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    Gulf Bistro

    4.7 (157 reviews)
    PriceyFrench, Seafood
    Closed 5:30 pm - 9:00 PM

    Gulf Bistro Photos

    Business Info

    GULF BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Gulf Bistro

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    Onion Soup Gratine
    Carrie V.

    The food and service at Gulf Bistro is 5 stars!! We came in as a last minute party of nine and the woman who I'm assuming is the owner graciously accommodated us. The food I personally tried included the Escargots En Cocote (unbelievable, the sauce was so delicious), Onion Soup Gratine (the most perfect French onion soup), and the Linguini Aux Fruits De Mar (so much seafood in this dish and a rich lobster sauce). We were told this location opened a few weeks ago due to flooding from a previous hurricane, so I'd highly recommend supporting this amazing local restaurant for a delicious French dinner.

    Filet mignon
    Amanda M.

    The food quality and seasoning is 5 star quality. The sauces are great. However, the portions are almost child like. Based on portion size it is 3 star. The filet mignon and salmon were ok sized and really well seasoned. But the potato medallions and veg portions were so small it almost looked like leftovers. Really cheap of the restaurant unless they just screwed us for getting take out on New Years. It's a shame because the owner/chef seemed really nice and the food is good. But the portions are pathetically small.

    Creme brulee!

    I love this incarnation of Gulf Bistro!! They're in the old Cafe Largo spot. The food is superb! We had the beet carpaccio which was lovely and delicious! Then we had the halibut/scallop special served with yellow rice and sauteed green beans and asparagus. The sauce was wonderful with savory bits of mushrooms, peppers and olives and garlic!! Yum!! For dessert we had a perfect creme brulee and profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. Every thing was superb!!!

    Duck confit- not my favorite
    Mia L.

    The service was great and the owner was very friendly, walking around chatting with guests. The food was mostly amazing. Intimate setting.

    Lobster Bisque
    Becca C.

    The best fine dining in Madeira beach, possibly even in all of Pinellas county. Food: Lobster bisque - I've eaten a lot of lobster bisque but I think this may be my favorite so far. Creamy and decadent with great flavor. The lobster chunks were perfectly cooked and as tender as butter. House salad w/ house dressing - the house dressing is so incredible! I only wish it was a bigger serving so I could've eaten more of it. Duck confit special - the rich balsamic port sauce paired perfectly with the tender, crispy duck. I had to stop myself from eating everything so I could save room for dessert. Crème brûlée - I finished off dinner with a favorite. The sugar was perfectly caramelized and the custard was wonderfully balanced. I sampled the chocolate mousse too which was delicious but very rich. Ambiance: The space is small and intimate but feels homey with beautiful decor. I loved that they have such unique and pretty plates. Every dish was beautifully presented. Service: Excellent service. The staff very clearly loves what they do and take pride in the restaurant. We'll be back soon!

    My wife Carol...
    Allen C.

    The food is incredibly good...pleasing to both the eye and the pallet...the French sauces prepared by the chef to flavor the seafood dishes are the best I have ever sampled during a lifetime in pursuit of fine French dining... This was our second time dining here. We were accompanied by our close friends visiting from Atlanta to celebrate their 47th anniversary...they enjoyed the selection of this restaurant as much as we do...

    Blue cheese terrine
    Amy G.

    Off the charts! My friend brought me here saying he tries something different on the menu every time and it is always excellent. I have wanted to come to this restaurant for over 10 years but could never get in. Knowing that-- Now is the time to come here. The food is phenomenal and unfortunately due to this unpredictable pandemic is the reason they are empty, during the week. The food is still fabulous It is a romantic french restaurant, no bar, limited sitting in an L shape space. Quaintly decorated with French touch, lovely family run business with the father working hard in the back making beautifully prepared dishes. The menu options are plentiful & more than a small restaurant should offer. There is something for everyone I ordered Escargot and the duck, a complete "wow" fabulous meal and my friend had the blue cheese terrine and filet. He makes an amazing steak, it is like butter. Best steak ever! Tres bo The small seating is very romantic. Wonderful wine selection. Come early for parking is limited My beat tip, make a reservation early in the week

    Duck confit with pack and walnut sauce

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    5 years ago

    The exterior isn't very impressive. Food was great. Interior decorations provides cozy atmosphere. We enjoyed our time there.

    Business owner information

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    Marie H.

    Thank you very much! See you soon

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    Business owner information

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    Marie H.

    Thank you very much, see you again soon!

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    8 years ago

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    Marie H.

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    6 years ago

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    Marie H.

    Thank you so much! Hope to see you again soon.

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    8 years ago

    We moved here from France a few years ago and can say this is the most authentic French restaurant around. Absolutely lovely.

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    6 years ago

    What an amazing experience! Enjoyed every moment of our dinner! The service, food, atmosphere!

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    13 years ago

    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

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    Page 3 of 4

    Ask the Community - Gulf Bistro

    Does this restaurant have oceanview/water view outdoor seating?

    No we Don’t

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    Beach Waves Grill - Shrimp and Scallops

    Beach Waves Grill

    4.4(282 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    Shoutout to Val for providing wonderful service. We walked in and we're given a choice of eating…read moreinside or outside. There is limited seating available in both areas. Our server, Val, brought us a round of waters and menus, and we ordered some appetizers. We started off enjoying the peel & eat shrimp and coconut shrimp appetizers. Both were delicious. The peel and eat were large "reds" and coconut shrimp was nicely breaded, and crispy. For our entrées, we enjoyed two portions of grouper. Both were prepared with Cajun seasoning, which was very light and flavorful. We enjoyed steamed broccoli with each entrée. Parking is available out front as well as in front of the Paris café

    We only ate here bc of proximity to coming right off the beach. The food is bland. The grouper…read moregrilled shrimp and oyster. Bland. They had a nice side salad and broccoli and corn which made it healthy at least. The service. Oh my. Linda. She is not friendly. I tried to order drinks and apps and she pushed getting dinner. She was rushing me that I almost forgot to order the bland oysters and gross BBQ barely cooked bacon wrapped scallops. When I tried to back up to order the apps. She literally yelled. Are you not going to order your kids entrees? Like accusing me of child abuse. The table next to us looked up. Then when I tried to order my son's dish w sides. She kept insisting / yelling w wide eyes. It only comes w fries. And I explained I'm not ordering the basket of shrimp. I'm ordering the entree. When she finally listened. She apologized and realized how rude she was coming across. Probably bc both my husband and kids as well as the other table had awkward shocked looks on our faces. She was much more pleasant after that. I tried not to take offense. Maybe the fan was distracting her from listening as it was blowing us out of the restaurant. The fan was on so high w the AC that everyone was freezing bc we came from the beach w wet bathing suits under our clothes. The kids kept going outside to warm up while we dove for our napkins and other items that flew off the table every min from the hurricane winds. I mean fan. We asked if they could turn it down or off and they said the other table wouldn't approve which was funny bc their child was wearing a hoodie and had to also go outside to warm up complaining loudly he didn't want to eat his chicken. He was too cold. Clearly they would have not wanted that fam off. They also are child abusers like us. I'm leaving detailed of a review bc I want a reminder that $160 later for a family of 4 isn't worth this and to not repeat this mistake bc we visit this beach often. Definitely walk farther.

    Photos
    Beach Waves Grill
    Beach Waves Grill - Shrimp tacos

    Shrimp tacos

    Beach Waves Grill - Outside mural

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    Outside mural

    DJs Clam Shack - Grilled Garlic Shrimp Roll

    DJs Clam Shack

    4.7(267 reviews)
    2.3 miMadeira-Redington
    $$

    I dream about this place all the time. It's exceptional service everytime. The food comes out…read morefairly quickly and taste dynamite every single time. You order at the counter when you walk in and you can sit down anywhere. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The interior is fairly clean and very organized and the condiments are always stocked. They have a self serve water and soda station. The lobster is on the pricier side. It used to not be $30 however it is very worth it. I love to get the warm lobster roll and it comes with a lobster butter. I like to get their coconut shrimp since it's hand battered on site and also their onion rings are also hand battered made to order. They have a really good smoky dipping mayo sauce that comes with the onion rings or fries. It is a very good sauce. I would say it's the saltier version of cane sauce and a small gear version as well. It's absolutely phenomenal. You will never find a better coconut shrimp or a better onion rings than here this place really does it very well better than any place I've ever had homemade. The lobster roll is very very fresh. I would definitely get it again. It is always always fresh. You'll never get a bad lobster roll here not like at the other places. I think this is the only place in Florida that does it the best I used to fly to Boston just to get a lobster roll and ever since I've been here I don't have to do that anymore lol. Their clam chowder soup is extra thick and that is the best type of clam chowder soup ever I loved just dip my onion rings in there and the coconut shrimp in there and the lobster roll in there. It is absolutely delicious. The best you'll get in the area.

    Great place near the beach and a short drive from Clearwater beach area…read more This place is small about 5 tables inside and a couple outside. The food is amazing. Coconut Shrimp - skip the fries and slaw and get the cup of chowder. The chowder is packed full of calms and is super delish. Ask for regular cocktail sauce this one comes with chili sweet sauce which is good but also over powering. The shrimp are HUGE you get about 6-7 of them. Garlic shrimp roll - flavor of goodness. Comes with fries we substituted for onion rings. Fried shrimp basket - nicely fried with slaw and fries. The staff were all super nice.

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    DJs Clam Shack - Ernest Hemingway was good friends with the original owner.

    Ernest Hemingway was good friends with the original owner.

    DJs Clam Shack - Maine Lobster roll.

    Maine Lobster roll.

    DJs Clam Shack - Sat on the beach and savored the lobster roll.

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    Sat on the beach and savored the lobster roll.

    Salt Rock Grill - Catch of the day grilled

    Salt Rock Grill

    3.9(2.1k reviews)
    2.8 miMadeira-Redington
    $$$

    A friend recommended Salt Rock Grill. I called ahead to check on the wait and they said it would be…read morea while, but my husband and I decided to stop by anyway and hope we could maybe sit at the bar. To our pleasant surprise, we were seated right away even though the restaurant was very busy! They initially placed us in a booth and we kindly asked if there was a table near the window since they had a great view of the water. The hostess checked and found us a table next to the window. Great start so far. Our server was pleasant, though service was a bit slow. But again, the restaurant was very busy so we understood and were just happy to enjoy a meal there. It was our last night on the beach and we were very hungry, so we decided to order a bunch of items: Espresso martini Bread basket Lobster bisque Smokin' fresh tuna spread Sushi Red grouper (catch of the day), Indian shores style with shareable side of au gratin potatoes Red grouper (catch of the day), wood fire grilled with mashed potatoes Shareable side of charred asparagus Our server spaced them out and brought out the drink, the bread, the soup, and tuna spread first. The bread was supposed to be sourdough, but when the basket came out I noticed it didn't look or taste like sourdough so we checked with the server and he informed us that they ran out of sourdough so they gave us basically a French baguette. This was surprising and quite disappointing because we should have been notified of the change right away. Also concerning for allergies, but fortunately, we didn't have any. Then came the sushi and finally the entrees. Almost everything was delicious. One of the grouper entrees was a bit overcooked, but we really enjoyed the sides. The espresso martini was smooth and strong. Even though I always make room for dessert, we decided to skip because by the time we finished our entrees, we had already been there for two hours. We were ready to turn in for the night. Overall, we had a good experience and we were very grateful to be seated right away despite them being very busy. We would also recommend the food. It's a great restaurant with a nice variety.

    I made a reservation for this place at 5:00. We arrived on time and after a short wait we were…read moreseated. I recommend you make a reservation because this place was packed. Again, it's across from the beach so tourists & locals are filling it fast. The table we had was excellent. It had a view of the gulf. Our server, Jerry, was personable, knowledgeable, and friendly. He helped us navigate the menu. The food and the wait time is what fell short for us. We were there for an over two hours. We ordered the Calamari appetizer. It wasn't as spicy as it was described on the menu. When we ordered our main dishes & Al a carte side items, the service slowed. Jerry visited our table a few times to note that he was checking the kitchen because our food was taking forever. We never even mentioned this to him. He noticed and kept checking. I appreciated that. For mains:I ordered a NY strip rare which was market price ($41) I found this out when the check came out. This was the longest and skinniest looking strip I've ever seen. The ends were completely overcooked. The middle was cooked properly so only part of my steak was edible. My friend ordered chicken Alfredo. This was the strangest dish. There wasn't even sliced grilled chicken on top. I would expect at least that from a high quality restaurant. Instead, there were chunks of chicken in it and some random asparagus. Out of the kindness of his heart, Jerry comped our appetizer and offered us a free dessert. It was a nice touch and we tipped him well. We asked for our dessert to be boxed because we were tired after the longest dinner I've ever had to wait for. This place came highly recommended and has great ratings, but I will not be returning. I hope you have a better experience than we did. Jerry was the star of the show here. Fantastic employee. The food? Not so much.

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    Salt Rock Grill - View from our table

    View from our table

    Salt Rock Grill - Roasted Jalapeno & Three Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes and Brussel sprouts

    Roasted Jalapeno & Three Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes and Brussel sprouts

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    Broke N Bored Grill - Crab cake

    Broke N Bored Grill

    4.3(782 reviews)
    3.8 miMadeira-Redington
    $$

    Read the reviews, which were largely positive. Also read one review where the family waited for 2…read morehours for the meal. We decided to give it a try. We stood at the "wait to be seated sign" for 10 minutes. Three waitresses walked through us. Not a single word spoken. No greeting. Nothing. We left as we did not want to be the next two hour experience. We ended up going back to the Friendly Tavern down the road, which is absolutely amazing! Excellent service. Amazing good!

    Broke N Bored - Name Checks Out…read more We visited Broke N Bored with a group of 6 adults and 3 kids, and after nearly 2 hours waiting for our food, I can confirm the "Bored" part of the name is extremely accurate. I spent most of the meal wondering if the "Broke" part referred to the stove. When we arrived, there was only one other family in the restaurant, so naturally we expected a reasonable wait. Instead, we had enough time to watch the tides change, discuss our retirement plans, and nearly raise the children to adulthood before the entrees arrived. To start things off, we were encouraged to sit outside in the blazing Florida sun. With three little kids, that wasn't happening. The staff did move us inside, but seemed less than thrilled about it. Considering how long we ended up waiting, sitting outside would've turned us into SpongeBob from his out of water movie. Appetizers: * The PB&J Brussels sprouts were fantastic. Unique, flavorful, and easily the best thing we ordered. * The seared tuna was very good. * The calamari tasted good, but apparently calamari prices must be through the roof because there were more fried banana peppers than actual squid. Service: The waitresses were friendly, but drink refills and table check-ins could have been much better. During a two-hour dining experience, hydration becomes a survival issue. Entrees: * The mahi was excellent. * The "pineapple slaw" had about as much pineapple flavor as a bag of plain cabbage. Just call it slaw and save everyone's expectations. * The crab cakes were mediocre and thinner than Slender Man. * The Caesar chicken wrap was okay, but I had to conduct an archaeological dig through the lettuce to locate the chicken. * Fries were fine. * The chicken caprese was decent if you got a bite with everything together, but the chicken itself was chewy and lacking flavor. * Mashed potatoes were dry. * Pulled pork was okay, but nothing memorable. * The Black & Blue burger was decent. By the time our entrees arrived, nobody had the patience left for dessert, so we skipped it. One final note: a restaurant this size having only two high chairs is a bold strategy for a family-friendly beach area. Overall, there were a few genuinely good menu items, especially the Brussel sprouts and mahi, and the staff was pleasant. But waiting almost two hours for food in a restaurant that wasn't busy overshadows nearly everything else. The food was mostly decent. The experience? Long enough to make the restaurant's name feel less like branding and more like a warning.

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    Broke N Bored Grill - Inside

    Inside

    Broke N Bored Grill - Cuban sandwich

    Cuban sandwich

    Broke N Bored Grill - Sangria

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    Sangria

    Gulf Bistro - french - Updated September 2026

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