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 (98.5)
• 🟢 First Watch #1017 Tampa — A (98.5)
• 🟡 First Watch #243 Lutz — B (91.5)

First Watch remains one of the best bets for brunch cleanliness in Tampa Bay. With 26 locations across the region, most earn A’s though the Lutz location has slipped to a B. Consistently clean kitchens across the board.

☕ Keke’s Breakfast Café — 17 Locations

• 🟢 Keke’s Tampa — A (99.5)
• 🟢 Keke’s University Park — A (98.3)
• 🟢 Keke’s Lutz — A (96.5)

Another Florida brunch staple doing things right. Most locations land in the A range — including Lutz, which has climbed back up. One major exception: the Riverview location has dropped to an F (66) — a serious outlier for the brand that warrants caution.

🧇 Waffle House — 26 Locations, Surprisingly Clean

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

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 (98.5)
• 🟡 Maple Street Clearwater — B (94.8)
• 🟡 Maple Street Riverview — B (94.5)

Maple Street has improved significantly since our last update. Seminole climbed to an A, while Clearwater recovered from a C to a solid B. Riverview also tightened up. A much better picture across the board.

• 🟢 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 — C (82.8)
• 🟡 Clearwater Beach — B (90.3)
• 🟡 Tampa — B (92.3)

🔴 Eggs Up Grill Riverview — F (12.5/100)

Now one of the lowest-scoring brunch spots in all of Tampa Bay. Multiple complaint inspections in late 2025 and early 2026 turned up heavy violation counts — including visits with 19 and 21 violations. The situation has gotten worse, not better, and they’ve dropped to a failing F grade. Avoid until they demonstrate real improvement.

→ See full inspection history

🔴 Metro Diner St. Petersburg — F (53.5/100)

Their March 2026 inspection hit them with 17 violations and an administrative complaint was recommended. The situation has continued to deteriorate — they’ve dropped from a C to an outright F. The weakest Metro Diner in the area by a wide margin.

→ See full inspection history

🔴 Egg Haven Cafe St. Petersburg — F (29.3/100)

A St. Pete spot that has gone from struggling to failing. January 2026 brought 21 violations on the initial inspection, followed by callbacks that still logged double-digit issues. Now F-graded with a score of just 29.3 — one of the worst brunch spots in the region.

→ See full inspection history

🔴 IHOP Plant City — F (50.5/100)

The worst IHOP in the region has dropped from a C to an F. A February 2026 complaint inspection found 19 violations. Most Tampa Bay IHOPs score in the A-B range, but Plant City has gone from outlier to outright failure.

→ See full inspection history

	Chain	Score Range	Verdict
🟢	First Watch	A-B (91-99)	Best bet
🟢	Keke’s	A (96-99)	Very consistent
🟢	Waffle House	A (99-100)	Surprisingly great
🟢	Maple Street	A-B (94-98)	Much improved
🟡	Another Broken Egg	A-C (82-97)	Check location
🟡	Denny’s	A-B (88-99)	Mostly good
🔴	IHOP	A-F (50-98)	Hit or miss
🔴	Metro Diner	F-B (53-93)	Risky

🔍 Search any Tampa Bay restaurant
Check before you go →