La Septima Cafe

This was my first visit in 2+ years, since I don't go to Brandon very often. Oh my! I'd forgotten what wonderful food and service. What was the bar area is now where orders for eating at the facility or take out. We sampled a variety of items: the deviled crab are better than any I've had in Ybor. (They taste like what I used to get on my way home from school many years ago.) The spanish bean and caldo gallego soups were flavorful and again reminded me of the soups of my youth in Tampa. The jaibo enchilado ( mom called her entree crab schilow) La Septima serves the tomato sauce & crab over spaghetti; mom served over rice. The crab and tomato sauce taste like mom's. The sangrias were delightful. Service was very customer oriented. We ate in the restaurant and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. My resolution for 2025 is to return here again more often.

What a difference six years makes. The last time we visited La Septima, six years ago today, we had a good meal. And the salad dressing was so good we took some home. Last night, it was a completely different experience. No more waiters, you have to order at the register just like you would at McDonald's, then sit down and wait at a table for them to bring you your food. While that is a big change from how they used to be, it's not completely unheard of. Okay, it's pretty common, to be fair. But the food was priced as much, or more than, other competing Latin restaurants in the area, and was served on disposable dinnerware. True, the knives and forks were metal, but the plates and bowls are plastic and styrofoam. The spoons were weird. They're very deep and almost impossible to get all the food out of. So eating the cheesecake for dessert was far more challenging than it should've been. I mean, did you have to go to a funhouse supply store to find those? The food was okay, but not worth the price. Not nearly. A couple of days ago, we went to the famous Spanish restaurant in Ybor City, and the prices were relatively similar (yeah, maybe a little higher at the fancy place), but what does that extra get you? Real plates, real table cloths, great food, waiters in tuxedos providing real table service. My wife said this was the new Latin Panera, but even Panera has real plates. The service was mixed. The cashier was really accommodating and has a great personality, and the staff, once you got their attention, went out of their way to take care of you, but there is no dedicated waiter to check on you, or top off your drink, or bring you to go boxes. For these prices, you'd really expect that. The food was pretty forgettable. My wife's steak was cold, and she only ate about half of it and that was because she was starving. My picadillo was really sweet. It almost tasted like Cuban manwiches. I took a couple of bites and really couldn't go on with it. The bread and butter was, well, it had a bit of a rancid taste to it, so I didn't ear more than a couple of bites. This place is a sad shell of itself and a shame. We won't be back, not with so many other amazing options in the area.

Had my eye on this for a while and was worth it. Felt very authentic, good prices, this mojo sauce is everything, food was fresh and cooked well. Bing plantains critic and they were brought to us hot and fried right. Well be back!!Drunkin Noodle: Red Sangria was average but my partner in crime loved the rim covered in cinnamon, nice touch because she licked the glass..ha!

Good service. Good food. Plenty of parking. Vibe seemed fun enough. Looking forward to trying their lunch specials.

Delicious food & friendly service. Absolutely love the Fried Whitefish, Yellow Rice, Black Beans with the marinated onions and the olive butter...yum I have had their Cubans which are good and bean soup which is delish!! Can't wait to go back, next time I would like to try the Cuban Fusion Wrap!! Just wish they had table service and better ambiance but will definitely be back for the delicious grub!

I haven't ever tried this quaint lil restaurant before although I'm a huge Cuban food lover. I had time today and stopped in for lunch. The ambience was quiet with nice Latino music, not too loud and a nice touch. A popular lunch spot, plenty of customers dining in and carrying out. I enjoyed the picadilla and yellow rice and the only thing I can say is they use tomato sauce instead of traditional Cuban seasonings. It was different but tasty. The Cuban bread is a yummy side treat! Enjoyed my visit n it's nice to have them in Brandon.

The Taste of Ybor is now in South Hillsborough!To my surprise I was patronizing another shop in the Va Viva plaza and walked over to La Séptima Café!It was a nice refreshing surprise actually because there aren't a lot of cultural cafes in the area let alone a Cuban cultural one brought from Ybor City in Tampa.They have a nice menu from drinks and appetizers to full entres and dessert.On this visit I tried the Pressed Cuban Wrap and yuca fries with a tall glass of sangria! What a delicious lunch!The place isn't fancy but it does have the reminders of the Ybor flavor and feel.I'll definitely be back sometime to try other items on the menu.

La Septima Cafe is a solid go-to in Brandon for Spanish food in a (now) more casual, laid back setting.The pandemic has made an impact on the restaurant industry despite the best efforts of the Governor to keep things open and moving. It's quite evident here at La Septima Cafe. This once bustling, waiter service restaurant is a low-key counter service spot now. The food however, is still fantastic.My wife and I had been here once before during the pandemic. We got to-go food. We were craving Spanish food and didn't want to go to Ybor. We wanted something laid back and casual.The dining room was mostly empty. You walk-in and order at the counter. The young man behind the counter was friendly and explained the new system to us. We placed our order with him and took our number to our table. My wife ordered the Lechon Asado with yellow rice and beans and I ordered the Picadillo Con Papas Fritas with yellow rice and platanos maduros. I also had a bottled beer and my wife had a red sangria.We took a seat and were pretty surprised by the new setting. My wife says this place used to be packed in the evenings. This Saturday night, while we enjoyed the quiet dining experience, was empty.Our food was out pretty quick. The food is served on plastic plates and in styrofoam containers. Pre-packaged plasticware is provided. Simple. Things may have changed in appearance but the food was fantastic.My wife's lechon asado was plentiful and tasty. It came with additional mojo sauce. It was zesty, high quality meat, tender, juicy and just spot on. My wife highly enjoyed it and I was a bit envious. We both had the yellow rice as a side and it was flavorful as well. Rice can be hit or miss but this rice was a hit with me. Topped with the black beans, it was perfect.My Picadillo con Papas Fritas was excellent as well. It had bits of crunchy potatoes on top. A flavorful, rich ground beef in a tomato sauce with capers and olives. Excellent. I also had a side of platanos maduros that came out piping hot and fresh. They hit the spot.La Septima Cafe has changed but don't let that stop you from trying their delicious food. It was nice to enjoy a quiet, simple dinner with high quality, tasty food. Give them a try!

The food was absolutely delicious! We catered for our company safety meeting and there was no food left afterwards. The service and the communication from La Septima was perfect! They made the ordering process super easy and convenient for us. They also delivered the food to our facility. We will definitely be ordering from them again! :)

We stopped by for lunch on a weekday and ordered the roast pork, came with black beans and rice, Cuban bread. Ordering was done at the counter, a wsitress brought it out to us. The Cuban bread was not served warm, the other items were ok but not great. The restaurant was mostly filled with hungry workmen. I probably won't be back. I had gone there some years back, and it had been much better.