Restaurant critic Laura Reiley dined out for nearly 200 meals this past year, so she knows where the best restaurants are in Tampa Bay.  As we roll out her Top 100 Restaurants, here are her picks for ethnic eateries (except for Asian, which are here). Your fave's not listed? Let us know in the comments section. And if you want all 100 in a handy guide, be sure to pick up a Weekend section in Thursday's St. Petersburg Times.

Full Top 100 list | Search for another restaurant/bar

Best Cajun, creole or Southern
Craig Chapman nearly single-handedly brought the Big Easy back to St. Petersburg in 2008 with the opening of Grillside Central and Chappy's Louisiana Kitchen. The third of his trifecta, a soul food emporium slated for 400 Beach Drive, looks like a no-go, but downtown St. Petersburg seems to be swimming in shrimp and grits, collards and fried chicken, especially if you count Savannah’s farther west on Central Avenue. Savannah’s offers upscale spins on classic Southern dishes (fried chicken comes with a swirl of cracked pepper gravy, fried green tomatoes arrive atop a red pepper coulis, and there’s a drop-dead Georgia peach julep). Grillside Central is comfort food, pure and simple, with reasonable prices, rib-sticking breakfast offerings and meatloaf that’s hard to beat. Chappy's zeroes in on the more nuanced French side of New Orleans cuisine, from a delicate pecan trout to sophisticated Creole sauces — more of a white-tablecloth, date-night destination.
     Grillside Central, 437 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; (727) 820-9200   
     Chappy's Louisiana Kitchen, 247 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; (727) 896-5118   
     Savannah's Cafe, above, 1113 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; (727) 388-4371, savannahsstpete.com

Best Ethiopian
Last year I wouldn't have been able to round up any Ethiopian. This year it's a bounty, with Queen of Sheba and Abol Bunna, not far from each other in Tampa. Both offer the traditional, communal-
style array of fairly mild meat and legume stews scooped atop elastic injera bread. Queen of Sheba has the edge for warm and effusive servers willing to guide the newbie; Abol Bunna is more able to satisfy a range of tastes (they offer a small number of Italian dishes, too) and offers a lovely
traditional coffee ceremony.
     Queen of Sheba, 3636 Henderson Blvd., Tampa; (813) 872-6000, ethiopianrestauranttampa.com 
     Abol Bunna, 3644 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa; (813) 964-6889 

Best Greek
Say the words and eyes drift north to Tarpon Springs. They come and go up there, but Hellas Restaurant has remained stalwart in its commitment to flaming cheese and lamb shanks with spaghetti since 1970. In 2008, the Karamountzos  family brought the real deal a little farther south to an enormous space in Clearwater: Greektown Grille has been an instant hit with live Greek music, chargrilled octopus, moussaka wedges the size of cinder blocks and lots of "opa" cheer. Athenian Garden moved to new digs in downtown St. Petersburg, but the number of eat-in tables is a little slim, so think more grab-a-Greek-salad (heavy on the hidden potato salad).
    Hellas Restaurant, 785 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs; (727) 943-2400, hellas-restaurant.com 
    Greektown Grille, 1230 Cleveland St., Clearwater; (727) 447-7800   
     Athenian Garden, 21 Third St. N, St. Petersburg, plus other locations; (727) 822-2000, atheniangarden.com

Best Indian
My favorite of the moment is Cilantro, a lovely sprawling eatery opened in October 2007 (its sister restaurant is in Jacksonville). The food has punch and heat, with especially good vegetable dishes and breads. But Medhu and Naresh Sharma's  Raga Asian Indian Restaurant offers a Northern Indian buffet during the week, a Sunday grand buffet showcasing the lesser-known vegetarian delights from Southern India, and Saturday morning cooking classes (the same folks are opening Green Chile Indian Bistro this week  on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg).
In the category of Indian food you'd find in England, I have two favorites: The long-standing St. Petersburg Moon Under Water is a reliable purveyor of tasty chicken tikka masala (I was also a fan of its short-lived take-away sibling Tanglin's, just closed), and over in Tampa Mad Dogs and Englishmen serves nice masala cod and chicken curry, with several other slow-burn dishes.
     Cilantro Indian Cuisine, 11009 N 56th St., Tampa; (813) 983-8220, cilantrojax.com 
     Raga Asian Indian Restaurant, 16080 U.S. 19 N, Clearwater; (727) 531-6400, ragaflorida.com   
     Moon Under Water, 332 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg; (727) 896-6160, tmuw.net or themoonunderwater.com   
     Mad Dogs and Englishmen, 4115 S MacDill Ave., Tampa; (813) 832-3037, maddogs.com   

Best Italian
It's a big category, with massive regional difference, price difference, fanciness difference and so forth complicating matters. For a dressup splurge, Pelagia at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza is at the summit, executive chef Fabrizio Schenardi  having been named the hotel chain’s top chef last year (unsurprising once you've tasted his pomegranate-marinated duck breast with white polenta and grappa-red wine sauce). But when you’re looking for an al dente heap of bow-ties ladled with a smoky/spicy arrabiata sauce, eaten while wearing flip-flops in a funky garden, head to Pia's Trattoria in Gulfport. Pane Rustica's dinner menu continues to be swoon-worthy, from gnocchi with tenderloin, mushrooms and fava beans to lobster ravioli with lump crab, neither of which will break the bank. And for all the Italian staples — good olive oil or paper-thin slices of prosciutto, not to mention the country's largest aged provolone — Mazzaro Italian Market prevails.
     Pelagia Trattoria, 4200 Jim Walter Blvd., Tampa; (813) 313-3235, pelagiatrattoria.com 
     Pia's Trattoria, 3054 Beach Blvd. S, Gulfport; (727) 327-2190
     Pane Rustica, 3225 S MacDill Ave., Tampa; (813) 902-8828, panerusticabakery.com 
     Mazzaro Italian Market, 2909 22nd Ave. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 321-2400, mazzarosmarket.com

Best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
Temple Terrace has a number of laudable Lebanese restaurants. For sheer falafel splendor, visit Petra, which also houses a friendly Middle Eastern grocery (good pickles and hummus). The sandwich is a fair-priced $3.49, three crunchy spheres drizzled with tahini and tucked into pita. Based on initial visits, the just-opened Zekos Mediterranean Grill in St. Petersburg is also a winner. Housed in a tidy, new building, Khaled El Jamal’s order-at-the-counter quick-serve specializes in gyros, shawarma and addictive deep-fried veggies and plank-style fries. My affection for Byblos has waned in recent visits, which is why finding SoHo Oasis Cafe has been a boon: a phalanx of hookahs at the ready, delicious vegetarian mezze with lick-the-plate-clean versions of labneh and baba ghanoush, and lots of fun people-watching.
     Petra Restaurant, 4812 E Busch Blvd., Tampa; (813) 984-9800 
     Zekos Mediterranean Grill, 4880 54th Ave. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 525-9356 
     SoHo Oasis Cafe, 410 S Howard Ave., Tampa; (813) 849-7482, sohooasis.com

Best Mexican
Despite a little bobble on the name last year (Mariposa Mexican Grille became Mekenita Mexican Grille after a restaurant of the same name in Colorado started grousing), Rand Packer's cozy regional Mexican hot spot is going strong, with a second location slated to open in Trinity in 2009. The former Roy's chef devotes his time now to family-friendly tacos, sopes and agua frescas. Chef Chris Fernandez continues to bring the area nuanced Oaxacan cuisine at the long-standing Red Mesa, as co-owner Peter Veytia gets his next venture up and running at Red Mesa Cantina. The new locale will feature affordably priced tacos and ceviches, while the flagship has loftier culinary aims, pairing shrimp and sea scallops with spicy chorizo and poblanos, or grilling skirt steak rubbed rosy with chimayo chile. Casa Tina moved into a bigger, more luxurious space early last year and continues to especially delight the vegetarian community with its veggie and even vegan spins on casual, affordable, fun Mex.
     Mekenita Mexican Grille, 17623 N Dale Mabry Highway, Lutz; (813) 264-1212, mekenitamexicangrill.com 
     Red Mesa, 4912 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 527-8728, redmesarestaurant.com   
     Casa Tina, 365 Main St., Dunedin; (727) 734-9226, casatina.com