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Cena, Tampa, FL
Award-winning

Cena

4.2
4.2
1485 Reviews
$31 to $50
Italian

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 1 time today
  • Charming
  • Neighbourhood 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
  • Area
    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, Takeaway, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 1,485 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.2
4.2 based on recent ratings
  • 4.1Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 3.9Ambience
  • 3.8Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Cena offers an exceptional dining experience with "wonderful service" and "outstanding food," making it a favorite in Tampa. Guests rave about its "creative flavors" and "delicious Italian fare." Highlights include the Branzino and truffle mushroom pasta. Despite some service hiccups, many find Cena "consistently excellent" and "superb on every level."

1,485 Reviews

  1. David

    Chicago

    1 review

    vip
    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 14 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Unfortunately this restaurant closed a month ago. We found this out after we arrived for our reservation this evening. A reservation that I had to guarantee with my credit card on Open Table. If that wasn’t enough I received a text from Open Table 2 days ago asking me to reserve my reservation. A bit embarrassing for me but we were able to find another restaurant near by so the disaster was diverted. Epic fail Open Table.

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  2. Scott

    Tampa

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 2 November 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    PERMANENTLY CLOSED! For some reason Open Table will still let you reserve it, which is frustrating.

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  3. Craig

    Tampa

    10 reviews

    1.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on 26 October 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Although you are accepting reservations at Cena, the restaurant has been closed for weeks. Please update your records. We’ll really miss this place.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Sherwin

    Tampa

    1 review

    vip
    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on 17 October 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    After taking a deposit they were not even open.

    Is this helpful?

  5. paul

    Tampa

    9 reviews

    2.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 28 September 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.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Samuel

    Tampa

    30 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on 28 September 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.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Terry

    Greater Boston

    31 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    31 reviews

    Dined on 28 September 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Cena is one of our Tampa Bay favorite restaurants.

    Is this helpful?

  8. becky

    Tampa

    54 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    54 reviews

    Dined on 27 September 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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  9. stephen

    Baltimore

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 21 September 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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  10. Glenn

    Tampa

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 21 September 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.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

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

Cena is rated 4.2 stars by 1485 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 1 time today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Cena

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
  • Area
    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, Takeaway, 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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