We went to the Sea Porch Cafe on Fathers Day. It was not very busy which was perfect since we had our 2 year old Grandson with us. The food was pretty good, nothing really special. The wine was WAY overpriced. When the food came out the pizza we ordered for my grandson was not included. By the time it came out he had eaten plenty off our plates and by the time it cooled off enough to eat we just had to have it boxed. The server did take the pizza off. We used a $25 gift card that we got off restaurant.com and the bill for 4 + 2 year old was $113.70 after the $25 discount. However, my bank was charged $136.44. As if that was not bad enough, when I called to get it fixed I was put on hold for over 14 minutes before "Sharon" transferred me to a voice mail. I actually called from a separate line to ask her why I was still on hold. I still haven't talked to anyone about the billing error. The good thoughts I may have had about the restaurant have all been cancelled out by the lack of customer service I have received regarding my billing error which should never happen anyway! read more

Two perfect lunches here, Today I had the conch chowder which was truly delicious and a fresh, tasty, and excellent salad which was very generous. My husband also loved his choices. Wines by the glass were very good and even the whole grain bread was terrific. Our waitress was experienced, friendly and happy to make our lunch a good experience. It is expensive, but worth the splurge. Only negative is that they had a problem with the heat and it was very cool in the restaurant. Everyone was wearing jackets inside. read more

A real letdown from the other times we've been there. The service was inefficient and inadequate (although we were the only table in the restaurant for most of our meal), as was the food. We were treated to intolerably salty steak, watery salad, flavorless and clumpy grits, bland mashed potatoes, dry short ribs, overcooked fingerling potatoes -- even the bread (which took several requests to get) was terrible. Our cocktails took a long time, and the wine was brought late. Not what you'd expect from a five-star hotel, even for casual dining. We've been many times in the past and hope that this was just an aberration. read more

This was an okay experience. Food came out cold at first, braised shory rib, but wait staff was excellent. It was all about ambiance! Sit back relax and enjoy the atmosphere. read more

Me and my daughter ate here for breakfast and it was OH KAY. Nothing special. It was a very basic breakfast Buffett. I think they need to revamp the spread because it is boring. It was a fancy HOJO Continental breakfast. read more

Bad Valentine's day experience. Made reservation thru Open Table. Was seated 20 min after reservation time. 10 min for server to come to table. Ordered and then 90 min for main corse to arrive. Wife's steak was ordered medium well and came cold rare center. Sent it back and then came chard and gray center. Staff removed the charge from our bill but not enjoyable Valentines dinner. Server was apologetic and tried to smooth things over. Parking ticket was free for 2 hours but because dinner took so long the gate machine tried to charge a fee of S27.89. It took 10 min with cars waiting behind us and repeated conversations for manager to open the gate for no fee. Today received an email from Open Table that Sea Porch Cafe reported that we were a no-show. LOL. Sent Open Table an explanation and offered to send them a copy of our CC receipt as proof. Received email that they would resolve with Sea Porch Cafe. We've visited the Don for 25 years but since sold to the chain some years ago the food quality has declined. Except that the Sunday Brunch and other buffets are excellent. Would we go back? Yes, but not for Valentine's Day. read more

Arrived for a 6:30 reservation and were worried because we were the first group there (part of 5). I started out with the Caesar with White Anchovy which was excellent. My son had the same and just about wiped the plate clean. For the entree, I had the Mahi Mahi and loved it. Others in our party had the wood fired Oysters, the crab cakes and shrimp and grits. they too loved each of them. By the time the entrees hit the table, every table in the place was full. One last point......the bar drinks were GOOD pours. We would go back in a minute. read more

Located inside the Don Cesar hotel near the pool deck, this restaurant was fantastic! The Sunday brunch was delicious and quick!

Outstanding service! Our server Nikki was amazing - very friendly and accommodating. We had the shrimp po-boys - the shrimp was perfectly breaded (not too much!) and seasoned. read more

Love the location, it's a "you can't help but feel on vaca vibe", but I wish our experience was better. We sat and waited awhile before anyone came to the table. Bright, sunny day, and after their lunch rush had passed (we got there after 2p on a Friday). Waitress promised water with our cocktails, we had to ask again. We had 1 hour 45 mins til my spa appt there, and remarkably we ended up stressed out that I'd be late. We wanted apps to share, and we each had entrees, table of 3. All the food came out at the same time....seriously, all of it. Apps, salads, entrees. So, cold food wilted in the sun, hot food got cold. We asked the runner why everything came out at once. Her reaction was as if we had asked her position on Benghazi. Food was good, very good. People watching was great, I would just hope they improve the service issues. read more

When it was owned by Loewe's we ordered The Chicken Paella which came out on Fusili Pasta not Saffron Rice and as if that wasn't bad enough, the Chicken tasted like it was 3 weeks old. Had Shrimp & Grits there on another occasion and they served it with Kale Chips. In fact 75% of the plate was Kale chips! Did not taste bacon, Andouille sausage or the correct seasoning. So, they don't have a handle on Spanish or Cajun Cuisine. I was so mad I actually called Lowe's Corporate Offices. I can do much better at home. Maybe things have changed with the advent of new ownership. read more

Customer service is horrible. No mac n cheese on the kids menu. Been waiting almost two hours for our food. They have time for us to finish our drinks and bring new ones but not cook and bring out our food. Not to mention the horrible music it's not the 60s anymore. We came to watch a sports game and eat dinner the game is practically over and we still haven't gotten our food. Just got food and the mac n cheese is disgusting there seems to be almost no cheese at all and the chicken tender meal is supposed to come with barbaque and honey mustard sauce but had to ask for it then they only brought out the barbaque and by the time the honey mustard was here my chicken was cold! read more

I went here with my family and it took almost two hours to get food. They said that they were busy even though only a couple of people were here and when the food came it was lukewarm. Do yourself a favor and order a pizza. read more

Food and staff was great but 30' later, my partner got violently ill from the "Farmers Salad", she was up all night vomiting and our vacation plans for the next two days were ruined, AND it was her 50th birthday! No compensation from hotel or restaurant because we paid cash. Loews should be held to a higher standard than the one they are operating at. We will make sure we stay away from any Loews hotels... read more

We went for the breakfast buffet. It was delicious although a little pricey ($27.50/ adult, $12.75/ kid). The service was friendly and attentive. There was a very nice guy making custom omelets. They had a variety to choose from: bacon, sausage, ham, potatoes, fruit, cheese pastries. My only complaint is that as soon as we were brought the check the refills and attentiveness stopped. read more

Dreadful disappointment. We have eaten here frequently, but it has gone drastically downhill. I sent back the shrimp Benedict, (tiny shrimp, served on green tomatoes, no muffins) the ordered corn crusted mahi which came out so dry I thought it was chicken. The service sucked! Manager contradicted me. Now the parking has changed and you have to pay $10 for the pleasure. Sad. read more

The only thing this place really has going for it is the location. The food is average, the service slow and the prices expensive. Prepare to wait 1.5-2 hours for a mediocre sandwich, then overpay. read more

Worst dining experience ever. Made a reservation and was not told it was a buffet night only. Decided to try because of the late hour. Food was terrible and cold. Cost was out of this world and was nailed for 18% gratuity for a kid to bring us a beer, pick up 2 plates and hand us the bill. BTW individual buffet cost was $75. Unbelievable!!! read more

I go here overtime I visit my parents, as they liven Pass-a-grille and it is (was) my Mom's favorite. Although in recent visits, it has not been up to par and seems to have gone down hill. The last visit, the tacos were boring, had to search for the fish in them, the scallop dish was cooked well but the taste of the entire plate was overwhelming the scallops and it seemed that everyone's dishes were OK or lacking and for a resort like this, the food should be great. I think this was our last visit to the Don, oh no, I mean the Loews, right? Whatever they want to call it now. read more

We dined late into the evening which perhaps was one problem to the service, although, when they are open they should work until the last guest has left. We wished to dine outside. We were taken outside to choose our table, however, three tables remained dirty so we had to stand at the table to await actually sitting down. We were greeted by a server and requested a drink menu. This was brought to us and the server never returned. We then ordered with a different server and received our drinks several minutes later. Upon placing our order, a server returned stating that one of the entrees ordered was no longer available. The taste of the food is what I'd like to positively review. The crab cakes were of substantial size without much filler. They were full of flavor with a small arugula salad that add a bit of spice. The salmon was cooked perfectly with flavorful potatoes. Our bill arrived and we were charged for both the entree that was unavailable and the alternate entree ordered. It took quite some time for the server to both return to address this concern and then return with the corrected bill. The atmosphere and flavorful food was wonderful, although, the service and wait time was mediocre. read more

Limited menu, but everything we had was delicious. Based on a nearby table we both ordered the shrimp and grits - fantastic, but needed a bit more hot sauce which was thoughtfully provided. The key lime cheesecake for dessert was very tasty as well. read more

This is the second time we've eaten at the Sea Porch and probably our last. The food was cooked perfectly (mahi mahi), but the service (servers not bartenders) is beyond slow (even when it doesn't seem incredibly busy) and the server flat out seemed annoyed by us (we were a party of two, no kids, knew exactly what we wanted; couldn't have been easier). The second we said we'd already had drinks and an appetizer at the bar she seemed to write us off. My husband had to ask three times for sweetener. Silly but it matters. We sat with the check for over ten minutes before finally just walking up to the bar to pay. The server stood right next to us because she had to give the bartender her code and she completely ignored us. No, "I'm so sorry guys, were understaffed" or even an acknowledgment other than the dirty look she gave us both. Again, the food was great, but don't expect the quality service you'd hope for at a 5 star resort. read more

$32.00 to valet park. We considered leaving because of the bad odor from the buffet. My husband had the blackened grouper. It was overcooked and the zucchini that accompanied it was cooked to mush. I had the cornmeal encrusted flounder with peach and green tomato salsa. The fish was fishy tasting and had no crunch from the breading. I could not find any green tomatoes in the salsa. The peaches were heavily spiced with clove. The staff was nice, and the seating was very comfortable. 18% gratuity added. read more

As a local we have always enjoyed the Don Cesar and Sea Porch restaurant in the past. This time it was quite a surprise, and not for the good. The calamari was chewy and dry, the rolls were stale, the fried fish was not cooked thoroughly and was very mushy and the overall experience was very disappointing for myself and my husband. To top it off, initially when we wanted to valet for dinner, the charge was $25. My husband self parked and in a parking lot that was only about 50% full the charge was $10.50. We eat out daily and sometimes twice a day and this is certainly not one of the restaurants we will return to anytime soon. read more

Tables are kept vacant and dirty while people are waiting to sit, too long. The hostesses couldn't care less.

Absolutely beautiful view and location for beach front sunset front dinner or drinks and apps. Gorgeous place and very good food. I'm pretty picky too. Love The Don Cesar read more

We went to the Sea Porch at the Don Cessr for lunch....we arrived at 1115a and were given a breakfast menu...our server took our drink order....and we asked for lunch menus...he said lunch started at 1130a...we said no problem.....at 1145a...he asked if we were ready to order.....we said what about the drinks we ordered 30 minutes ago.....my friends ordered a water and a tea.....I ordered a mango tango frozen drink from the beach bar menu.30 min ago...our server then put our drink orders in....about 15 minutes later the server came over with a drink that looked like a margarita.....I said that's not a mango tango....he said...its called a last tango. ..we are not a part of the beach bar.....I said ..well that's not a mango tango and that's what I ordered....I showed him a picture of the mango tango that I had the previous 2 days at the don beach bar......he said I can show them this picture...I said ..don't bother...I'll drink water....another 20 minutes for our food and we were the only table at the sea porch when we arrived......when I asked the manager upon arriving if the outside bar menu was the same as the sea porch....the manager said yes.....WELL LET ME TELL YOU IT IS NOT THE SAME.....NOT THAT THE SERVICE WAS GREAT AT THE OUTSIDE BAR. Or SEA PORCH EITHER..outside bar was supposed to open at 11a....the bartender says the first day...it will be about 10 minutes more....opened at 1110a......second day we were there the beach bar didnt open till 1120a......get it together Don Cesar folks.....didnt have this problem when Jan was your bartender.....just very disappointed this year in the service.....or lack of customer service....for $13 for a frozen drink...get your bar open on time and Sea Porch coordinate your menu with the outside bar please.......thank you read more

Amazing place for the price! Food was delicious! Our server, Jeff, was incredible and treated us like royalty!

Food was great! Monkey bread was superb both entree and drinks were great as well a must if you are staying at loews

We enjoyed lunch here on a beautiful sunny day. The ambiance was fine, the food was fine, but what made it worth five stars was our server Patricia. Patricia is from Brazil and she is beautiful, efficient, charming and helpful. Patricia would make any place a five star restaurant! read more

my sister and I spent the afternoon at don cesar yesterday, starting with lunch at sea porch. I was so impressed by the service we received there that I had to share! Dustin was our server and was so friendly and conscientious and seemed so effortless in doing so. our lunch was tasty, but the service is really what stood out for me. I'll be back the next time I'm in the area for sure :) read more

We love the idea of this place but each time we come, the food gets more bland and ordinary. The service is great, the atmosphere perfect, but here are some issues: The "ceviche" is supposed to be fresh and citrusy. Dumping a tomato sauce all over it totally takes away from the delicate seafood flavor. The "hoppin' john that comes with the flounder is bland and uninspiring. Either make a real hoppin john or choose something else to go with the flounder. The scallops were very fishy tasting and way over-seasoned and over-cooked. And here are a couple of additional pet peeves: Why do restaurants make an appetizer with THREE of something? (ahi tuna nachos) When are there ever three people at a table? There are usually two or four guests. (Who ever heard of a three-top?) In either case, three of something never works out. Either one person doesn't get one, or one goes uneaten because no one wants to eat to extra one. Just do FOUR!! Also, why do you assume that children only eat greasy fried food such as chicken fingers, pizza, and such? Please be creative and offer smaller portions of fresh fish, grilled items, veggies and fruit. We always have to order a full-sized entree for our 6 year old just to get something healthy. Kids will eat healthier and adventurous items if offered. If restaurants continue to offer the same junk to kids, that sends a message that it is what they "should" be eating. Chefs at this caliber of a resort should know better and be more inventive. We love coming to the resort, but for $120 for an early dinner of bland food, without any drinks, we will probably go somewhere else. read more

We decided to dine here for the Christmas dinner buffet. Although the historic hotel has a lovely setting, this was a disappointing experience for $75. each (parking and champagne included/excluding tax and gratuity). The servers were overwhelmed and/or understaffed and had difficulty keeping up with refilling the buffet tables. Our server had to be asked to remove the used plates. There seemed to be little or no attention to detail, such as proper spoons to access the sauces and serving tables placed against the wall with only one side for guests to serve themselves. However, it was the food that was so lacking. The soup, although tasty, was barely tepid. Some of the entrees were inedible, such as the tough and stringy short ribs carbonara, the gluey risotto, and the bland potato/cauliflower "smash". The "artisan breads" were dry round rolls. Others dishes just looked too unappetizing to try such as the too-dark roasted chicken breast and dry-looking cobia fish. The veal "prime rib" was tasteless and overcooked. The barley salad and kale salad were good, as were the scallops. The raw bar had great potential, but too often there were just piles of ice with nothing on top as people waited around for the staff to refill the food. The crab claws, the oysters, and the seared ahi were all excellent when they did arrive. The same issue with the desserts; the mini desserts were classy and nicely presented, but not adequately refilled as people waited in line. While we were waiting, a beautiful whole unsliced and unlabeled cake was then placed on the table for diners to slice up themselves. This quickly created a messy cake which became another unappetizing item. On top of this, a surprise $27.00 18% gratuity was added to the bill! This, for a buffet, where we were all serving ourselves, slicing our own cakes, all the while dodging frantic staff and servers! At the very least, adding this size gratuity is rather deceptive advertising. We would have left a generous tip, after all it was Christmas and there were many servers working hard to keep up and create a festive atmosphere, but we would have preferred to decide for ourselves what amount was appropriate. Better still would have been knowing before going in that the 18% gratuity was going to be added on. Nowhere on the website explaining the details of this buffet dinner was this mentioned. Definitely a one and done visit for us. read more

This restaurant is the best! Best FOOD! Service was a little disappointing (Waiter added an extra tip to his bill which I did NOT authorize). They are on Restaurant.com so you can get a GREAT discount for this GREAT, amazing Restaurant! Kids meals are huge. Caesar Salad is the bomb! Yucca soup is to DIE for! read more

I recently ate here for lunch with a few friends. First, they don't accept reservations for outside seating, only inside. Outside is first come first serve. the back of the dining area facing the water was blocked off, so there was absolutely no view. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a water view at a restaurant on the water. The menu is bit on the expensive side, but thats ok, its a fancy hotel. However, the portions were ridiculously small. I ordered fish tacos. Each taco had a tiny piece of fish in it. The soft taco shells tasted like they just came out of the package, they werent even warmed up, so as soon as I picked up the tacos they fell apart. Literally. One of my friends ordered a salad. Since they are piced the same as the entrees, she expected it to be an entree. It was smaller than some dinner salads I've seen. Everyone's portions were very small, and the food was incredibley average, but at least we got to pay too much for it. I was still hungry when I left! Needless to say, we won't be back. If you're visiting St Pete Beach, there are MANY other much better options. read more

This was a first.....we pulled up to the hotel/restaurant for Sunday brunch, and were promptly told that there was NO parking available on the premises due to the lots being full. The valet was very dismissive and told us that we could park at a distance that would require a 15 minute walk in the hot sun back to the hotel. Needless to say, we went elsewhere. What a disappointment and a poor example of service for a property that holds itself out there as high end. read more

Born and raised n St. Pete and had never been to the Don Cesar, decided to have lunch with my Dad at the Sea Porch Cafe. Absolutely beautiful! Now for the review, we weren't not sure if they had waiters or waitresses as we sat for at least 10 minutes with no one greeting us. When we placed our order I told the waitress I have celiac and I'm allergic to gluten, she knew what I was telling her and I gave her my gluten free bun for the hamburger I ordered, the food finally arrived and 3 of 4 of us ordered the panini sandwich, only one had the grilled marks. My husband and Dad sent their remains halves to be grilled and ate the ungrilled half due to lack of service and unable to find our waitress who was also bar tending. My burger was disgusting, very greasy and poor quality of meat for the $16 price. I noticed they had grilled my gluten free bun and that was fine because they were aware of my allergy, or so I thought? After visiting for a while we decided to beat the storms home and my stomach as not well, 45 minutes into our ride back home I knew I was sick. Needless to say I've been very sick since arriving home! No, I won't die or be hospitalized due to this carelessness but I will be very ill for a day or more! As if this were not enough, I find on my $165.00 J. McLaughlin pants some sort of red stains from something I've sat in, I'm assuming ketchup? Needless to say I know know why we've never been there and why we won't be back! Let the tourists have it!!! In for a rough night...thanks! read more