Food + Drink Tampa Area Restaurants

The Lime: Fun Modern Mexican

Last week, Justin and I had the pleasure of experiencing some awesome Mexican cuisine at The Lime in Tampa.

If you aren’t familiar with The Lime, it is part of the Ciccio Restaurant Group (remember when we visited Ciccio’s/Water earlier this year?). I tell you – this group has quite a great list of restaurants: I’ve been impressed with both locations we’ve tried so far, and I know we’ll be putting Daily Eats and The Lodge on our list of places to try soon!

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Anyway – back to The Lime! If you’re looking for a restaurant with some attitude, the decor in The Lime fits the bill.

I loved the decor, from the lanterns hanging from the ceiling to the bright paint colors (and murals) on the walls. Once the menu was presented to us, it was hard to decide where to start.

Thankfully, the chips and salsa were quick to arrive. The Lime sprinkles a seasoning on their chips that is a bit spicy – SO good! The salsa itself has a great texture and flavor; it is slightly chunky, with fresh tomato flavor.

We couldn’t have JUST chips and salsa though. I had heard great things about The Lime’s table side guacamole, so we had to partake. Look at this beautiful dish of guac! It was the perfect amount of creamy texture, but the chunks of avocado were still involved – just the way I like it! And, they were nice enough to give me a small dish of jalapenos on the side…to satisfy my spicy cravings.

We couldn’t visit The Lime without trying a drink or two. We were informed that we HAD to try their signature cocktail – the Margarona. When it was en route to our table, my jaw dropped. This thing was ENORMOUS.

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A Margarona is a giant frozen margarita…with a Corona flipped upside down inside of it. Seriously intense. It was definitely large enough for Justin and me to split between the two of us…which we did. If you are a fan of frozen margaritas, you’ll enjoy a Margarona. In my opinion, the Corona helps cut the sweetness that you usually experience with a frozen margarita. Just don’t drink it too fast – you’ll get brain freeze!!!

We also sampled their classic mojito. Oh baby, that was delicious. If you aren’t into tequila and want a different option, try out the mojito. Rum, mint, club soda…it’s a classic combo that’s fresh and wonderful.

Apparently chips, salsa, and guacamole wasn’t the end of our appetizer portion of our meal, because four beautifully fried jalapeno poppers. They are made fresh every day: jalapenos are stuffed with cream cheese, then dipped in a BEER batter, and fried golden. They’re spicy, they’re tangy…the beer batter is delicious…definitely a bit of an indulgence in a good way!

On to the entrees! On Tuesdays, The Lime holds “Taco Tuesdays” where their Street Tacos are $2 each. Can you beat that price? I don’t think so.

I sampled three different street tacos – the nuclear chicken (chicken, black beans, corn, queso fresco, and super spicy salsa)…which I think they eased up on me for some reason – it wasn’t spicy to me…but they assured me that it typically is extremely hot!

The gigante chicken (avocado glazed buffalo chicken, crispy onions, julienne jalapeno and celery, blue cheese crumbles, and lime Caesar dressing) – definitely won the award for most unique taco I’ve ever had. If you love chicken wings, this taco is a great choice. The crunch of celery was a nice touch!

The ancho chicken (grilled chicken, avocado, pickled red onions, cilantro, queso fresco, and chile de arbol) – my favorite taco of the three! The picked red onions were a great tangy contrast to the robust flavors of the chile and the creamy texture of the avocado slices. Yum!

Justin tried out one of The Lime’s Fiesta Bowls for his entree – specifically, the habanero beef bowl! It contained spicy shredded beef and carrots, citrus vinaigrette, queso crumbles, pico de gallo, and mariachi aioli, atop a bed of white rice and lettuce. It was glorious. My fork may or may not have been sneaking over to Justin’s bowl to steal some bites…it was such a great combination of flavors!

Even though we were absolutely stuffed at that point in the evening, we couldn’t leave without trying out a dessert!!!

A delectable bowl filled with sauteed bananas, ice cream, whipped cream, and churros arrived at our table. Ohhhh boy. It was the perfect way to end our evening…I could have eaten about 10 of those delicious cinnamon sugar churros, not going to lie!

In the end, a big thumbs up to The Lime for a wonderful dinner; I know I’ll want to return to try out some more of the fiesta bowls…and perhaps to sample every single street taco offered on the menu! And, if you live in Tampa and are not aware, The Lime is about to reveal a new name! A large national chain has trademarked the name “The Lime,” and the hunt for a new title has been on for the past few months. They will be unveiling the new name on New Year’s Eve…so stay tuned for some more details (and…hint hint…I might just have a giveaway involved).

Are you a fan of Mexican cuisine? What’s your favorite dish to enjoy?

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