The Boozy Pig

The Boozy Pig: Body by Bacon

Reviewed by Lisa Gallant Tampa Bay Food Tours

Nestled away from the usual hotspots, The Boozy Pig is a superstar in its own right. I visited the establishment early on a Sunday morning to take advantage of both the breakfast and lunch options; brunch offerings are served on Saturday mornings and all day on Sunday via a rotating menu depending on local farm harvests. The brunch menu boasts hearty and savory options including meat and egg combos along with sweet tooth quenching sweet potato pancakes and iced lemon ricotta pancakes. No need to wait until 11am – they open at 9am and you can bring your own imbibements.

Biscuits and gravy were a shoo-in as I began to customize my mini personal buffet – two homemade biscuits with chorizo gravy for only $4; perfect for when you’re trying not to get carried away. Not my goal for the visit so this was just the beginning. While I prefer a saltier gravy and a softer biscuit that doesn’t call for a knife, I appreciated the small portion as there were more items to be enjoyed.

I became quite the spectacle for ordering a burger at 9am on a Sunday morning but I couldn’t resist the namesake Boozy Burger. Had I studied the description more carefully and noticed the bleu cheese, I probably would have made another selection as I’m not the biggest fan of this particular cheese genre however I found myself scooping up the crumbles that had fallen onto my plate, amazed at the perfect execution of sweet and savory. The two wagyu beef patties were cooked to preference and skewered together on a pillowy brioche bun with caramelized onion, arugula, and bacon jam; the candied effect qualified the stack for breakfast credit. I’m already looking forward to the leftovers.

When I inquired about the tallow fries, a voice from the background billowed, “They’re amazing is what they are!” That was the only endorsement I needed as I trusted the advice of a perfect stranger and added them to my order. I got chills as the server explained that the hand-cut specialties come salted and sizzled in beef fat with a crispy outside and a soft inside, just the way I like them; the perfect stranger was right on the money.

I continued to study the menu as I enjoyed the plates in front of me and decided I should get some veggies to balance out the indulgences. Braised collards and mustard greens please! This side dish was absolutely marvelous and I visualized myself coming back for a massive bowl to allow for full attention and appreciation of their capability to carry the satisfaction of a full-size entrée all on their own.

Being that it was during breakfast hours, I couldn’t let myself leave without trying something syrupy. I managed to pass up the pancakes (though I overhead rave reviews from both kids and adults at the next table) and requested the bread pudding. This order took some time in the kitchen and was well worth the wait. I don’t eat much sugar so I knew this was a potentially risky move but also proved worth the chance; this dish was the perfect capstone to my buffet and left no offensive aftertaste as can sometimes be the case with desserts due to the preservative content. But none of that here. I was informed that the secret trick was found in the tips of the Cuban bread – the crispy edges helped to soak up the smothering of homemade caramel sauce, all topped with a dollop of soft whipped cream.

Aside from the café, there is a full butcher counter with ample cuts of meat, sausage, beef jerky, and dog treats. Freshly-canned items, elderberry syrup, and kombucha are also available; it surely appears that they’ve thought of everything. True Tampa natives are hard to find though the décor flaunted the family legacy with family photos of now late Joe Tambuzzo in the 1940s, founder of the former Tip Top Grocery in Ybor City. It was somewhere between the collard greens and bread pudding that owner Andrew “Boozy” Tambuzzo stopped by my table to check in. I was a regular ole diner at this point, my true identity as a reviewer having gone unannounced. Nonetheless he was pleased to indulge my attention about his passion for the business and his entrepreneurial spirit after having opened the storefront in April. Throughout my visit, employees interjected bits and pieces about the family history. The server was attentive to the fact that no ingredients were wasted – with a surplus of sweet potatoes came the sweet potato pancakes and with the edges of the Cuban bread came the infusion into the bread pudding. Andrew’s father, Marcello, was also on the scene and he led me over to a destiny-affirming photo on the wall, took the frame down, and showed off Andrew as an adolescent in the company of his grandfather Joe as they made sausage together. It was getting harder and harder not to blow my cover as he told me that Andrew has been crafting foods for many years, with some of his grandfather’s original equipment that was now on display in the café. What was once a garage project in the family home has now been bestowed to the general public and let’s not let this one go. I promised I would spread the word. All of the employees seemed like they wanted to be there when surely the cold and gloomy Sunday morning may have resulted in non-work temptations; they engaged everyone who came in and made me feel like family.

I will dream about the burger and marvel at my enjoyment of bleu cheese without intention and the reckless abandonment of my sugar standards for good cause. I can’t wait to go back for more and from the vantage point of a perfect stranger, I believe Grandpa Joe would be proud.

The Boozy Pig

Breakfast (weekends only) Lunch & Takeout
Wed-Fri 11-6 pm
Saturday 9-7 pm Sunday 9-3 pm

Address: 3255 W Cypress St, Tampa, FL 33607

Phone: (813) 488-5333

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