Delicious food with a lively atmosphere and welcoming staff - what more could you ask for?…read more I visited Oak and Ola for a birthday dinner and had an amazing time. Rather than trying to search for parking, we just paid $20 for the lot right nearby and it worked out great for us. We had a large group and our waiter, Zachary, was amazing. He had plenty of recommendations, anecdotes, stories, and jokes to keep everyone happy and full. He was definitely a highlight for all of us. We had a variety of drinks, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed them. I had the Sacred Empress and was so impressed with the balance of flavors - mostly sweet with a slight punch from the serrano cilantro simple syrup. It sounds funky but trust me on this! We also split a bottle of the Lagar De Costa Albariño, at the recommendation of our waiter, and we all loved it. For food, we started with the Lobster Ravioli, Truffle Frites, Crispy Pork Belly Bites, Crunch Love Caesar Salad, and Olives. All were devoured and I think the crowd favorites were the Lobster Ravioli (though expensive, $26 for 3) and the Pork Belly Bites. For mains, most people tended to get either the Steak Frites or the Gulf Fish Amandine (which was snapper). My steak and another at the table were both way overcooked on the first go around but they very quickly remade them (and the fries) and got them back to us in 5 minutes, perfectly cooked. It was a delicious and filling dish. The Gulf Fish Amandine was also really tasty, but it felt like it was missing something like a starch. It's a very simple and classic dish. The Pork Chop was also well loved amongst the table and many people wished they got it after trying a bite! For dessert, you absolutely have to get the Toffee Cake - it was everyone's favorite dessert. Super soft, warm, and comforting, plus that vanilla ice cream just took it to another level. We also enjoyed the Chocolate Mousse, and the free birthday dessert they kindly brought out for us. Overall, the restaurant is fun and lively, with an eclectic feel in the mismatched dining sets and decor. I really loved how it felt. It's definitely a nicer spot for a date or celebration, but worth it!

Well, I gave it a try based on a local friends recommendation, but was very disappointed and…read morewished, as I left, that I had lunch at one of the many food stalls in Armature works. Ambiance was, it was a BEAUTIFUL, clean and very well maintained restaurant, including the rest rooms. Service was just as outstanding as the physical facility. EVERYONE we encountered was friendly, professional and said Hi! Unfortunately, their food was as 'on point' as the rest of the experience. We ordered the 'Roast Beef Sandwich' and the 'Avocado Shrimp Toast'. Ok, I'll start with the Roast Beef Sammy-Thick Cold Bread, not room temp, not toasted, but thick cold bread (of which I ate about 1/4 of it. Now the Roast Beef, cold (not a problem) but sliced just too thick so when I took a bite, I could not chew through it and the entire slab of slices pulled out of the sandwich and gave me a 'Chin Slap'! The Au Jus was spectacular! Literally French Onion Soup without the crouton or cheese. Overall, NOT a sandwich worth $18. The other meal was their'Avocado Shrimp Toast', ANOTHER HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT, ESPECIALLY for $18!! 2 small pieces of cold toasted bread, a THIN layer of avocado and ONE SHRIMP CUT IN 1/2 on each slice of bread. NOT A VALUE for $18. What made it worse was that my wife was NEVER offered or received a coffee refill. They DID constantly refill our waters and my Iced Tea. Service 4 Ambiance 5 Food 2 Overall 3

** Best Happy Hour in Downtown Tampa**…read more Happy Hour is available Monday - Friday from 3pm-6pm at the bar and outdoor patio. I think this is the best happy hour far and away in downtown Tampa and it really isn't even very close. I've been here so many times, but never reviewed this spot. $10 Dirty Malio Tini is always my go to when first sitting down. Here, Cooper's Hawk, and Casa Santo Stefano currently are all tied for the best dirty martini in Tampa. Plus during happy hour you can't beat $10! What a steal! I've tried all of the other cocktails on the menu, but this is the only one you should really order. The $9 Blue Ice Martini is basically the same thing, but as a low calorie vodka version. I think this drink is a lot worse. I prefer the classic dirty! I always start with the $11 potato skins. I love these things. They always hit the spot. So delicious! Then, I always get the $15 filet tips. Wow, I mean, only $15 what a steal. These things are so good. I've tried a bunch of their burgers, but on this occasion I had the $13 French Onion. This burger is on par with Boulon, and Engine #9 in St. Pete for best burger. I love this burger. There are TV's in both corners of the bar. Always classy people here. Fun times, and it's right on the Riverwalk. I'm here a lot, for a reason.

Atmosphere and service were great…read more The steaks were NOT great. The quality and flavor do not justify the high price (recommend Ocean Prime or Island Way for better steaks and value). Both of our steaks were under done - we could have sent them back, but more often than not, they just come back well over. The crab cakes were too mushy, the jumbo shrimp smelled "yeasty" which was off-putting. Several pieces of broccoli had black spots - which isn't a huge deal, but for the price you pay for said broccoli makes me expect more. The creme brule was ok - however, the texture was a little gritty\eggy - again, for the price you pay for this dish, you kind of expect perfection - and this was not that. The loaded potato was good and the bread\butter was quite nice. The stars of the show were definitely the caprese (the mozzarella was amazing) and the salad (I got it with ranch, and it was exceptional). Overall, I did not feel they justified the price of their food. Our bill for 3 people was about $410 with tip. For that money, you would be much better served at Ocean Prime. My 2 cents... or $400 as it were.

I love coming here for dinner or happy hour. The happy hour is delicious and I love that we can get…read morea seat at the bar quickly. Food comes out fresh and the drinks are delicious. The decor always sets the mood and the bartenders are so fun! They are funny and polite. One thing I will say, they forgot a hand roll I ordered or maybe it didn't register in the system. The last few items I ordered were To-Go and they brought every dish on a plate. I reminded them it was to-go and they brought me little containers for the food, 3 times.

Came in on the recommendation of a friend, I don't love that they don't take reservations unless…read moreyou have a party of 6 or more. But we were able to get sat for a party of 2 in about 50 minutes, I believe the bar is first come first served so I'd recommend scouting out bar availability if you're quoted with a longer time than you'd prefer to wait. Ambiance is great, decor is on theme, and the music was solid, not overpowering and it didn't feel like conversations were competing with the music. We were able to hold conversation amongst ourselves and our waitress at normal volumes. Service was solid, food came fairly quickly for the most part, and there were only a couple of times where we needed to look for our server to get some additional request in. Food was amazing, I loved both the chicken and duck skewers. The edamame was okay, could have used a little more seasoning for me personally. The wagyu fried rice was nothing less than delicious. The yellow tail and jalapeño hand roll was good, but more of a taco since it wasn't rolled at all, the ingredients were more so just placed inside the sea weed. The Batanga Highball was probably the most refreshing cocktail I've had this year. Incredible experience over all, I will definitely be back, the next time I'm in town.

We had such an amazing experience at Front Porch Grill! I went with a few of my closest friends for…read morea girls' night out, and everything was perfect from start to finish. The food was absolutely delicious, the service was incredible - everyone was so attentive and friendly - and the ambiance was 10/10! We had the best time catching up and enjoying ourselves. This has officially become our go-to spot for girls' nights! Highly recommend!

I've been here a thousand times (and I normally have no problems) but am basing this review on my…read moremost recent visit. My BF and I went on a Friday night. They weren't busy at all but we waited at the hostess stand for several minutes before they sat us. When we finally sat, they offered to turn on the heater for me and I took them up on it. After a few minutes of fiddling with it, they just gave up and never said anything else about it until I asked. The waitress said it wasn't working and that she would have to drag the one from way over there, which would be "too much". Ok, fine, I'll freeze but that's my fault for not dressing appropriately for Florida weather. Then we ordered some seltzers that were on special (we thought). We asked the waitress if they were $5 all day, she said she would go check because she wasn't sure; never received an answer. Next, the food. My BF has celiac so he asked what he can have on the menu. He was given two options, the Baja fish tacos (with corn tortillas) or the ahi tuna bowl. He opted for the Baja fish tacos. After about 10 minutes, the waitress came back and said they couldn't find the corn tortillas, so he was stuck ordering the tuna bowl. He made sure to tell her he had a gluten allergy. When we got the food, it looked like there was soy sauce in the bowl. We waited for the waitress to come back for over 15 minutes and she never did. When she finally did, we asked if there was soy sauce and there indeed was. She said she would have them remake it. At this point, my BF asked to speak to a manager. We had empty drinks, no food after sitting for 20-25 minutes and it was freezing because no heater (still my fault for not dressing right), but we were pretty miserable. The bartender came out and said she was manager on duty and we explained what happened. She offered to take the tuna bowl and first round of drinks off our bill. Overall, this was a miserable experience and I'm glad that I have other visits to base it off of because we wouldn't have come back if it were our first time there.

Had a fabulous dinner at Ro while visiting Tampa last month with my sister! We were both craving…read moresushi and this was the perfect spot for a girls night out. We also love Hyde Park and it's just so nice to walk around that area before or after your meal. We started off with cocktails -- I went with the pomelo (nikka coffey gin, aperol, grapefruit, szechuan peppercorn) and she got the shinshun (sparkling sake, yuzu extract, & honey). We both really enjoyed our drinks. For appetizers, we shared the wagyu gyoza and I also got a couple pieces of nigiri -- Hokkaido Hotate (scallop) and the otoro (fatty tuna belly). Yum! We both ordered sushi rolls (maki) for our mains. I got the Ro signature roll which has spicy tuna, avocado, and hamachi. My sis got the classic tempura shrimp roll topped with crispy potato chips which was a nice twist. We definitely got our sushi fix! The end of every meal comes with a complimentary sweet surprise and I'm so glad we saved just enough room for dessert. They make their own ice cream in-house and have fun rotating flavor combinations. I can't remember the exact flavor we had, but it had a passion fruit ganache on top with some crumble topping and it was phenomenal! Some of the best ice cream I've ever had. That alone is worth going back for.

Stopped by ro Hyde Park this past weekend for Duck Week, a four-course prix fixe menu celebrating…read morethe versatility of duck. It was my first visit, and they definitely made a great first impression. The menu: Foie Gras & Yuzu Dumplings with silky foie gras, beef, yuzu, and a Hong Kong-style consommé Chinese Five-Spice Duck Confit Raviolo with parmesan foam, Thai basil, and brown butter jus Roasted Duck Breast with duck fat potato pavé, seasonal vegetables, and a duck hoisin glaze Duck Fat Ice Cream with sesame crumble and citrus caramel The foie gras dumplings and duck confit raviolo were outstanding bites. Both were packed with flavor and easily my favorite courses. The duck fat ice cream was an amazing way to finish off a great meal. The service was excellent and the modern, upscale atmosphere made for a great dining experience. Their sushi menu also looked incredible, so I'll definitely be back to check that out. If you're in the Tampa area, ro Hyde Park is worth adding to your list.

I love this restaurant!…read more The ambiance is very pleasing and upbeat! Every time i visit i received excellent customer service. The best part of the garlic Parmesan fries, the sushi, and the bowls just amazing food and all my favorites! Check them out on half of sushi Wednesdays, also their happy hour mon-Fri 3/6

Great places for specials seems like everyday they have something going on. I haven't been since…read morethis was the previously named place years ago and I did miss it! Their pizza was fantastic it was sweet but had the bold Gorgonzola cheese. I would come back just for this. Parking is ok they have a lot but you can find parking on the street or there for free. Drinks are reasonably priced and they came out quick as well as the food. Service is superb. Will be coming for the taco Tuesday special!

Ava is a great choice for dinner. We had date night and split the Mason gem and short rib Ragu,…read moreBoth were delicious selections. Great cocktails as well. Service was friendly and quick. We will be returning to try the brick oven pizza.

Their happy hour is fantastic with really great deals! $10 pizzas (their website says $9 - not…read moreupdated) and some good app and drinks deals. If it weren't for happy hour, their prices for the entrees are a little too pricey for me. The overall ambiance was very date night and the back bar area was lovely. We ordered a glass of white wine and a beer! The house wine was fantastic, not too sweet, not too dry, no afterburn. Some of the best happy hour house wine I have had! PEI Mussels: Grilled bread, pesto cream, white wine ($10) - the bread was nice a fluffy, which helped soak up the sauce. The mussels were cooked nicely. The sauce was ok. Not bad but not outstanding. 7.5/10 Margherita Pizza: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil ($10) - I loved how much fresh mozzarella was on this! They definitely didn't skimp you on the cheese. The red sauce on it was average but i love how fluffy the crusts are on these pizzas! 7.5/10 La Bestia: Spicy nduja sausage, San Marzano tomatoes, arugula, ricotta ($10) - more flavor than the margherita but still felt like it needed something...still a great pizza! 8/10 Truffle Funghi: Cremini and shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onion, mozzarella, truffles, truffle aioli. ($10) - this was my favorite pizza of the 3! I loved the onions and the truffle flavor. I think it really stood out and we finished this right away! 10/10 Overall, a really great experience! Service was decent as well. The guy making and serving the pizza was so sweet and did a great job!! We will be back - most likely for happy hour again!

Loved this cute spot for high end eats. The service was friendly, the food super fresh!…read more The pizza was wood grilled and super tasty! The chopped salad was perfect with a citrus vinaigrette - yum! We went once for breakfast and once for dinner. The carbonara pizza was basically like a bacon egg and cheese pizza! It was so good! The breakfast potatoes were seasoned so well! Definitely can't wait to come back!

Second time going to the market after deciding to give it another shot and I do not know why I did…read more First time the service was awful and the food was not good. Today the servers were attentive but my friend and I shared a VERY MEDIOCRE pizza and each had 2 glasses of wine ... bill was $170! INSANE! They charge $32 a glass for wine. This is not even special at all, the entire Edition is SO OVERRATED. Why do we keep paying these over inflated prices for pretentious environments and mediocre food?! Please stop Tampa.