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    Driftlight Lounge

    4.1 (42 reviews)
    Open 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Driftlight Lounge Photos

    Business Info

    DRIFTLIGHT LOUNGE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Driftlight Lounge

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    Charcuterie board and guac
    Spencer S.

    Pretty nice lounge located in the JW. Came here for evening drinks with some people. Had a very nice selection of liquors and wines. I was impressed. A lot to choose from, particularly in the tequila realm. Ordered guacamole and chips as well as a charcuterie board. The Pinot Noir they were serving was excellent. Will go back when I'm in town

    Alonzo A.

    Had a quick old fashioned before a night out. Super nice square bar with limited liquor selection. This is a hotel bar with hotel bar prices. Rum old fashioned was $19 before tip. Bartender was very nice and conversational. Probably wouldn't return but again, not a bad place for a quick drink. Food prices are nuts. $20 for wings.

    Eda X.

    Driftlight is absolutely a gem north of Harbor Island and east of Channelside. Their service is immaculate. From the palate teaser, steak, scallops, mushrooms to carrot cake, everything was exquisitely prepared and presented. I absolutely loved my dining experience and grateful to have spent my birthday with them. Would definitely revisit the next time I'm in town.

    Old fashioned
    Rich M.

    We caught them at a soft opening for dinner service. Wow. Fantastic service and food! We had bread service, which was basically an entire loaf of sweet potato bread. So good. I had a caesar salad and my wife had french onion soup. The caesar salad has duck fat croutons. What else can I say? The french onion was fantastic. We also tried the Shrimp cocktail. The cocktail sauce was very nice. We split a ribeye which was cooked perfect. Ask for extra garlic butter. I would swim in it. The mashed potatoes and heirloom carrots were excellent also. We also tried the Nutella cheesecake because why not. We will definitely be back. Oh, and the old fashioned had me on my ass. Now go drool over my photos.

    6oz Filet with reduction sauce
    Rick M.

    Outstanding dinner for Tampa Bay Restaurant Week, a great choice. Service was spot on, the three course meal of crabcakes, filet mignon and carrot cake with a great bottle of Pinot Noir was a 10. We would go back in a heartbeat.

    Dirty Vodka Martini
    Diane G.

    Had to drink here before heading to Amalie Arena for a show. When we sat down in the two open seats. at the crowded bar, we were acknowledged immediately by Eva, who made two of the best dirty martinis!.

    Beet and blood orange salad with shrimp
    Alina H.

    After a flight in from NYC, I was treated to lunch here. The top roof deck was open so we were seated outdoors on the 6th floor. This rooftop hard partial views of the bay, but ample room to socially distance. I ordered the beet and blood orange salad, while my cousin had the grouper sandwich. Both were definitely fresh. We also ordered two drinks. One mezcal based and one a gin lavender drink off their cocktail menu. Both were aesthetically prepared and had a strong enough taste without it compromising the flavor of the drink. Ultimately I would come back for a quick cocktail with a friend when the rooftop opened up, but portions are small and not worth a trip back for me. Service was however great!

    Bistro salad with grilled blackened shrimp
    Cindy C.

    Decent but over-priced bar food at the Driftlight Lounge, which is to be expected at this luxury JW Marriott. Sat at the bar for a late lunch and opted for the Bistro Salad ($14) with blackened grilled shrimp ($12 extra). Though they were large and delicious, there were only 3 shrimp added to the salad, so it felt a bit like a ripoff. The rest of the salad was yummy and decadent: mixed spring greens topped with scallions, tomatoes, bacon, blue cheese covered in a healthy amount of dressing. Avocado was not included, even though it's on the online menu. The servers were attentive and friendly, which is why I rated this place 4 stars instead of 3.

    Caroline M.

    I was really disappointed when I dined at this place with my family. We sat at one of the small tables to the side of the bar and had two servers that did not know they were serving us at the same time. Then they decided to take their frustrations out on us? (When we had nothing to do with their serving system and I'm super understanding because I was a server for 5 years prior to moving to Tampa) We ordered our food and this younger girl was a server. She would walk away right after we would say something before anyone else could order. My mom ordered a drink and my sister also was low on her wine but the server didn't ask if she wanted another one so when she returned to the table with my moms wine, my sister kindly said she would like another one too which led to the server to roll her eyes. We continued to be kind but at the end of the dinner my mom just mentioned to her that if she would have just waited 5 more seconds at the table, she wouldn't have had to make so many unnecessary trips to the bar (a tip for her in the future) The food was great tho. We ordered a ton of appetizers and did a tapa style dinner. We had the oysters, charcuterie board, burger, shrimp cocktail and tacos.

    Looking towards S. Florida Ave. entrance (West).
    Shuné D.

    This lounge is located in the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Tampa. It's the first area you see when you walk in from the S. Florida Ave. entrance. It's a lobby bar with plenty of bar and couch seating throughout this portion of the hotel lobby. It also has a restaurant in the next room over. I haven't seen anyone occupying it (Restaurant) on my visits here though. I'm guessing this restaurant is more of a weekend spot, but not sure. Due to labor shortage, they did have only one guy serving that whole area. The service was as efficient as they possibly could make it. We didn't have to wait for too long. Their salsaccia pizza was delicious! Also, the architects and interior designers did a great job here. Even if you're not staying in the hotel, it's a good place for a reasonable size group of people or a date.

    $14 Rosy Retrospection
    Ginger L.

    Yay! I'm a fan. There is a lot of good at Driftlight Lounge. Lobby Bars aren't exactly known for their vibes and this is the ultimate exception. In fact I think the bar alone is 5 stars, easily. The only reason this isn't a 5 star experience is because of the hotel itself. The bar is dramatic and the couches are super comfy and intimate. I love that the menu is nice and tight. The drink names are cute too. Naming anything after the Sunshine Skyway sure is a fast way to my heart. We chose to sit in the corner, the sofas are serviced which is super convenient. There was nothing overwhelmingly remarkable about our service. In fact a little annoying that we had to ask for water. Shouldn't water just always come with a cocktail? Shouldn't that be industry standard? As this has the Marriot namesake I had high expectations. They really fell flat though. The hotel lobby restroom was really brutal. And the screaming drunk girls didn't help the energy of the space at all... And neither did the live music. Which is super ironic! The performer was wearing flip flops and was playing covers of 80's country rock? As a local, this was a fun bar to hangout in. If I was spending the $$$$ to be a guest here...I don't know how much I would have liked this. My drink was tasty and the glassware is stunning.

    Octavia L.

    I stopped in this bar for a drink and loved the decor of the lobby. Everything was very clean and chic. There was plenty of seating around the bar and the bartender came to take our order quickly. I ordered a drink with dragonfruit liquor. It was delicious and sweet. The ambiance of the bar was nice. I want to come back to check out the poolside bar.

    Roasted Brussel sprouts and cauliflower. U10 scallops with pancetta sauce.
    Kathy H.

    One of the better meals I've had in the restaurant hotel. Delicious oysters! I also have the scallop on three when she was very flavorful and cooked perfectly.

    Driftlight Restaurant & Lounge Bar, 1st floor of JW Marriot Waterstreet, Downtown Tampa

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Perfect location and great drink menu. Try the carrot juice margarita!! The outside seating was perfect.

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    Erica M.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Driftlight Lounge

    Review Highlights - Driftlight Lounge

    After visiting the Driftlight bar in the JW for dinner 4 days in a row, safe to say this spot is a winner.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Alter Ego

    Alter Ego

    3.7
    (73 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$$

    The feel and vibe of this place is so fun. It's great cocktail bar for a chill night and the drinks…read moreare always amazing. We love the djs and the bartenders are always friendly!

    I really like this spot overall...Alter Ego has smaller, moody dark vibes that feel super cool,…read morewith good cocktails and great music. It's got that all-around fun, energetic atmosphere that makes it a solid choice for drinks. Not sure how it is during the week, but it would make for a fun date night spot to grab some cocktails. That said, I had a real hang-up the last time I went with my girlfriend around Christmas. They tried to hit us with a $10 cover just to get in, on top of $15-20 cocktails. I don't mind paying for a nice spot, but the cover felt absurd, especially since it wasn't even busy. The bouncer said we could make a reservation to avoid it, so I did...and then he made us stand outside forever before letting us in. At that point, we should've just left, but since my friend had never been, we stuck it out to try the themed Christmas cocktails. Once inside, there was a two-drink minimum per person, which is kind of crazy. It feels like they jip you either way...cover or no cover, minimum spend or not. While waiting outside (for no real reason, since it was empty), we chatted with a party of six who came straight from Ash (the sister restaurant upstairs). They'd just spent over $1,000 on their meal and were still getting charged a cover to enter Alter Ego. That's poor business, don't force extra fees to guarantee money when good music, drinks, and vibes should bring people in naturally and make them want to spend. There's plenty of places on Water Street with great (and I'd say better) cocktails where you're not forced into minimums or covers. The Christmas cocktail menu was disappointing too, poor selections and way too sugary. Love the potential here, but the strict policies really turned me off and made me want to go elsewhere next time.

    Photos
    Smother fries
    Smother fries
    Bramble and Rickey cocktails
    Bramble and Rickey cocktails
    Lighting

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    Lighting
    Hotel Bar

    Hotel Bar

    4.3
    (231 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    The bartenders really know what they're doing at Hotel Bar! I'm not usually a dirty martini person,…read morebut one of them took the time to ease me into it with just a slightly dirty version! You can tell they're skilled and actually care about your experience, not just making drinks. Oh and they have bar snacks now! It's not included with your drinks like in Europe. You have to order separately and they come in the most adorable tray for $5! The music is always on point, which honestly makes a huge difference in the overall vibe. Also, I love their hours...it's one of those places you can count on when you're not ready for the night to end.

    From the moment I walked in, I was treated like I wasn't wanted there. No greeting, no attempt to…read moretake my order, and no basic customer service whatsoever. I tried to be polite and patient, but the staff was rude from the very beginning and made it clear they didn't want to serve me. To make it worse, I was kicked out for absolutely no reason. They claimed I "argued" with them, which is completely false. I never raised my voice or caused an issue--I was simply responding to their hostility. Instead of owning their behavior, they chose to make something up and remove me. I've never experienced such unprofessional, disrespectful treatment at a bar. If you're looking for a place where you feel welcome or even acknowledged, this is definitely not it.

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    Hotel Bar
    Hotel Bar
    Old Fashioned
    Old Fashioned
    Bottle display

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    Bottle display
    Morgan’s Cove

    Morgan’s Cove

    4.3
    (74 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    What a DOPE, PIRATE THEMED, speakeasy to go to grab some delicious drinks! Totally blown away!…read more Tucked, downtown Tampa you enter through a secret bookcase door and you enter a very low key pirate bar! Lighting is dim, which is part of the concept. (Auto flash is needed for pics) The joint, is VERY CLEAN! The staff is awesome and very attentive! They understand process. The drinks are SOOO WELL MADE! I had a Zombie as my first drink, and it is very well presented and STRONG! I prefer,my first drink at an establishment to be strong cause then I can lighten it up later. Then I had a Rum Barrel, not as strong, but well presented and delicious! Note: Prices for drinks are worth every dime! They have a small food menu, but everything on the menu looked delicious, but I did not eat there. This speakeasy is attached to a British pub which I went for food after. (Review to come) All-in-all great spot to come and have a drink you are well treated, appreciated and just a fun experience! I will DEFINITELY come back here for a delicious drink and DEFINITELY will try something off the food menu. I'll just make sure next time I won't go there after a big breakfast lol! Five stars alllllll day long!!!

    Had a truly awful experience here. At about 9pm on a Friday my party of 5 put our name on a…read morewaitlist. Nearly 2 hours later we had still not received any word from them. When we came back to the hostess we were told that we had cancelled our reservation despite never getting a call or text from the establishment. They could not show us any proof of this cancellation and upon further investigation we discovered that the hostess had typed in the phone number wrong and the system cancelled our names from the waitlist (highlighting his lie that he confidently told us that we had cancelled our reservation and that they couldn't see the waitlist communication after it was sent). Due to the error of their end we asked for him to streamline our names on the waitlist and he became combative and told us that he was not comfortable serving us and asked us to leave. We spoke to the manager and they reiterated that they believe we had cancelled our reservation despite having proof that the hostess was the issue. Eventually after speaking to the general manager on duty he was able to magically find multiple open spots for us at the bar and was completely comfortable with serving us despite the allegations made by the hostess. And then after all that waiting, the bartenders were rude, asked us if we were the people causing all those problems at the front, and drinks were awful. Definitely not worth your time. Everyone is rude and you will feel demeaned just for trying to get access to their "exclusive" speakeasy.

    Photos
    Secret entrance to the speakeasy!
    Secret entrance to the speakeasy!
    Rum Barrel
    Rum Barrel
    The bar area, tables surrounding it and another little closed off section.

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    The bar area, tables surrounding it and another little closed off section.
    Boulon Brasserie and Bakery

    Boulon Brasserie and Bakery

    4.1
    (529 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$$

    BOULON absolutely did not disappoint! Everything we ordered was delicious from start to finish. We…read morehad the Truffle Potato Croquette, Pain Maison, Scallop Risotto, Pot Pie La Mer, and Bananas Foster Bread Pudding. The Truffle Potato Croquettes were amazing, I honestly could've eaten 20 of them. The bread with the whipped butter was incredible and such a great start to the meal. My Scallop Risotto was delicious and the scallops literally melted in my mouth. But the standout for me was the Pot Pie La Mer. Holy moly... I've never had a pot pie like that before. The flavors were amazing and all of the seafood tasted so fresh. To top it all off, the Bananas Foster Bread Pudding was the perfect ending. Everything was rich and flavorful! Highly recommend!

    Love this place, but one bad apple ruins the experience We…read morevisit here often and absolutely love the food, the vibe, and almost all of the staff. We've never had a bad experience with any of the other bartenders or servers--they are usually fantastic! However, this is now the second time we've been served by the same bartender (he has long black hair kept in a man bun), and both times have been absolutely miserable experiences. He is beyond rude, incredibly impersonal, and makes us feel like an inconvenience just for ordering. We love supporting this place and will keep coming back for the overall great service, but we will definitely be avoiding his section or the bar if he's working. Management really needs to address his attitude, as it completely kills the great energy the rest of the staff works hard to create.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Steak frites
    Steak frites
    Indoor area

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    Indoor area
    CW's Gin Joint

    CW's Gin Joint

    4.2
    (580 reviews)
    0.6 mi
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    Ok. For context I'm a foodie and a snob when it comes to restaurants. This place is just plain…read morecool. Little speakeasy. Little high end restaurant. I am also a sucker for egg white drinks. If you've never had one you are not living. Then there is the wine. They have Cade from Howell Mountain. So hard to find and one of the best. I will come back every time I am in town. It is way up there on my lists as I travel.

    This post is based on my second visit to this restaurant. My husband and I did enjoy it the first…read moretime around and immediately thought of who to bring for our next visit, which was the reason for this visit. We originally planned on bringing some family here for their anniversary but that plan feel through so we made it into a friends catch up dinner. Right off the back LOVED our server Nimah. She was funny, helpful, and attentive. And they are on top of refilling your water so you will never go thirsty. I'm not much of a drinker, so I don't have much to say on that matter. The ambiance was nice. A lot of eclectic paintings on the walls. And loved the outfits of the servers. Very 20's speakeasy. There is a live jazz band that started performing at 7 pm. They were good but at some points it was a bit difficult to speak and listen to those at your table unless you got really close. My meal hit the spot. We started with a charcuterie board for the table. It had a lot of great options like dried apricots, actual honeycomb pieces, and my most favorite cheese, some Brie cheese. The only thing was there was only 4 pieces of bread, one for each of us, which wasn't enough but I guess it made sense not to fill us up too much. For my main meal I had the sweet potato salad which was very tasty and the sweet potato risotto, which a little spicy kick. The only thing I missed was the Brussels sprouts and potatoes but was told that was from the previous chef. But they serve you enough so you definitely will have left overs. Not a big fan of eating in the lounge areas, those are best just for drinks and maybe desserts. But it's definitely a great place to people watch. You will definitely have a meal and a show no matter what. Hopefully can schedule another time to bring my family because I know they would love it.

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    Corner of bar
    Corner of bar
    Oysters with Mignonette
    Oysters with Mignonette
    French 75 with Hendricks

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    French 75 with Hendricks
    Small Giant

    Small Giant

    3.6
    (125 reviews)
    0.3 mi
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    Great experience overall. The service was friendly and attentive, and the location is super…read moreconvenient for me to walk to living nearby. Perfect for meeting up or stopping by after work. I just wish the happy hour selection was better and quite small, but the $12 burger and beer deal is great. Expanding the happy hour menu could bring in more business earlier and create a more lively atmosphere before the evening rush. Definitely a solid spot with room to improve.

    Lunch with friends at this cute restaurant was lovely. We were going to sit outside, as they have…read moreseveral tables, but it was just too chilly so we ate indoors instead. We were seated at the corner table so we were able to people watch. Our server, Brianna, was super nice and very attentive. I never had to ask her for a refill on my Coke Zero; she just kept them coming! We started with some shareables for the table. Kung Pao Brussel Sprouts which were done just right. We also ordered a half cheese, half pepperoni pizza to share. I've never had a "Columbus-style" pizza before. If you're wondering, the crust is somewhat thinner than most pizzas, but not a thin-crust pizza. The toppings are spread all throughout the pizza to the edge, and then cut it in squares (Tavern style). It was very tasty, with a slightly sweet note. My hubby and I ordered the Cobb Salad (without bacon) which was delicious. I really liked the onions on it. It was very fresh and they served a generous portion. Hubby ate the whole thing, but I had the rest of mine for dinner. So good! Two of our friends ordered the Truffle Mushroom Smash Burger and they loved them. I tried my buddy's tater tots, which he ordered with his French Dip. They were nice and crispy, but could have used some kind of flavoring, like Parmesan or truffle. Doesn't mean I didn't eat them all! LOL. The restaurant looks small when you enter, but in addition to the front dining area and bar, it has two additional dining areas, as you walk towards the back, and another bar. If you find yourself in the Channelside area, you should definitely try out Small Giant.

    Photos
    Bar area
    Bar area
    French onion soup
    French onion soup
    Inside

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    Inside

    Driftlight Lounge - cocktailbars - Updated June 2026

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