cafe hey: a real place

Cafe Hey, Downtown Tampa

I always end up at Cafe Hey. Its my default choice for weekday downtown lunches, coffee stops (they serve Buddy Brew), and it’s the best place to hunker down to get work done.

The menu is hipster fare. Kale, quinoa, and different daily soups. Baked goods, quiche, sandwiches and, to rep Tampa, cubans. My favorite item: the 1UP. Egg whites, turkey, avocado, and cream cheese in a pressed whole wheat wrap. Paired with a cold brew iced toddy. Yum yum!

Cafe Hey oatmeal

For breakfast, they make great oatmeal, with a big list of à la carte toppings. My friend Brad is partial to their parfait. Quite honestly, everything is good.

If you go, you might notice the staff is a bit aloof, they run out of menu items, and the seating isn’t always matched up to the tables. But, somehow, the experience is always satisfying, because the attitude is laid back, the wifi is fully functional, and the product remains high-quality and affordable. Cafe Hey is endearing in its imperfection.

Anti-Valentine’s Day cupcakes at Cafe Hey

It can even be a bit cheeky. For February 14th this year, they made anti-Valentines cupcakes in bittersweet love flavors, like “broke and alone” and “let’s just be friends.”

Once a month, they host a vegan brunch, which I haven’t attended myself but have heard is great. There’s an open mic night. Art is displayed and rotated regularly.

I love Cafe Hey, simply put. I hope it never changes, in the same way I hope an old friend stays the same. If the TECO Streetcar loop is completed, up through downtown and back over to Ybor City, Franklin Street (where Cafe Hey afronts) could be the focal point of that project, and ultimately, a boon to the surrounding neighborhood.

Sunny mornings at Cafe Hey