I’m no stranger to Datz’s eclectic menu offerings. Add in the quirky dish names and it’s no wonder they’re a hit in the Tampa Bay foodie community. The Datz Tampa location has been a long time favorite of mine. When I heard that they were opening a second set of doors in St Petersburg, I knew it called for a date night. Convincing Ben was easy. All I had to do was tell him that Datz served a burger in between two fried jalapeno mac and cheese buns. I swear for a moment in time he actually turned into the heart eyes emoji.

The thing about Datz’s menu is that it’s actually fun to order from. Like I mentioned before, it’s full of quirky item names like: the Spaaa Blahblahblah which sounds like a different language, Nom Noms which is clearly what soft pretzels should’ve been called in the first place, and the Kentucky Colonel. No, the guy with the white hair and crazy mustache doesn’t come out, but a big bowl of southern comfort food complete with crispy chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and gravy does.

Ben and I sat in a vibrant orange booth at Datz. We ordered up a round of drinks: the SPAAA BLAHBLAHBLAH for him (I truly wish you could have heard Ben order that), and the Prickly Pear Mimosa for me. Both were refreshing liquid pick me ups. The Nom Noms seemed like a more than appropriate appetizer choice. They came served with cerveza queso and spicy mustard – both prime dipping choices for these soft garlicy pretzel sticks. Err, sorry, NOM NOMS.

And nom nom we did. When my love for a very certain Italian restaurant’s breadsticks is rivaled, then you know it’s serious. Let me tell you. The love was RIVALED. And it was rivaled HARD.

I knew I had to be introduced to the Cheesy Todd – the ultimate claim to fame at Datz. Word on the street is that this burger was featured on Good Morning America. It’s THAT famous. The Cheesy Todd comes equipped with a ground brisket and short rib burger, topped with the usual burger fixins’, all sandwiched between…wait for it…TWO BACON JALAPENO MAC AND CHEESE BUNS. Like, holy foodie food coma. It’s like a state fair meal that you want to have over and over again. I had heard rave reviews about the Todd, and he definitely lived up to the hype and then some. The fried mac and cheese buns were a game changer.

Ben sprung for the Cluck, YEAH!, a spicy Nashville fried chicken sandwich. It was tasty, but we both agreed that we could have used just a little more spice. Obviously this is totally a personal preference. I’ve come to find that I like my meals (and margs) spicier than the average person.

Even though we were fuller than full by this point, Ben and I knew that we had to try Datz’s monkey bread. I sipped on a Purple Haze Lemonade (a drink with 5mg of cbd tincture) while listening to our waitress assure us that our dessert intention was a fantastic choice. We opted for the small version of the monkey bread to share just to have a few bites of a little somethin’ somthin’ sweet. Tampa foodie pro tip: if you opt to order this at Datz, make SURE you add the bacon. The savory to sweet balance is phenom.

My favorite thing about Datz is that their menu always keeps me on my toes. From foodie fave offerings to its own ordering language, Datz is where it’s atz. Don’t just take my word for it though. Pay a visit to their new St. Pete location and welcome them to the ‘Burg. Datz an order.

Thanks so much to Datz for hosting us for a date night! As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.