Brunch, lunch, and dinner are all great here. We had a good server, Paul, who was very pleasant and entertaining. The only disappointment was that they ran out of the roast beef on the Easter dinner special menu and the normal steak wasn't great. read more

Society Table - Fried Calamari - Cafes Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Told "We do not accept US currency FOR PAYMENT of your check, only VISA/MC, or travelers checks." Whaaaat? I've been coming to Don Cesar routinely for 32 Winters/Springs/Early Summers and have NEVER heard of this policy, nor was it printed anywhere. I tried leaving a message with concierge to no avail. He simply said I misunderstood (two hours after the fact- y phone! ) , that it wasn't Don Caesar's policy. Meanwhile, I was left in the position to only pay a certain way, or have "hotel security" escort me out- and I never raised my voice- only asked to speak to the maitre'd ... all I got was security and a lot of embarrassment. And my voice never rose above a loud whisper. Oh yeah, and a 26% up charge added to my bill automatically. (I usually tip 30% ... but not this time. The kept what they asked for- nothing more!) We will probably spend the winter in Naples this coming winter. We may spend more overall- but I've never been treated like a criminal for paying with my own country's currency... and then told I must have misunderstood. My wife understood it, two other tables understood it (one couple said they weren't staying if they were going to be treated that way, and they left), I understood it- we all did. After spending more than $23,000 this past holiday season- I'll find a nicer place in Naples- and I'm certain, better food. read more

Small but excellent dinner menu with inventive, but not pretentious, dishes. The scallops are incredible. The branzino was a whole fish, so a little intimidating, but it was delicious. Cocktails are good and reasonably priced. A solid breakfast as well; the buffet probably isn't worth your time or money, but the normal menu is very good. Like anywhere these days, there are always empty tables due to short staffing. But the servers are working hard, and they're friendly and fun. read more

I had the goat cheese fritters followed by the most wonderful red snapper filet on a bed of risotto that was beyond delicious. For dessert the Mango cheesecake the perfect end to a wonderful dining experience. read more

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Dumpy restaurant, poor food, high prices, and NO view. So we made the drive out from Tampa while entertaining family. We thought it would be neat to get a meal at one of the Don Cesar restaurants. Society Table / Rowe Bar was a HORRIBLE choice. The restaurant (and hotel) is in desperate need of repairs. My chair was broken, I swapped it for another... which was also broken. All of the chairs had bird droppings or stains from bird droppings... something the staff could have addressed prior to seating. The fixtures, fans, and speakers were rusted and mismatched. The bathroom inside the main hotel was dirty and poorly maintained. Water leaked from the top of the urinal. What appeared to be generations worth of boogers were smeared on the walls and the soap dispensers were empty. The doors going to/from the patio slammed with each use. The ambiance was exceptionally poor. Beyond the constant slamming of restaurant doors, you also hear all of the kids at the pool, which sits right next to the patio. The restaurant also sits exceptionally low, giving only "peekaboo" views of the beach. The limited views could be the reason that the hotel staff sits all tables essentially on top of one another despite plenty of tables being available. The food was of exceptionally poor quality while excessively priced. We ordered several plates, most of which went largely uneaten based on the poor quality of food. The only thing we did finish was the $19 shrimp cocktail... it is hard to mess that one up. Although it did cost $4 per shrimp. The service seemed amateur, not fitting of a high end hotel. Not once did they notice (or seem to care) that we barely touched our food and didn't want containers to take it with us. That should be a signal to ask if the food was okay if nothing else. One staff member repeatedly hovered near customers with a tablet, presumably updating seating information. The staff frequently talked business next to customers' tables rather than taking it elsewhere. Overall, this restaurant does not live up to expectations. It felt like a motel restaurant, not one associated with a famous beachfront resort. So much potential, yet so disappointing. read more

Service was okay but the food was horrible! Our Cesar salad tasted rotten. We had mushroom flatbread, shrimp cocktail and seafood soup...none of it was good. read more

Had to ask for assistance from the hostess every step of the way. Server only came to our table twice and it was a notably quiet service. For the price of the hotel our expectations were way higher than this. Good views though. read more

The food was really flavorless and the restaurant was very disappointing. The waiter was pleasant but amateurish. The flatbread was not crisp and had no discernible flavor. The octopus small plate preparation was peculiar, served with cold chickpeas that tasted like they just came out of the can and olives. The red snapper main dish was tough and had no seasoning and was served with an overly creamy tasteless crab risotto. read more

Had a wonderful time at Society Table! We went for breakfast two days in a row on our vacation because we really enjoyed it. Got bloody Mary's, smoothie, American breakfast and eggs benedict. Definitely recommend - service was wonderful, ambiance was nice, and food was great! Thank you for a great experience. read more

Good food and great location in the Don. Some of the seating is a bit weird for medium sized groups. Overall great experience

Excellent food and wine. Servers are pleasant and attentive. Dine Al fresco to enjoy the weather when it is good. Seared Scallops. read more

Society Table - Scallops with charred corn and tomato. - Cafes Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Everything I've tried has been good. Oysters were pricey, but still good. Grouper on risotto, scallops, shrimp cocktail, all fresh and good. My favorite was breakfast, salmon avocado toast on gluten free bread with a side of cheesy grits. Great service as well. The staff is friendly and quick. Would highly recommend. read more

I struggle to even write this review, as the experience was simple mind boggling. -- Sea Porch -- 12/31/19 @ 1945 Five adults / one 7yo. Two rounds of drinks Three dinner meals (Swordfish x 2, Pampano x 1) Two appetizers as meals (Calamari & Wings) One PB&J $307 before tip We arrived at the restaurant about 7:35pm. Only had to wait a minute or two to be seated. We were given cocktail menus rapidly. We all made our choices and... waited. And waited. And waited. This "and we waited" theme will repeat itself throughout the remainder of the dinner. The server returned to the table about 15 mins after we were seated and took our drink order. Drinks: The Sandiarita - Tequila, watermelon, jalapeño, lime.... uh, wake me up when this drink impresses someone. Oh, and it's in a martini glass... why? Bourbon and the Beach - bourbon, grapefruit, lemon, simple syrup, cinnamon rim... good bourbon, ruined by the execution. Cinnamon on the rim? Why? For the sake of cinnamon? Dumb. Old Blue Eyes- I guess any vacation resort needs these kinds of drinks. I didn't try it. Didn't need to, I knew exactly what that drink had to offer. Now on to the meat of the review, or lack there of. We waited FOREVER for our first round of drinks. There was seemingly enough staff, yet they didn't seem interested in our centrally located table. After the first round of drinks was drunk, which was quick, it took FOREVER for a second round of drinks. Bear in mind, we would have very much liked to order some food at some point. NO SUCH LUCK! The second round arrived and we had to beg for some bread, as we had a 7yo with us who was really wanting to have dinner. The bread came, and it was annihilated, as everyone was starving, and we are well over an hour of waiting TO PLACE OUR ORDER! Food order placed, and back to the wait. No sense in having another drink, as who knows how long it will take to get round three. The food was on the table at about one hour and forty minutes after we initially sat down. I wish I would have gotten pics, but every single person was starving and unabashedly devoured their meal in a silent rumble. The food? I honestly cannot tell you. We were so hungry after waiting for over 1.5 hrs to eat, we would have probably eaten napkins and not complained. Every single person ate every morsel of food, including the 7yo and her PB&J sandwich. We have eaten at Maritana, on the main floor of the Don Cesar. It is a sublime and extraordinary experience. In fact, it is a meal you should never pass up. The Sea Porch is, however, a meal you should not bother experiencing. -- Sea Porch @ The Don Cesar-- Service : C+ Wait Time : F- Food : C+ Drinks : C+ Value : C- Atmosphere : B+ Overall : D+ If you have no other choice... I guess this will do. Don't expect anything special, do expect to pay a lot. I wish I could tell you more, there isn't much to say. I cannot believe THIS is what "the Don" wants to put their name on. This is a disgrace to an otherwise opulent resort. read more

Society Table - Sandiarita / Bourbon and the Beach / Old Blue Eyes - Cafes Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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Against my better judgement due to a sub-par experience several months ago, I nevertheless returned to Society Table at the Don Cesar. My prior experience was confirmed. A too bright, cafeteria-like vibe and inexperienced servers offering wildly overpriced modest fare. Compounding the disappointing dining was the $29 parking fee. This is not a typo. On a Tuesday night, at a three quarters empty parking lot. No street parking is available. There is very little choice. But a choice I will make is to never return. read more

my friends and i grew up staying at the don every summer w/ our families. like us the buffet gets better with age. my sis thinks the buffet is the best part of vacation. lol. cute. we like her to eat protein but she always sneaks some cinnamon toast crunch in her wheelchair bag and has that. we can't be mad. i got everything in the buffet but the seafood. my friend maggie loved it. i just don't like seafood so i passed. EXTRA potato's for me. we sat outside and i was hesitant bc of the heat and my sisters wheelchair but it was fine. the fans were on full blast the atmosphere was perfect. i had 4 plates. when i was on my 3rd i almost thought i couldn't but i had my 4th plate oh hot cakes with brown sugar i thought of r kelly. singing worlds greatest and i conquered those cakes. i'll be back read more

Very limited menu however my husband said it's one of the best burgers he's had! Potato leek soup was delicious and warm! Salad with blackened shrimp very tasty. Our server Nikki was pleasant and prompt! read more

Good service yummy breakfast, has browns were a bit cold and dry but loved everything else read more

Society Table - Egg white omelet and biscuits & gravy! Delish - Cafes Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

Food was okay, place was dirty, service was subpar. Don't recommend.

Now the Society Table, Celine and Jeff are wait staff. Breakfast was delicious. We throughly enjoyed our meals, and would love to dine here again. I felt like Jay Gatsby in this fine establishment! read more

I've been to the Sea Porch Cafe twice now and both times have been fantastic visits! Their food is delicious and their service is great as well. We made a reservation on Open Table and requested outdoor seating, although they do not take reservations for outside. They saved a table outside and were able to fulfill our request nonetheless. The food is a bit pricey, however, so I only go here for special-occasion dinners. The sides are big enough to share between 2-3 people, so order accordingly. I highly recommend the goat cheese fritters to start - they were amazing! read more

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Convenient if you're staying at the resort and aren't feeling like going far to get a bite, but the food was not very good. I wouldn't eat here twice. read more

First issue we encountered when we pulled up to the hotel was parking. No information was provided to me in regards to parking when I made my dinner reservations. As a first time visitor to this hotel I had no idea parking would be so difficult. After circling the hotel a couple of times and then parking in a lot across the street to try to call the hotel to find out about parking not one person answered the phone. I tried reservations, I tried the restaurant, I tried the operator. No one answered. I finally decided to pull up to the circle drive where I guess the lobby would be and I found out we could only valet. At $33 per car. A very high price especially if you're just going there for dinner. No validation on parking even if you were having dinner on the property. Once we arrived at the restaurant, I thought we would have a waterfront view, but there was no water view and I was greatly disappointed. Once seated, the chairs we sat on were wood chairs and they were uncomfortable, no one ever offered us a cushion which I discovered later several of the other tables with wood chairs had cushions. Food was average. Service was average. My expectations of a great dinner and great service and great view and great seating we're not met. As we left we stopped to use the restroom paper towels were on the floor outside and inside the restroom. I was not impressed with the Don Caesar hotel or the Society restaurant. read more

Society Table - Bathroom - Cafes Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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1) 'we'll text you when a table is ready, half an hour' was a lie, they ignored us for an hour 2) The waiter was slow to even greet us and take our drink order (we had already figured out our dinner choices) 2A) When asked about deserts the waiter *told* us what was available, missed several items on the printed menu we later found. 3) The calamari was tasteless mostly breading. 4) The meals were mediocre at best and way overpriced. 5) The waiter bussed our dishes when we were finished but never brought us the bill 6) I sought out the hostess and told her we needed our waiter, and nothing happened. 7) The only time we got any attention was when we were walking out! And even then the manager was slow to respond. Although she did comp half our bill. I'm a very level-headed man but I got mad, their service sucked and they did NOT take care of it very well. read more

The service was AMAZING. Becky was so knowledgeable about the menu and gave us wonderful recommendations. She recommended the special (skirt steak with chimichurri, asparagus and carrot purée) which was phenomenal. Wonderful evening thanks to her! read more

Overpriced and not great. Very inconsistent. The bread mix they offer to start is the best thing here. This is one of those overly ambitious hotel eateries where they can't pull off what they are trying to serve up and should simplify: KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). In fairness, my review is based on years of bad to mediocre experiences here. The updated menu and service do tend to be improved as the Don and restaurant's decor have also been refurbished. It's still not a place I would go if given a choice. The whole snapper is bad although it looks cool. The fried oyster app is okay but you get very few. None of their dishes are especially great or memorable. If they are hosting a special even expect to have an interminable wait. 1200 Chophouse up the road doesn't take reservations but serves bigtime ribeye and such.. Castille across the street is decent for Spanish food and tapas (they have a happy hour menu as well). Verduccis is decent. If you don't want to drive then you can eat here and it's not the end of the world. For breakfast they do a good but expensive buffet (with omelette bar) as well as a la carte breakfast items that are pretty good. Sundays here is a brunch buffet for $44.95. Pretty impressive. Lunch is decent. Don't forget to validate if you are visiting someone at the Don for a meal.. read more

I'll just get this out of the way and say this was the worst, least option-filled, most expensive brunch my family and I have suffered through. We've taken to hitting all the hotels and fancy Sunday brunch buffets in recent years, and Mother's Day last week was the worst. First, it was $15 to park and the waiter didn't validate our parking nor did he offer/ask to. No one did. Luckily showing the receipt to the poor dude forced to wear a black suit outside at 1pm in Florida worked. Next, there were literally 2 seafood options on a buffet that Shoneys or Sweet Sweet Tomatoes would easily put to shame. Other places have grand Sunday or holiday seafood brunches. Not here. The other options were equally as limited. Let's just say if there were 20 different items total, I'd be surprised. And yes, that includes scrambled eggs and potatoes. Good, not not worth the price. The dessert selection was varied, but most of it wasn't very good. Look around for other options for a pricey brunch. This place just didn't add up to a $30 value. Oh, and they charged $50! read more

Terrible service cold food...waitress was terrible and wouldn't even give us an itemized receipt. Disappointing what you pay to stay at a the Don Cesar read more

Waaaaay overpriced for very average food quality and selection. On a positive note - service was great, the waitress was very attentive. However, we never came back after dining there our first night in despite the convenience. read more

They said that they took our reservation but when we turned up there was no reservation very disappointed. My mom 91st birthday flew in from Seattle $400+ a night fir a room and no joy! The service in general at the hotel was pretty poor. read more

I wish I could choose zero stars. One of the worst dining experiences I have had in a very long time. We had a party of 10 including four young children. We arrived at six and did not get done until week past 8:30 because of the long times it took to get our food. We asked the waitress to give us some time to look at the menu. A half hour later I had to find the manager to ask them to send the waitress back to our table. After we placed our salad and meal orders, it took another forty minutes to get our salads. I made a second complaint to the manager about the long wait times and was told they were sorry because they had some bigger groups. It took another hour to get our meals. At $600 with very little alcohol and four children's meals in the mix I expected much, much more. The food I had was serviceable but not memorable. The extremely long wait time to receive our food completely ruined the experience for me and I will go out of my way to never return read more

We ate at Society Table last evening with another couple as their guests. My husband and I live in Pass-a-Grille; the other couple lives near DTSP. I add our residency for a reason. They drove to our home in Pass-a-Grill and instead of all of using the Freebee, they were confident the parking valet fee would be validated for using the restaurant as had been their experience in the best. We piled into their car and drove 1 mile down the road. Pro: The ambience and decor is first rate. Our waiter was super responsive, informative, friendly, pleasant and went over and beyond to accommodate us, cocktail-wise and meal choices. He offered to split the salad on two plates instead of us having to request it and there was no charge for dessert for the birthday boy. The service was swift and professional. My entree, the grouper, was delicious and as far as I know, everyone enjoyed their separate meals without complaint. Con: The other couple had eaten at the Maritana Grille Restaurant inside the resort as well previously and their parking valet fee had been comped and validated. Unfortunately, it was their assumption it would apply to all the restaurants on the property, a fair and honest assumption based on life experiences. However, upon arriving at The Don, our friend was informed by the valet the parking fee was $33 and change. This was confirmed by the Maitre'd at Society Table when we reached the restaurant down the stairs. A bit snippily, sensing his impatience, he told us our only recourse was to try for a last minute reservation in Maritana Grille up stairs. Declining that solution, he did show us to a lovely table, but it left a bad taste in our mouths (no pun intended). Society Table, while a different atmosphere than the Maritana Grille, a little more relaxed, is just as expensive. Appetizers range from $8 to $26. The entrees range from $27-$43 and they are small portions. I weigh 119 lbs. and wolved my dinner down before the men. The bill for four came to $275 and change including tip. On our way out we asked at the hotel lobby desk if there was any recourse for the expensive valet parking fee such as a reasonably reduced fee since we just spent almost $300, were senior citizens and locals. He was another employee who was a bit arrogant, told us the parking at The Don was done by a third-party (??), out of his control and said of course there wasn't any manager available at 9:30 pm for us to speak with. We were dismissed like naughty schoolchildren and sent home to bed. I had to have a snack to hold me over until morning. I commented to the valet on our way out the parking fee was as bad as NYC. (I'm a former resident of NY.) He argued no, there in NYC they are $75. I would argue Pass-a-Grille is a small fishing hamlet with a wonderful beach and a pretty resort stamped on it. It's not the the cultural, financial capital of the world. Anyway, that's my only gripe. The Hotel Zamora up the street validates their reasonable valet parking fee of $15 for eating on the property. And at the cultural, waterfront epicenter in DTSP, the flawless culinary dining experience at the Parkshore Grill, that friendly staff will valet your car for $8!!! In a city, not a fishing hamlet, mind you! I get charging resort fees and a beach parking fee for non-guests, but $33 to valet just to eat at resort pricey restaurants on property is a bit hard to justify when neighboring resorts don't do the same. With all things equal, a good neighbor is a good neighbor. We've referred plenty of people to stay and eat at the Pink Palace in the past, but you can't let corporate fleece the locals. It's wrong and not sustainable. It'll be a long time before the bad taste leaves my mouth. read more

Second time back, Justin the bartender seemed annoyed there were guests at the bar and the TV channels still couldn't be changed without a manager. Crab risotto had zero crab. We will not be coming back. read more

Stopped in for dinner on a Sunday night with five of my colleagues. We were seated quickly and drink orders were taken. Shortly after the drinks arrived, we received a bread basket with several different types of breads. I ordered the Mahi-Mahi with chorizo sweet-potato hash. It was dynamite! Check out my pic to see how thick the cut was. They had a mango bbq sauce on top, which provided a nice contrast to the spice of the hash. For dessert, I had the Key Lime Terrine which was really good. Not a five-star review because service was on the slow side. Attentive, but slow. Keep in mind that it's a resort restaurant, so prices will be on the high side. That being said, I think the quality of the food makes the price a little easier to swallow. read more

Society Table - Mahi-Mahi over sweet potato chorizo hash. - Cafes Near Me - St. Pete Beach, Florida

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This was pretty awful considering it's at the Don. We never had brunch here before but assumed it would be the same quality as the other restaurants at the hotel. When we walked in we were told we can't order off the menu since there was a huge kitchen delay. So buffet only but we thought that would be fine. Well the food was as basic as it gets. Nothing remarkable, barely average. Not even much to choose from. All this average food for $50 a person. We might have been happy ordering off the menu but like I said, not an option. The only good part was the beautiful ambiance and the beach backdrop. Truly a disappointing visit. Will not be coming back read more

Not worth the risk! A group wanted to meet for lunch. I was hesitant, having read the parking horror stories in some reviews so I called to inquire and was told that the first two hours were free. OK so we went. Service was fine. Menu prices were higher than you would see at the regional beach restaurants but that is to be expected in a plush place like the Don Cesare, not outrageous for nice place like this. Food was quite pedestrian but certainly OK. Had to wait a bit for the check but not very long. Did some visiting after lunch but kept an eye on the time. Got behind a couple of cars having trouble with the parking computer a few minutes lost. Got the gate--two minutes past 2 hours! $28.59 for parking, more than my lunch. Don't take a chance, a little slow service can double the cost of your lunch. Never again. read more

Wow! The girl that was seating this evening was so so rude. Her name was Shaniece (ultra too long eyelashe/s, almost inappropriate) She definitely should not be working with customers. We live across the street and came over for coffee and dessert. Asked to be seating outside and she handed me the menu from the hostess station and told me I could seat myself. I asked to be outside..you can sit anywhere in the couches outside she said. Well, all the cushions were put away. I walked back to the hostess stand to tell her all the cushions were put away and she said well then you can't sit anywhere. I asked her name and then sat myself and my family at the table. read more

This was a beautiful location at the Don CeSar and the food was quite good. The venue is lovely but frankly, I expected way more of the service. It was pretty mediocre. Slow, inattentive to requests, and sometimes the staff seemed put out by our needs. Hopefully you enjoy the lovely sunset and the nice location but have better service than we did. read more

Artichoke dip is delicious- make sure you add the crab! Love the view here, it's right on the beach and perfect for watching the sunset! read more

My Wife and I recent stopped in Sea Porch at the Don Ce-Sar for a bit to eat--what a total disappointment. Never thought I would say the Don Ce-sar would ever be labled BAD hotel food. We had one drink at the pool bar and really enjoyed the bartender. -We moved to an outdoor table at Sea Porch. We had to find the hostess -who seem put off that we wanted to eat -it was 8:30pm--Hello! The waiter was very good and took good care of us. We ordered a few appertizers to share. The Maryland crabcakes with Citrus cabbage slaw with Lemon Aioli.$19.00. Great flavor with the cakes and slaw--small portion but good flavor. We then had the $12.00 Flashed fried Calamari again with the Lemon Aioli. While hot and crunchy -the bottom of the serving plate had an inch of grease--like it was dumped in there direct from the fryer--we did eat the bottom layer--GROSS. Then we order $16.00 Mushroom and four cheese flat bread. It was not flat but a thick frozen dough--soggy and flavorless. Topped with yes four cheeses that tasted old and then toped with tough bottom mushrooms that were old or moldy. Guessing we should have said something but by that time we were ready to go. We have eaten here many times and this was the final time. Sad that THE DON CE-SAR has dropped their culinary standard to this level. Could have been a bad night but the last few times seems the same. Time for a change!! read more

I have spent years dining at the Sea Porch at the Don and loving it. Now I love Society Table. Yes it has a small menu and slow service, but that is what I love about it actually. It makes a lunch date with a friend memorable and really enjoy one another. I was just there for lunch yesterday. Alan and our waiter Juan made our day wondeful. So if you would like a long lunch with loved ones, this is your spot. Goat cheese fritters are outta this world. read more