Westfield Citrus Park

I have to admit I haven’t been to the Citrus Park Westfield in a long time. Not because of any other reason than we moved over a year ago and I just never get out that way, but today I did and I found exactly what I needed!
My first stop was Macy’s for the dreaded swimsuit… and WOW! They had a fantastic selection that helped me bring into the dressing room a whopping EIGHT suits to try on! EIGHT! That’s a gigantic number for me and not only that — I loved 4 of them and picked out my favorite and was on my way!
Since that was so successful, I decided to look for a dress for my anniversary… not so lucky here. There seemed to be a disconnect between DRESSY sequins and work dresses… but, nothing just fun and summery that wasn’t that long style (I am WAAAAY too short and don’t have time for taking it to get altered) or that handkerchief hem style that is way too young for me… at least I think so — mainly because we wore that in the 70’s…so if I can say THAT… I’m too old to re-​wear the trend now! ;-)
On to wandering… I went around the mall, only to the center so I missed the other half, but I was really just window-​shopping at this point because I’d lost steam. But, I was still enjoying the mall. Alot of things have changed — they have a tattoo parlor, and some teen clothing stores I’ve never heard of before… but, mostly I was surprised by how quiet it was. Such a pretty mall and not alot of people were there. I’m sure that will change once summer comes, but I felt a little sad that it wasn’t busy because it has alot to offer.
I must make the effort to go up there to shop during the day, and encourage people to so it doesn’t go the way of University Mall… that would be a shame.

Awesome one story mall I love to come to. There are some good stores here including ” Abercromie and Finch, American Eagle, Hoolister, Sears, JC Penney, and a really big food court. This mall has Red Robin Burgers, and they are gourmet burgers as advertised and Grimaldi’s pizzeria. There’s Blondie’s cookies, Auntie Anne’s pretzels and a yogurt shop. Overall, pretty good mall to shop and hang out at. Maybe in the future an Old Navy store (one of my favorites) will open up.

We stopped by a few jewelry stores and ate in the food court. This mall kind of reminds me of the brandon mall except less crowded. We will definitely come back to the theatre next time we’re in the mood for a movie.

This mall is right up the road from me, so when I feel the need for some shopping therapy, this is the place I frequent.
Size does count! Just like Goldilocks, some malls can be too big, some can be too small. Citrus Park is just right.
They have covered parking in the rear so on those hot muggy summer days, you don’t have to burn your digits and other various body parts.
Macy’s, Dillard’s, Jc Penny’s and a very old tired Sears are some of the anchors. I like perusing Brookstones and Teavanna as well as some of the toy stores.
They have the requisite food mall and movie theater though I don’t usually go for mall food. Starbucks for go juice, gelato and macarons for quick bites.
It’s clean and not usually crowded, a good place to keep cool in the summer.

Citrus Park Mall is the closest mall in relation to where i live and i’m happy to say that. It’s a great mall compared to some others in the Tampa area. I particularly like the «town» theme of the mall inside. Very unique. Citrus Park Mall has a wide variety of shoppes and restaurants. There’s also a movie theater attached which is an added bonus. Parking is a breeze also.

This mall seems to be closing one store at a time. A lot of teens hanging out with nothing to do. Going the way of the university mall. Shame that it’s happening it was a nice place.

This mall is by far my favorite. Placed about 10 minutes from my house, it’s always been very clean and recently their selection has even started improving. A very mixed crowd of people go here. Food court has a decent selection. However my favorite thing about this mall is how it is usually well attended but not overly packed like some of the other malls in the Tampa Bay Area.

Easy to access, clean and good selection of stores.
This open, airy mall is usually my first choice of shopping venues for a number of reasons. One, it feels open air, but is actually enclosed which to be honest is critical in Florida where the weather changes every 5 minutes. Two, they have a nice store selection although it does change periodically and it is frustrating to lose a favorite but the mall is not responsible for the economy and demographics of the shoppers. Three, parking is easy except right off the N & S entrances so just pick your spot without a problem anywhere else — also there is a parking garage although strangely, it does not have a completely covered walkway to the mall which is not helpful in a storm. For those who do not like to shop it is a gem because you can easily find and navigate and exit without getting bogged down in massive crowds.
There is a movie theatre inside the mall as well. It gets crowded with teens and avoid on a rainy day because it is understandably swamped. It is a nice option! The food Court is average, the play area is very popular with families as is the Carousel and bounce jumping. There are a couple of regular restaurants as well but better choices across the street in the outlying plaza.
Recommendations for different types of shoppers:
Shopping easily with good choices: Citrus Park Mall and Westshore Mall
People Watching and Eating — not so much about shoppnig: International Plaza
High End Deals in a smaller venue: Tampa Premium Outlets
Outdoor walking mall with good festivals — Wiregrass Mall
Completely dis-​functional: Brandon Mall — no parking and massed crowds blocking everything
Unfortunately kind of run down: University Mall

I’ve heard bad things about the food court. There was a health inspection saying a customer found a roach in their food. They also need a Checkers or something good in the food court and there’s no Dairy Queen!
Other than that, the stores available are o.k. I just go to Sears. Not the best mall.

So to me this is the best mall around the Tampa area. We have two others but one your most likely to get shot at and the other is just to expensive. Citrus park mall is just right. There’s lots of stores to choose from with a really nice food court. This mall also has a movie theater inside witch is really nice as well.
The location is awesome there’s lots of other places to shop as well. The plaza across the street has a best buy and a bed bath beyond along with a few other cool spots to shop/​eat. Even if your closer to a different mall it’s worth the drive to visit citrus park mall.

We stopped by here on a rainy day during our vacation. We have two kids and they needed to run off some energy so we thought we could burn off a couple hours and some energy here. They have nice stores, I love H&M! They had the usual mall stores but also some specialty stores I haven’t sent to often. The place is spacious and clean and not too crowded, They also have good kid activities, nice carousel and a jump activity which both my kids tried and enjoyed. I also saw a small indoor ice skating experience that looked interesting but we didn’t try, maybe next time. They also have several play areas throughout for little ones. The food court is really nice, lots of option to please everyone. Plenty of seating as well. Nice place to spend a rainy day! I’m sure we’ll be back.

I don’t usually go to malls and when I do i ended up buying stuff. I like this mall due to fact that they have a lot of store choices. The mall is clean.

I’ve been coming to this mall ever since I moved into the area and its what I would describe as quintessential family mall. Nothing is too high end and most stores cater to a working family budget. Its expanded over the years by adding a Dicks Sporting Goods and some restaurants (Red Robin & Lombardis Pizza) and it has the usual slathering of Macys, Dillards, Sears, JCPennys lineup of big stores. It also has a Regal Cinema movie theater next to the food court so there’s plenty to do and eat. During the holidays, I liked that this mall isn’t very crowded though its usually consistently fairly busy. For what I would consider local roads leading to mall, I think they’ve done a good job routing traffic as well.

I just recently visited this mall for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was nice enough to piqué my curiosity and bring me back a few days later with a friend for some more exploring. I really liked the more open and spacious setting as compared to other malls generally, and even compared to other Westfield malls. I also enjoyed that there was a good amount of natural light throughout the building. It was not as big as some other area malls, but the good thing about that is that it wasn’t as exhausting to walk across and see everything. Anything that can’t be found within the mall itself can be found within less than a mile radius.

Some who’ve met me may be shocked to know that I hate shopping. I’m not a window shopper. I’m always on a mission when I go to the mall. This mall is really close to me, so I frequent it. It’s not the best mall, but it’s not the worst either.
You’ll find most of your commercial mall stores here with Macy’s, Dillard’s, Sears and JC Penny as anchors… not sure if Dick’s Sports qualifies as an anchor, but it has its own entrance from the outside too.
The food court is okay, but small in my opinion… however, there aren’t any food courts in Tampa malls that are even close to outstanding.
There’s a carousel at this mall, so the first time you go, you think that’s cool. I got on it once when my kids were younger only to regret it as it took my over an hour to get over my dizziness.
The restaurants available are mediocre chains: BJ’s, Grimaldi’s, Red Robin and Johnny Rockets.
This mall doesn’t meet all my needs. I’d like to see a Bebe, Ann Taylor, Old Navy, World Market and a Sbarros here. My frequent spots in this mall are Macy’s, Dillard’s, Chick-​fil-​A, the bourbon chicken place, Le Macaron, Teavana, Sephora, NY&Co, Cache, Auntie Ann’s (there are 2 locations) and Regal Cinemas. They just added a Pholicious here. Once they work out the kinks of being new I hope it’ll be as good as the one at Countryside Mall in Clearwater. Then I’d frequent it as well.
Stay away from the nail joints and eyebrow threading places here… they don’t care about service, only volume business. I must note that you must also stay away from any optical shops as the selection of frames are small and service is lacking.
I think the town design off the mall is cute. I don’t have issues finding parking here either… but I don’t care for parking at the main entrance.

Yup, this mall definitely lives up to its Westfield name. One of the cleaner Westfield’s that I have been too. The inside is great and the outside is nice. It’s not super hard to get in and out of this parking lot like some malls so that’s a big plus. This mall is filled with high and low end stores and has some more on the way.
Security here needs to beef up a little I think. The past couple times I’ve been there I’ve been bothered by people selling their CD’s, a little annoying but NBD.

Simply organized with a good selection of stores. This is a really nice mall and I enjoy going here.
They have a Starbucks but the line is laughable. There were over 20 people in line the last time I was there! I went into a store, returned something, browsed a bit, and left– and the same person who was at the end of the line when I originally passed was still there! You are much better off trying the local independent coffee shop about a mile down the road.
Parking is ample but can be a bit of a hassle on a busy day. I ended up parking wayyy far away from the entrance I wanted. But that was okay… it’s a mall and that happens.
I’ve been told by my friends who are moms that Citrus Park has the biggest selection of kids and baby clothes. So… there you go.
Also, they have a movie theater! I wouldn’t recommend it… Veterans is much better… but it is there if you feel like a movie.
Not bad and the focal point for this area, which is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Tampa.

I like a mall with a lot of choices.
What I don’t like is a mall that offers teeth whiting near a starbucks. Kinda creepy!
I wish this mall offered more in the way for women who are plus sized, there’s not a single store that caters exclusively to them. No Lane Bryant, no Avenue (though an Avenue is across the street). They do have plenty of lingerie stores: Victoria Secret, Fredericks & Soma, all nestled together. There are accessory stores galore and even a plethora of «hipster» clothing stores.
There really is something for everyone and it’s pretty centrally located to the upper Tampa area.

*** Forgive me for posting so many reviews… I needed to get rid of some that have been in my drafts folder for months!!! ***
We’ve been visiting this mall since it first opened. Tampa can get freakin’ hot in the summer, and air conditioned shopping like this can be cheap relief from the heat.
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FOOD IS MY MAIN SHOPPING MOTIVATION
If my wife promises to feed me, I’ll just about go anywhere!!! I can’t say I’ve actually ever bought anything at this mall with the exception of food and movie tickets. The Food Court has a great variety of places to eat and one place in particular that has become one of my favorite places to eat when visiting this city. Pepe’s Latin Café is a Florida chain, but don’t let it’s clinking chain status fool you. There are some good eats here and my favorite of all is the curry chicken and curry goat. I’ve had it in many places and theirs is in my top three ever.
Also located here is BJ’s restaurant, which I’m told was conceived and opened on the West Coast by the original owners of The Cheesecake Factory. We fell in and out of love quickly with BJ’s, but it’s been a while and we are due for a visit. The Avocado egg rolls used to be my favorite item. I’ll have to come back soon to see if I still feel the same way.
Across from BJ’s is Red Robin, another place we fell in and out of love with quickly and also a California chain. Their bottomless garlic fries used to be the thing of dreams! However something happened either with my taste buds or with their ingredients, because nothing here tastes as good as it once did. Not even the clam chowder, a menu item I would have once ranked in my top 8 favorites.
STEER CLEAR…
of the aggressive girls selling the skin exfoliants. They are cute, love to look you in the eye like your «man meat» and they make sure to touch you often during the sales process. Sadly this probably works on a lot of gullible guys. However… that sweet seductive sales girl turns pretty ugly when you choose not to buy. Thank goodness I’m not the type of dude that falls prey to a hot sales chick with a motive.
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SHOPPING FOR HER
Whoo Hooo, we finally bought something after 20+ visits. My wife got a few cute summer tops and I snuck off to surprise her with a bottle of perfume. NOTE TO SELF: Remember that your wife is extremely picky when it comes to perfumes no matter how much YOU like the scent.
I bought two perfumes and she returned them both. Oh, the shame. Seriously, who doesn’t like Tommy Girl and Dolce & Gabbana. After bringing them back and trying several more fragrances, she made a single purchase… only to return it 2 days later for the Tommy Girl! Yeah baby, I WIN!!!
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THE VERDICT
Leave the shopping to the women and hang out in the food court @ Pepe’s Latin Café. Or try Brookstone, which made for a excellent man-​sitter while my wife shopped. Oh how I could play with all the cool gadgets in that store all day! :-) Here’s something fun… go get a free hand massage by a cute girl and watch how they transform from a sweet and attentive to ice cold when you tell them «No thank you. You were great but I’m not buying!» Sweet justice, tho art beguiling!

Citrus Park mall is the only mall that does not give me anxiety as soon as I walk in. I personally hate shopping and avoid malls at all costs, but if I have to go to one– I will try to get to this one.
Even at it’s busiest times, it’s never very loud in the mall, and everything is always very clean. I also appreciate that the variety of stores– there are some more upscale ones, but it’s not as snobby as International.