Shuffling Off to Date Night

Biscuits, tangs, kitchens, and fun at Shuffle Tampa. Here’s a heads up to make you sound like a pro when you go

Where do you go when you’ve had enough silly to frilly, funky to junky restaurants and are ready for something new for date night? Looking for a new experience, we ventured out to Shuffle in Tampa Heights, reportedly Florida's first and only indoor shuffleboard bar and restaurant. Not knowing what to expect, we went with an open mind and an empty stomach.

Four indoor shuffleboard courts are visible from the outside. The inside is decorated with an eclectic mix of Boho meets college bar, from a skeet ball machine by the front door to a small shop selling shuffleboard-related t-shirts—local art, including pictures of Bob Marley hang on the wall. Scouting the rooms, I come across a Lucid Vending machine, dispensing items like Kewpie Dolls, colorful socks, novelty sex toys like a small vibrator, painful-looking nipple clamps, a small wind-up doll of a man pleasuring himself, and some watercolor art painted by local artists. Lucid is a Tampa company that upscales machines like this by retrofitting old food vending machines to sell this merch. It was such a quirky collection, I knew we were going to get along just fine. While there’s a jukebox, background music is mostly 80s and 90s rock and pop. The vibe is super casual, and the bar looks fully stocked. There are six craft beers on tap and thirty or so craft, domestic, and imported brews in a can. Food, drink, and shuffleboard orders are placed at the bar.

Lucid Vending machine offers odd novelty items, including local art and some adult fun. It was quirky enough for me to know I was with my people.

Four indoor shuffleboard courts are set in a casual, fun atmosphere

I came for the spaghetti sammie. I saw it online and on the paper menu, and throwing caution and the food pyramid to the wind, I figured what could be better than a starch on starch with some red sauce, meat, and Parmesan cheese. Sadly, it hasn’t been served for months. I am always perplexed why a kitchen keeps cancelled items on the printed menu and continues offering them online with photos! The bartender apologizes, and we move on.

The menu here spans typical bar food like wings, burgers, and pizza, to specialty comfort food like Adult Grilled Cheese, a craft hot dog, and a mojo pork sandwich. We start our shuffle with the grilled cheese: a cheddar cheese melted on the outside and the middle stuffed with caramelized (onions) bacon jam offering. It’s a buttery, salty, cheesy thing, with some sweet kick from the jam. The Buffalo Chicken Thigh sammie is a thick filet topped with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onions, and ranch dressing. It’s a respectable, large bite. Both dishes come with tater tots.

Adult Grilled Cheese- loaded with cheddar and caramelized bacon jam, bacon.

Buffalo Chicken Thigh- cheddar, Bacon, tomato, onion, with ranch dressing

There’s a large outdoor chill space in the back, with a stage, a delightful bar in a travel trailer, lots of seating, and two additional shuffleboard courts. The night we are there, rap artist Kobe Grandson is on stage, debuting his new single and entertaining a crowd of fans.

The outside bar is tucked into a small travel trailer.

Rapper Kobe Grandson entertains on Shuffle’s stage

Outdoors, there are two more shuffleboard courts under the lights.

But we are here for shuffleboard. Playing requires paying $10 per person in advance for one hour. We are given our cues (called tangs) and escorted to our indoor court by a funny and knowledgeable staff person. He gives us a brief overview of the very uncomplicated game, and we’re shuffling. There are few rules, like don’t walk on the court or step on the biscuit (the clay puck we push around). The rest of the game is self-explanatory. An hour is just long enough to play the standard 11 rounds.

Shuffle has a full bar, casual vibe, and friendly staff.

Shuffle is located in the heart of Tampa Heights on Tampa Street.

What a fun night… drinking a beer, listening to good jams, and playing a new easy game with my girl. Shuffle is an entertaining study of contrasts, with old-school shuffleboard mixed with rap artists, local art, a fresh vibe, and that crazy vending machine. I like it!

Shuffle offers live music weekly and brunch on weekends. It also has Tampa’s only shuffleboard league on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Happy hours are weekly with discounted drinks and shuffleboard. Take a bunch of friends and try a new sport. Shuffleboard easily accommodates groups of four.

Ready for a new and different casual date night? This is the place.

Shuffle https://shuffletampa.com/

2612 N Tampa St, Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 450-3797