I was heading in for some early morning bloodwork that required fasting, and as soon as it was drawn, I pulled up Google Maps and searched for a coffee shop or breakfast spot nearby. The one that popped up was Blind Tiger Cafe. There are a couple of these scattered around Tampa, and I hadn’t tried one yet, so I figured this was as good a reason as any.
This particular location was in the SoHo area on South Howard in South Tampa. I walked in around 9am, and for a morning coffee shop, the place was surprisingly large but nearly deserted — just two employees and one other customer working on his laptop. The decor leans a little too branded and chain-like for my taste; I usually prefer the personality of a true local shop, but that’s a minor gripe, not a real knock against the place. One whole wall was dedicated to Blind Tiger swag for sale — coffee cups, t-shirts, the works. It was a surprisingly extensive setup for a coffee shop that isn’t all that well known, and honestly it just came across as a distraction.
Service was good, though the staff didn’t have much to offer when I asked questions about the menu. The table I sat down at was pretty dirty, which stood out given how empty the place was on a weekday morning — I have to assume it was left over from the night before. If a place can’t get its tables clean overnight when it isn’t even busy, that raises some real sanitary concerns.
I ended up trying the breakfast tacos, and they were underwhelming — more tortilla than filling, and pretty bland on the spice level. I also tried their Cranberry Oat Bar, which they warmed up for me, and that was actually the best thing I had all morning.
I’d been eyeing their chai, but ended up going with one of their standard lattes instead, and it was pretty mild. I’d recently stopped into La Segunda Central Bakery, where the Cuban coffee smacks you awake without any help. Blind Tiger’s coffee was the opposite — it barely needed any milk to smooth it out, which isn’t really what I’m looking for in a morning cup.
Overall, this was an average experience at best, and between the dirty table and the underwhelming food, I probably won’t be back.
