This place is a hidden Gem. Our food was great and the service was even better. Really cute place for a hot date. Love it

What a wonderful break from the fried fish joints. I had the bouillabaisse converted into the four course meal and I strongly suggest the four course option. Great flavor, kind attentive service, a real peaceful atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great French food. The chef's wife is the server and she was amazing. What a nice place! GO HERE! read more

When I entered the dark, red walled room It smelled strongly of scented candles instead of food. I asked for a glass of Bordeaux and was told they don't have any French wine by the glass, but I could buy a bottle and take it home. My husband asked for a vodka martini. They only have beer and wine. Strike two. I asked for an appetizer to start and was told it was too busy I would have to order my dinner as well when the waitress got to us. The pate was not good, the lettuce was from a bag, my pork was dry with berry jelly on top. My husbands lamp chops small and too much Rosemary. The vegetables were over cooked or perhaps frozen. I'm from Chicago and used to great French food. This was not it. The hostess who also waited on us was snotty. read more

This is by far one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in my entire life! And I have eaten in many places in the world including Europe. The food is exceptionally well prepared. The staff is very welcoming and authentic. The place has ambiance and elegant charm. From appetizer the desert, The Gulf Bistro is a hidden gem in the midst of Madeira Beach! Thank you for this wonderful experience. read more

Found this place by chance while visiting the area. It was our last night and we wanted someplace special, but not knowing the area well, we had to take our chances. I called to make a reservation, but they we not yet open, so I hung up. About 15 minutes later I was talking with my husband to try to decide on another restaurant when my phone rang- it was Gulf Bistro returning my call. (Yes! They really did!!) They offered to get us in and we took it. We both loved the food and the service was terrific . The owner was charming and we felt very special in this lovely romantic gem. A wonderful end to a fantastic vacation. We highly recommend this place, read more

Party of 4 and everything that I had or sampled was excellent to "couldn't have been better". Both onion soup and lobster bisque were as good as it gets. Rolls and salad excellent. Duck available at least 3 ways - duck breast in orange sauce - super. I had pork with a cheese sauce with walnuts - just to try something different - pretty good but unusual. House wines at $25/bottle a bargain nowadays but we got a better red at $28 and it was great. Desserts - had the crepe with berries and sampled the profiteroles - both just right. They were quite busy on a Wednesday nite in snowbird season but the kitchen was fast and service was excellent. Sometimes when you go to a small restaurant that's very busy, it can be a long time between courses (I'm thinking of some other local French restaurants), but that wasn't the case here. Just an excellent experience. read more

I never knew this place existed and I've lived here my whole life. The food was amazing and the staff was attentive. I got the scallops and shrimp. It was flavorful and not over cooked. I highly recommend this place for a lovely date night out. read more

After driving by this little hole in the wall in a strip mall for years, we decided to visit. Boy oh boy!!! What a fantastic place. Not many tables, so get a reservation. The hostess/owner was so pleasant and welcoming. We started with lobster bisque and escargot. My husband said it was the best bisque he had ever had. Velvety, flavor blended perfectly. The escargot were out of the shell and in this butter sauce that made me want to lick the bowl--and I did, but with the bread!! Then a small salad--perfect size. For entrees, I had the snapper special. Wow!! Fish was delicate, light and so flavorful. My husband had the pork special and it was excellent. Sauce was fabulous, pork was tender and juicy. Of course, we had to finish with a shared creme bruise. Out of this world!! Portions were a perfect size. I did take some of the fish home and it was just as good the best day. Definitely will return here time and again!! read more

Gulf Bistro - French Near Me - Largo, Florida

The exterior of the building would never let you know how amazing this restaurant is. It is amazing French cuisine. The owner is present in the front of the restaurant making sure you have everything you need. The menu has a wide variety of entrees. My husband had an EXCELLENT snapper entree and I had soup and salad. The Farmers salad was light and very tasty. The soup was great French Onion soup without the overpowering salty flavor in most onion soups. I will be telling friends and family about this location. It has a romantic quaint setting as well. read more

Tonight we had a succulent foie gras, grouper sauce nantua and confit de canard, all this accompanied with a Loire valley red wine. For desserts some profiterolles and crème brûlée! All was so delicious!!! read more

See all

A great little gem of a place, almost missed it out on Gulf Boulevard in Madeira Beach. Very quiet - they close at 9 on a Saturday - but we had a great time, especially since the restaurant options in St Pete are pretty dull and mediocre. We made the dinner entrees into 4 course meals. The only dud was the Margaux dessert - 3 1/2 scoops of ice cream with caramel sauce (seemed pre-made), toasted almonds, and Redi-whip "dessert topping". Would recommend anyone looking for something that doesn't resemble a redneck sports bar. read more

Bottom line. You are missing out on this place. This is the best place in west coast of FL. Start with their farmers salad and it will open your eyes. Any of the dinner plates are top notch. The chef is outstanding and the prices should be twice as much. Unreal experience!!!!! read more

Small and very quaint! Food was superb. Special 4 course meal is a good choice. Chocolate mousse for dessert was far above average.

One more trip to the Gulf Bistro before we leave for RI. Great food, wonderful service, small restaurant atmosphere. Had the lamb chops and farmer's salad. Wow! Both excellent. If we come this way again, Gulf Bistro is our first stop. read more

This is a fabulous, warm and welcoming place. It is run by a French couple whose culinary touch is amazing. I even got to practice a little French. A must visit if you are in Tampa, Clearwater or Madeira Beach. read more

Had a delicious dinner and a wonderful, calm experience at this restaurant! Everything was perfect - great wine (house wine was perfect), dishes cooked to perfection and desserts were awesome. Made us feel like we were in France again. Can't wait to go back! read more

A great hidden gem! The frog legs are the best ever! From escargot to caramel crepe ala mode, it is one delight after the other. We always take friends here and they love it as much as we do. And it is quiet so you can have a conversation without yelling!!.highly recommended! read more

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE ! We read the reviews thinking it might be a good place to try. The positive reviews are all over 3 years old ,so out of date . who knows what happened since then When we got there it was in a dingy strip mall next to a nail salon . The interior was very old and dirty.with the 5 star prices you would think it would be a 5 star restaurant Food seemed stale and tasteless. One server for the whole restaurant so everything, took forever. An overall poor experience read more

I love this place. This is the best French food I have had since I lived in Paris. It is a rare treat to come here because of the quality of the food and the service. One of the few places I will indulge in the whole nine yards. read more

Gulf Bistro - Crime brûlée flambé with Grand Marnier. - French Near Me - Largo, Florida

If going to Paris for dinner is not in the cards, then go to the Gulf Bistro. The salmon is excellent and the lobster bisque is superb. This is small and quiet and you'll get plenty of attention. The French couple who own it are delightful and so very friendly. We've taken friends there for special occasions. read more

In town on business. Took my wife for Valentine's Day. Turned out to be a great choice. Food and service was outstanding. An unexpected gem in the most off-beat location. Family run. Quaint environment. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Dinner was great. read more

Absolutely outstanding!!!! Looks so unassuming from outside but its totally charming French restaurant with delicious food -- don't miss the profiteroles!! Owners are very attentive and food was soooooo good!!! read more

A truly authentic French dining experience. May be the best chocolate mousse I've ever had. Truly surprised that this is here on the beach. We will be back often read more

Excellent food. Everything was perfect. I had escargot and a fillet with bearnaise sauce and creme brulee. The salad was just ok but the other sides were great. read more

My expectations were high after reading some good reviews online. My wife and I got dressed up to have a nice dinner at a French restaurant so we were ready to be wowed. As we arrived, the decor evoked a nice french atmosphere but not in an overpowering or cheesy manner. We even heard another couple exclaim how good their meal was to the server as they left, right after we sat down. The restaurant filled to about half capacity as our meal progressed. Our meal started well; the lobster bisque starter was very good but that was the high point. I followed the bisque with escargot, but it was pretty bland (as well as runny) and my wife was not enamored with the cheese on the onion soup. For our entrees, shrimp/scallops (me) and grouper, but neither were that flavorful. We opted out of dessert at that point. Perhaps our experience was not typical, given some of the other indications about this restaurant, but we will not be back. read more

The food and service have been fine in the past. There was a miscommunication with the very pleasant waitress whose English was only slightly better than our French. When we stated that what we received as an entree was not what we had intended to order, the owner came out and rudely sated that this mistake was very expensive....and what was he to do with this food. Rather than tell him where he could put it, we stated that we would pay this time but he would lose our business and be the recipient of a very bad review. Neither of us ate our entrees and paid the $66.35 check plus $15.00 tip. Gulf Bistro has always been great French food......but proceed at your own peril. If there is a mistake or miscommunication, BEWARE !!! We were called the next day by Marie and she stated how sorry for the miscommunication she was. She invited us back and we accepted. There last night and as on numerous occasions, the food was great" We are grateful for her response and this lovely piece of Madeira Beach / France is back on our must go to list. read more

My wife and I have been coming to Madeira Beach, FL every Thanksgiving for the past five years. Last year we decided to try the Gulf Bistro and we're glad we did. The atmosphere and service is warm and inviting, the food is delicious, and the wine list is fantastic. We will definitely consider going there again next time we're in the area. read more

I was reading some of the reviews and I cannot believe they were so negative. My wife and I frequent this place and the food is always above par. My wife had the Salmon stuffed with crabmeat and it was light and perfectly cooked. I had the Pork Costa and it was delicious. We also shared the seafood gratine and it was perfect. This is a great little place that is still unknown for the area. A perfect place for a quiet, well cooked meal. read more

Good service and food. specify whether you prefer vegetables well done or "al dente"

This is a fabulous restaurant. A real gem. Food and service is excellent. Not the norm. Try it, you'll love it.

We loved this little restaurant. Great service, food was excellent and just the right portion size. We had the mahi mahi, the beef filet and the shrimp&scallops. Delicious. read more

We love this place. We have a townhouse in St. Pete Beach, and as far as dinners go, this is one of our favorites. It is family owned, and small with attentive service. the food is excellent and the service is too. Our other favorites on par with this restaurant are Good Times in Tierre Verde, The Pearl near Treasure Island, Cafe Luna on Gulf Boulevard, and Black Palm in Pass-a-grille. read more

The best meal we've experienced this visit to the area. The sauces are superb as is the service. Genuine French menu with delightful interior design. We will be back! read more

Based on reviews we went and enjoyed ourselves. The meal of grouper and salmon was excellent. The previous Yelp reviews were spot on. Bon appetite! read more

Consistently, reliably, first quality; as a practiced, professional French family operation would be. We have gone there often for years. An asset to the community. read more

The food was amazing! Very well cooked. You can tell that the chef has talent and cares about the dishes going out. I love it. It's authentic French style. The server was very attentive and not overbearing. The atmosphere was great for a date night and we were overall very happy with our experience. I would recommend to definitely try this place if you're thinking about it! read more

I have been here more than once. The food is always very high quality and flavorful. The waitress (she was the same both times we went) is very kind and classy. I think this place is particularly good to bring a date to, as it has that "hidden gem that not many people know about" type feel. Highly recommended! read more