Get ready to pay big bucks. If you're filthy rich don't hesitate. Food is phenomenal. Very good service. Way out of our budget but we splurged. Great oysters. Unreal foie gras mouse, amazing actually. Bread service was very good. Too expensive for us but top tier food. Amazing read more

During our stay at the Don CeSar we made reservations at Maritana to eat on our anniversary night. The hostess was very friendly and happily took a picture for us. Our server was friendly as well. He went over his top recommendations from the menu and answered any questions we had. Nothing was really standing out to us or sounding appetizing based off his description but we still decided to give it a try and ordered the Blue crab based off the waiters recommendation and the Red Fish. When the food finally came we were both surprised with the Blue crab dish. What was in front of us is not what was described to us. It was not appetizing to me at all so my husband ate most of this. The Red fish tasted great but just wished it came with an actual side like rice, mashed potatoes, or an actual filling portion size of vegetables. Instead it came with 3 carrots. Pictures provided of both meals. We ordered a desert to share for our anniversary which was good. Overall the ambiance of the restaurant was really nice but the food selection and portion size could be a-lot better. We were both still hungry after dinner which is normally not the case for me especially with dessert & this is when we found out about Uncle Andy's Market. My husband and I were able to find something in here to satisfy our hunger. While we were at Uncle Andy's one of the workers there told us that the restaurant we just ate at was going through a revamp and menu changes so it is still a working process which is definitely understandable. Because of the convenience of the restaurant when staying at the hotel I really hope the food selection and portion size gets better so we can give it another try with hopefully a better experience. read more

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If you know, you know -- Maritana is where St. Pete hides its culinary crown jewels. From start to finish, the service team made the night feel like a private celebration, with small touches that showed real hospitality is alive and well. Every dish was a masterpiece -- the flavors were bold but balanced, the presentation immaculate, and you could taste the ocean's freshness in every bite. The cocktail program? Impeccable. Whoever's behind the bar has serious craft and intuition. The ambiance ties it all together -- soft lighting, coastal elegance, and that quiet buzz of guests who know they're somewhere special. It's rare to find a place that's both polished and personal, but Maritana pulls it off effortlessly. read more

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Food was trash the manager said this is how they cook medium rare..... he said this is perfect temperature for medium rare . Kept telling me i didn't know steak . Tortellini was cold as well . Our server was good , not his fault . read more

Maritana - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

This NOT the Maritana it once was. The food is good not spectacular. The small portion / plates are not what the Maritana was before the renovation. The Don missed the boat with this Chef. Want a traditional awesome meal? Go to the 1200 Chop house right down the street. They show you how TRADITION should be. Isn't the Don CeSar based on tradition? read more

We looked forward to a special dinner and were disappointed. Honestly worst meal we had in St Pete (we had amazing dinners elsewhere). Our server was not very friendly, the food was "fine/okay", our dinner was served without silverware! We had to ask for it. Regular knives were delivered instead of steak knives. $460 before tip for 3 people and that included limited alcohol. read more

Service was amazing but the food was not worth the price. Being a nice restaurant at the Don Cesar provides a great ambiance but this was interrupted by a rowdy kitchen. Food was quite underwhelming considering the prices paid for it. We ordered the sea bass and the shrimp linguine. The sea bass was quite tasty but the linguine actually came out luke warm which was very concerning. The staff quickly made a replacement of this upon letting them know but it really begs the question: what is happening in the kitchen for something like this to be brought out? Be sure if you do decide to check this place out that you book a reservation in advance as the time slots will likely fill. read more

Before I begin my review I want to say that this place is very upscale and pricey so be prepared to drop a bundle here. From the excellent hostess to table service, all the staff was courteous knowledgeable and fun! My daughter has a gluten sensitivity, and our server was extremely knowledgeable as to what the kitchen can prepare and pointed out what was available, which was many, on the menu for people with gluten issues we ate all her recommendations and were not disappointed. The restaurant was beautiful on the inside, and although we dressed for dinner, it seem to be OK to dress casually as well since it was located inside a beach resort. I will definitely eat here again for another special occasion, as it was quite pricey, but quite worth it as well . read more

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Celebrated my birthday at Maritana Saturday evening. What a true delight! The ambience is elevated and approachable, in the tropical hotel. Overall service was extremely pleasant and top tier from arrival to departure! We started our evening with nibbles. The Lobster bisque was a rich flavorful bowl of deliciousness served and poured at the table. Such a beautiful presentation! The Maryland soft shell crab appetizer was tasty and very fresh. The bread basket was forgettable. Our two entrees were delicious but the roasted duck breast was the standout over the swordfish. The duck breast was prepared to perfection with a excellent sear. Thankfully the portion was large enough to share a few bites with my bf. We truly enjoyed our first visit here and look forward to returning soon. read more

Maritana - Roasted Duck Breast - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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As a big steak lover, I have traveled the world to find the best steak, we found it here. It has been a while since I have been here for I heard it was not as great. Well, they are back full force with fine dining. The very professional wait staff be found at very few restaurants in Florida. They are top quality servers providing excellent service and experience. There is a very high corkage fee encouraging you to buy their wine. They do have a lovely wine selection. We started with appetizers- red snapper sashimi, lamb chops and grilled octopus. The snapper & lamb were outstanding. I am a believer if you did not catch the octopus that day not worth eating. However the spices with this octopus were outstanding. Out of all the appetizers I recommend the sashimi, top quality! For entrees we had duck which was okay and Steak that was worlds away amazing. This would be my all time recommendation. I would not be surprised if the James Beard House would agree. The new renovation of the hotel have finally brought it back to its glory days. Do know, parking is $30 and no breaks for dining here. No breaks for locals. Its fine dining at its best. read more

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A celebratory dinner at the Don Cesar in Saint Pete Beach Florida. Well served by Zaron. We enjoyed the specialty cocktails, mine, a Manhattan, my husband, an old-fashioned, and the wine recommended by Zaron to go with our individual dinners. My Iberico pork and my husband's Corvina were outstanding and we enjoyed the seasonal pumpkin dessert. read more

3.5 stars My husband and I recently honeymooned at The Don Cesar in St. Pete's Beach, FL. When I did research about some must-do activities in the area, Maritana was suggested many times as somewhere that people must dine. I was happy that the restaurant was IN our hotel. I made reservations ahead of time. A few days later, I received a call from the restaurant saying that they just scheduled a rum pairing dinner for the night we had reservations. They asked if we wanted to attend the dinner or if we wanted to move our reservation to another night. I asked if I could call back because I was out and wanted to speak to my husband about it. We also had already planned a few other restaurants, activities, reservations, so I wanted to check. When I got home, I had an email that my reservation was cancelled. I ended up rescheduling for another night, but the restaurant never really seemed that packed during our stay. The food was very good. I think the octopus was a little over-salted, but for the most part, we really enjoyed. I do think the restaurant is a bit overpriced. We went to another incredible, pricier steakhouse in the area and got way more food that was EXCEPTIONAL for less. Also, we went on a Wednesday evening at 7:45. It wasn't too crowded, but there was a large group of older women who were extremely loud. Because of the acoustics of the restaurant, the sound carried A LOT. We were very happy that they left before we received our entree. To me, when you're in a really nice restaurant where you're paying top dollar, you shouldn't have to encounter that. It would have been nice to hear music instead- live or piped in. I will say- the service was really great. The hostess and server genuinely cared and spoke to us about our trip and congratulated us on our recent wedding. We were stuffed and didn't want dessert, but our server still wanted to do something special for us so she brought out champagne and truffles which was a nice touch. read more

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The Maritana restaurant is nestled into the Don Cesar, and my guess is that most people eating there are staying at the hotel. As far as michelin-style experiences go, it isn't quite that. The food is very good, but the prices are soaring for what it is. You're talking $21 for an Old Fashioned. We had the beef carpaccio, scallops, foie gras, and one more thing I can't remember. Ive had very similar at places like Brick and Mortar, Edison, Rooster and the Till for MUCH less. And in fact, better tasting, more inventive, more experimental and novel. The ambiance was far more casual and had a much odder sense of decor than I was expecting. For the prices, I would have wanted a more romantic experience. It was, instead, mildly nautical. I didn't get it. The disappointing thing is that it didn't feel like a chef-owned place that's trying new things, experimenting with flavors, attempting to delight customers. It felt like a copy of something... If you're staying at the Don Cesar, and you have a lot of money to throw away, I'd say it's worth a try. But if you're willing to drive 15 min across a bridge, you're going to get much better in downtown St.Pete for 2/3 of the price. read more

Heads up: This review is based on my experience at a Yelp Elite event that was not open to the general public. I was lucky enough to be among the attendees at a special pre-reopening event recently and got a glimpse at what a special place this is. The environment -- as with the Don CeSar itself -- is beautiful, with high-scale yet comfortable decor that supports your feeling of stepping into a classic restaurant in a classic hotel. The only mixed drink available was a Hemingway, and that was fine with me, as it was well-made and incredibly smooth. Of the six small plates available to us, I tried five. A snapper ceviche, which was spicy and acidic without being overwhelming, and a wahoo crudo, both of which impressed me as someone who's not a big fish fan. The flavors were well-balanced and the ingredients were clearly high quality. The highlights for me, however, were from land rather than sea: - a flank steak crostini with grilled pineapple and shallots, cooked beautifully - pork belly tostones, which were perfectly tender and accompanied by an excellent mole - wild boar chops that made an incredible impression on me in my first time eating boar -- a bit gamey by nature but fantastic in flavor and paired well with pumpkin, cumin, and walnuts I haven't stayed at the Don CeSar yet. When I make it back out there, I will make a dinner beeline to Maritana to check out what else they have to offer. read more

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It has it all going on. Consistently good food. Service is top notch. Ambiance makes want to come back. So we will go back and try the features next time. And bring some friends. One of the best experiences in Florida period. read more

I've never been a big believer in fine dining but I will not lie, the food here was very good. Make sure to make a reservation to guarantee your seat though! You also get complimentary valet when you eat here unlike the other don restaurants! My girlfriend and I came here on a friday night and were seated right at our reservation time. To start we got mock tails that were absolutely amazing! They had strong blueberry flavor which I loved and was too caught up in them to take a picture. Very pretty nonetheless. For an appetizer we got the venison which was pretty good, but be wary that it's only 4 pieces. It comes over s blackberry sauce and slaw wit blackberries. The meat was very tender and I enjoyed it thoroughly. For my entree I got the filet mignon. The filet was typical of a filet, and cooked to a perfect medium rare. It came with a quail egg which was small but filled with flavor. I didn't like the green purée-esque dots around the plate but that's on me. The potato was amazing!!! It was lightly fried on the outside but absolutely delicious and soft on the outside, one of the best i've had. My girlfriend got the duck breast (not pictured) which came over some medley of vegetables and it was also delicious! I personally like a more asian-style duck but this did not disappoint at all and it was spectacular. Finally, we got the Dulce Apple Whiskey desert. The green ball is like sorbet and taste strongly of green apple. The bread pudding is a simple apple bread pudding. The star of the show is the apple log. The outside has the texture of the outside of a klondike bar and it's filled with a delicious apple filling. Genuinely the best apple dessert i've ever had. Overall loved the experience! A great place for fine dining with a brilliant atmosphere. read more

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The food was amazing and the service was even better! I loved the ambiance, it was very welcoming and calm. I ordered the ravioli which was very tasty! It was very expensive but definitely worth it. The waiter, Don (Like the hotel!) was also very helpful. read more

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Absolutely worth my 5 's! The Don Cesar hotel is one of the most charming and peaceful stays in the St. Petersburg area. During my last visit, the hotel itself was undergoing a massive exterior restoration and now looks more beautiful than ever. Inside Florida's 'Pink Palace', the Maritana restaurant is always a must in each visit. The Maritana is partially indoor, part outdoor but I must say, the outdoor setting is definitely the better selection (If the weather permits). The patio offers a beautiful view overlooking both the pool, and the ocean; Most evenings, guests have the option to enjoy the ideal romantic ambiance with lounge seating around a glass firebox, beautiful twinkle accent lighting, and relatively quiet environment. In my visits, I've noticed that the Maritana rotates menu items (maybe seasonally?), and I always keep a lookout for their calamari and filet mignon. I've never been disappointed in my dinner selections here. Overall, the Maritana is definitely one of my top 3 favorite dining locations in St. Petersburg because of it's scenery & location at the tip of the St. Pete peninsula. Will definitely be back to visit! read more

Maritana - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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I was looking to take my boyfriend somewhere special for our anniversary. He outdid himself for Valentine's Day, so I wanted to find a nice place nearby. The reviews here looked amazing. The service was APPALLING. Our reservation was at 8pm (it's a Saturday so as expected it was pretty busy). It's currently Ramadan and my boyfriend was able to break his fast at any point after we sat down. After our server brought Prosecco, instead of asking if we were ready to order, he went off to a couple of other tables. This wasn't an issue at this point. He came back and we ordered the bread service, gem salad and venison as the starters and my boyfriend ordered the filet and I ordered octopus. About 5 minutes later, the server comes back to confirm we said venison. No issue. 20 minutes passed and we still didn't even have bread though. This is where things started going downhill. Five minutes after that, a different server brings us our venison and salad. I asked about the bread and he said he'd bring it immediately. When he brought it over, he mentioned it would be complimentary given it came out after it was supposed to. Well, when the check came, the bread was still charged. But at that point, we just wanted to get out of there and go get dessert elsewhere, so I didn't even have the energy to complain about the added $5. And honestly, I don't care about $5. But if you mess up and you say you're not going to charge someone for something, don't charge them. I'm really disappointed with the service here given what I paid for. The food was great (so I added a star for this fact), but the service really ruined the experience. We will not be back. read more

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This is as good as it gets. Stayed at the Don which is where this renovated, beautiful and fantastic experience called dinner occurred. The server was precise and very professional--she may have been there for a while as the experience showed. And the food--the soup, butternut salad ( lg so share) , linguine and the steak were all so expertly done. The seafood linguine was subtle and ingredients were top quality. The steak was aged and served w a cute potato dish that complemented the broccoli. And dessert , also shareable was fantastic as we had them surprise us w the best option--which was a puff pastry yuzu raspberry dish w the most delicious sorbet I ever had. Kudos to the chefs here! Also took a photo of the decor as we may copy it for a Gatsby-esque bar in our basement. read more

The experience is entirely overpriced, it was just ok but for what we spent ($600) it should have been amazing.

We had our anniversary dinner here during our stay at The Don CeSar. We made our reservation online and promptly got seated at a nice table. Our server Janet was very nice. I had the berry bramble and my husband had the new old fashioned. They were both fresh and excellent. We also ordered a demi sec Champagne that was better than expected. *everything on the menu is very interesting especially the combinations* For appetizers we had the octopus that came with a delicious pesto and eel aioli. The octopus meat was tender and perfectly cooked. We took their truffle fries as well (OMG so yummy). Do try! I had the Chilean Sea bass that came with spinach infused risotto and asparagus. The rice should have been cooked 5-10 mins longer. I mean when I pay $49 for an entree I expect the rice to be properly cooked. The fish itself was delicious, melts in your mouth types. My husband had the coffee rubbed filet. The coffee actually brought some additional flavors out. The filet came with mashed potatoes and roasted beets and sautéed spinach. Everything complemented each other pretty well. We had the flaming Creme brûlée which was a different take but quite delicious. Kudos to Chef Emily Ferrari :) We might go back today for some cocktails !! read more

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Such great atmosphere and service. The staff are very well versed in their menu and attentive to all needs that may arise. Thank you for a great experience. read more

We had high hopes for this restaurant. After visiting the Don several times over the last couple years we decided to eat here. I could have done without it. The oysters and octopus were good. Our party ordered the filet mignon and expected our steaks to be cooked perfectly, however that didn't happen. We ordered our steaks medium but they were all medium well, no pink at all. They also lacked seasoning. The food was not impressive, we went to another local steakhouse several days later and had phenomenal steaks, half the cost. The decor is chic and modern. Our waiter was fine, nothing bad but nothing spectacular, like they claim. For four we paid almost $500 and it definitely wasn't worth it. We would not return. read more

Wow this place is amazing! Their service was phenomenal and the food, even better. Not one single thing was bad or even mediocre. Everything from the bread service, beef tartare, oysters, bone marrow, duck, triple tail and squid ink risotto were UH-MAZING! I can't wait to go back. The atmospheres cute, very relax and good ambiance. I literally woke up thinking about the food. Lol it was that good! The drinks were brought to our table by the bartender which was such a nice personal touch. I would HIGHLY recommend this place. read more

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I dined here by myself on a Thursday right after checking into the hotel. The seafood linguini was some of the best I've ever had! My server, Rocco, was perfect. Everything about the experience was delicious and top notch! read more

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Had a wonderful experience at Maritana at the Don Cesar. We sat in the famous booth by the kitchen usually reserved for celebs, vips, and us. :) we had the filet and the spiny lobster dishes which were cooked to perfection. The service was impeccable. Don was our waiter and he was fantastic... ask for Don at the Don. read more

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Had and incredible time here with my mom. Service is amazing. Their menu is small but has great options, accompanied with a phenomenal wine list. Food is the best I've had in St Pete! read more

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The food speaks for itself, and the chef is incredible, but honestly, the service is what sets this restaurant apart from other fine dining options. When we first met our server, Don, he immediately points out "like the hotel," so we wouldn't forget his name. However, forgetting him was not possible, after the evening. Funny and light-hearted, yet professional, and classy. Jeff is another server that deserves mention and leaves an incredible impression. They assist each, other assuring you have a great meal and the two of these guys set the bar for what other servers should strive to be. Plus, they are like a comedy duo who have been working seamlessly together for what I'd guess is a very long time. However, the comedy doesn't overshadow the service only compliments the excellence of the entire experience. Truly unforgettable. Enjoy! read more

Maritana - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Excellent restaurant located inside the Don CeSar Hotel. The menu is first class as is the service. The meals are extremely well prepared and served by very professional wait staff. I have dined here on a number of occasions and really enjoy the ambiance and quality of food and service here. Definitely a restaurant for special events. Highly recommended. read more

I was hesitant to eat here because I typically like to get dinner away from the hotel. Thankfully we gave it a chance because it was the best meal we had the whole trip. Excellent service from hostess and wait staff. Our server recommended the pork chop as his fave item on the menu. I NEVER order pork chops anywhere but was feeling squirrelly and went for it. Holy crap, one of the best meals of the year. It was better than my wife's filet, and honestly better than 95% of the steaks I've had at fancy steakhouses across the country. It was excellent. read more

Maritana - Pork chop was incredible! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Sorry, this restaurant is just not as welcoming and comfortable as it was before the renovations. Few food options are appealing to us; the atmosphere is sterile and lacking a positive presence. It's an odd environment. Cocktails? What are those? The server is willing to run out to the Lobby Bar to get a cocktail if wine isn't what you want. I really, honestly do not think we will ever return to this restaurant unless and until it's back to the interesting, beautiful design with the same familiar food selections (not too unconventional, please). read more

If I was rating each star by the number of things we sent back for a re-fire the rating would be the same. Scallops-1 Filet-2 We started with the Tuna Sashimi and should have went from there right to dessert. Those were both amazing in there own ways. As for the rest of the meal, the scallops we ordered as our second course. Even though it's an entree, we decided to split everything and share the whole dinner. The bartender had the kitchen split some things for us. They plated everything beautifully and service was amazing all night. Execution from the back was lacking a little. In defense, the head chef fresh off a Thanksgiving night before, was not there. Problem with the scallops was obvious to me as they presented both plates. There was two that were a lot larger in size than the other ones. The smallest in size browned beautifully on both sides. However, the larger ones, that they probably had the same Cook time, were under done. And the bean purée on the plates tasted like salt. We sent back the lonely two under done scallops. By the time they came back out I was over them. Time for next course please. Let's get me back in a better mood. We ordered the filet mignon. We asked for a medium temp. When it came out I saw a undersized cut of beef. Weak! And of course, over cooked. Bye bye. Back to the kitchen. Can't believe this is happening. My wife's birthday and our anniversary dinner. $&#%¥!! So awaiting the next try, we decided to order a bottle of wine. Now, at this point, we have had a couple cocktails, glasses of wine, shared convo at the bar with another nice couple, had a visit from the local bar hopper, and chatted with our friendly bartender Jeff. We are still in a good mood despite the kitchen's woes. Next filet out looks perfect on the outside. As soon as I felt for the firmness I new it was underdone. We cut it open and it was rare. So getting to the end and cutting this story short. Too late for that anyway. The next piece that came out was perfect. The reveal dessert after dinner was cool to watch. You can see a bunch of videos on this dessert. Our bartender, took off the charge for our dessert, which I had already ordered. Also, took Care of a couple of our drinks and poured me a nice port wine to finish the meal. Service was A+ Experience A Food C Bartender A+ Ambiance A Would I go back, yes, but probably for a drink and just a couple small lighter options. The reveal dessert is also a cool experience. And the hotel is also beautiful. Worth the trip out here. Walk around get a drink at the lobby bar and catch a sunset. read more

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Very impressed with Maritana! We stayed at the Don for a girls weekend to celebrate a birthday and decided to keep it simple by eating right at the hotel. Like others stated, I was expecting a good meal but was happy for such delightful food and great service! The restaurant entrance is near the hotel lobby. We made reservations in advance and were ushered right to our table when we arrived. The restaurant is smaller than I expected but it was nice as even full it was not noisy or crowded. The atmosphere was pleasant with simple decor, glass bubbles and a couple beautiful fish tanks along one wall. The menu has many options and there were a couple specials for the day. Our waiter was very helpful and explained many of the dishes, all of which sounded delicious. We were given an amuse bouche of seared tuna which was a nice piece of fish but would have liked a little more bite for additional flavor. For our meals we ordered the black bass, whole butter poached Maine lobster, tomato bisque, the heirloom gem salad & the truffle pomme frites. Our one friend had the soup as her appetizer and our waiter didn't want her to eat alone so brought our espresso sized cups with the Brie foam and poured the tomato bisque over it for us along with her full sized soup. It was very creamy and had great flavor. Our other dishes were great as well. The lobster fish had a ton of lobster meat and was creamy, be prepared to be full as it is very rich and much larger than we expected. The gem salad was fresh and the fruit vinaigrette was a nice touch. My black bass was amazing, the thin skin was perfect and crispy and the fish was cooked perfectly with the mushrooms and butternut squash complementing the flavor. The frites were good but we were all pretty full and the other dishes shined much more. Since we let them know we were celebrating a birthday we also received glasses of sparkling wine at the start of the meal and a perfect small dessert (cheese cake with a chocolate crust), Happy Birthday chocolate and a candle. It was a nice touch! This was a great meal and a great place for dinner to celebrate or have a special night out! read more

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My husband and I were staying on site at the Don Cesar and decided to make reservations for the restaurant. Food was delicious and I wait to go back! read more

Maritana - Dinner views while waiting for my friends - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. Best experience we had during our stay at The Don! Our server Hannah was so on point as was the food runner. Our water was never less than half full, she was very proactive. You could tell the staff was trained to pay attention even when tables were not their own. Everything we would expect from a high end restaurant at the Don. Everything sounded amazing so we tried quite a few things and split. We tried the lobster bisque, pear salad, veal ravioli, bone in steak, wine. Everything was absolutely fantastic. It was worth the money. It is expensive but fantastic. The ambiance is very roaring 20s, mixed with modern touches. Beautiful! Highly recommend the veal ravioli with the bread service. The sauce was to die for. read more

Absolutely superb food, service and ambiance. Expensive but definitely worth the money.

Fabulous time at the Maritana Grille inside the Don Cesar hotel. We tried a couple of their desserts--the pear ginger cobbler and the chocolate cherry cordial--and they were both delicious AND we got to hang with Jeffy B and watch him work his magic with the liquid nitrogen (pics included)! Long story short, it was a great time with great customer service and very friendly staff, with high quality drinks and desserts. I look forward to going back in the future. Xoxo, Is this thing on? read more

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Love the overall atmosphere - such a cute mid century style. The food was really good too - we particularly enjoyed the halibut and scallops. Excellent wine selection as well. read more

Maritana - Coffee time - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Perhaps I was biased going in. I really didn't think this particular area offered this kind of dining. I knew we were going to a restaurant located inside the Loew's. However, a lot of hotels (upscale or not) never follow through with providing equally amazing restaurants on property. That was certainly not a problem here! Valet parking was easy and quick for both arrival and departure. The restaurant is immediately to your left, the second you walk in. I started to worry when no one showed up at the host stand for several minutes. Once the host came back though, it was smooth sailing from then on out. He took our wine before we even sat. He asked how we wanted it handled: chilled, decanted, etc. Coming from South Florida, a $20 corkage fee seemed like a steal. We sat right away and took a good look around. It was Friday night and the place was alive. The decor is understated and elegant. Our waiter came by immediately. He brought menus and took our water preference order. The wine was at our table decanting within minutes of that. Ahhhhhh perfection. The use a very cool aerator funnel on their decanters I had never seen before. It evenly distributed the wine into the decanter without making too much of a splash and therefore, preserved the quality of the wine. The first thing we ordered was the ARTISAN CHEESE COLLECTION. The cheeses were presented with a preserved walnut, a butter soaked baguette and serrano ham. They were all delicious but the one injected with black truffle was perhaps the best cheese I have EVER had. Trust me when I say, I am a huge cheese aficionado. My girlfriend and I were just floored. Of course, now that I talked about it, I am craving it again. Our second appetizer was the CHILLED SEAFOOD BAR. This was a combination of gulf shrimp, clams, oysters, caviar, tuna tartare and ceviche. The tuna tartare was my least favorite of them all. Overall, this was beautifully plated and very good. Not to be overshadowed by the outstanding appetizers, the bread selection was wonderful. I especially love the salted cumin butter they serve as an option. For my entree, I chose the LOBSTER PAPPARDELLE PASTA. This dish has asparagus, spinach, heirloom tomatoes and white truffles. What's not to love? It was all that....and so much more. My girlfriend ordered the sea scallops which come with brussels sprouts, pancetta, hazelnuts all in a brown butter vinaigrette. When the bottle of wine that we brought ran out, panic ensued. Ha! Just kidding. We did want a bit more so we requested the wine list. All of the options on the menu were actually great and they had most of my favorites (rare). We did not want to spend too much money on a second bottle at that point though. The waiter suggested several well priced ones from the menu and to my surprise, (because I am a PITA wine snob) it was actually VERY good. For dessert, we ordered the CHOCOLATE FLEUR DE SEL. This was composed of chocolate ganache and salted caramel ice cream. How can you go wrong with that? We dined for 4 1/2 hours. Our waiter was beyond patient and attentive. We never felt rushed and thoroughly enjoyed taking our time with each course. My girlfriend and I may or may not have finished off that second aforementioned bottle. I won't tell. What I WILL say is that we loved Maritana Grille. It's too far from house but if I am ever in the area, I will be back for sure. In fact, I am looking forward to it. read more

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