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Cena, Tampa, FL
Award-winning

Cena

4.3
4.3
1351 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian
Top Tags:
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.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 11 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

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

Experiences

  • 5-Course Whiskey Tasting Dinner

    $90.00 per person

    Nov 30, 2023 only
    A five-course evening with GlenAllachie, plus Chef Butta's original food pairings, dessert included! Pour Line-up: -GlenAllachie Speyside Single Malt Scotch 2010 -GlenAllachie speyside single malt scotch 21 years -GlenAllachie speyside single malt scotch 18 years -GlenAllachie speyside single malt scotch 13 years -GlenAllachie Wine series limited edition 2012 cuvee cask finish speyside $90/person plus gratuity due at the event! To book larger parties please call the restaurant: (813) 374-8840

  • Holiday Wine Dinner

    $75.00 per person

    Dec 21, 2023 only
    CALL CENA (813) 374-8840 OR MESSAGE US ON SOCIALS TO RSVP Welcome to Cena's monthly Wine Night Tasting - Christmas Edition! Serving 8 Italian wines from different regions of Italy to pair with new creative dishes from our Executive Chef Buttacavoli (who beat Bobby Flay) and Cena team. You may just be testing out a new dish that we are considering for our menu! Every event starts with an Italian charcuterie board and ends with a dessert—with courses in between and delicious wine in hand. These events are great for dates, parties, friends, and wine and food hobbyists! BONUS: Purchase your favorite wine bottles of the night for 50% off the retail price! Duration: 2 hours $75/person plus gratuity to be paid at the event

What 1,351 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 4Value

Noise • Moderate

1,351 Reviews

  1. WilliamP

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    overall3food3service4ambience4
    Food was ok - but very salty. Certainly Not the best meal I have had.

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  2. FEK3

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    Chef Michael and team present an updated Italian cuisine in a comfortable setting, supported by an interesting wine list with fine selections across Italian regions and price ranges, no matter what one picks, it will be good with dinner. Cena never disappoints!

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent food and elegant presentation. Good portion sizes

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  4. Larry

    Atlantic City

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 18, 2023

    overall2food1service3ambience1
    Long but worth the read. My wife and I dined here tonight on a 5pm reservation, it was our first time at the restaurant. Upon arrival we were promptly seated, our meals included the bread service, braised wagyu risotto, rustic bolognese and the braised oxtail. Prepared by Executive Chef Michael Buttacavoli according to the paper menu. The bread was focaccia, ciabatta, whole wheat served with butter and olive oil. This dish was finished, this was 5 stars. The braised wagyu risotto, I asked the server if this was American or Japanese wagyu. Once she returned, she informed me it was Australian wagyu, I opted to try it. The meat was extremely tough as if it was a piece of pot roast that needed a few more hours cooking. Even with two forks it was still a challenge to tear it apart. Now if you have ever had real wagyu it should not be this way even with lower grading beef. Now I did not expect it to be A5 but at $40 I surely wasn’t expecting it to be the quality of a cheap pot roast. This dish wasn’t finished. It gets 1 star. The rustic bolognese was supposed to be with beef short rib as the protein. When prepared properly this is often referred to as the poor man’s wagyu since it can be so tender. In this case it either was not prepared properly or this wasn’t the meat that was served in the dish. The burrata was the star of that entire dish. This dish wasn’t finished. It gets 2 stars. As for the braised oxtail, this dish was to include tomato, braised oxtail with Parmesan gnocchi. The sauce was bitter and highly acidic, the bitterness typically comes from the overcooking of spices or using canned sauces as a base. The acidity was likely due to the immense amount of tomato paste that was in the sauce. The meat in the dish was shredded to the point it had become just another ingredient within the tomato paste mix. The biggest down fall of this dish was the bagged shredded cheese that was covered in cornstarch heavily sprinkled over the top. The dish was not even

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  5. LizL

    Tampa

    26 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on November 18, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience4
    The food was very good, pleasantly surprised. Service was okay, they were busy not a lot of staff but overall not bad. Ambiance was okay.

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  6. TraciB

    Tampa

    26 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on November 18, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience3
    Food was excellent; seemed To be out of a number of Liquors at the bar. Service staff were slow

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  7. Jimmy

    Tampa

    24 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great place for date night and true to its Italian concept. Cena doesn’t fail to please. Keep it up Cena peeps!

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Atlanta Metro

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience3
    Excellent food and service. Reasonably priced. Lovely restaurant.

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  9. JaneH

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    The short rib risotto and Ossobucco gnocchi were outstanding. Great choices on wines by the glass. Bread pudding was delicious. and Jorge was very attentive and lovely. Can't wait to back and try more.

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  10. RichardJ

    Tampa

    6 reviews

    3.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on November 5, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience4
    A bit disappointing since Cena was a high end restaurant with high end food. Now it’s just an expensive restaurant that serves pizza from the bar.

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  11. Sammy

    Tampa

    26 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall3food5service3ambience4
    We usually have a great experience dining at Cena, This time, however, was not so great. While the food was good, the service was less than stellar. There was a large r party in their event space. We had reservations and were seated promptly, and offered water and drinks, which came out quickly. We ordered an appetizer, which was a little slow in coming out, but not too bad. Quite a while after we finished out appetizer, someone came out to clear (not our server). a good bit after that, our server came out to take our order, which took forever to come out. I realize that the kitchen was busy and that the restaurant was busy as well. However, it would have been great if our server had told us that the kitchen was busy and asked for our dinner order when we ordered the appetizer or shortly thereafter.

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  12. JenniferB

    Tampa

    3 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall4food3service4ambience4
    I went to Cena many years ago and loved it so much, have been thinking of that meal ever since. This time is was fine. Nothing spectacular, I’m sad to say. The bolognese tasted like straight tomato sauce without any depth of flavor. The fried artichokes were absolutely amazing though! Would go back just for that and a glass of red.

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  13. LouisR

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 29, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience3
    Not your normal Italian fare. Nothing traditional. We had to Google most ingredients to figure out the various plates. All in all not bad, and quite different. The house salad was amazing, and the crisp eggplant appetizer was both tasty and decadent. The beef type entrees, although described as short rib or braised oxtail were meat that were off the bone in tomato sauce and differing pasta. Flavorful, tasty and filling. The service was great and attentive. Overall a decent experience.

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  14. KarynV

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 28, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Unique offerings served with a delightful creativity! The menu was not overwhelming, very descriptive and varied.

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  15. OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 28, 2023

    overall2food2service2ambience1
    Food was mediocre and expensive Service slow. And when you sit “outside” the noise from the sports bar is deafening. You couldn’t have a conversation. And you do not need to be business casual. Definitely not worth the money. I can’t believe it gets such good ratings.

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  16. JayZ

    Tampa

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on October 27, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    As always, perfectly prepared food, outstanding service and overall great experience!

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  17. Timed

    Tampa

    45 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    45 reviews

    Dined on October 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    So respectful of your private moment. The food was incredible. The service: infallible!.

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  18. Doug

    Cincinnati

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 13, 2023

    overall2food2service1ambience2
    Slow service. Hour and half and it wasn’t busy on a Friday night

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  19. JeffreyG

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent food, terrific service and fabulous location!!

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  20. MartinaD

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 1, 2023

    overall3food3service3ambience4
    Great expecting and great disappointment. Good food but not at the expected level. Too much garlic on fish that cover the fish taste. Light should be enough to be able to see what you are eating and the color of the food. Doesn't worth it. Outside sitting? Come on ... space share with a bar...

    1 person found this helpful

  21. Foodie

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 1, 2023

    overall4food5service4ambience5
    Food took too long to come out even on a quiet night

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  22. JClark

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Very good quality food with not so “break the bank” prices! Very polite staff! Really good Old Fashioned drink by the way. Definitely would recommend to friends.

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  23. RebeccaP

    Tampa

    12 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on September 30, 2023

    overall3food3service3ambience2
    Good food, weird setup with second restaurant within same space. Made for high traffic surrounding you while eating.

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  24. OpenTable Diner

    Phoenix

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 30, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    Incredible food. Was sat outside near a bar so ambiance wasn’t the best. Food and service made up for it.

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  25. MatthewP

    Tampa

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 23, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Everything about this place was amazing! Food, cocktails, service and ambiance all 5 stars.

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  26. OpenTable Diner

    Naples

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Best food best chef great atmosphere.. a great place for weekly wined and to have a business meeting

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  27. MelS

    Atlanta Metro

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Delicious meatballs that beat Bobby Flay amongst other yummy food

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  28. Eddiesalt17

    Little Rock

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on September 17, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We are visiting friends in Tampa and wanted to eat at an upscale restaurant, we were not disappointed! This is a fantastic place to enjoy a fabulous dinner. Our waitress, Sophia, was very professional and knowledgeable. She suggested certain wines and was right on target. We would recommend CENA’s to anyone visiting Tampa. Ed

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  29. Nick

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 17, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food was great and atmosphere was talkative and staff was fast and helpful.

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  30. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    I took myself on my first solo date and since I previously went to Cena, I knew I wanted to come back! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the food! I would absolutely come back again and again.

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  31. Deeds

    Tampa

    4 reviews

    3.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on September 14, 2023

    overall3food3service3ambience3
    Food was surprising average and disappointing. The bread service was stale, but the butter and olive oil dressings were excellent. The salads were good. One main course was very average but the Shrimp and Scallop risotto was excellent. The Olive Oil and Rosemary Cake was very dry. More than anything, temper your expectations. After hearing about their Michelin experience, I thought I was going to have a much better culinary experience.

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  32. Tony

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 8, 2023

    overall2food2service4ambience2
    The food had way too much going on and was overall salty while the meager portion of shrimp and scallops in the squid ink pasta was over cooked. The burrata salad had both balsamic glaze atop pesto and overall not a good combination of flavors. The octopus salad while fried with cauliflower has potential it too was salty, but even stranger was that it was served cold. I am used to cold octopus salad but never fried then chilled. The branzino was another head scratcher as I’ve never had it prepared where the entire purpose of the fish is disregarded. Branzino is supposed to be moist and flaky but when you fillet it and then pan sear it with no skin all you accomplish is a dry fish. The entire meal was below par.

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  33. OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 6, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience4
    Excellent service, good ambiance, food has very good flavor, food was just a little too salty for me, with less sodium would have been perfect. I would go back.

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  34. JFHTPA

    Seattle

    24 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on September 3, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience3
    I've eaten here many times. I have given it 5 stars. This was different, and I hope they straighten things out; and I believe they will. I like our server, but his hands were tied by a short-staffed kitchen which may persist some time since they have increased the number of seats to serve. It took an hour to get our food. Bread was good thank goodness because we had plenty of time to eat it. Once we got the food the Branzino was good (not what I ordered). I ordered the duck, but they were out, so I tried the meatballs and spaghetti. Disappointing. Server was very good and appropriately apologetic. I'll be back, but it will be awhile. Can't recommend it now.

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  35. RobT

    Tampa

    34 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    34 reviews

    Dined on September 2, 2023

    overall4food5service4ambience5
    Great food. Dropped a few items from menu recently I wish they hadn’t. Still and always a great evening.

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  36. MikeW

    Tampa

    9 reviews

    3.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on August 26, 2023

    overall3food4service2ambience3
    Not a fan of the cancellation policy. Is open Table getting a portion of any cancellation collected? Overall, the restaurant was good. It was not that crowded when we arrived, yet it took 35 minutes to get our entrées. The steak was cooked to order but the whole meal could have been warmer. The waitress was new and was not knowledgeable about the wines and how some entrees were prepared. After putting our order, she came back to confirm what we actually ordered, seemed odd.

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  37. Erin

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 26, 2023

    overall4food3service2ambience4
    I used to really like this place. The food has been inconsistent the last couple times. Somethings really excellent, some things just kind of meh. Short rib pasta was delish as well as the crispy eggplant. Service was rushed and none of the staff look happy to be there. It was a later reservation so I’m sure they were tired but still….

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  38. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on August 25, 2023

    overall1food2service1ambience4
    Was disappointed, food and apps came pretty fast but our meals took 45 min for a restaurant that was over staffed and kinda empty

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  39. Jm32

    Tampa

    30 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on August 23, 2023

    overall3food4service3ambience3
    The Crispy Eggplant and the Burrata as appetizers were very good. For main courses, we had the Bronzini, Pasta Carbonara and the Rustic Bolognese. They were also very good.

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  40. Denny

    Tampa

    14 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on August 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food was amazing!! We had a little bit of a wait for our entrees but it was well worth it. We had the fried artichokes, beef carpaccio, waygu short rib risotto and carbonara. Our server was great, very attentive. We will definitely be back!

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Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily

  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners
    • Extra space between tables

  • Protective equipment

    • Waitstaff wear masks

  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

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

Cena is rated 4.3 stars by 1351 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 11 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Cena

1208 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33602

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

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