Mixed reviews on service and dinner, used to be one of the top hidden gems in Tampa! Still one of the best views hands down.

Wonderful experience: gorgeous setting, great food, excellent service and well-managed. Food: I had the local, whole red snapper and it was superb. It is a whole fish (see my pic) fried and with a light batter. The meat is just succulent and tender. Amazing. Others had the swordfish and stuffed grouper which were also great. The salads are OK but iceberg was brown. The filet mignon came out a bit too cooked. Service: Owen waited on our table of ten, which was NOT an easy table to wait on. We had special requests, discombobulation, children, split bills, people leaving early and coming late. Owen was just awesome. Drinks: The drinks are excellent, and they have a great wine list. They have Copain's pinot noir, which is excellent. The mojito was fantastic with lots of mint and lime. The strawberry mule was also reportedly fantastic. Setting: the interior is beautiful and the setting is amazing. Come here to see a beautiful sunset. Management, you have AWESOME people and you are doing a great job managing them. Congrats on a job well done to all. And thank you. read more

Rusty Pelican - Whole red snapper - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Came in to celebrate our anniversary and had reviewed the menu prior to.....I thought I knew what I wanted, but our server Grace knocked it our if the park with her recommendations. The board for two is an absolute must! Will definitely be recommending the Rusty Pelican to our friends. read more

Rusty Pelican - Board for two with red snapper, lobster and shrimp risotto and a New York strip. - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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While looking for a nice brunch for a birthday I came across this restaurant in the Tampa Bay Area. For starters, when you get to the restaurant you will have to valet your car (not expensive only about $6 but just a heads up), I had made a reservation for 5 people and upon arrival we were seated. We asked the hostess if she could move us to a table in-front of the window so we could have water views (there was one table open) and the hostess in a very rushed, and not accommodating tone said "no that table is for 4 people not 5" to which we said yes we understand but we are 4 adults and a kid, we can add a chair at the end of the table like other tables had and the hostess just said no and walked away.. we were left kinda puzzled with the response. I have worked in the restaurant Industry for years and know that this isn't an absurd request, and even if by restaurant policy "you can't" the way that she communicated with us wasn't appropriate. Anyway, we proceed to get seated and our server comes and talks to us and takes our order. We brought up the table situation and asked her if it was possible to move and the server who was obviously properly trained on how to work in the hospitality industry, is super accommodating and tells us that as soon as one opens up she can switch us right over (by this time the table that was open before, had been sat with other people). We ordered our food and the rest of the dinning experience was great. Our server gave us some fantastic recommendations and the food was overall really good. We started with the crab cake which was one of the best I've ever had. We ordered lobster egg Benedicts (probably the star of the show), crab cakes Benedict's, smoked salmon Benedicts, grilled chicken sandwich and the kids Mac and cheese (oh my god amazing Mac and cheese). All of our plates were delicious. We got a birthday cheesecake on the house which was a really nice touch. Overall I'd come back, and I'm really bummed I don't remember our servers name because she really deserves some recognition. read more

The other night, my boyfriend and I celebrated our one year anniversary here and had an amazing time. We started with their complimentary jalapeño cornbread, which was delicious! I was not offered it the last time I dined there, which made me wonder if they are inconsistent or just didn't offer it back then (this was about 6 months ago). It was yummy though, so I recommend asking for it if you go. We ordered the Rusty Pelican board for two, which comes with lobster and shrimp risotto, a NY strip over mashed potatoes, a whole crispy snapper, and a big salad. I think I died and went to heaven eating it! I will say, it was more food than we could eat (and we can eat a lot) so it may be more of a board for four... but hey, we had to splurge on our anniversary! We each had a drink, myself the "Gin Membership" and my boyfriend an old fashioned. They were good but pretty standard - though I did see they have some elevated cocktails on their menu as well if you're looking for something more exquisite. Will, our server, was so attentive and friendly, greeting us with a "Happy Anniversary" right off the bat and bringing us a complimentary champagne toast at the end of our meal. The ambiance can't be beat as you are right on the water and we were able to watch the sun go down as we ate. We are thinking of coming back for their happy hour next! There were a few minor downsides to our experience but nothing that would stop us from coming back: 1. The valet workers were not very service-oriented. They did not open the passenger side door and seemed less than enthused to be there. Valet costs $6. The only other option is to park in a garage across the street (free). 2. Our steak was cooked to medium, not medium rare as requested. Still good though. read more

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Great Service from TJ! Attentive courteous and knowledgeable server! The food was great! Definitely get the Crab Stuffed Grouper! Make sure you save room for some Key Lime Pie- some of the best key lime pie you'll have! Time your sty for Sunset! You'll be glad you did! read more

Out of all the steak places in Tampa, this one is our favorite. We have been here many times and never have less than a 5 star experience. From the minute you walk in to your last bite of food, everything is perfect. The food is so incredibly delicious, the staff is kind and the waiters are always on top of it. The top seller for me is also the view! Highly recommend!! read more

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We had brunch here on our way to the airport. The views were lovely and the service was attentive and helpful. They offer bottomless mimosas for only $20 and you can swap mimosa flavors, so you can try different juices. We had a Bloody Mary and a Margarita. Both were tasty. We started with the shrimp cocktail- it was a generous portion of large shrimp. I ordered the salmon Benedict and my husband had the fruity pebbles pancakes. The portions were generous and our meals were delicious. read more

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Thanksgiving at Rusty Pelican is a tradition at our house. From the amazing views and outstanding food it's always a special experience. My wife has significant food allergies which typically are a nuisance to the kitchen at other restaurants, but not at the Rusty Pelican. I want to preface our experience with the knowledge that we understand it is a huge PIA for us to eat out because of all the dietary issues and it's even a bigger PIA for the kitchens to deal with special requests, especially on a holiday! However, never has the staff made us feel like we are being "extra" with our requests, in fact just the opposite is true as they over communicate every step of the way to make sure they get it right. Our server Evan was amazing in assuring my wife would be able to enjoy our day and told us she would discuss our dietary concerns with the manager. Not only did she do so, Andrew the manager came over and spent an amazing amount of time making sure that the food for her would be prepared perfectly. Even going as far as making her a Salmon tartare himself in order to asure there was no contamination. That was followed up with Chef Manny personally delivering her meal. The restaurant has been getting gradual updates with a new bar that is nearly complete, However they have not diminished the charm. Special shoutout to Bartender Hanna for her mastery in creating a unique Monkey 47 martini. read more

Save your money and appetite for a restaurant with actual good food. Let me start off by saying I'm a huge foodie and I will spend money on high quality dishes because I expect high quality taste. I heard good things about this restaurant and saw the food pictures and expected great quality. That was NOT the case. I spent $158 (just on myself) for the blackened Scallops appetizer which were extremely salty and overcooked- not opaque in the center at all, I got the NY strip medium rare and it tasted absolutely terrible! Worst steak I've ever had and that includes random BBQ cookouts. The steak tasted and smelt like burnt hair (I could only eat just a few bites), for sides I got the grilled Broccoli with brocolini puree and wow did this one take 1st place for worst dish of the night. Before the plate even made it to the table, I smelt this extremely overpowering spoiled fish smell and once I tasted the dish I realized it was the puree! The Broccoli wasn't grilled but blanched for way too long and then for seasoning they just dumped a tablespoon worth of raw dried red pepper flakes and totally forgot to salt it. Next was the mashed potatoes which were subpar. Still too waxy for the price (i think $11 just for mashed potatoes). I ate all the Scallops out of hunger but for the rest only ate a few bites. I had to pack the rest of it myself at the table and on the way home I gifted it to a homeless man at the red light hoping he might enjoy it although I'm sure he'll ask questions about the ridiculous spoiled fish smell. The only thing this restaurant has to offer is the spectacular view and sophisticated decor. If you want good food, avoid at all costs....$158 worth of savings with this review. Now my car has the lingering smell of that darn spoiled fish smell! I didn't even order fish! read more

What a great place for dinner! We started with conch fritters, so crispy on the outside! We had the grouper and the lobster risotto for dinner, so amazing! Service was spot on! read more

Yum!!! Shannon was great!! We got the surf n turf and it was incredible!! The ambience was also beautiful read more

Rusty Pelican - Surf n turf - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

You can't beat Rusty Pelicans - very well prepared food with excellent views! Service is alway top-notch!

Great location with spectacular views. Went with a large group and everyone enjoyed their meal.. I will definitely be back. read more

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

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Blue color review!! Took my wife to this fancy restaurant to try and get some love. The ambient was nice, and food was awesome! Made me feel kinda special, I ordered one of those fancy steak dinners on a piece of decorate plywood. This place is legit; no beer was needed to numb my emotions when the check was given. I'll definitely return. read more

I do not like leaving negative reviews. This Restaurant was such a big disappointment though. From the wait times, to the cook times, to some of the food. We had gone a few months ago on a whim and we're turned away because we didn't have a reservation.. which I understood. So this time around we made a reservation. We were finally seated 15 minutes after our arrival. 10 minutes after we sat down, our waiter finally greeted us. 15 minutes after that we received our cocktails (no water yet). When the waiter came back with the cocktails, we figured we should put in our appetizer order and meal order, for worry we would be there all night. 20 minutes later our meals arrived..... No appetizer. They brought the appetizer 5 minutes later and apologized. We got the blackened scallops and they turned out okay. One was so chewy it was inedible...which can happen with scallops, but this is my first time experiencing it. We ordered the crab legs and the grilled salmon. The salmon was out of this world delicious. The snow crab legs however, were extremely overcooked. I could not even crack them. They bent. And even with the bending, I could not get the crab legs open. I honestly could not believe they were snow crab legs because they were so small. The waiter finally saw me struggling and came over and apologized. I could not even pry it open with a fork and knife. The 3 stars come from 3 things. The salmon, the overworked apologetic waiter, and the manager. The snow crab and the scallops were removed from our bill, which was most appreciated. We still paid $106 for our meal after these were removed. I'd like to say we will give it another shot, because the views and ambience were so beautiful and the salmon makes it hopeful, but I'm honestly not sure. read more

I recently celebrated my 25th birthday at the Rusty Pelican's brunch service and it was a lovely time. Because of COVID they are no longer doing the buffet but they are doing bottomless mimosas which were delicious! As was the food I ended up getting the Hangover hash with crab meat in it (try it, it's delicious) the view was wonderful and the wait staff was kind and very helpful! The place inside and out was very instagram worthy and it's a great place to get dressed up and go out to. It was definitely one of the best birthday events I planned. read more

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This place was delicious. Service was great. The dining area had a great view. Drinks were well made and cuisines are edible art read more

Rusty Pelican - The board for two got a pic after we tasted some - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

El restaurant es bello , los platos muy ricos , deben incrementar las iniciativas del restaurant de Miami que es la misma cadena ,, eso si es un restaurant caro read more

I hate to go there with the 3 star but I wasn't impressed at all. Took my husband to celebrate his birthday dinner and had high hopes. The ambiance was nice. Wish we requested a window seat for a better view of the water. Food was just average and nothing stood out with flavor. Having culinary experience, the ingredients weren't the best of the best but was plated to be as so. We ordered the crab cake app. If give it a 3/5. The breadcrumbs threw me off but had a nice touch with the bacon and Brussel sprouts. Then to the cocktails... my husband loves smoked old fashions and he was not impressed with the drink. My drink had tons on mint and was hard to drink with the paper straw. Didn't take pictures of the drinks unfortunately. Then dinner- I overheard someone say the Chilean seabass was bland so I quickly changed my order to the shrimp and lobster risotto. It was OK. Not a fan of the veggies in it but it was OK. My husband had the Steak and added lobster tails. Came out wrong the 1st time then they replaced the bowl of mash potatoes with 2 spoon full on the plate. Steak needed salt and pepper. Might come back for brunch with friends but not dinner. read more

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Came here for date night, it's been a minute. The best thing was the view, we enjoyed very much being on the water and catch a glimpse of the sunset. Our server, Carmen, was very pleasant and attentive. We started off with fresh oysters they were delicious. For our entrees we ordered the snapper and a lobster and shrimp risotto. The dishes were plated beautifully, and the portions were generous. I do think there was room for improvement on the flavors but we had a nice experience so we may return to try different things. We ended the night with the Cafe con Leche lava cake, it was scrumptious. Make sure to check out the pics! read more

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Family dinner at the Rusty Pelican for Easter. First experience for everyone, food was good and restaurant was very nice. We were served by Charles who did a great job and was very attentive. One of our diners was in a wheelchair and the manager, talked to us and made sure everything went smoothly. Tables are a bit tight in the main restaurant but comfortable. The view was spectacular. Parking can be tight for larger vehicles but there is a valet to help. Started with beef carpaccio, nicely done, comes with a small serving of Italian dressing, use it in the greens, it overpowers the meat. Crab cakes are mixed with shrimp. A nice sized serving and very moist. The raw seafood tower was very tasty. Entrees were Surf and Turf, cooked beautifully but arrived cold, sent it back and it was re-made quickly and was just right. Miso Sea Bass was tasty as was the blackened Swordfish. The sweet potatoes nicely balanced the spiciness of the fish. We also had the salmon stuffed with crab and it disappeared quickly. Deserts were Lava Cake, smooth dark chocolate center, sticky toffee bread pudding, and key lime pie. They no longer offer their crème brûlée, hasn't been on the menu since Covid. We all recommend the restaurant, food, atmosphere and service were great. read more

This rating is mostly for the food. The place was awesome. Picturesque location, nice staff, very classy place. Our service was excellent. The food was bland. We had the stuffed grouper and the snapper. Both seemed pre-made. Both dishes came out within 5-7 minutes of ordering. For the money...I wanted it to be so much more than it was. read more

Awesome experience, personalized service and tasty food. It was really a great experience at rusty pelican. The view was beautiful. Will be back soon read more

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Wine was amazing. Food was good but limited a bit over priced. Our server was very good! read more

The food was amazing, we started off with the scallops which were cooked perfect. My wife had the lobster risotto which was fabulous and I had the grouper. Jeremy was our waiter and he was very informative and came over just enough to see if we needed anything. The restaurant was very nice inside and had a warm feeling. read more

The disappointment of food + high price = a big let-down for us. There were 6 of us, none of our seafood tasted more than the bland frozen fish taste. read more

Great service from Ramon! Very available when needed. Yummy food that is accompanied by spectacular views.

We had a great weekday lunch at the Rusty Pelican. We were seated next to a window, and we had a fantastic view of the bay. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, so that made it even better. The entryway to Rusty Pelican was very long, interesting, and unique. The 2-story waiting area was very welcoming with the wood, brick, decor, and fireplace. It felt like a nice saloon or something from the past. It looks like a great place to hold an event. For lunch, I opted for the Corvina sandwich, a fish I had never tried before. It was a white fish that was very mild and tasty, and I was served a big piece on my sandwich. I normally do not like tartar sauce, but this one seemed to be made with jalapenos, so I really enjoyed it on my sandwich. The accompanying French fries were delicious, too. Lastly, our server was very friendly and attentive, so it was a great overall experience. read more

Great view, nice seafood spot. Recommended. Thats all I have to say but need 42 more words, so sorry for wasting your time making you read them. read more

The best seafood restaurant around with an incredible view!! We came here for a birthday dinner and were seated in the best table. You have an awesome view without having to sit outside in the heat. The food was absolutely delicious. They give you fresh, warm cornbread to begin with that was melt in your mouth good. We had fresh oysters, surf and turf and swordfish for dinner. The blackened swordfish was hands down the best meal; it was so flavorful and paired with a great sauce that was a little bit spicy. Our waitress was friendly and very attentive. Will recommend this place to everyone and definitely be coming back!! read more

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My short review (for those of you that don't want the deets)--Go to the Rusty Pelican! It's phenomenal! My detailed review? Let's get started, shall we?... We were in Tampa for a concert and our first choice in restaurants which was near the Rusty Pelican had a l-o-n-g wait time. So I popped onto Yelp and found this hidden gem- The Rusty Pelican! At first, we were a tad skeptical because the restaurant appeared a little too empty and a little too quiet. We persevered though and kept walking to the door. Inside the restaurant we entered into a dimly-lit reception area. We looked at one another trying to gauge any reaction- do we stay or pull a u-turn and head back outside to our car? We shrugged our shoulders and nervously stepped up to the Hostess stand. We noticed a few occupied tables by the windows, a handful of bar patrons, and a live pianist playing softly. We asked for a window seat and were assured availability, so off we followed to our table. Our server, an extremely polite young man named Tim, greeted us with a warm welcome. We could tell that we would be in good hands. He proffered bleu cheese stuffed jumbo olives to accompany my Dirty Martini and it was perfect. My daughter said the white sangria was so refreshing and chock-full of seasonally fresh fruit. For starters I couldn't resist the raw oyster plate. I was, quite simply, in Heaven. Cold, succulent and high quality. I could tell the Rusty Pelican was going to be a good choice. We could've left quite happily at this point, but we decided to see how our random choice of restaurants would hopefully pay off. We selected the Mixed Seafood Grill to share and Tim agreed that it was a fantastically good choice. He wasn't wrong. The chef himself presented us with a beautifully plated dish that even Gordon Ramsey would have gladly accepted. A perfect butter poached lobster tail and skewered jumbo shrimp, along with two crispy fried oysters on the half shell with gulf coast white bbq and a Tasso jam that was extraordinary, rounded out by a nicely seasoned grilled grouper and a tantalizingly moist jumbo scallop in a garlic beurre blanc sauce. We opted for the smashed potatoes, and even something as simple as that, somehow seemed elevated in taste when next to the culinary perfection surrounding the dreamy and creamy potatoes. The drinks. The view. The appetizer. The entree. ALL were absolutely and divinely exquisite! Did we end there? Nope. Our attentive server talked us into dessert. Since we had shared the entree we had room leftover, so how could we pass up the chance to end our perfect evening with a bang? Bananas Foster. Do I need to say anymore? Well, yes. That's kind of what I do as an Yelp Elite Squad member. Now imagine, if you can, three scoops of rich and creamy vanilla ice cream served in a martini glass and bananas beautifully bathing in a mouthwatering caramel sauce that were presented as a flambé in a saucièr. C'est magnifique, Rusty Pelican! I couldn't recommend this incredibly marvelous establishment any more than I already have... and that, folks, is all she wrote. read more

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Great ambience. Right on the water of Tampa Bay. Quick service by Grace for a lunch on the way to the airport. A hidden gem.

We came here for a dinner with friends and had an okay experience. We got to the restaurant a little early to hang out and get pictures prior to being seated. When our reservation time came we were told it would be a few more minutes until we were sat. We ended up waiting at least 20 to thirty minutes past our reservation time. This was frustrating as this then affected our other plans for the evening. The food was good, but the atmosphere lacked. The wooden walls and 70s styled chairs were not what we were expecting. Our server was great though. Overall I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here again. read more

Great atmosphere and food was very good and service by Kyle was informative, quick, and he was also quite sociable. Kyle even spotted and made sure we noticed some dolphins playing in the bay a couple hundred yards outside our window. A very enjoyable evening. read more

Rusty Pelican - View from our table - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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I had the privilege of dinner at the Rusty Pelican with a friend recently and we had the most wonderful time. We sat down for dinner just as the sun was setting, so the view was absolutely breathtaking. Our server TJ was extremely knowledgeable and gave us excellent recommendations for each course of our meal. Service was speedy and the staff was polite & on their A game. 10/10 would recommend. Pro Tip: ask to sit in TJ's section and order the calamari. read more

White table cloth dining experience, but don't worry about needing to be dressed up. Still very inviting even without the fancy dress. Table side service was amazing. They plated our food right at the table it was a whole presentation! Was a little pricey but worth it. read more

The "whole fried" snapper is literally a fish skeleton that is deep fried for who knows what reason - and is served with a fried, single filet of fish - which can be any kind of fish they chose to fry. So it's not a whole fried snapper, it's not even a whole fish amount of fish, and it tasted like fish sticks. I laughed out loud at this truly sad, sad attempt at a classic dish. Then had them replace it with a fairly decent steak. Ambience and views are nice. Otherwise food was ok. No draft beer, sold out of wine in wine list. Tip? Restaurant should turn on their entry lights at night... read more

This was an amazing restaurant. The seafood was incredible and the service was absolutely great. Charles Valentin had some great suggestions for dinner and kept the food and drinks flowing. The food gets five stars and the service gets six starts. Love love love this restaurant. read more

Rusty Pelican - View from our table - Seafood Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We came here for dinner tonight. Overall an amazing experience minus one issue. First off the food was amazing. The jalapeño cornbread they bring you after ordering is amazing. Great flavors and the butter it comes with is so tasty. My fiance and I both got the crab stuffed grouper with risotto. An very amazing dish with great flavors. Grouper and risotto were both perfectly cooked, and the flavors were amazing. Our server Nydia was top notch and one of the most amazing servers. Overall great atmosphere and ambiance too. The one issue was the hostess. There were two tonight: an older woman and a younger woman. When we arrived the older woman took my name for the reservation and told us they would seat us in a moment. I then saw a window seat and since we were not seated yet I went back to request the table. She was not pleasant and while I was still talking, she answered the phone. Then she seated a walkin group that came in after us after we had already checked in with a reservation. Management this is the one issue I would address. Otherwise overall job well done. read more

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