Epicurean Hotel, Autograph Collection

A Hotel Built Around Bern's Steak House and the Idea of Pleasure

The Epicurean takes its name from the Greek philosopher Epicurus, who held that pleasure — properly pursued — was the greatest good, and it builds the whole property around that idea in the SoHo district of Tampa's Hyde Park. It sits beside Bern's Steak House, the city's most storied steakhouse, and folds itself into what the hotel calls "the Epicurean family": a boutique that treats food and wine as the reason to book, not a lobby amenity to mention in passing on the way to the elevator.

Why It Works

We chose the Epicurean for the rare case of a hotel whose theme is not decoration: an in-house cooking theatre for hands-on classes, a rooftop cocktail lounge with skyline views, and a spa named for a statue inside Bern's own dining room. Rooms lean into "urban chic" with marble bathrooms and stocked mini-bars, but the real argument is downstairs, where the hotel's food and wine program gives a guest more to do without ever leaving the block, from a knife-skills class to a late cocktail on the roof.

Why This Location

South Howard Avenue puts the hotel in the middle of SoHo's restaurant row, inside Hyde Park and a few minutes' walk from Bayshore Boulevard's waterfront path, one of the longest continuous sidewalks of its kind in the country. Amalie Arena and downtown Tampa are a short rideshare away, and Tampa International Airport is about 7 miles out, close enough for a weekend that never really requires a car once checked in.

Fast Facts

• Price: Upper mid-range to premium

• Vibe: Food-and-wine boutique, urban chic

• Rooms: 137 rooms, marble bathrooms, stocked mini-bars

• Best For: Food and wine travellers, couples, SoHo weekends

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: Spa Evangeline, named for a statue inside neighbouring Bern's Steak House

• Dining: Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar, EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge, the Lobby Bar, Chill Bros. Scoop Shop

• Amenities: Epicurean Theatre cooking classes, spa, outdoor pool, fitness centre, valet parking

• Attractions: Bern's Steak House, Bayshore Boulevard, Amalie Arena, downtown Tampa

Élevage, EDGE Rooftop, and an Ice Cream Shop That Churns From Scratch

Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar anchors dinner with a menu that runs from seafood to steak with Mediterranean and Asian notes, while EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge takes over after dark with handcrafted drinks and a skyline view. The Lobby Bar covers all-day American dining for guests who never want to leave the building, and Chill Bros. Scoop Shop closes the night with ice cream made from scratch on site — a detail that turns a nightcap into something closer to a neighbourhood ritual than a hotel amenity.

Spa Evangeline and the Rest of the Epicurean Family

Spa Evangeline uses FarmHouse Fresh and HydraFacial MD treatments under a name borrowed from Bern's own dining room, one more thread tying the hotel to the restaurant next door. Between treatments, the outdoor pool and complimentary fitness centre round out the property, though the real draw for most guests remains the short walk to Bern's for dinner and the walk back for a cocktail on the roof, a loop that can fill an entire evening without a car or a reservation elsewhere in the city.

Before You Book

Check-in is at 4 p.m. and check-out at noon; the hotel does not list pet acceptance or step-free accessibility, so guests with either need should confirm ahead. Valet parking is the simplest option on SoHo's busy restaurant strip, and reservations at Bern's should be made well before arrival — it is booked out weeks ahead on weekends, and the hotel's proximity is worth little without a table secured in advance.