We visited a few years ago while we were visiting Tampa. We came for the views and food and stayed for the ambiance. Food and drink were almost as stunning as the views! Try to get a table by the windows for the sunset--it's simply breathtaking! Great spot for pictures as well. Will def be back if I'm ever in the area again! read more

Rusty Pelican - Entry/bar area is great for pictures - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Rusty pelicans is absolutely amazing. The views are absolutely gorgeous and it is tucked away and quiet. They have a fabulous drink menu that showcases interactive cocktails. All of the food is amazing you can't go wrong. I would say if you are going with a small group try the steak and seafood board so you can try a bit of everything! read more

Very nice restaurant. The outside was nicely kept with a fireplace and seating for awaiting your table if you rather not go to the bar. They have happy hour at the bar, bar area was small but just enough to get a cocktail prior to sitting for dinner. We had a reservation for 6 people and arrived slightly early and were sat shortly after our reservation time. Server was good, food was delicious and the view was spectacular. Cornbread is served as an appetizer which was amazingly tasty. A couple of us ordered the filets medium rare which were cooked perfectly. Wish they had outdoor seating as they are directly on the waterfront. But it looks like they do accommodate weddings which would be beautiful on the little grass area in the back of the restaurant over directly near the water with a cute little gazebo. read more

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Very pleased with the remodel of this restaurant. The service and the food were incredible. Had sword fish and the combination of the sweet potatoes and the cilantro sauce was out of this world. Their happy hour is also good. The ambience with the fire places is amazing. Loved everything about our visit. read more

Rusty Pelican - Lobster and Shrimp Risotto - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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It was a 5 if it was the right price. I loved my cocktail and my Oysters and Sandy loved her steak --- it was busy and slow -- but the view was great. I felt like an afterthought and the bill was steep. Get the Manhattan read more

Rusty Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Impeccable service. Ribeye was over cooked and chewy. Oysters were not shucked from shells. Cornbread w honey and maple butter was delicious. Calamari was just ok. Was overall disappointed as my expectations were higher than what we received. read more

Rusty Pelican - Cocktails - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Service isn't the best. Portions are small. When we arrived we requested a table by the glass windows and the host told us we couldn't be sat there because a server wasn't working that section. It's a small dining area so it wouldn't have been a stretch for a server to pick up the table. Odd. Expensive. Won't return. read more

I was in Tampa for about 24 hrs for work. I wanted to have a nice dinner at a nice waterfront restaurant. I had some recommendations from Yelp friends and my plan was to eat at one of them. Wouldn't be fair to name the restaurant for we'll leave it at that. I was heading for my hotel before dinner but my GPS took me to a wrong location. You guessed it, that's right, I ended up in the parking lot of the Rusty Pelican. I familiar with the Rusty Pelican in Miami, or I should say Key Biscayne. Anytime we're anywhere near Miami we eat there. Love it. It was a Little early so I left and came back a little later hoping to see the sun set over Tampa bay while having dinner. Surprisingly it was not very busy when I got there so I got a good seat looking out over the bay. I ordered the stuffed Grouper for dinner. Stuffed with crab meat and they don't fool around when they say stuffed. More like bulging with crab meat. But then the main event arrived. A beautiful sunset over the bay. It was mesmerizing. I couldn't stop watching it while taking bites of my Grouper. The Grouper was excellent, nothing bad to say, but that sunset was superior, hands down. I ended with a cappuccino which made the evening perfect. Only one problem. I was alone with no one to share it with. Next time I must bring Mrs. E along for a day at work with me, followed by dinner at the Rusty Pelican. Join us please read more

Rusty Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Amazing is the word for this five course NYE feast. Great food Great staff! We did not have reservations so we sat at the bar- but they treated us like family and were great! read more

Loved!!! This place is automatically so inviting. From the servers to the valet drivers. EVERYONE is so nice and inviting. Now on to the food.. the drinks were great! The appetizers were OK I feel like the calamari needed more flavor and the salmon tartare was just ok. The entrees however were amazing! The grouper and the red snapper were great! Our server carmen was EVERYTHING. She will make your experience so much better! Overall a great restaurant read more

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Went for my bday brunch and the food, drinks and views did not disappoint!! Amazing service and relaxing atmosphere. read more

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I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday dinner here. My entire party enjoyed their food. The calamari was seasoned wonderfully! This was my first time having forbidden black rice and I loved it! It complimented the fish perfectly. The service was great, she was attentive and even gave some suggestions for things to do in the area. We sat by the window so the view was beyond my describing but just know it looked like we were floating on the water. I highly recommend! read more

Rusty Pelican - One in a Melon - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Brunch starts at 10:30 and we barely had a wait! The staff were very friendly and TJ provided great and quick service! The chicken and waffle meal is quite large and can almost be shared. The omelet was flavorful and a great balance of bacon, eggs and vegetables! The view was perfect, definitely request to sit by the window. The mimosas were a great addition as well! Definitely recommend this brunch spot. read more

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Enjoyed brunch at the Rusty Pelican. I absolutely loved the view of the Bay as I dined. It was a beautiful sunny day in Tampa, so that added to the amazing view. My server was great. Attentive and made great menu recommendations. My only drawback was the food. There wasn't enough seasoning. I ordered the crab cake as an appetizer. Good presentation of the dish. It was all fresh crab meat which I liked. I'm on the fence by the fact there were a couple pieces of shrimp in the cake. If it's a crab cake, I don't necessarily know if I want shrimp in it. The cake was covered in bread crumbs. First time I had it that way. I didn't care for it. There was a chipotle aioli included. It had absolutely no flavor. I ordered the Hangover Hash and a Belgian waffle for my entree. The hash included prime rib, fingerling potatoes, poached eggs, hollandaise. The prime rib wasn't seasoned to my liking. It may have been slow cooked in red wine. However I didn't taste any seasonings. There were minimal red peppers and onions. I only saw 2 small slivers of onions and red peppers. I would've liked more to add flavor to the dish. The Belgian waffle was blah. Nothing special about it. There was cinnamon in the waffle which was a rare experience for me. My food experience was a 3/5. I ordered cocktails. The Pink Sparkling Sangria. Loved it. Light, fruity, and a great alternative to a mimosa. I also ordered the Mango Mai Tai Mimosa. Very tasty. The rim is lined with tajin seasoning. Just a heads up if you're not a fan of tajin. While I wasn't wowed by the food, I'd return for a second chance to try something different. The drinks, view, and service pushed my rating up to 4/5. On my next visit, I'd loved to try the Wild Berry Mojito and Dave's Margarita. read more

Had a special occasion at the Rusty Pelican and had a wonderful time. The food and service were very good. The pre dinner snacks were plentiful and service was very good. The views at sunset were amazing. We really enjoyed our time. read more

Went here for my boyfriends birthday and it was such a great experience. Our waiter was emasculate and everything was delicious! Definitely recommend and will return! read more

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Lovely view and great food. Service was top notch. We got the seafood tower - expensive for how much food and there was one oyster that had gone bad. The mahi mahi was divine. Not salty, seasoning was perfect. For drinks, I had Belle. It was fun. Our server was Grace was always on top of things. Gave great recommendations and always patient with us. She was so great with my kids and even got my younger one to eat her veggies. Her demeanor was just so kind and sweet. For dessert, we had the bread pudding. Best bread pudding ever. Btw, the house bread is delicious too. read more

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We got married here 18 years ago and came back to celebrate our anniversary. Danielle was amazing and helped us have a wonderful dinner! read more

Rusty Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Tj was great!!!!! Give that man a raise. Food and Drinks, both soooo good! 2 time here-will be back again for sure. read more

Rusty Pelican - Whole Snapper - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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This review is extremely difficult for me to convey, because my experience working with them to plan my wedding was a total rollercoaster. Going into this review, I was certain that my stars would be less, but based on the event itself - I had to bump it up a bit. I'll start from the beginning. My fiance and I originally booked their Grand Ballroom in May 2020, right when Covid caused the uncertainty that we would even be able to host the wedding of our dreams. With Jill at our side, she informed us that everything was going to run smoothly and she would be the lead on everything until the day of. After literally signing the documents and putting a down payment down, Jill disappeared. Literally, never to be heard from again. While we didn't really need the venues immediate attention, questions began to arise on the logistics of things as we booked other vendors. Silence from Jill's email. It was not until months later that we received a friendly e-mail from Savannah, introducing herself as our new venue coordinator. Um, hello? Where's Jill? Since we didn't get too far in the planning process with Jill, we swallowed our frustration and decided to move in the right direction of planning with Savannah. As my now husband and I were starting to solidify details with the Rusty Pelican, boom. Silence from Savannah. I'm sorry, what? Are we getting ghosted? I literally had to write an e-mail to corporate because our questions were going unanswered. Normally, I would be patient, but we were spending a tremendous amount of money and I could not get the ball rolling on other things until I received a response. After reaching out to corporate with Savannah CC'ed on the email, her attentiveness to us got better. In May 2021, we set up a meeting with our floral team, Savannah, and our coordinator. At this meeting, we discussed all of the logistics of the event, decor, menu, and table set-up. After this meeting, I felt so much less stressed knowing that Savannah and the rest of my team was in our corner and going to bring my vision to life. Not even 1 week after that meeting and the promises that Savannah made to us, I received an e-mail from Michael. We were literally done. He was our new coordinator. In addition to this, he had nothing that we solidified with Savannah documented and therefore, we were starting at square 1 - 3 months prior to our wedding. Luckily, Michael made promises to us that he would be present and be with us until the end. Why I believed him, I'm not sure - but I was hopeful that this time would be different. Michael was quick to get everything up to speed and ready to go. We felt comfortable knowing our wedding was in his hands...until 1 month before the wedding. I know what you're thinking, no - he didn't bail, but he was definitely not responding. I had to reach out to another coordinator to ensure that he was still working there. (In our experience, you never know). Michael, despite our fears, frustrations, and constant change - you made our day amazing. Rusty Pelican, despite our doubts about your venue - you pulled it together last minute and created the wedding of my dreams. The food was great, the service was even better, and our guests left drunk and happy. Thank you for that. read more

First time here and definitely will be back! That's how I'm starting this review! We had Taylor as our server and I can't tell you how awesome she was! From being exceptionally friendly she was very knowledgeable on the menu and gave us all great recommendations for food! She checked in a good amount and the restaurant was packed so that was good! Now to the food....wow the menu isn't huge but it's packed with great seafood and turf options! We got the seafood bowl and the Stuffed Grouper with a side of asparagus! The food was exceptional!! Fresh seafood and lots of flavor! the portions are good size and the prices are very fair! The restaurant has a darker tone but really great atmosphere! Solid bar and awesome fireplaces! To see more pictures of this place and others go to Kam Finds Food page on Facebook and Instagram and join the foodie community! We love new followers and members! read more

Rusty Pelican - Cipollini - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Ryan was an amazing server, very friendly and not overbearing. The atmosphere was wonderful, comfortable seating with a nice view of the bay. The food was good but elements were lacking. The jalapeño corn bread was incredibly hard and the food was at room temperature when it came out. The hollandaise was good and made in house. Braised beef had good flavor. Drinks were nice and Bloody Mary is made with Clamato (more like a Caesar) so it was nice and light. read more

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From the outside, you're wondering if you're headed to a dive bar that happens to have valet only parking. Trash around the entrance apparently from a wedding the day before.(little bottles of bubbles, streamers, etc...)However, once you walk inside, you'll be quite surprised. It's much more formal inside than it appears outside the doors. Attended for brunch on Sunday. Very nice ambience but loud and bright. The view of upper Tampa Bay is gorgeous but the glare was a bit too much. I suspect it's amazing near dusk/sundown. Valet was an a$$ but they're contractors so I didn't hold it against the restaurant. (There apparently js a parking garage you can walk to if you prefer.) Food was good, not great, but good. I had French toast. It was very good but very sweet. Needs something salty paired with it like bacon. My table shared a bottle for mimosas. The odd thing was the very small amount of juice brought to share between the group. Seemed stingy for the price. 11:15 AM reservation so I would have thought the ladies room would still be spotless. It was not. read more

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The food is amazing! I recommend the surf and turf for 2 Steak,Snapper,Lobster,Shrimp the service was excellent I highly recommend Evan. The best view in Tampa Bay hands down. read more

Rusty Pelican - Surf and Turf for 2 - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Great place for a Sunday brunch! Wow what a menu.... Things like chicken and waffles-seafood towers and lots of special dishes to explore! We tried several starters and the seafood lobster salad! Large portions and did I tell you the view was on the Tampa Bay! Watching the water glistening and birds flying up was very peaceful... Service was top notch! read more

Rusty Pelican - Lobster and Mango Salad - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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We loved having brunch here for our anniversary. It was extremely foggy on the day we went, so no wonderful views, but it still looked pretty cool. The great service from Jaden and the delicious food made our visit memorable. We each got a free glass of champagne to celebrate our anniversary, so we definitely appreciated that. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Benedict which comes with potatoes, and also a side of Belgian waffle. My husband got Rusty's Denver Three Egg Omelet , which also comes with potatoes. We both enjoyed our dishes. The waffle was fantastic, next time I'm going to try a sweeter dish for brunch. The Sangria Blanca and Pink Sparkling Sangria were also tasty and we loved every sip. The only thing that's a bit of a minus for me is that it looks like you have to valet. It says $6 for valet as you pull up, but when you go to the app to pay by credit card, it's $7 and an additional tip is mandatory starting at $3. We opted not to use the app and just paid the valet cash instead. Still, it's a beautiful restaurant and I've been pleased every time we come here. We will definitely be back. read more

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Definitely felt like I was dining at a wedding venue. The view was amazing the food was just okay. The servers were hard to find at times and visibly annoyed when we asked for separate checks. It was a party of 12 so it shouldn't have been a shocking request. read more

$8 forced valet in their entire parking lot and there is no where else to park. It wasn't even that busy... Most restaurants that want to force valet will make it complementary then you tip the staff. Their entire parking lot is used to profit off visitors. Wouldn't return b/c of this read more

Our dinner at Rusty Pelican was fantastic. We celebrated my sons birthday and had the best table waterfront. Perfect spot to see the gorgeous sunset and dolphins swimming by. Our waitress Grace was awesome as well- knowledgeable on the menu, always there to ensure everything we had was perfect. The food was delicious especially the brussel sprouts, swordfish and creamed corn. We will definitely be back. read more

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Beautiful view by the window. Rustic interior. The chicken flatbread was very good. We had the filet wedge, good sized, lots of blue cheese and bacon. Yummy. I had the grouper. Nice large plate, took half home. Asked for my Brussel sprouts to be cooked (not crunchy) and the chef understood. The creme brûlée was flambéd at the table and the flourless chocolate cake was chocolatey and dense. I asked to hold the raspberry sauce, but didn't ask for the whipped cream that it needed. But it was still good. read more

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I had to pick my husband up from the airport and I275 was backing up on my way to airport and told my husband we'd just go have dinner somewhere. Searched to see what was nearby and decided to go to The Rusty Pelican because of the name. The atmosphere was just so casual even though there were others there dressed for dinner. The view was looking at the ocean with a storm in the distance. Our waitress was Jessica and she helped us as we hadn't been there before, answering our questions and repeating a few times due to the noise (just lots of conversations going on). The food; we started with an appetizer, conch fritters and didn't know about the cornbread they bring out (delicious with every bite). My husband had the crispy snapper, which Jessica said was a favorite. The presentation of his dinner was just phenomenal and he loved the dinner. Mine was the lobster and shrimp risotto which was very good. I'm so glad we decided to head here for dinner and yes we will return. read more

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Very cool spot for waterfront dining, with lots of natural lighting and inviting decor. Valet parking and friendly staff. We went for brunch and while we thought it was good we weren't blown away with the flavors. We had to try the French onion soup to start. I got the classic Benedict and my husband the chicken and waffles. read more

Rusty Pelican - FRENCH ONION SOUP - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Went for brunch today w my girlfriends. We were a party of 8 and were sat in a room with 3 other large parties. The noise level was deafening. There were WAY too many people in this small room. None of us could hear each other and I left w a headache. Service and food were great, views were beautiful, but I would only ever return if I had the guarantee to be sat in the main dining room. read more

Very good food and terrific warm service. After a nearby place screwed up our reservation for 5 and the management needs to learn the meaning of hospitality , The Rusty Pelican accommodated us immediately. the meal was splendid indeed. Bravo. read more

Cozy restaurant space with incredible views of Old Tampa Bay. Our waiter Charles was very distinguished and provided excellent service. He made recommendations that were all delicious. It was my friends birthday and he made us feel like the only table in the restaurant as I'm sure he did his other guests. The ambiance, food and Charles made it a very special night. read more

Rusty Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Great dinner, absolutely beautiful view on the water. As locals this was our first visit to this beautiful restaurant but we will be back. The service and ocean views were top notch. So many fresh wonderful quality food choices filled the buffet. Had oysters on half shell and calamari as appetizers, both great. Entrees were 24 ounce lobster tail, HUGE, Swordfish, Grouper, all excellent. A huge shout out to our server, she was absolutely wonderful and knew every detail of every item on the menu !! Would definitely go back again, the view is worth it alone! read more

Rusty Pelican - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Meh Dark and the same for the past 40+ (please fact check) - I mean same carpet, chairs, everything- nostalgia will surround you! Views! Amazing! Windows surround you, how the water flows can actually make feel like you are on a cruise ship! Bar is traditional drinks, smoked old fashion actually placed in a smoke box- very cool. Food- my table makes were unimpressed My shrimp cocktail was HUGE but 4$ per shrimp is a bit steep We split the whole snapper- thankfully pineapple sauce on the side, this was big- shareable-crisp and well cooked. The 'smashed potatoes' is really mashed potatoes placed on your plate through a pastry-bag...disappointing as I had other ideas in my head. Overall great views Needs a bit of an overhaul read more

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We went to the Rusty Pelican for Mother's Day brunch. Another amazing experience! Thank you for the amazing experience Shannon- you are an amazing server. read more

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After reading reviews, our family was excited to eat at the RP. Dinner was headed downhill after we were seated 15 minutes after our reservation time. Things were looking up as we took in the menu. We ordered calamari and butterflied shrimp. The calamari looked wonderful but tasted dreadful. The shrimp looked like an off brand Sysco product. It tasted worse than it looked. All six of us agreed, we would have been better off eating sand than the appetizers. Undeterred, we ordered dinner. STEAK-Three of us ordered the "steak progressive". This meal is three steaks, Filet, New York, and Ribeye. The problem was, none of the meat tasted like steak. The meat tasted like flavorless cotton. The cruel trick was all orders of steak were "medium". Apparently, "medium" is open to interpretation at the RP. One order was served "rare". I find this impossible to believe as the RP slices each steak into 5-6 pieces where the inside can be seen. How does one look upon a bloody piece of steak and proclaim it "medium?" Beyond the fact that it was undercooked, each piece was under attack by vines of sinewy fat. The fat was winning by a long shot. The steak was sent back, they "cooked" it again and brought it out slightly less rare. We sent the meat (it wasn't steak) back a third time and they cooked it on the sides. Ultimately, we stopped sending it back, and after two bites and surrendered. WEDGE SALAD - when I think of a wedge salad, I think of crispy bacon, perfectly ripe tomatoes, and thick chunky blue cheese dressing. The ingredients were forgettable except for the vision of the runny and messy dressing. There was a "soup" at the bottom of the plate. Makes me want to hurl just thinking about it. I kept wondering when Gordon Ramsay was going to show up and announce that we were all getting pranked on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares! The real insult comes when they hand you the bill for an entire meal of underwhelming results. The RP is like a 1,000 year old castle, it looks cool from the outside but you would never want to enter it's cold, damp, darkly haunted hauls. You have been warned! read more

Our family considers ourselves foodies and we'd explore different cuisines and categories. Our son wanted to try RP for his graduation so we made a reservation and headed there for dinner. The view over the water was amazing and I understood the ambiance they were trying to create. Definitely location was a factor to behold. We were seated and Charles came by to greet us for drinks and any starters we'd like to order. We started with Blackened Scallops, fresh east and west coast oysters, fried calamari and crispy Brussels sprouts. Rusty Pelican's food presentation was excellent. Brussels sprouts were excellent in execution from taste, crispness, and presentation. Scallops were fresh but overcooked and the calamari was sparse mixed with what tastes like sweet potato fries. My son also asked for a glass of Kendall Jackson and Charles came back with a barely 1/3 of a glass when he served another table with half. As we continued to savor the appetizers we had to wait and motioned to get Charles' attention to get our main course orders. We all ordered seafood, since it's a seafood place, except for our daughter who only ate chicken so we got her the only chicken dish on the menu. Again, presentation was artistic. My sister had blackened Mahi-mahi to which she said was fresh but lacked flavor to make it pop. My wife had crispy red snapper and again it was fresh but lacked a siding/sauce that would have been a great condiment to make the dish better (perhaps they forgot). My son had blackened swordfish with sweet potato purée and he was happy with his dish. I had the crab stuffed grouper that was fresh but I thought the basil and garlic sauce lacked flavor to enhance the grouper crab combination and provide a zest to perk it up. All this time our server was incognito. He tended to the next table but did not ask nor offer anything to make our experience better. We weren't even informed of the special dishes for the night. So despite the beautiful setting and food artistry it was an experience worth average recall. Good marketing that lacks execution in quality. read more

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