This past weekend I got to go to the Oxford Exchange with my bestie and her husband. I was in Tampa celebrating her birthday early and her hubby treated us to breakfast. This place was so freaking cool!
According to their website, the Oxford Exchange was “originally built in 1891 as a stable for the Plant Hotel, 420 West Kennedy Boulevard has gone through several transformations in its 122-year history. In the 1920s an arcade of shops ran through the center of the building from Kennedy to Grand Central, a feature that is echoed in the current design. More recently, housed within the brick walls was an insurance company, photo studio, and dentist’s office.” It now houses a bookstore, a shop, Buddy Brew Coffee, Tebella Tea, and a restaurant.
I loved the whole feel of the place. We just took a quick glance at all it had to offer on our way back to the restaurant because we had reservations at the restaurant. On the weekends they offer brunch and afternoon tea. The menu include 1/2 breakfast and 1/2 lunch items, along with a very extensive drink menu. The drink menu included both Buddy Brew Coffee drinks and all of the Tebella Tea options available at their shops in the building. After careful consideration, and a chat with our waiter about his favorite teas, I decided to go with the Kiwi Coconut Cherry tea. Oh. My. Goodness! It was absolutely amazing and I ended up drinking the entire pot of tea myself. The only downside was that I should have bought some of the dry tea to take home with me and I didn’t.
For food I decided to go with one of the omelets that had ham, bacon, sausage, cheddar, & scallion. It came with fried potatoes, toast, and some sort of crazy berry jam that looked like it was made in house. Everything was amazing! It was a little pricey, but the food and the atmosphere made it worth it. I’m definitely interested in going back again and trying out some of their lunch items. Totally random, but they bring out your check in a vintage book. Ours came out in a finance book. I just thought that was a neat touch.
After breakfast we wandered around the shop and the bookstore. They had a lot of unique things in both. I liked that they had a lot of Florida and Tampa items in the store and the bookstore. It would be a great place to shop for unique holiday gifts, especially if you are looking for something local for someone.
