It is not a dead mall, but it sure feels like it is dying. There are a lot of empty stores here, and the anchors even look like they are just waiting for the inevitable. In fact, the mall area between the stores feels a little like "no mans land" where shoppers have to rush from store to store to avoid criminal confrontation. The people were friendly and the lights were on. I guess there's not much more to say about that.

I recently visited University Mall in Tampa, Florida, and regrettably, my experience fell far short of expectations. This once-thriving shopping center appears to have seen better days, with the current state of the mall leaving much to be desired. The overall atmosphere and condition of the mall can best be described as decrepit, which was both disappointing and disheartening. Upon arrival, one of the first things that struck me was the lack of cleanliness throughout the mall. Common areas and walkways were not well-maintained, with visible dirt and debris that seemed to have been neglected for some time. This lack of attention to cleanliness contributed to an unwelcoming environment that detracted significantly from the shopping experience. Moreover, the vitality of the mall has evidently diminished, as evidenced by the numerous vacant storefronts. It was surprising and somewhat unsettling to see that many of the stores were no longer open for business. The absence of these retail outlets not only limits the shopping options available to visitors but also impacts the ambiance of the mall, creating a somber and deserted feel that is far from the bustling shopping hub it once was. The few stores that were open seemed to struggle with foot traffic, which is understandable given the mall's current state. It was disconcerting to walk through large sections of the mall without seeing the vibrant activity that characterizes healthy shopping centers. This lack of vibrancy has a cascading effect, influencing not only the consumer experience but also the potential success of the remaining businesses. In conclusion, my visit to University Mall in Tampa was markedly disappointing. The mall's deteriorated condition, coupled with a significant number of closed stores, presents a stark contrast to the vibrant shopping destination it once was. It is my hope that efforts will be made to revitalize and restore the mall to its former glory, not only for the sake of the businesses within but also for the community it serves. Until such improvements are made, it is unlikely that I will return or recommend this mall to others.

I visited University Mall today & parked on the 2nd level in the parking garage & i want to know why there is a metal plate with four screws sticking up out the ground.This will be a natural disaster for someonea car tires. Please get this removed!!!!!

This mall was quite bad for the business of all kinds. Even Macy's and Dillard's could not afford to stay here and maintain their businesses. The shopping options were pretty limited and unsatisfactory. There were not so many things for the customer to get involved and even the set up were dark. Lack of ornaments. The only thing here that made the mall unlike a big abandoned building was the movie theater that attracted lots of students and residents living in the neighborhood, perhaps.

It shouldn’t be called a mall at all! Very poor service and most of the stores are shut! Not hygienic or well maintained. This mall definitely needs a revamp! Don’t even try Looks Cinema, it’s worse! If you go for a late night show, be careful. There are much better malls in the Tampa Bay Area, visit those instead!

I come once or twice a year to see what progress has been made. Nothing! Just a shell with a couple open stores. There is still a food court with a few good vendors. I wish they would speed it up a little. The upgrade plans look very inviting.

The mall hasn't been the same in years and the riot didn't help it at all , the Chinese food is the best in town best belive it , other than that it's barley survived and the upgrades where useless, the random cars trying to stunt at times cause a wild disturbance. Unsafe area but if you're about yours and used to the hood your fine 😁😈 just ghetto fabulous.

Great place to go when you have free time on the weekend, a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket, and a beautiful loved one by your side! Great enjoyable atmosphere, with some great stores that have nice temtatious expensive things to blow your money on! What can you say , It is a great place & certainly an awesome time and fun to let lose a little and enjoy some of the things that make you feel good inside and out! Great place to splurge a bit...⌚️👠💻👜👡👔💍🛍✒️👓🕶👝👞💄👟🧢👛😊🤗

Enjoying an evening with my mom as she progress with walking by herself

Used to be a cool mall back in the day. It can be a bit sketchy, so as a female go with a friend or two. Most of the stores are shutdown, but in my opinion, they have the best sneaker options/sneakers sales in their stores (footlocker, finish line, snipes) than other tampabay area malls, besides Brandon mall. (International does not have the variety, and rarely have sales on sneakers like university)

Good place to shop and eat. Must stop in portellas have a dog piece of cake or a cake shake. All 3 are delicious. Before shopping that is.

Someone from top golf told us there was a golf shop here but to our surprise, as we arrive to this mall, it was a on its last legs. Buildings all around are being demolished! Barely any stores are opened. Do not waste your time, avoid this place

It's the most depressing mall I've ever been too. All the clothing stores are TEMU and AMAZON quality. It's pretty dead looking and a lot of stores are straight up closed. It is clean and the music is nice, but that's it. It'd be better if it was a school or a church.

Great community resource and Fab Lab. Wish we had one in my local community close to my home and accessible to those in South Sarasota.

Good place to spend time. Have a mix of places like Entertainment, Shopping, Food court, Play areas for kids and Ample car park.

My grandkids love to play in the indoor playground and go upstairs for a quick bite to eat

Not many stores left but it seems to be coming back... Maybe. I did find these Jordan 3s at Finish Line way under retail. And these AF1 '07s at Snipes for under $50. Worth checking the place out.

I went to this mall after 4 or 5 years. It was a very sad experience. Once upon a time University Mall was a nice mall to shopping, unfortunately today looks like a white ugly brick outside, old and outdated inside. FoodCourt and restroom area with homeless around.I went to Bath and Body Works for something that is out of stock in the malls in my neighborhood. I’ll never comeback again. Goodbye UM 😐

I’ve been there all hours and feel this mall is great. Very clean and a great atmosphere. The mall attendants and businesses were so friendly. I wish there were more event happenings here to promote the businesses and mall. So much potential!!!

Took my family yesterday. We had a decent time. Enjoyed the food court. Stopped in at a few stores. Husband really enjoys the hobby store there. Not very many people which was nice, but the mall seems like it's dying. All the stores were well lit as if there was no atmosphere(I get it, theft deterrent). Lots of empty closed down stores. It's a really nice mall, hate to see it so sad. As well as was really hoping to see some Christmas decorations like brandon mall, but didn't see any at all. Will definitely go back, we just like brandon more.

It's pretty much a ghost town and a Swap-meet as intended by the racist, Tampa Politicians. They're trying to destroy this neighborhood because the current occupants are not their desires occupants.

In this locality it is a small mall. A couple of the mall's stores are particularly well-liked. The food court and look dine in theater are located on the second floor. The mall food court offers Indian, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine.There is a Burlington in the mall. Burlington stays open until 10 p.m. even though the mall closes at 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 p.m. on weekends. You can find Bath and body Works,Claires,Rackroom shoes stores on first floor!

It is a small mall and many shops remain close most of the time. But we also have stores like bath & body works and Burlington which are worth visiting. The mall closes early but Burlington remains open till 10/11pm and it has another entry behind the mall.

Not a lot of stores are open. I personally would not go to the mall except for Hot topic or Spencer's. I wouldn't stay there. I wouldn't eat there. There's really nothing to do. It definitely needs some more things in the mall. It sucks

Although the mall feels quite empty, there are very affordable and fashionable stores located in this mall. The reason why I chose to rate it 3 stars is because it has a strange musty smell. It's located in a prime area and with proper attention could flourish.

The mall is two stories and not very busy. Only the food court and dine in cinema is upstairs. There are many stores but overall the mall is not crowded. They close by 8:00 pm as near as I can figure. We were in the mall past 8:00 and Dillards closed their doors to the mall so we had to walk around the mall to get to our car. Burlington is open from the outside till 11:00.

I love my favorite hat jersey story they got the best hat and jersey 💯💯💯💯

Great price with tons of food given! Great service and friendly. Definitely reccomend!

Thank you Del,for your help and patience yesterday as you wheeled me to my car,such a wonderful gentleman, Thank You again for your help!!! God Bless you for your caring heart. With much Thanks!!!,Mary Rivera

Too many empty stores nothing going during the summer to draw people there. Sprouts will opening soon hopefully it will bring more life there. The movie theater is best thing there. Got a lot parking half dead 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️ 🧟‍♀️ zombie land

It’s weird to shop in a mall where half the spaces are empty and pieces of the building are being demolished. I hope that it’s not becoming another open-air mall with how hot Florida is getting. I came here to check out a store called Anime-zing, which I recommend for any anime enjoyers out there. The Hot Topic gets some gems as well. The other stores aren’t for me.

Half the places were closed, only jewelry stores, so if you just want to look at jewelry you can't afford, not worth the drive there. ☹️

Like seriously just tear it down and build a new mall. It's only life is the local neighborhood. Nobody travels to get there because all the major shoe stores are gone. The designer stores are high priced on clothes celebrities don't come and buy.

Sad too see all the big box stores go , a lot of small small stores still there , the movie theater got a make over which is nice , but we do all our shopping at Brandon Mall & International Mall , 4 stars because as l said the big box stores are gone , but your mileage may vary..honesty is the best policy..😁🙏 keeping it real...

One good thing the mall food court has added to its already existing good choices is the Indian kitchen. A great place we always went to dine for their buffets which was the best in town. Glad they started it back but don’t have it on Sundays which is when we always went when they were in the plaza across from the mall. The mall is like a maze hard to get in. Lots of stores are vacant. They should put a sign or something that says the buffet is open now it’s a hidden gem inside the mall.

HOT TOPIC is the only reason to keep coming here.. they are well stocked and the staff is very friendly... other than that, it is so sad to see what has happened to all the other retailers. Virtually every store and kiosk closed up or replaced by some off-brand substitute.

Owner is very kind and friendly. He takes good care of the customer in a very unique manner. Explains why if he can't get your shoes completed in your timing. My trust level went up after my final pick up today.

Longhorn has perfect staff and food reasonably priced. The salad with strawberries is a meal in itself. Steaks are always done exactly as I want them.

Most shops are gone. Worst place in there was traffic shoes. The most rude and unprofessional Middle -Eastern appearing owner, I have EVER encountered. (They usually have a very great reputation of being one of the best in hospitality) So I'm in shock. He said F..CK you to my friend, who is a professional woman. (Supervisor of a CPA firm) Mall administration didn't do anything after a couple of complaints. I think they like their shop-lease money more than their customers. Traffic shoe owner was also extremely rude to me on another visit, just for asking a question regarding a discount. So much, that a group of customers approached me in the parking lot, saying, they couldn't believe, how rude and unprofessional the owner acted. Needless to say, I will never be back. University mall is ok for the food court and watch/key services booth. I also like their dine-in movie theater. The mall is known in inner circles as the Ghetto Mall. I hope they revamp the mall to become more customer service-friendly. They are in the middle of renovation. Hence,I have high hopes,as it has potential.

Excellent customer service.. 😊 Excellent layout and excellent product and quality.. ☺

After all the bad things I heard about this mall I was actually impressed and liked all the different stores they have. Not to mention the Movie Grill!! Parking is awesome as well. We snagged a spot right by the door which makes a big difference when you have younger children. Definitely going back°

I have been here on several occasions in the past and not to long ago. This Mall is not worth going too let alone they are taking too long to finish it. The owners are wasting their money for nothing. I doubt it would make any profit. The reason being that, if you put something there that would benefit the people and the owners, it would be worth it then. If I had the money I would redevelop the whole mall except the movie theater and make it out of something fun and exciting to go. I have the idea for it, but don’t have the funds. But we will see if it comes up and not fall or fail with what they are trying to make it out of.

I have always loved this mall,they still have some great stores in here & an awesome barbershop,rides for kids & a food court.Never an issue with parking, don't sleep on them because they are still thriving.

They are tearing it down for .....an apartment complex. Tampa is over crowded with apartments. The owners should've renovated this mall and improved it. Now there will be no mall in the university area. Major setback if you ask me.

Portillo's is the best. The italuan beef sandwich is wonderful. The milk shakes are thick and rich. Unique decor and spacious. Have not had a bad meal there since ooening. All ages enjoy this layout.

I visited University Mall today & parked on the 2nd level in the parking garage & i want to know why there is a metal plate with four screws sticking up out the ground.This will be a natural disaster for someone's car tires. Please get this removed.

It's a nice place to visit on a very hot day. Decent movie theater. Half the stores in there seem to be closed for good mostly on the West end. I am not sure how long they can keep the doors open so do your part and visit.

This location definitely needs an upgrade and more stores. The few times I have visited it has been fairly empty which is a perk when I go to Bath and Body Works candle sales🤣

Nice spot for shopping if you’re in the USF area. Had a super fun onewheel float around campus, aside from the spider web ambush. It’s Florida ppl, stay ready.

Only few stores left, this mall is a former shadow of itself. Brings back old memories for us locals in the area. Hopefully they make it better with all this construction.

This mall is still pretty nice . The owner Micheal something was waiting to be able to buy all the property around the mall feels like it took forever lol . But construction is finally under way and this mall is going to finally expand and hopefully come up finally it's a nice mall decent stores for now

I'm always in here for either bath n body works or kids for less.. the play area is in need of a good shampoo for that filthy carpet they want your kids bare foot to walk on and the hand sanitizer always empty..all the play surface statues need to be wiped down daily, yuck they're turning black from kids dirty hands and feet CLEAN THIS AREA UNIVERSITY MALL...SIGN SAYS WIPED DOWN OFTEN...IVE NEVER SEEN IT WIPED

Well,lots of walking,not many people,met real nice security guard,who helped me,boy,she walks ALOT of MILES A DAY!! Food was good, I'll go back!!!

They have it all.. name it they have from ,stores to even and indoor, cinema,and diner,and play ground while u spoke shop, the kids could be Playing accords 🤝 supervises by someone else..AMÉN

The kids play area is smelly and stained down to its core. I know the mall is coming down adnwe are thankful just for an indoor play area, but really, you can't spare and employee and 2 hours of deep carpet cleaning once a week? The quality of store in the mall keeps falling and the mom andnpop stores are fighting harder and harder to get the customers in and the looming presence of construction everywhere makes that a nearly impossible task. Also, some if the store have merchandise in the windows and on the shelves, but are NEVER open. WTH? The movie theater is nice and it is updated as possible, but they have their own issues.

The food was delicious especially the pizza bread chips for the spinach dip. My friend said the men's bathroom was horrible and disgusting. He also stated that he would have left the establishment had he seen the men's bathroom before ordering our food.

You can tell either one I've gotten old or this place has changed a lot. Demolition everywhere on the outside, the parking garage is so dark (a little creepy), and empty stores. Hopefully, whoever is trying to revisit the past to make the future better best wishes. One thing I was happy in sharing was my college days with my daughter at Perry's in the food court. Very shocked they were still there. That rice and 2 meat special got me through, lol. No, really, I'm glad to see someone making good of useful space.

Very dead and empty. You could literally count how many stores are left open. It used to be really nice. They just need to shut down altogether