1
Made reservations to sit in Cena but was sent to their pizza bar and upstairs next to the AC vent. It’s disappointing to get ready for a date night but end up in a casual pizza bar. The service was great but everything else about Cena has fallen. Food was average drinks were not good. We were looking forward to getting out of there the whole time.
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S
Samuel
Tampa
30 reviews
vip
4.0
30 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We go to Cena fairly often. The service is good and the pasta dishes are excellent, as is the bronzino. However, on this occasion, the veal was poorly cooked.
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T
Terry
Greater Boston
28 reviews
vip
5.0
28 reviews
Dined on September 28, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Cena is one of our Tampa Bay favorite restaurants.
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b
becky
Tampa
53 reviews
vip
5.0
53 reviews
Dined on September 27, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
Even though they were short staffed because of the hurricane, the food was just great and everyone was very welcoming.
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s
stephen
Baltimore
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 21, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Nice little restaurant. First visit Good service and good vibe Service was good. Not too noisy unlike many nearby restaurants The artichoke appetizer was very good and a hi with all at our table Salads very good For entrees we all had pasta. The pasta itself was spot on but the sauces fell short in flavor Will probably try again
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G
Glenn
Tampa
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 21, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Overall, the food was great, along with the cocktails and dessert! Service was fantastic (thanks Jorge!). Overall costs were very reasonable. We had a great experience.
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J
Jeannie
Tampa
6 reviews
2.0
6 reviews
Dined on September 20, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
This restaurant has sadly declined in quality and on my last visit the chef was drinking in the dining room with patrons, which was not a good look in my opinion. The meatballs were gristly, and the risotto was watery. Now that the neighboring restaurant has an opening that connects the two, the ambience has also declined because that creates an echoing clattery noise that is unwelcome.
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T
Terry
Greater Boston
28 reviews
vip
5.0
28 reviews
Dined on September 15, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Love Cena! One of our favorite restaurants in Tampa.
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B
Bobby
Greater Boston
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on September 14, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Very disappointing meal. Went for a date night. Service and ambience were fine, but our drinks were poorly prepared, even after returning my wife’s first round, the second option she ordered was basically all basil, which she had a hard time drinking. My martini was woefully watered down. We ordered three courses. Other than the appetizer - fried eggplant - everything else we ordered was off point, all lacked salt, all seemed prepared from pre-prepared elements that weren’t tailored to the specific expectation of the dish itself. For example, both mine and mine wife’s pasta dishes came with what seemed to be the same stock poorly flavored sauce. We had high hopes based on the descriptions, and were very disappointed. We were too deflated to even get dessert.
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E
Evan
New York City
11 reviews
5.0
11 reviews
Dined on September 14, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always an exceptional experience and meal at Cena. Staff is wonderful and food is outstanding.
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FAQs

Cena offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (813) 374-8840.

Cena is rated 4.4 stars by 1481 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Oct 12, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

Order delivery or takeout

1208 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33602

Dining areas

Additional information

Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
Cross street
E.Kennedy Blvd and N.Meridian Ave in Grand Central building
Neighborhood
Tampa
Hours of operation
Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Italian
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Park in the Grand Central WEST Garage off E. Kennedy Blvd (entrance corner of Crunch Fitness). Go up ramp, take ticket and circle up and park in any spot near the “A/ Stageworks” marked elevator core. Parking on floors 3, 4 and 5 is free for the first 2 hours then $3/hour. Take elevator to 1st floor, go to courtyard and Cena is on the left.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Michael Buttacavoli
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
https://cenatampa.com/
Phone number
(813) 374-8840
Catering
For catering inquiries please contact Michael Buttacavoli, at 813-374-8840 or michael@cenatampa.com

Featured in

The Best Restaurants in Tampa

Cena

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

The Best Restaurants in Tampa

Menu

What 1,481 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

Does Cena offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Cena restaurant rated?

Is Cena currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

The Best Restaurants in Tampa