Tampa restaurant exposes customers to Cuban and Colombian dishes

TAMPA, Fla. - Stepping through the doors of Sandrita's Latin Eatery transports the customer from Tampa to Cuba, to Colombia and then, to the owner's home kitchen.

"It's kind of a fuse of how I was raised growing up, being raised and being fed by my mother and my grandmother," shared owner Diego Gomez.

READ: Brisket Shoppe in West Tampa serves fresh BBQ

He's from Miami, but his mother and grandmother are from Cuba and Colombia.

"Sandrita, my mother, who is the heart and soul of this whole operation, she puts her heart into preparing the food," said Gomez.

His goal is to expose his customers to the tastes and flavors he grew up knowing and loving.

"One of my favorite items is arepas," he shared. "My grandmother fed me arepas every morning. Every morning she made them by hand, and she gave me an arepa with egg, with butter, with cheese or all of it. And we've brought that into this establishment."

His grandparent's influence isn't just in the food. It's also on the walls. His grandfather's photography hobby is featured proudly on the walls of Sandrita's.

READ: Dave's Jukebox Diner's food truck brings comfort food to Tampa Bay area

Gomez moved to Tampa to bring all of that culture here to the Tampa Bay Area.

"I almost feel like I didn't choose Tampa, I feel like Tampa chose me," he exclaimed.

He encourages customers who visit to try out some of the staples of his menu and then to branch out from there.

"Our biggest standout would probably be our Cuban sandwich. It's what we're most known for. We think our Cuban sandwich is unique yet traditional," said Gomez. "Another one of the things that I was looking for when I came to Tampa was a Cuban Colada. Back home we used to call it Cuban crack because it's highly addictive. Colada is just espresso and sugar. It's just very, very concentrated."

Sandrita's Latin Eatery is in West Tampa located at 1412 West Waters Avenue. To view their menu, click here.