About Cigar Castle

Cigar Castle is Tampa’s home for serious cigar smokers — a combination premium cigar shop, walk-in humidor, and full lounge built over more than two decades by owner Atul Solanki.

One Man’s Dream

Atul Solanki came to America and was taking classes at USF with a dream of becoming an engineer when he saw an opportunity to purchase what was, at the time, a drive-thru beverage store. When the building that housed it became available, he purchased it and slowly began expanding the business. In 2003, he took an interest in the cigar community and opened Cigar Castle in the space that is now our seating area and a few cabinet humidors.

Building the Humidor

In 2006, Cigar Castle expanded into what was then the largest self-contained walk-in humidor in the Southeast. With that expansion came a carefully curated selection that grew to over 1,200 open boxes — and Cigar Castle soon became a mecca for boutique, rare, and hard-to-find cigars, drawing serious collectors well beyond Tampa.

The Pivo Lounge

The natural evolution for a classic cigar lounge was to start offering libations to pair with your cigars. In 2010, Atul opened Pivo Lounge — featuring the largest draft wall in the cigar community: 50 carefully selected lines, almost exclusively import, local, or small craft breweries, alongside over 200 bottles of open liquor. It quickly became a destination for cigar smokers traveling from across the country and around the world.

Expanding Online

With the launch of our website in mind, construction began in 2024 to seal off a portion of the lounge and expand the humidor further, making room to offer even more boutique brands. Today, Cigar Castle carries over 8,000 unique products, giving customers access to one of the widest varieties of cigars in Tampa — now available to the rest of the country through cigarcastle.com.

23 Years and Counting

Through it all, one thing has remained constant: Atul Solanki and the classic cigar lounge atmosphere he’s built and maintained for the past 23 years. Whether you’re a longtime regular or stopping in for the first time, the goal has always been the same — a relaxed, knowledgeable, no-pretense place to enjoy a great cigar.

If you’re ever in Tampa, swing by and say hey to Atul and the staff at 11724 N 56th St. We’d love to have you.