About

Ulele (pronounced You-lay-lee) celebrates the vibrant fusion of ingredients from Florida waters and land once home to many Native Americans, including the young princess Ulele. Expect intricately flavored, visually appealing dishes prepared on the 10' diameter barbacoa grill. On Tampa's Riverwalk.


Find Us

Call 813.999.4952 for reservations.
Address
1810 North Highland Avenue
in Tampa Heights Tampa, FL 33602 Get Directions







News

Ulele named among the country’s top 100 December 9, 2022

The Impact of the Tampa Riverwalk November 28, 2022

Where to eat in Florida: From Michelin-starred restaurants to local gems, I dined my way across Miami, Tampa and Orlando November 11, 2022

Where to Dine in Tampa, According to the Michelin Guide November 8, 2022

FSR: 7 Hot Markets for Restaurant Growth November 2, 2022

My 11 Favorite Restaurants To Experience Near Tampa, Florida October 31, 2022

Michelin Guide: The Best Cocktails In Tampa September 8, 2022

These are Tampa’s new Michelin Guide restaurants. June 9, 2022

Ulele restaurant serves up native-inspired food on Tampa’s Riverwalk November 19, 2021

Chef’s Kitchen: That Remoulade sauce you love at Ulele: We’ve got that recipe November 3, 2021

9 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Get At Tampa International Airport August 17, 2021

COVID-19 cases are spiking again. How are Tampa Bay restaurants handling? July 28, 2021

Tampa tops Miami as Florida’s best city, says new global survey June 30, 2021

Tampa’s Ulele Springs is a ‘symbol of hope’ when it comes to restoring Florida’s natural water sources June 24, 2021

Visit Tampa Bay: Father’s Day weekend Ideas for Tampa Bay residents June 18, 2021

8th Annual Richard’s Father’s Day Walk & Jog – Tampa, Florida June 16, 2021

Serving seafood brings back memories of trips to the beach June 2, 2021

Power to the pedal: Tampa residents head to work by bike to highlight health, safety May 21, 2021

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants in America May 5, 2021

Restaurants make OpenTable’s nationwide list of ‘Top Brunch Spots For Mother’s Day’ May 3, 2021

Tampa International Airport Launches Airside Food Delivery Service April 5, 2021

These Tampa Area Restaurants Will Be Open For Easter, Passover March 30, 2021

Four questions with Julia Herz, ‘The face of craft beer March 8, 2021

Tampa’s Ulele, Goody Goody and Columbia locations around Florida plan to hire dozens of employees March 2, 2021

What will a pandemic Valentine’s Day in Tampa Bay look like? February 11, 2021

Best Tampa Bay Restaurants According to Local Foodies February 9, 2021

Romantic Restaurants in Tampa With Takeout February 9, 2021

Dog lovers stroll through Tampa to support veterans before Super Bowl 55 February 6, 2021

How Tampa went from fast food badland to supercool trailblazer February 6, 2021

Restaurants by Boat in Tampa: Places With Boat Docks & More February 2, 2021

Tour Tampa: See the Super Bowl host city with WWE’s Titus O’Neil February 1, 2021

University of Denver: An invitation to innovate January 30, 2021

The Big Game Tailgate: Tour of Tampa with Titus O’Neil January 29, 2021

Swanky Retreats: GASTRONOMIC GALLIVANTS – INDULGE IN THE BAY January 8, 2021

Run, Eat, Drink Podcast November 24, 2020

Ed’s Fine Wines: From The Cellar Podcast November 10, 2020

Charley Belcher of Fox 13 Visits Ulele to Discuss Plans for Casa Santo Stefano August 20, 2020

The Identity Tampa Bay: Andrea Gonzmart Williams August 4, 2020

Peter Greenberg – CBS Radio: Richard Gonzmart August 1, 2020

Chowhound What It’s Really Like To Travel In Florida Right Now July 14, 2020

Mamalicious Maria — Florida Travel: 9 Things To Know Before You Go July 6, 2020

Tampa Bay Business Journal Gonzmart buys former Naviera Coffee Mills building in Ybor City, reveals opening plan for new Sicilian restaurant June 16, 2020

Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Where Do We Go From Here? June 5, 2020

Hillsborough County Businesses Prepare For Phase One Of Reopening Plan Monday May 1, 2020

To open or not? Tampa Bay restaurants weigh consequences of reopening after six-week shutdown May 1, 2020

Epilogue: Bern’s matriarch Gertrude “Gert” Laxer helped pave the way for Tampa’s dining scene May 1, 2020

Columbia Owners Look To Historic Past To Navigate COVID019 Challenges April 20, 2020

You haven’t lived in Tampa Bay until you have … December 25, 2019

You haven’t lived in Tampa Bay until you have … December 25, 2019

Where To Eat in Tampa Bay, Florida: 10+ Restaurants You Must Try June 3, 2019

16 AWESOME Spots on the Tampa Riverwalk in Downtown Tampa May 31, 2019

Ulele at Tampa International Airport is named by Food Network among the Best Airport Restaurants in the U.S. May 29, 2019

25 Best Restaurants In Tampa Bay Right Now According To Yelp May 26, 2019

25 Classic Tampa Restaurants To Put On Your Bucket List May 25, 2019

At Ulele, industrial lighting pays homage to roots of historic building May 23, 2019

OpenTable diners named Ulele one of America’s ‘100 Best Restaurants in America for a Big Night Out.’ May 21, 2019

Ulele Restaurant and Brewery’s Native-Inspired Florida Cuisine Brings Couples Back in Time May 14, 2019

Two Tampa Bay restaurants rank among OpenTable’s 2019 ‘Best Brunch Restaurants in America,’ Ulele and Oxford Exchange May 5, 2019

The 25 most hard-to-get restaurant tables in Tampa Bay that are totally worth it May 2, 2019

7 places for vegans to eat in Tampa April 25, 2019

Foodie Family. A legacy in Central Florida April 4, 2019

The Ultimate Travel Guide to Tampa, Florida April 1, 2019

Eight things you did not know about Tampa International Airport March 27, 2019

Local Love: Ulele March 11, 2019

From amazing art to Cuban culture, seven reasons to visit Tampa in Florida February 25, 2019

Florida: A trip with a difference to Busch Gardens and Tampa February 18, 2019

10 places to eat near the Straz Center in Tampa. February 14, 2019

Florida Bars and Restaurants with the Best Water Views. February 11, 2019

Tampa City Guide: Where To Experience The Hip Side Of Florida’s Theme Park Capital January 17, 2019

You haven’t lived in Tampa Bay until you have … December 25, 2018

Florida holiday: Go with the flow in food city Tampa December 19, 2018

10 Romantic And Cool Things To Do For Couples In Tampa December 14, 2018

You Should See What’s Happening in Downtown Tampa December 11, 2018

Ulele named One of the 50 Best Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Restaurants in America October 25, 2018

Food And Wine: This One Simple Cooking Technique Could Change Your Relationship With Okra Forever October 15, 2018

Top Breweries & Best Restaurants in Tampa October 13, 2018

Ulele named Best Waterfront Dining and Best Outdoor Dining September 29, 2018

A little Bucs’ FitzMagic for a bartender with a beard September 28, 2018

Ulele bust on Tampa’s Riverwalk banished September 13, 2018

Local craft beer of the week: Hydration Station Lager, Ulele Spring Brewery August 23, 2018

The 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in the Country August 22, 2018

The Best Things To Do In Tampa When Someone Visits. July 27, 2018

Eat and drink your way through Tampa Heights July 18, 2018

Tampa’s best mac and cheese. July 13, 2018

Behind The Beer At Ulele Spring Brewery. July 2, 2018

Chill Out This Summer at the Best Ice Cream Shops in Tampa. June 22, 2018

Moffitt receives $1 million donation from Richard Gonzmart June 22, 2018

Tampa: An Affordable Urban Escape on Florida’s Gulf Coast June 22, 2018

100 Best Al Fresco Dining Restaurants in America June 20, 2018

Meet Keith Williamson, Ulele’s new executive chef May 22, 2018

Ulele named “One of the 100 Best Brunch Restaurants in America for 2018.” May 18, 2018

Florida Food Scene: Best Restaurants In Tampa May 15, 2018

Ulele: The Outdoor Restaurant In Florida That’s So Much More Than A Good Place To Eat April 28, 2018

New restaurants at Tampa International Airport April 25, 2018

Richard’s Rockin’ Birthday Starfruit Lambic, Ulele April 19, 2018

Ulele is 1 of “100 Best Restaurants in America for a Big Night Out.” March 21, 2018

Linger longer for a tasty city stay in Florida. February 12, 2018

100 Best Restaurants for Groups in America – Ulele Honored February 5, 2018

Local craft beer of the week: Limited release Imperial Honeymoon lager from Ulele January 30, 2018

The best places in Florida. Ulele included January 25, 2018

Q&A

Have a question? Send it to [email protected] and we'll try and answer it.

Our Inspiration

By Richard Gonzmart

Ulele is a native-inspired restaurant and brewery, using fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood and other proteins from Florida when they are available, just as my ancestors did.

Open since August 2014, Ulele  sits on the banks of the Hillsborough River next to the Ulele Spring. It is adjacent to the Water Works Park, which has been transformed into a family-friendly park thanks to our Tampa Mayor and City Council.

For the rest, we use food harvested and raised in the United States, preferably from family-owned and independent companies. Our organic food is not genetically modified, and has no hormones and antibiotics. The wines we sell are from family owned wineries in the United States, as well as several private-label selections from family vintners in Spain (a nod to early Spanish explorers who came ashore in Tampa’s waters).

We serve craft beers, available only at Ulele, made on-site at Ulele Spring Brewery by Brewmaster Tim Shackton.

Part of The Columbia Restaurant Group, the eatery and park has reenergized and built renewed pride in Tampa Heights. It is just four blocks away from where my grandparents, mother and brother lived on 7th and Central Avenue. It is 300 yards from where I was born at St. Joseph's Hospital.

We have come home.

***

This reminds me of my family's start in the restaurant industry, making beer in 1903.

My great-grandfather Casimiro Hernandez Sr. courageously left his home in Cuba with four young children, and very little money, because he saw opportunity in the U.S.

His dreams led him to the small town of Ybor City, which was becoming known as a world leader in cigar manufacturing. He took a job with the Florida Brewery based there.
Through dedication and hard work, he became general manager of the brewery. In those pre-Prohibition days, breweries would open small saloons to sell their products. That's how the Saloon Columbia was born on Dec. 17, 1903.

Casimiro Sr. dreamed of owning his own business, and he bought the Saloon in 1905, changing the name to the Columbia Café. The Café served cigar workers walking to and from work stopping for a coffee, beer or a small bite to eat.

In 1919, Casimiro Sr. passed away just as Prohibition was beginning. His oldest son, my grandfather, Casimiro Jr. inherited large debts and a business that had to reinvent itself since a large part of the Cafe's income came from the sale of beer and liquor, now illegal.

He merged with a small "Fonda" (dining room) next door to increase the ability to sell more food.

Tough times were ahead. One day the restaurant only sold $12. He told his best friend and employee Gregorio Martinez that he might be forced to close the cafe. The next day Gregorio offered Casimiro Jr. his life savings of about $500. He told my grandfather that too many families depended on him, those that worked for him and the families that he fed, even though they did not have the money to pay.

Through that generous act of faith, the Columbia remained open. During the Great Depression in 1934, a local banker who knew Casimiro Jr. as a man of integrity and a hard worker, loaned him $35,000 – on a handshake – to build Tampa's first air conditioned dining room, the "Don Quixote" Court room.

Casimiro Sr. and Jr. were very much Don Quixote dreamers, much like the title character of the novel. But through vision, hard work and a sense of community, sometimes dreams do come true – even if there are hardships along the way.

The Columbia went on to gain national acclaim and recognition with the help of Chef Francisco Pijuan and others. Two years later as the Depression was coming to an end, Casimiro Jr. built the Patio dining room, complete with a retracting skylight so patrons could enjoy and dine in the fresh air and under the stars.
In 1951, after years on the road, my parents returned to Ybor City to help my grandfather, who had suffered a heart attack that year. My father, Cesar, also believed he was Don Quixote.

Always dreaming grand ideas, he convinced Casimiro Jr. to build a 300-seat showroom, the Siboney Supper Club, in 1958 to showcase leading Latin American performers. It took awhile to succeed because Ybor City would struggle though the shuttering of many of the cigar factories as well as federal Urban Renewal projects in the 1960s that would rob Ybor businesses of their nearby workers and customers.

Cesar kept dreaming and looking for new opportunities. His vision took him to Sarasota in 1959, to a struggling, mostly vacant St. Armands Circle. It took years for the investment to pay off, but when it did, the dividends allowed the family to expand to St. Augustine in 1983 and then to other destinations in Florida.

***

My Don Quixote dream has been in my mind for over five years and on June 26, 2013, the journey finally began with the groundbreaking ceremony of Ulele.

I hope this will be my legacy, much like those of the previous generations of our family businesses left their marks on our company.

We opened Ulele thanks to so many: The Beck Group's Mark House and Beck's Architects Joe Harrington and Jeet Singh, our attorney Jeff Shannon, our CFO Dennis Fedorovich and COO Curt Gaither who make everything possible for our family, our Corporate Chef Jerry Bayona who restored the Columbia quality of our recipes and food preparation, along with all the men and women who are all part of our family business. Without them nothing is possible.

Keith Sedita, our vice president for new business, was key in the development of this dream, along with Ulele's Chef Eric Lackey and Brewmaster Tim Shackton.

I guess I take after both my grandfather and father. As with them, a lot of Don Quixote lives within me. Their history is frequently on my mind. It echoes in many of the choices we make in our business even as we create new memories and new history.

From the 1940s to '60s, the Columbia used ice cream from the Tropical Ice Cream Company, founded by Casimiro Sr.'s. third son, Gustavo.

Now Ulele makes organic ice cream, bringing back the famous coconut ice cream that was once made by a member of our family. It will be served in a halved coconut shell.

Think of it as fresh history.

PresidentGeneral ManagerHead BrewmasterExecutive Chef

Bios

Richard Gonzmart – President,
Columbia Restaurant Group
4th Generation Family Member

As a fourth generation member of the world-famous restaurant's founding family, Richard Gonzmart grew up in the business. His earliest memory is when his grandfather, Casimiro Hernandez Jr., taught him how to identify fresh fish when Richard was 3 ½ years old At 12, he began spending summers in the Columbia Restaurant kitchen as an apprentice cook. He graduated from Tampa's Jesuit High School in 1971 and continued at the University of Denver School of Hotel and Restaurant Management and attended the Escuela de Turismo y Hosteleria in Madrid Spain. Richard is the great-grandson of Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., who started the Columbia in 1905 in Tampa's Ybor City. It is the oldest restaurant in Florida, the oldest Hispanic restaurant in the United States, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world. Under Richard's direction, The Columbia has expanded from two locations to seven. He has said he hopes the new Ulele concept will be his legacy. Richard and the Gonzmart Family Foundation are very active with numerous charities and community organizations. He and the restaurant have been awarded hundreds of honors. View full listing of honors, awards and civic involvement here

Mike Sellmeyer – General Manager

Mike Sellmeyer began his culinary career at 17 in Monterey, Calif. His passion for the kitchen — aka “the heart of the house” — led to him being promoted at age 19 to the level of sous chef and later to executive chef. As his career progressed, Mike was an influential leader and trainer at more than 34 restaurant openings worldwide. With his culinary experience, Mike had the honor of managing dining operations for all Allied military bases in Northern Iraq.From there, Mike’s career moved to the front of the house, where he took on the leadership role as general manager/managing partner with Maggiano’s Little Italy locations the states of Washington, California and in Washington, D.C. Mike then obtained his sommelier certification to educate others on great wines. A career highlight includes working an event at the White House with chefs Cristeta Pasia Comerford and Susan Morrison.Mike loves creating memories and sharing stories with great people, and in his off-time is a fanatic for baseball and classic cars.

Timothy Shackton – Head Brewmaster

A native of Clearwater, Tim is a veteran commercial brewmaster, with strong roots in the brewing industry. His great grandfather John was a saloon owner in the thriving downtown Milwaukee area in the early 1900s. Tim's uncle James, an engineer working with Reynolds Aluminum in collaboration with Miller Brewing, developed the cost-saving dimple in the bottom of beer cans. After attending St. Cecelia Parochial School and Dunedin High School, Tim – like his father – joined the Marines. When Tim returned from Desert Storm, he accepted a position with Hops Grill and Brewery as a brewer's apprentice. Under the tutelage of John Schwarzen of Anheuser-Busch fame, Tim learned the art of brewing and led a team that built brewpubs throughout Florida. He and his uncle opened and ran Shackton's Frozen Custard and Burgers in Largo. He also worked at Total Wine and Darden Restaurants.

Patrick Quakenbush – Executive Chef

Patrick Quakenbush, an award-winning chef and mentor, is Ulele’s executive chef, responsible for the Tampa restaurant’s culinary operations. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for a celebrated business that thrives on quality and value, relationships and family,” Quakenbush said. “Ulele is a special restaurant – a destination restaurant in a spectacular setting that has been successful since the day it opened in Tampa Heights in 2014. It’s obviously a place where beautiful memories are made. I look forward to being a part of it and joining the talented team already in place.” Most recently, Quakenbush worked at Tavistock Restaurants as the culinary director, responsible for culinary operations and best practices as well as research and development for the company’s upscale restaurants, such as Sapporo, Blackhawk Grille, Abe & Louie’s and Timpano Italian Chophouse. He originally joined that company as executive chef at its ZED451 restaurant in downtown Chicago. >Quakenbush has Florida roots, including opening Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Sarasota in 2005 as Chef Partner and also working in Orlando. Born in Sycamore, Ill., to an Air Force family, Quakenbush traveled extensively in Europe during his early years. Those journeys introduced him to many cultures and exotic tastes, forming the basis for his lifelong love of food. He studied Restaurant Management at Ohio State University.