I've eaten there about 10 times, and I'm from San Francisco. The meal presentation at Brian's is artistic cuisine and the flavors are superior to most that I've had from Coast to Coast. I'd say the dress is casual sport. There is a Lunch which is very good also - Ask to see the back patio which has alligators and turtles! read more

Had lunch here today with a friend who recommended it. My friend had a Cuban not pressed. I ordered one their specials, grilled ham with Brie sandwich with a side of chimichurri potato salad. The potato salad was quite good and will have to try and make it some time. I had ordered the sandwich with wheat bread, it came with Cuban bread instead. The server apologized right away and wanted to correct it right away. I decided to keep it with the Cuban bread. It was delicious. The service was prompt and courteous. I would definitely return if in the area. read more

Brian is an awesome chef, great staff, wonderful food. We have had our Christmas party there for the last three years. I HIGHLY recommend.

Great place for local upscale dining. Plan on lingering, though. This is not a get in, get out restaurant. This is a place for eating and taking and listening to music. The food is always outstanding, prepared by Brian, who is just the nicest guy you could meet. They have great music most nights, too, which can vary from jazz to Johnny Bowles playing guitar out in the patio. Service varies, as they are usually busy, busy, busy! Worth the wait since the food is delicious and the music is grooving! read more

This was my first experience at Brians Place and wow it was everything I expected it to be. Chef Brian has shown an exquisite view on Cuban Italian fusion cuisine. The fish was all fresh and amazing. read more

Great food, quick and friendly service, and pretty outdoor dining. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a good bite in the area, especially on a pretty day. read more

Food is great I've been here multiple times before come here on a busy night and you wait here for an hour just for a adequate salad and shitty toast on it read more

I attempted to schedule a private dinner meeting as my customers requested this place. I phoned the restaurant 3 times and never got a return phone call from the manager. I guess this restaurant doesn't need my business. It is very unfortunate for them. read more

Got the Italian quesadilla and the outside was burnt black. The server recommended the kids macaroni with shrimp for granddaughter. What came out was a small bowl of cheesy water that was inedible. Blackened tuna was good. Mutton snapper was bland. Server did not come back one time to ask if we wanted refills or if food was okay. Will not be coming back. read more

It was wonderful! The Ceviche Fish Tacos alone will have me as a repeat customer!! Top notch!!

I if I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be (overrated). I am of Cuban descent from Miami and this place does not even come close to Cuban food. Not only is it overrated but also overpriced. The service was not up to par, we had to wait about 15 minutes just to get a soda. It was funny when we first got there the lady asked if we had reservations! Definitely did not live up to my expectations and we ordered numerous things from the menu just to give it a fair shot. I spent about $72 and I wish I could take it back, because it was definitely not worth it. read more

I enjoyed my visit and it was very good. Had potential to be great. The restaurant appears to be a converted house which made it very unique. They have inside and outside seating. I chose to sit inside. Inside was very clean and neat. I ordered crab Benedict. There was some very good elements to this dish. The hollandaise sauce and the crab cake were excellent. My eggs were over poached and i would have dusted the dish with paprika to add some color and flavor. If there had been a little more hollandaise sauce and a runny egg would have enhanced entire dish. The dish was served with home fries which were a little over cooked and lacked the seasoning my wifes french fries had. My wife ordered an Italian sandwich which carried upcharge for pressed bread and fries. The fries were very good. The sandwich was very good but if an herb butter was used when pressing the bread would have made it even better. Like the food the service was good but not great. Wait time was reasonable. Waiter was nice but could have been a little more attentive. Im not sure soda needs to be served in wine glasses but thats just a personal preference. Again overall was very good and i plan to try more food options. A few minor tweeks this could be one of the best spots in town. read more

Ordered multiple Breakfast Sandwiches to go from Brian's Place. Bacon, Egg, & Cheese on Cuban Bread. 1) Stale Cuban Bread (From Sam's Club?) You are 40 minutes from Tampa - That is Lazy!!! 2) When a Customer Orders a Sandwich with Cheese there should be resembles cheese on the sandwich, not just enough to trick the person that pick up the to go order into thinking there is cheese on the sandwich. Horrible food!!! If people in Hernando Beach would stop eating at these horrible restaurants maybe someone will open something with edible food!!!!! read more

My Wife & I, based on a recommendation from a friend, drove the 20 miles to try Brian's place for Sunday Brunch. A Unique little place with a flavor fusioned menu, that can leave you in a quandary as to what combination of flavors combine to entice your taste buds that particular day. I had the Cuban style French Toast. Excellent. We left fully satisfied and added it to our list of approved foodery's. A few days later, I found myself telling a few friends about Brian's and recommending their food. A few weeks passed and I received a text from a friend who also drove the 20 miles to get to the restaurant and he and his wife were about to dine there. The pressure was on, as I knew, he could be a tough critic, especially after I had made him drive the 20 miles. After about an hour, I received the following text..."WOW!!!" This time, Five of us went, five us ate and five of us smiled. And then, Desert came? Whoa! Order their famous Fried Cheesecake, you will cry, when you realize, that it took you so, long to find it. I happen to be a bit of cheesecake connoisseur and I was not prepared for this delight. Weak-kneed after the first bite, I managed to muster up the strength to soldier on and finished and then ordered one to go. While the food, prompted me to write this review, it was the cheesecake that cemented the deal on 5 stars. Sandwiches all around, A Cuban, Italian, Reuben, Fried Grouper and One of their ten specialty burgers. Every sandwich, accompanied by perfectly crispy seasoned fries, was excellent and throughout our meal and into the parking lot, two things, kept coming up. While we are eating..."Boy is this good" and "Boy was that good"! ...after we finished. Can't wait til try Dinner there, and complete the trifecta(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)! If you want to ensure a great meal, call ahead to see if Brian is in the Kitchen. And for God's sake order the Fried Cheesecake! I do believe, the good lord, may have had something to do with the recipe. read more

Brian's Place is a great place to have a nice dinner and a nice time. Great choice for Friday nite relaxed dinner. This place is a gem. Go get a meal at Brian's Place... read more

Went with 2 year old grandson and 5 adults. The appetizers came quickly and were very good. Then things went downhill. Kitchen became overwhelmed on busy night. It took almost 1.5 hours to get our food, which was not impressive. Grouper was bland, lime shrimp tasted like mundane alfredo and paella tasted like chinese fried rice. When we talked to the manager asking for our food, she was very dismissive and condenscending saying the food was made fresh so we essentially just needed to wait (this was after an hour waiting for entrees). No concept of service recovery at all. Our wait staff did the best she could but the owner and manager need to do better. There are other restaurants in the area with better food, faster service , funner atmosphere and friendlier staff. We will not return and cannot recommend this restaurant. read more

I'm a local that's been to Brian's back when his father owned it and it was in a different building, never had a bad meal until now. And I really didn't have a bad meal this time, I never got my meal. We were a party of four with reservations at 7:00, we arrived at 7:00 and was seated quickly. The waitress came over after a few minutes and took out drink order, after about 20 minutes and no sign of our waitress, we asked another waitress to check on our drinks. Our original waitress showed up and said she would check on them. Finally got our drinks and mine wasn't correct but I drank it anyway without saying anything because I never complain. Ordered appetizers and received them rather quickly so even though it had been an hour so far we decided all is good. At 8:47 we got up and left, never got our meals or second drink. Paid for appetizers and drinks with a promise to never return. The worst part of his whole experience was not one person showed any concern for our problem, it was like this happens all the time, you should expect to wait for our food it's the best. Never Again. read more

I really want to like this place to support local business, however, have been here about five times and encounter same/similar issues each time ... 1) service was slow/very non-personable (at lunch time/1 pm only one other table of 4 in addition to our table of 3, and it took over 40 minutes to get 1 Cuban sandwich and 1 chicken salad, of which I had to ask after 30 min if they forgot about us and we were starving); 2) lunch entrees reasonably priced, however one piece of chocolate cake was $6.99 & was mediocre at best, cake was featured on their chalkboard w/price not listed - just never dreamed it would cost as much as entree - clearly we should have asked; and 3) yelp says "free sangria with check in" however server said "oh only on Friday" which I NEVER saw anywhere when I started clicking to check in. Has potential -- but not there yet for me. Oh yes -- sandwich was good, chicken salad was ok but a lot of mayo. read more

The food is pretty good. The service is excellent. The reason for the three stars and not higher is the decor. Very dark and dated. Straight out of 1980. Needs to be brought into this century. My husband is a chef and I am in real estate and interior design, how you feel in a place can effect the reason to come back or not. Modern rustic beach would do the place some good and make me want to be there more often. read more

5 stars for Brian's. We've been looking for a place that's different has atmosphere, good service and delicious food. Patty and her sis Linda were so friendly; kudos to Brian for hiring such delightful people. Tonight was our 43rd anniversary and we couldn't have found a better place to celebrate. We will NOT be strangers. See you soon. read more

I love the food but today's took forever to come out from the kitchen. Sat there forever. UGH

The furniture on the patio was in need of replacement or repair. As an appetizer my wife and I shared the Coconut Crusted Shrimp. It tasted like it was fried in old grease, and had little coconut taste to it. My entree was the Wild Mushroom and Marsala Chicken Pasta. It was the worst marsala sauce I've ever had, the mushrooms were tough and rubbery, and the presentation was sad. read more

After sampling different cuisines with my friends, on my last day of my vacation wanted to try this location. I was intrigued by the menu, pictures and featured dishes so we embarked to visit this location especially since it featured a Spanish Italian Fusion theme. At approach the restaurant was dark and it didn't advertise the same as the website. When we entered the host looked at us very strange so he said we could sit outside. The Mosquitos were attacking us so I went to request a possible seating change and was given a similar strange look that he couldn't accommodate us. Another female joined him and stated people had later reservations and that we should if called. I stated the website says it takes reservations but it didn't state recommended. The female said well we don't insist but it's the time period and I just didn't care for there dismissive tone. Did not appreciate the treatment considering we even knew the dishes we wanted to order. As a Latina...the sentiment was quite uncomfortable and there approach was felt as though we came to the wrong place which made me not even attempt to try the food. Offended and disappointed... read more

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!!! The food was watered down and bland, there was a roach crawling on the ceiling, my boyfriend got the chicken Marsala which was sliced chicken from a deli, watered down sauce and undercooked noodles, then they TRIED TO TRICK ME INTO PAYING FOR 1 OUT OF THE 2 MEALS THAT I SENT BACK BECAUSE THEY WERE BOTH DISGUSTING!!!!! NEVER AGAIN!!! When I asked for one of the meals I was being forced to pay for, the lady said she threw them out. I took 2 bites out of each meal, the second I was forced to get when I insisted that they just take the first meal back and fix it so I can eat it. Then tried to blame me for not liking their food when the two people sitting next to us had issues and sent back their food too! But they had a "legitimate" reason, their noodles were undercooked but because I said it was watered down its my fault. This place is a joke, it looks like the inside of someone's house, and in no way, shape or form did I see any kind of Spanish food. It was mainly Italian. Just another guy with a big ego and overcharging people for disgusting food. read more

The food was very tasty and well prepared.My only problem was the amount of the main ingredients in the dishes.My wife and daughter had the papardelle and there was not enough of the wild mushrooms or chicken in the dish.I had the paella and the seafood was minimal for what was charged 23.95.I know that restaurants have to control costs but with the prices that are charged at brian's he should be more generous with the main ingredients.We had a discussion in our over 55 community and several people said the same thing and would not go back. read more

I moved to Hernando County a little over a year ago. Prior to that, I lived in St Petersburg and Sarasota, where there are lots of great restaurants. My husband and I dine out regularly so we have been on a quest to find good places in this more remote area for some time. Thankfully, Brian's Place is just what we have been searching for! The owner, Bob, and his wait staff are wonderful and very welcoming. The food, whether you're there for a quick lunch, or a New Year's Eve 4-course dinner, is fabulous and inventive. And, the prices are very reasonable. Lunch prices are especially good, with most items under $6.00. There are daily specials that are always great, homemade soups, and a large variety of tasty sandwiches, wraps, salads and grilled items. If you like traditional Cuban food, be sure to come on Wednesdays for black bean soup and usually some kind of mojo pork or chicken - yummm!!! For dinner, one of my favorites is the Red Chile Grilled Chicken Breast with Brie. It features a tender chicken breast, stuffed with melted Brie and red chilies, along with lightly fried platanos (fried bananas) and yellow rice. It is an incredible combination of flavors and textures that blend perfectly. I also like the Pork Scallopine, a thinly pounded piece of pork loin, lightly grilled and covered in a flavorful cream sauce with porcini mushrooms and chipotle peppers, atop a helping of angelhair pasta. All dinners come with a choice of salad and bread. If you have room, I highly recommend the desserts!!! The fried cheesecake is on my list for my last meal - it's just heavenly!!! Overall, I am happy to give Brian's Place my highest rating!!! You will not be disappointed! read more

Been to Brian's Place several times. Every single time the food has been so yummy! Nick our waiter was so passionate about what Brian has on the menu. Service is excellent!! I would recommend sitting outside to take in all the nature that surrounds you!! This is one of my very favorite places to go!! You won't be disappointed!! read more

Visiting area from Connecticut, 11/21-12/1. Had three meals at Brians. All very well presented and tasty. First dinner:bruschetta app and Cuban skirt steak both tasty and very attractively presented. Husband had clams and sausage app - which was delish. Clams and sausage floating in a light, beautiful broth that should have been a soup special all by itself. His main course was grouper and rice. Both wonderful. Husband adored clam app. Second meal with friends visiting area: I had braised short ribs and Gorgonzola polenta. Yummo. Husband had clam app again and seafood paella both which made him swoon. Last meal lunch with cutie cousin Tony and cuter wife Rose (see recent review Anthony A with photos). I had Cuban sandwich which was also perfect. Husband had lovely crab cake sandwich. We had three meals in 9 days so you know we liked it. I'm sure you'll like it too. Restaurant looks like nothing outside much but clean and pleasant inside. read more

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. Brian's Place is fuckin awesome. In a place full of chain restaurants this is a shining beacon of culinary delight. Love love love it, I will definitely be back. Desiree was our server and she knocked it out of the park. Even if she didn't the food was good enough to bring us back for more. The worst thing about Brian's Place is trying to decide what to eat. Everything was exquisite. Next time we are in town from Miami we will be back. read more

I visited Brian's with my husband, two children, and a friend. The small restaurant was packed this Friday night. The food was fresh and absolutely beautiful. We had coconut shrimp and a goat cheese and basil quesadilla for appetizers. They were wonderful (Although, I will say, I have never found a coconut shrimp that is better than Outback's. Just sayin.). For dinner I ordered a lime shrimp pasta dish. I was good, but nothing spectacular. My husband ordered one of the specials that night. A 14 oz rib eye steak. It was supposed to be served with roasted red pepper mashed potatoes and eggplant gratin. Unfortunately, by the time we ordered they were all out of the gratin. We watched jealously as many of the tables around us were served these individual boats of bubbling cheesy eggplant goodness. To replace the gratin,,,,, a pile of steamed spinach! Not even in the same caliber. Oh well, I REALLY wanted to try that gratin but it just was not in the cards on this night. My husband said the steak was absolutely wonderful. It was cooked perfectly. Also the red pepper potatoes were awesome. And the dish was gorgeous. But, for $27.99 I think something better could have been served to replace that wonderful looking gratin. Everything that I saw served to the various tables that night looked wonderful. I am looking forward to trying some different things at Brian's. My only other observation is that the restaurant is actually on the water but there are no water views. I think opening up the restaurant to the water views would do wonders for the ambiance. read more

We really liked this place but the main dining room was way too noisy so we sat in the bar area. I had the paella which was decent (make sure to keep mixing up the rice to get the broth) and my date had the chicken wrapped in prosciutto. He said the chicken was a bit dry and we both loved the aioli sauce but the dish looked empty without a vegetable. Personally I like prosciutto on bread and not wrapped on anything. The wines were affordable and not stingily served as most restaurants do these days. The house salad was awesome. I would go back. The musician outside was not overly loud and preferable to the dining room noise. I am giving it a 4 star rating because it was an unexpected surprise for the area though the I would avoid the dining room because it is cramped and noisy when busy. read more

I think it the food use to be a little bit better but it is still amazing. Fresh food, great prices, nice ambiance, and amazing service.

All very good until the music started, Far to loud I could hardly hear what people were saying, everyone was having to shout. We had to ask to go outside and fight the nits, never again. and it was a special occasion. so disappointed, we were not alone. read more

Chicken And pasta, and paella we both very good. Live music was a pleasant surprise. The bar is well stocked. Overall a little loud pretty nice read more

Great cuban sandwiches. Fries were a little over seasoned. Waitress was kind enough to tell tell us about a text special on the Cubans so we saved some money. Nice atmosphere and a great value. read more

Loved it - food was fabulous - drinks were great and service exceptional! Had kids with us and they didn't cringe when we walked in. Had a great tuna sandwich and a Cuban sandwich. Loved the mango mimosas. Kids meals perfect! read more

Fresh ingredients, wonderful chef makes for mouth watering food. Always worth a visit.

Really nice, clean, classy and cute atmosphere! Dining room is a little small and it sort of threw me off at first but it just adds to the charm. It wasn't as busy inside as it was outside, with live music playing (the volume wasn't bothersome to me at all.) Food was really good! Appetizer was okay, we got the clams, just not my cup of tea when it came to the flavor. I got the filet mignon and it was absolutely amazing. One of the best steaks I've ever had. I loved the presentation of the meals as well. Service was attentive. I want to come again! read more

Love the food and atmosphere. My husband and I have eaten here several times and have always enjoyed our meals. Brian's food is very good and he always has some kind of interesting special! The outdoor deck and the music is wonderful Will be back very soon. read more

Excellent food, service, music, and reasonable pricing.