This is the most beautiful lounge dinner ever been to experience the best food we've ever had at any restaurant or lounge

Located inside the Floridian Palace historic hotel in downtown Tampa. This hotel bar serves food! We started with drinks and our server seemed to be running the whole place from bar to tables and back. At first it wasn't noticeable because there were only about 2 tables when we arrived but as the night progressed and the bar got busier, we had to wait for extended amounts of time for her to return to our table. We shared the truffle tots as an appetizer and they were delicious and perfect fried. I got the chicken Cesar wrap for my meal. Overall it was good, nothing special and honestly it was pretty bizarre to have croutons in a wrap. The fries were good but nothing beat those tots. We had a credit from The hotel to dine and our waitress once she learned this got immediately defensive and basically told us in many ways that we were lying and couldn't use the credit. After much back & forth with her she finally got in touch with management and changed her tune when she returned to our table to tell us she was mistaken and it was taken care of. Definitely not appropriate customer service at all on her part. We paid the reminder of our checks, tipped on the total minus our credit and couldn't get out of there fast enough. read more

Sapphire Lounge - Chicken Cesar wrap - Lounges Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We dropped by here on our way from Fly Bar & Restaurant. We were surprised how desolate and quiet the place was on Friday night, but maybe that is a good thing for a relaxed and attentive service. We met one of the nicest, knowledgeable bartender there. He recommended grilled octopus for shared appetizer, and that right there...was special. Not gammy or chewy at all! And it didn't have weird fishy smell like I expected Octopus to have. I really am a fan of this dish. Unfortunately I think I forgot to take a picture of it. The lounge itself is very classic and traditional, sort of the old school vibe the whole Floridan hotel is going for so they go hand in hand. We'd like to be back for a friendly, attentive, and chill service next time if we are sick of loud environments and ambiance. read more

Sapphire Lounge - Sapphire lighting - Lounges Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The Floridian Hotel is a landmark in downtown Tampa. Ornate furnishings, antique design. The lobby looks like a scene from The Titanic! The 19 floor hotel is magnificent. Rooms have old style writing desks! Sapphire Lounge is open to the public. Nice meet & greet crowd. "A must stay"in downtown Tampa read more

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The Sapphire Lounge is open on Friday and Saturday nights only. For a bar that's open only two nights, you'd think the Sapphire Lounge would have a more professional bartender. We went to the Sapphire Lounge after attending a Saturday night wedding at the Floridan Hotel. Management was aware that an after party was planned, moving from the ballroom to the lounge. The bartender on duty was more concerned about serving the 4 or 5 regular barflies than the patrons that were there just for an evening nightcap. Seemed like the bartender was incapable of handing any more than 4 or 5 patrons a night. When the bartender was critized for his inattentiveness, he yelled insults toward at least one of the members of our party. Then one of the barflies came to the bartender's defense stating "I've been sitting here for 4 hours, he's a great bartender". Maybe the barfly didn't have the best judgment after sitting on the same bar stool for 4 hours! Management did ask one of the barflies to settle his tab and leave and then brought in another bartender. We certainly didn't want to stay after witnessing the bartender's unprofessionalism. We won't be going back the Sapphire Lounge when there are so many other options in Downtown Tampa. read more

Made plans to meet a friend at the Sapphire Lounge at the Floridan Palace Hotel on a Friday night, early. We wanted a quiet, relaxed environment where we could catch up with each other without having to shout over a noisy environment. The Lounge wasn't open when we arrived, so we went to the hotel's lobby bar and made ourselves comfortable. The bar itself (mahogany?) was gorgeous, the bartender was friendly and welcoming, the appetizers delicious (we had tzatziki, goat cheese, hummus, pita chips, and an assortment of veggies), and our drinks were top notch. I was dressed casually but did not feel unwelcome. My friend looked like a million dollars in her "little black dress" (she always does!) and was also right at home. The decor is a luxurious, nostalgic 20's decor but again, everyone was quite welcoming, despite my casual attire--from the Guest Service Agent at the lobby front desk to our bartender Marilyn. The bathroom was very clean and lovely too. If you spend over 5 hours at the bar, you're going to know what the facilities look like too! We peeked into the Sapphire Lounge as we were leaving and were very surprised to see only one couple in the room. At 9:30 on a Friday night? The only thing I can believe is that locals are unaware of this quiet, lovely (1920s decor) treasure hidden downtown. Sorry I don't have any photos to share--I always prefer to enjoy the moment rather than constantly waving my phone around, capturing every detail. read more

I'm reviewing only what I experienced, which was just the two bars. When we go back for dinner I will update my review. We walked into this hidden treasure after dinner somewhere else and on a friend's recommendation and were instantly impressed. The decor was very well done, and with the chandelier's, furniture, and other appointments the feeling of the 1920's was still felt. The staff was extremely friendly everywhere we went. The bars were so nice with big, comfy chairs. The drinks were delicious as well. The only complaint I have is that the Sapphire Room bar didn't make my vodka gimlet correctly and I had to ask for simple syrup to add to the drink. But in the end that didn't matter at all. The man who played the live music was great. He took all of our requests and played them immediately. There weren't many people there, so he was willing to play what we enjoyed. We want to go back for dinner. The restaurant looked beautiful. I also hope I'll be able to attend a wedding there one day. The ballroom is beautiful. I felt like we had stepped foot onto the Titanic while we were there. It was very well done. read more

I really like this place. My hubby has a way of finding places that he can smoke a cigar while I can enjoy a cocktail and not suffocate. This is a place he enjoyed. No food but not surprising, a wide array of beverage options. read more

I came here on Saturday night while I was in the area... I walked in and felt like I stepped into the 1920's. The decor is very elegant and it had beautiful mini chandeliers everywhere. They also play Sinatra and like music which is not only a nice change from top 40, it adds a little extra to the entire experience. The bartender was courteous, had a vast knowledge of classic cocktails and Martinis, and was in period correct bartender attire. The only thing I was surprised by was that it wasn't busier. As they are only open Friday and Saturday, I know a lot of the weekday travelers staying at Hotel Florida miss out :(.... If you are in the area on the weekend, it is definitely worth checking out. read more

Was there last night for less than 15mins with my wife. An unruly male patron who was making degrading comments towards women is the reason we left. When we escalated the patron's inappropriate behavior to both the patron and the bartender, the bartender told us to "deal with it as he's a good paying regular" we took great exception that the bartender also condoned the patron's behavior (and clearly was aware of it) so we left on sheer principal. Degrading women is not acceptable under any circumstance and I'm surprised at the reaction of the bartender. I will say the manager who was away from the action did approach us in a professional manner talk to us on the way out and she did truly seem to care and take our concern seriously... however in short I dont think we'll be going back. read more

Had a great time here last night dancing to the sounds of a great band in town from Cuba! Mena, our bartender, was on top of her game and kept the booze flowing like the Hillsborough River. If you party downtown, you've got to be ready for downtown-priced drinks, so the prices were cool. I had a few old-fashioned cocktails, with Glenlivet and I found them to be very well-crafted. Sometimes when I ask a bartender for one of these, they have to think about it or run off to Google to figure it out, but that wasn't the case here. My only complaint was that I didn't get to see our favorite bartender Sybil. read more

Sapphire Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Great food and drinks. Nice atmosphere . Decor was out of the 1920's. Bartenders are very friendly. read more

Sapphire Lounge - Beautiful 1920's bar and lounge, Fully stocked bar and friendly staff. - Lounges Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Was there the other night, for the first time, to meet up with a girl friend. The bar was quiet but it was nice. The bartender, Hernando I think was his name, was pleasant. Made us wonderful drinks, and kept us company while no one else was there. He even gave us a bit of the hotel's history and how some of the drinks got their names! ('Between the sheets' was an interesting one!) Bathrooms were clean and elegant. Will definitely go back again! read more

Sapphire Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The bartender Rob is awesome- social and willing to make whatever you want! The old mahogany bar is beautiful! It's especially great if you start your night at fly bar, Franklin manor then end the night for an intimate bar experience! read more

Bar was amazing, service was very good. There's a long walk to the bathroom, and the place was empty. drinks were great just wish there was more of a crowd. read more

We went here on St. Patrick's Day weekend to see a terrific band in from Cuba for one night only. They were amazing, and we danced the night away. They were sold out that night, or we might have taken advantage of their competitively priced rooms, but that didn't stop us from touring it again. It never gets old. What an amazingly restored historic building! Can't wait to get back there soon, read more

Great piano bar, interesting almost 90-yr history told by a friendly bartender, low key lounge for the more professional young crowd, beautifully remodeled. read more

I am writing a review of the Sapphire Room at Floridan Palace Hotel. I visited the bar/restaurant for a family even that was being held there. The room itself is elegant with dimmed lighting, a piano player, and a nice looking bar. This is about as good as it gets. The room itself looks very upscale and the waitstaff dressed to match. Everyone who was visiting was also dressed appropriately. Here is where I had issues. I expected to have beer served in a glass and not in a bottle. For an upscale bar/restaurant why would they serve beer in bottles? That makes 0 sense to me. Four drinks came to around $35. When I received the bill there was no breakdown of the drinks ordered so I had no clue how much everything was. All it had was how much was due. I had to ask for a break down. Come to find out a single Martini was $12.50. Who knows if they used the cheapest stuff in it or not. I honestly didn't expect a Martini to cost that much. Some of the most expensive restaurants in Tampa don't even charge that unless you ask for the most expensive Vodka. The waiter never asked for my preference. They required a credit card to be held during our time there because of how many people were there. No issue here, but I had an issue when the waiter brought the bill along with my card, showed it to me and asked if it was the correct one. If the card wasn't mine I could have easily have seen every single credit card number on that card. He tried covering up something on the bottom of the card with his finger, but he wasn't actually covering anything. My card numbers and expiration date and what type of card it was, was all showing. What if my card was shown to someone else? This could have easily have led to credit card number theft. I definitely won't be returning here and don't recommend it. You can go elsewhere for some drinks and get better service. I honestly didn't enjoy myself. As far as the hotel itself I can't say much other then from what I saw was beautiful. I hope the hotel service is much better. read more

This is a review for the Sapphire Room bar, as I haven't stayed in the hotel. I will say that the hotel is gorgeous, as I did walk around the lobby and took a peek at the restaurant. Sapphire Room- Great ambience, talented & friendly piano player that offered to play any requests that we may have had. Friendly wait staff & bartenders, although my drinks were not up to par. I ordered a Moscow mule, which is supposed to be made with ginger beer and it wasn't, even though I specifically asked if they had real ginger beer. I think they used either ginger ale or the old bartender's trick of concocting fake ginger ale, using Sprite, Coke, and whatever else they use. (My friend saw someone run to the back a few times for bottles and she said that it looked like they put Goldschlager in there.) It ended up being a pretty tasty drink, but not as tasty as a Moscow mule. I decided to keep it simple with my 2nd drink order: vodka tonic. It tasted flat, so I had them make another one and that one wasn't much better. It didn't have that bite that vodka tonics are supposed to have. I don't know what was wrong, but I've had better VT's at all-u-can-drink nights in college. So, the bartender's skills were my only complaint. Next time, I'll stick to beer or wine. The food was delicious- traditional greek food, according to my greek friend who was with me. Broiled octopus, escargot- great flavor! Delicious meditteranean platter w/feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, fresh veggies, dolmades, etc. Bottom line: Check it out, order food, avoid mixed drinks, soak up the ambience and come prepared with song requests for the piano player. read more

Very friendly and attentive service, great drink menu with reasonable prices, and an ultra relaxed yet elegant vibe. Plenty of Frank Sinatra on the stereo and atmospheric lighting and mood but not snobby in any way. You'll feel very welcome by the friendly staff! I definitely recommend checking it out. read more

This place will never get my business again. I was very excited to see the renovations of this hotel, it was such a shame to watch it moldering downtown. We were out and about on a Sunday, at the downtown market and an event at Curtis Hixon Park when we decided to pop in, take a look at the restoration, and have a drink at the bar. The hotel lobby is gorgeous, the chandeliers are amazing, and they kept the original charm by leaving the mailboxes for the rooms behind the front desk, which they promptly ruined by hanging big screen TVs right next to them. Really? Why is it a necessity to have big screen TVs just hanging on the wall when you are trying to go for period charm? We worked our way to the lobby bar, it's beautiful, lots of wood and character, except for more flat screen TVs just hanging on the wall. Adding TVs to the bar definitely makes more sense than behind the front desk but couldn't they have put them in wood cabinets that matched the bar instead of just free hanging? They definitely look out of place. But I was still happy to visit at this point, enjoying myself looking at all the details. Then we met the bartender..... I don't know if she was just having a very bad day or if she just didn't want to be at work but she turned what had been an OK experience on it's ear. We already knew the signature cocktail was a Between The Sheets martini (which is very good, and a couple of them would certainly get me between the sheets) but my husband tried to engage her in conversation about other period cocktails and she was very short with him. We tried to engage her by asking questions about the hotel, and she wasn't interested in discussing that with us either. We were dressed in shorts and t shirts and flip flops because we had been to the market and it was a hot day. I got the impression from the bartender that they were looking for a more "upscale" crowd. When I left I felt like I had been treated like riff raff. Again, that may have just been my impression, maybe she was just having a very bad day, but I won't give it another chance. And I won't recommend it either. It's a shame because I had been looking forward to having lunch there, when I am at work downtown on a daily basis I look a little more "upscale" than when I am running around on the weekend. But there are plenty of other options downtown. read more

We went here Friday, August 10th for happy hour. It was the talk of the town for months and has been opened only a few week. It was recently renovated and opened for business. This is a Beautiful and very opulent place. Hearing about it from others and knowing it was built in the 1920 (and I love historical places) I was looking forward to seeing it. Upon entering the lobby area, the chandeliers caught my eye. There were beautiful crystal chandeliers and quite dazzling as they hung from the ceiling. Equally as impressive was the painted design on the ceiling. A very ornate look and pleasing to the eye capturing the older days. I went to the front desk and there was no attendant? Soon after (a minute or two) someone approached and I asked for a brochure. She replied, "we don't have any made yet." (Odd since they just opened, I would think they would be prepared for that.) I asked about a gym or a pool or spa, and they have nothing of the sort. Can't critique the rooms as I never stayed there. Also a big huge glass table behind me looked so naked without a beautiful flower arrangement (maybe they only put one there for the picture online?) Just saying, I would have put something there permanently not just for the grand opening so it looks "finished." We went up to the bar (overlooking lobby area) and sat ourselves down. A pretty standard crowd there (not overcrowded), filled with both older and younger business professionals. The tables were placed too close together as I could hardly move from my seat. After our guests arrived, it felt like my chair was bumping up to the guy behind me. The service wasn't so great either. It was obvious the servers were inexperienced. (At least our server was.) Our friends asked about a happy hour or any dinner specials and they didn't have either. They said they only serve appetizers in the bar area. Also, they didn't know too much about the menu. We ordered the food and that was okay. Nothing to write home about. I did feel a little sorry for the servers, as whoever ordered appetizers, they had to go way across the other side of the hotel going back and forth to get the food (also to get the checks). Doesn't seem to efficient to me. We also asked for a wine list and they didn't have one set up yet? (Again odd for such a opulent hotel.) Also drinks took forever and BEWARE $10 for a half of glass of wine. If I am paying that much, I want impeccible, experienced servers. It is a nice place to see. I wouldn't go there all the time for happy hour, maybe once or twice a year for special occasions and drinks -- but for the ambience only. Or if there prices and service gets better maybe.... I did hear that old celebrities once frequented there: including Elvis Presley and Gary Cooper! read more