Tampa Bay Brunch: The Cleanest (and Dirtiest) Spots to Start Your Weekend

🏆 First Watch — 26 Locations, Almost All A’s

• 🟢 First Watch #1042 Brandon — A (99.3)
• 🟢 First Watch #252 Brandon — A (99)
• 🟢 First Watch #1017 Tampa — A (99)
• 🟢 First Watch #243 Lutz — A (99)

First Watch is the gold standard for brunch cleanliness in Tampa Bay. With 26 locations across the region, nearly every one earns an A. Their worst Tampa Bay location still scores in the high 80s. Consistently clean kitchens across the board.

☕ Keke’s Breakfast Café — 17 Locations

• 🟢 Keke’s Tampa — A (98.3)
• 🟢 Keke’s University Park — A (97)
• 🟢 Keke’s Lutz — A (96.5)

Another Florida brunch staple doing things right. Most locations land in the A range. One exception: the Riverview location dropped to an F (57) — a significant outlier for the brand.

🧇 Waffle House — 26 Locations, Surprisingly Clean

• 🟢 Waffle House Largo — A (100)
• 🟢 Waffle House Seminole — A (99.5)
• 🟢 Waffle House Treasure Island — A (99)

Yes, really. Waffle House gets a bad rap, but the Tampa Bay locations are overwhelmingly clean. The Largo location has a perfect 100 score. Don’t judge a restaurant by its décor.

🍁 Maple Street Biscuit Company — 6 Locations

• 🟢 Maple Street Seminole — A (98.3)
• 🟡 Maple Street Clearwater — B (92.3)
• 🟡 Maple Street Riverview — B (90.5)

Solid across the board, nothing below a B. If you love Southern-style biscuits and want a clean kitchen, Maple Street delivers.

• 🟢 Brunch Munch — A (100) — St. Petersburg
• 🟢 Brinner Cafe — A (100) — Tampa
• 🟢 Bacon Egg’N Cheese — A (100) — Brandon
• 🟢 Naked Apron — A (100) — New Port Richey
• 🟢 Good Day Cafe — A (100) — Safety Harbor
• 🟢 Point Chaud Coffee & Crepes — A (100) — St Pete Beach

• 🟢 Bradenton — A (97.5) ✅
• 🟡 Clearwater Beach — B (87) ⚠️
• 🟡 Tampa — B (86.8) ⚠️
• 🟠 Clearwater — C (79.3) ❌

🔴 Eggs Up Grill Riverview — F (12/100)

The lowest-scoring brunch spot in all of Tampa Bay. Their February 2026 inspection turned up 7 critical violations in a single visit: improper cold holding, raw food stored over ready-to-eat, unsanitized surfaces, no hair restraints, toxic substances improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for undercooked food. They passed the callback, but a score of 12 out of 100 is as bad as it gets.

→ See full inspection history

🔴 Metro Diner St. Petersburg — F (51/100)

Their March 2026 inspection hit them with 8 critical violations: improper cooking temps, raw food cross-contamination, unsanitized surfaces, no hair restraints, toxic substances, and no date marking on ready-to-eat food. An administrative complaint was recommended. The other Tampa Bay Metro Diner locations range from C to B — St. Pete is the worst by far.

→ See full inspection history

🔴 Egg Haven Cafe St. Petersburg — F (31.3/100)

Another St. Pete spot struggling with basics. January 2026 brought 5 critical violations including cold holding issues, cross-contamination, and no date marking. Two inspections in 3 days — they failed the first and barely cleared the callback.

→ See full inspection history

🔴 IHOP Plant City — F (38/100)

The worst IHOP in the region by a wide margin. Most Tampa Bay IHOPs score in the A-B range, but Plant City is an outlier at F.

→ See full inspection history

	Chain	Score Range	Verdict
🟢	First Watch	A (95-99)	Best bet
🟢	Keke’s	A-B (86-98)	Very consistent
🟢	Waffle House	A (95-100)	Surprisingly great
🟢	Maple Street	A-B (87-98)	Solid
🟡	Another Broken Egg	A-C (79-98)	Check location
🟡	Denny’s	A-B (88-99)	Mostly good
🟡	IHOP	A-F (38-98)	Hit or miss
🔴	Metro Diner	F-B (51-93)	Risky

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