Tonight's level of service received was quite disappointing. Feedback was provided to the manager and she strongly encouraged us to write a review. When eating at 4/5 star restaurant details matter - pouring water should not splash everywhere, one should not have to ask for black pepper on a salad, one should not have to ask for spoons for desert, empty cocktail glasses remained on the table the entire time-plus there were other examples. Personally, I would not visit this restaurant again. read more

Impressive dining experience! SERVICE: 5/5 AMBIANCE: 4/5 FOOD: 5/5 CREATIVITY: 4/5 Comfort with a taste of elegance. Restaurant is located within the JW Marriott, where you can valet (easiest) or find street parking. The food is very tasty! We thoroughly enjoyed our meals from appetizers to desserts and coffees. Try the lavender latte (my favorite!) Excellent service and great seating. Afterwards, we took a stroll on the Riverwalk. Such a perfect date night overall! read more

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We can to Driftlight for the first time during Tampa Restaurant week and the menu was very reasonably priced. We enjoyed the steak and had the beet appetizer. I was not exactly as described with arugula and the sever didn't know what the arugula was. it also did seem like the restaurant downsized the portion to accommodate the restaurant week menu, which is their prerogative but I have been at other restaurant week restaurants that gave you their regular portions even though it's restaurant week menu. So my experience was jaded by their frugal offer. read more

Stayed at JW Marriott in Tampa for the weekend. Everywhere on Water Street had a huge line or needed reservations months ahead, so we decided to try out Driftlight inside of our hotel. Best kept secret on this street. The starters were great! Oysters were melt in your mouth and decadent. Calamari was very tasty but a bit chewy. The cilantro sauce made up for it though. Our entrees were amazing. The braised short rib had flavor and was incredibly tender. Veggies perfectly cooked on the seared salmon dish and the carrot beurre monte was silky and delicious. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate but the Nutella espresso cheesecake was SO GOOD. Loved the addition of the blood orange sauce. I'm still thinking about it! Open and clean dining room. Not too dark lighting. Loved the huge booths. Excellent service as well from Jeff, our server. read more

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Located in the JW, the location was relatively empty for dinner on a Friday night. Our server was very attentive and gave great suggestions from the menu. I had the French onion soup to start. Bold and hearty, it was a massive portion with great flavors. I chose the scallops. Prepared perfectly, they were well seasoned and tender. We finished with the key lime pie. Great presentation and smooth creamy custard like pie. A great find on a busy night in the area. read more

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really chill Friday night in the restaurant,really good ribeye steak, friendly thoughtful service and cozy decoration. Good place to chat and date read more

We came here on a Saturday night. We were able to walk right up and sit down. There were several people inside the restaurant and outside in the lounge area. This restaurant is located inside the JW Marriott and you don't need to have a reservation to go there. The food was good and the service was great. I got the mac and cheese and Brussels shared as sides and had the salmon. Everything I ate was great. read more

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Driftlight has a clean open and airy atmosphere unlike most dark steakhouses which I liked. Booths were comfy and the maitre d' was courteous and friendly. Menu had a decent amount of choices and we tried quite a few different things since we were hungry. The New Zealand calamari was accompanied with an excellent cilantro tartar sauce, the fried basil leaves (aka basil chips) were good with the sauce as well. Gulf Shrimp in a "Bloody Mary" cocktail sauce was pretty good. Always like Shrimp from the gulf. So much better than the Indonesian farm raised. For dinner we had a filet and the Delmonico steak. Both were excellent cuts and cooked perfectly. Hats off to the chef! We shared side of Roasted Asparagus. I was a little surprised to be charged for "sauce" when paying $60+ for a steak. It was hard to see a price for it on the menu I had and it looked like it's part of what you're paying for but $2.50 for a sauce..? Not expensive but like feels nit picky to me. The reason for the loss of a star was because the waiter left us without steak knives or utensils and about 5 minutes later our entrees were delivered. After about two minutes I had to walk around and flag down another server to bring us some steak knives. The sad part was that if they had even left a couple butter knives, they would have worked just fine because the steaks were exceptional. I would definitely return. Only tip for the restaurant is to make sure the staff looks to see that the patrons have utensils when delivering food... I would definitely return for a steak. read more

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Our dinner was delicious. We each got the filet w different sides. The corn and the baked potato. Both equally delicious. The farmers margarita, was to die for. Loved and had to order a second!!! The only thing that was a bust was our server. No personality. She was totally annoyed that we had kids at our table. But we were one of about 5 tables in the place. So till back Betty, lets us enjoy our $500 meal. 5 for the food. But the waitress was a bust! read more

Ordered the 16 oz Delmonico ordered it MR+ to M and it was served MR. the cut was pretty thin (1/2"-3/4") for a steak like a Delmonico. To top it off, the steak was pretty tough and lacked a good beefy flavor. I cut a slice for my wife so she could try it and without prompting she said "it's kind of tough" so I knew it wasn't just me. Service was good at first and faded as dinner went on. Server didn't come by for 20-25 min to check on us until we were done and had been waiting for a little bit. They had a singer playing an electric guitar who IMO was very one dimensional and not very good. Shame because it takes a lot for me to write a disappointing review and the fact that the check total for 3 people was a little shy of $400. Doubt I would go back. read more

Ridiculously overpriced breakfast. $25 for eggs--chose an omelette, which to my surprise didn't even include toast or meat. On top of that there's was zero flavor. I had to season it myself with salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste anything. Overall my breakfast came out to over $50 with tip. 2 stars instead of 1 because my server, Julie, was lovely. read more

This place is a GEM! I think it is overlooked in Tampa and coming from a hard critic, this place is over looked. This is not hotel food, it is creative and delicious cuisine. It is the best restaurant dinner my wife and I had in a while. We went to Ulele the night before because of the praise, and it was terrible. Diftlight was 100 times better. We started with the Crab Cakes and Key Lime Caesar Salad. The crab cakes were one of the best I have ever had, full of crab meat, no filling, and flavor was AMAZING. The caesar was so creative with key lime dressing and duck fat croutons! The steak couldn't be any better. Perfectly cooked and couldn't get more tender. It was simply perfect. One of the best steaks I have had with a perfect char on the outside. The vegetable pasta was amazing as well, with a great ricotta and pesto sauce. Full of flavor. Driftlight should certainly not be overlooked and seen as hotel food. If we were locals, we would be regulars to this restaurant. I see some other reviews that don't do this restaurant justice, such as the plates came out late so a guy missed his game or some lady just had soup. Driftlight is sure not to disappoint. When we are back in Tampa, we will be back at Diftlight. On a side note, we had brunch there too and the smoke salmon bagel was fantastic as well. read more

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Filet was very tasty. The nice char on the outside was delicious. We enjoyed our sides as well. read more

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Since relocating from Chicago to Tampa a year ago, I've been on the hunt for a steakhouse that could rival the quality I enjoyed back home. After trying numerous spots, my search finally ended last night at Driftlight Steakhouse. My wife and I had an exceptional experience--attentive service, a welcoming atmosphere, and food that exceeded expectations, especially the filet. We'd recommend Driftlight without hesitation and are already looking forward to our next visit! read more

great ambience! it's not the best steakhouse in the world, but service is consistent, drinks are great, and the the menu is great! we had a jalapeño corn bread of some sort not too long ago and i could have literally eaten a whole plate of just that we like to get the seafood tower and the oyster selection has always been nice, even on weekdays when it's super slow recommend! read more

Driftlight Steakhouse is an absolutely gem in Channelside. Their food is delicious, immaculate and beautifully presented. Among the restaurants around the area, if you want to pick a place that will impress, this is definitely the restaurant. Their staff and servers are very professional and polite. I have tried their scallops, braised beef, steak, and mushrooms. They were all very delicious. If you spend your birthday here, they will beautiful decorate the carrot cake for you! read more

Had the short ribs hash and an amaretto sour. It usually comes in with everything mix. Had everything separated. Food was actually really good. Only thing I would say is that the ribs could've been cooked little bit longer to be a little bit more tender besides that they didn't have any amaretto at the bars they have a way to get it from one of the other locations. The services and hospitality was great. What are y read more

Driftlight Steakhouse - Short ribs hash - Steakhouses Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Best filet I've had in 10 years. Crabcakes were 90% crab. Fantastic service. Excellent overall experience. read more

I have always visited the lounge area never the restaurant side...... Oh boy I didn't know what I was missing. The food was great. I wished for a little more flavor but it was still delicious. The cocktail drinks were also good. The sweet pea has Hendricks Gin which made it a great drink. We weee able to just go right in and be seated. read more

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This place is a gem. Not sure if its a secret or what, but we've been twice and it was never crowded. Its what you would expect from the JW Marriott, top tier menu, very well prepared and spectacular service. We've been for dinner twice and brunch once. Home run each time. JW valet is free if you eat here, just be sure to validate. Great for date night. read more

Great cozy ambiance with incredible food. The attention to culinary detail was extremely impressive. The craft cocktails were exactly that... amazing ingredients, perfectly paired and consistently delicious! read more

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I've been now a number of times after shows nearby. Each time hoping for an improved experience but no luck. Very overpriced for average food read more

My party of 3 spent $1400 for the New Year's eve dinner event. The dinner consisted of five courses with wine pairings. We were encouraged to book quickly because the seats were selling out. We were looking for an exciting place to go for New Year's Eve. Since this is not something we usually do- With all the hype from the booking hostess we anticipated a great party. The wait staff was not excited to be there. The waiter brought one dish right after the other we did not even have a chance to taste our wine before they were bringing another course. The first course was Hamachi sashimi and some sort of sauce. The fish was extremely fishy and not edible. It seemed very old. I was afraid to eat it. The second course was pork so we were unable to eat it. The chef was nice enough to give us each TWO boiled shrimp to replace the pork dish. The third course was a serving of burrata with no seasoning and one slice of orange and one slice of grapefruit . It was very bland and had absolutely no flavor. I only ate a couple of bites because I was starving. The entrée was a choice of surf and turf or just a filet. We ordered just the filet mignon because we know turning out scallops could be an issue for them. They served us the scallops anyway which as expected had no flavor and were rubbery. The steak was fine, but underseasoned. The last dish was some sort of dessert that was totally inedible. I'm still not sure what it was. The dried out substance in the bottom of the bowl was caked on-like maybe it was a cake frosting?. There were three strips of a very dry fried dough on top that had no flavor. The entire dessert was dry and tasteless. We saw the waiter in the beginning. He said I will see you in a few minutes- Just to see what temperature you would like your meat. Other than that you won't see me very much. Once he dropped off the last dish and glass of wine. We never saw him again. He never came back to fill our water glasses. No one thanked us for spending $1400 at their restaurant for crappy food. When we booked the reservation we had the option of booking the after party. The tickets were $150 for fireworks, champagne and have the opportunity to sample more desserts. Again they encouraged us to book right away because tickets were selling out quickly. When we got to the after the room was empty. There were about 12 people in the room. We made a comment to the server and she said yes we only sold 33 tickets for this event. For a festive New Year's Eve party there was NO music. No countdown- no imagination - pathetic. We all sat out on a terrace waiting for the fireworks. The outside bar was taking up about 25% of the available viewing spot for the fireworks. Their staff got a very good view of the fireworks while we were stuck in the back with barely any view. Again, I'm not really sure what we paid for here since the fireworks are free for the entire city. The staff was so busying watching the fireworks no one was monitoring the people drifting in from the outside bar into the expensive private party. There were about five different desserts on the table. They all looked very unappetizing and dry. I did not notice anyone at the event eating any of the desserts. The champagne or sparkling wine was very cheap and tasted awful. We did call the hotel to discuss our concerns and ask for a call from the hospitality manager however, no one has called us yet. I am a platinum member with the Marriott Bonvoy and I was super disappointed in the service. The lack of service and the slightest effort to ensure the guests were having a good time was truly disappointing and shocking. Everyone who attended the lame after party should be refunded for that!. I had 1/2 glass of horrible sparkling wine and couldn't even see the fireworks. Shameful !!!!!! read more

We had a great time dining at this restaurant. I feel like it definitely has a more modern and elevated feel for a steakhouse. The waiter we had was very helpful assisting with gluten free options. If you go here get the Farmers margarita with the carrot garnish, you will LOVE IT. This is the best margarita I have ever had to date! Next, the oysters are 5/5 here and a must have. They have a really great Ceasar salad with house made Key Lime Ceasar dressing that is also GF and I would highly recommend it. As for the steak it was good, not great, but good. The chicken dish I had unfortunately was so overcooked that I couldn't eat it. They made the dish gluten free without the gravy, but I am guessing it is probably mu h better with the gravy because without it it wasn't really seasoned and it seemed like something was missing. I definitely want to return to try the seafood entrees though. We had a good time. They have great hours (open until 10pm) and the restaurant was virtually empty so it was a very romantic date night. read more

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Easter brunch buffet was excellent! Highly recommend. Have been here several times and each time has been a good experience. read more

Driftlight Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Ate here for dinner. Food was great and the service was outstanding. Atmosphere is very cool but the restaurant is noisy. I highly recommend a reservation as this is a busy hotel. We tied to go here for breakfast but there was a long wait and we were in a hurry to catch a flight. read more

Driftlight Steakhouse - View of open kitchen - Steakhouses Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We dined here last night and we were very disappointed. Very overpriced for the quality. The ribeye steaks at $100 each were extremely chewy, full of gristle and fat, poor quality for the price! The baked potato was good thankfully, but the cappuccino and coffee were very watery. I'm shocked they have over 4 stars! Never again. Next time I'm going back to Bernes steakhouse where it's always great! read more

Came to driftlight for dinner and it was good, the ambience is great. Located in the lobby of the Marriott. I wish the menu had a larger variety for entrees, I think there are 4 options. The carrot cake was the highlight of the meal. French onion soup was delicious. I probably wouldn't order the lobster bisque again, it was unique but I was hoping for a typical creamy bisque and this wasn't that. There was 6 of us so 20% gratuity was added automatically. Overall I would come back if it was convenient but I probably wouldn't go far out of my way to come here read more

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$$$ great food and service be prepared for the cost! Wonderful location and great special occasion place.

Food and service were excellent. My issue is ambiance and chairs. Yes chairs. This is an expensive restaurant yet it feels like I'm eating in school cafeteria. Again. Food is good. Odd fact. Bar outside restaurant is very good but if you go to roof (I recommend doing great view) they do not serve the good liquor there (same business) -- I'm talking better tequila read more

Traditional steakhouse in an unconventional setting. Excellent Beluga martini with caviar. Steaks were perfectly done, flavorful, and sides were delicious. Price point consistent with other steak houses in Tampa. Service was a little slow and inconsistent. read more

Good ambience, service good. steak is below average. no restraint on salt - so salty that it was a bit stinging, although flavor otherwise good. meat quality was ok. nice char and crust. same with sides - they go nuts on salt. Got the bread service - not better than warmed up grocery store bread. french onion had good fun. i'd go again if raining outside but didn't think it was a 4.5. star yelp at all read more

This was without a doubt the best restaurant in a Marriott property I've ever experienced by a mile. Everything was well executed and quite good. Pleasantly surprised in every way by the food and the service. Gary was awesome! Will definitely go back. read more

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Fantastic! We had the tomahawk steak and filet oscar-style. The food was phenomenal and the service was excellent!

My husband Is in for a conference in Tampa. He and I decided to give this restaurant a chance, as it got good reviews on Yelp. We were greeted by the host and we were quickly seated. The decor is classy and upscale. Our waiter, Gary, introduced himself and gave us an opportunity to skim the menu. He initially wasn't warm and friendly but he warmed up by the end of our meal. We ordered the specials that evening: red snapper for him and seared salmon for me. We also ordered the bread special to have before our meal. It was a sweet potato flavor served with seasoned butter. Our meals were brought out by our waiter along with the chef (Song). She explained what we were about to eat and how it was prepared. That was a highlight and worth mentioning. The meals were delicious. The fish were not over-cooked and seasoned to our liking. The vegetables and mashed potatoes coupled perfectly with the fish. I would not hesitate to give this establishment a try. Note this restaurant is $$$. Overall, a good experience was had and I wouldn't hesitate to revisit to try other items on the menu. read more

Nice restaurant inside JW Marriott hotel. Very good service and food. Also has a great breakfast buffet that has so much to offer. I know, it is a hotel restaurant, but this is one of the better places to eat on riverfront. read more

Great food and service and, they accommodated our group of 12 on short notice. Sea food tower is a must

Excellent service and food. Celebrated our anniversary with an evening out and this hit the spot. read more

Driftlight Steakhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Was visiting from out of state a few weeks ago and heard great reviews about the drinks, food, and service at Driftlight Lounge. We were shocked to be confronted with terrible service by waitress El. Sadly, it was some of the worst service I've ever experienced. From the outset, she seemed disinterested and inattentive. It took her ages to greet us, and when she finally did, she seemed annoyed and rushed. When we ordered, El got several items wrong and didn't bother to clarify or confirm our choices. She was slow to bring our drinks and never checked back with us after dropping off the food. Throughout the meal, she was nowhere to be found, leaving us to flag down other staff for basic requests like refills and extra napkins. Her attitude was downright rude, making us feel like an inconvenience rather than valued customers. Overall, her poor service severely impacted our dining experience at the lounge despite the food and drink being great. I hope the management addresses these issues because her behavior is unacceptable and reflects badly on the restaurant. read more

Don't book a 6:15p reservation if you are going to an 8p Lightning game... Food dropped at 7:40p