Spanish Park Restaurant opened in 1909 at 3517 E Broadway, serving Spanish dishes and comfort food. It was a favorite of cigar workers, some of whom worked at the Tierra del Lago Cigar Co. on 36th Street. The restaurant was built on land owned by the estate of Gavino Gutierrez, the man who surveyed Ybor City for V.M. Ybor and had commercial property there. He called his estate Spanish Park. While the restaurant is often cited as being in Ybor City, it was in the area nearby, just east of the Latin Quarter, called Gary.  Originally named Gary-Town, 26th Street bounded the neighborhood on the west to 40th Street on the east and included both Gary-Town and Spanish Park. The state legislature abolished the City of Gary in 1919, and in 1923, the City of Tampa annexed it. In the early 1900s, it was known for its celery farms.

The restaurant was a staple for locals and celebrities for years. Big-name baseball players like Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle dined there. In 1931, they opened an ice cream parlor, in 1937 they completely remodeled the interior, and in 1939, they were granted a liquor license. It was a family-friendly place serving Arroz con Pollo, crawfish dinners (Langosta a la Catalana), and the house specialty, Shrimp Valdes.

The restaurant was remodeled again in 1961, expanding the dining room and bar. It had a Spanish-themed dining room (called the Castilian Room) with linen tablecloths, Spanish tile, and large doors. The cocktail lounge (named La Ronda) in the southwest corner of the building had the same Spanish influences, with a long bar, tile, and arched windows. Even with the mass exodus of businesses from the Latin Quarter in the 1960s and 1970s, Spanish Park continued to have a strong following. Owners Joel and Griffin Valdes remained civically active and politically and socially connected to big names in Tampa.

In 1990, Spanish Park filed for bankruptcy protection due to a six-figure Federal income tax deficit and debt to other creditors, closing its doors in 1991. Owners had hoped to reopen, but it never happened. It was bulldozed in 1993 and is now part of the Asphalt Tampa complex.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved