Garden Restaurant

angelina d.

Joined 6 months ago

DONT EVER GO TO THIS RESTAURANT!! when i went here i got food poisening 2 hours after i ate and i was puking for 3 days... definetly wouldnt recommend it!!

Doesn't Recommend

mike d.

Joined 11 months ago

Worst time ever! I've worked in the restaurant industry most of my life and have lived in St. Pete even longer! I love going out to eat and seeing chef's creations and having a chance to be served.. A friends band was playing at the garden, me and my partner decided to show some support and try them out.. Bar tenders were super sweet and on it, very attentive although we were the only ones at the bar while we waited for a seat outside.. Lucky for the garden St Pete has a lot of tourists coming through, it looks nice from the outside..

Got seated and sat for about 20 minutes watching servers buzz around, tried to make eye contact with all of them, not a peep from any of them.. Asked the hostess who our server was, waited some more, finally had one come up, seemed like she didn't know what to say or where to begin so I just asked for some appetizers.. Mussels and portabella crab stack.. I took one bite of mussel and spit it out, tasted how feces smell.. The portabella was almost nonexistent underneath a blob of cream cheese, may or may not have had crab in it.. We told the server we weren't happy and were ready to go, she said "you gotta talk to the manager".. so we waited.. and waited about 10-15 minutes and decided to walk out.. first time ever!! Upon leaving she came running out with a check and said he'd comp us 50%.. didn't even come talk to his customers and 50% was his best offering?! Bad service, bad food, bad business tactics.. serious lack of quality and integrity..

Doesn't Recommend

JustOneJake

Joined 2 years ago

Avoid at all costs.. Avoid at all costs. Menu is inaccurate. Food is horrible. They switched my chicken salad wrap for a chicken curry wrap without even asking me, and claimed I'd ordered it before. I've never visited this establishment, and trust me I will never visit them again. Everyone else with me hated their food too. Worst experience ever.

They also have a multitude of critical health violations on file.

Recommends

it4soho

Joined 2 years ago

Awesome for casual fare or a full evening out. This is one of my favorite places in downtown St. Pete:

The location is fantastic -- I always try to sit outdoors, as the patio area is awesome. Of course the outdoor chairs aren't all that comfortable -- they're all metal (as you would EXPECT in an outdoor location) and yes, they scrape the patio when you move them... duh! But they often have live music (with a variety of music styles) out there, and especially in the mornings and evenings, there's just an aura of calm there... I love it!

The food is very good... not award-winning, mind you, but very good none-the-less. I've never had a BAD meal there in the 5 years I've lived near downtown. The menu is a mixture of standard face and some newer, more "modern" fare. It not only works for me - my parents (70's) and my kids (teens/20's) all love it there too!

The service can admittedly be hit or miss... but this is a very casual place, and it seems to me that the staff just sometimes gets caught up in the casual ambiance... besides, when I dine out and have a service problem, I blame the server, not the whole restaurant. That being said, the only service issues I've ever had there were addressed and corrected on the spot.

The cost is very reasonable. I can't answer for the other reviewer's concerns about coupons, as I've never tried to use one here -- but their prices are already affordable, if you ask me. (And when I DO use a coupon, I'm always courteous enough to present it when I order, not when the check arrives).

Lastly, to the reviewer who suggested that other reviews were written by staffers or owners -- click my ID -- I'm an IT Consultant, not in the food business at all.... but I don't expect 5-star service at a casual dining place either!

Doesn't Recommend

Sam D

Joined 2 years ago

Muy Mal. Have had bad experiences every time I've been to this restaurant since I moved here in 2007. They advertise in the Entertainment Book for the Saint Petersburg area and then when you show up, they refuse to honor the coupons! Talk about false advertising! This has happened every year that I have bought the book and been to their restaurant. I can understand this happening once...but every year??? Someone doesn't know how to do buisness with the public. Have been told more than once that they are "under new management" and that is why they do not honor the coupons. Well, bully for them and I am so glad there are so many other restaurants available that do honor the coupons and don't advertise falsely. The food is good and the atmosphere...okay. (hate the way the chairs scrape on the brick in the courtyard everytime someone moves one; ruins the whole ambiance and dining experience). All in all, they left me with a bad aftertaste and I will be dining elsewhere in the future.

The coupons enticed me to try them, and I did more than once. To go back again would be an embarrasment for all concerned.

Recommends

gerrymerchant

Joined 2 years ago

Had a fabulous time!. We went to another restaurant across the street that hadn't published the "times" of their specials. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time; so we wondered! We ended up at the garden and had a lovely time! The grog and the food was excellent! The time was priceless! Enjoy!

Recommends

pennylikescars

Joined 2 years ago

BEST RESTURANT YOU WILL GO TO. OH MY GOD ALL I HAVE BEEN GOING HERE FOR YEARS THEY SUCKED BEFORE NOW THEY HAVE NEW OWNERS AND THEY ARE AMAZING

If you do not go to this resturant at somepoint in your life you wil no be able to exprierence the best resturant in the ENTIRE WORLD

Recommends

Dodger11

Joined 3 years ago

It's Different Now. I ate here about 5 years ago and it was OK. Ate there again a few years ago and it was really bad. The place closed and has now re-opened with new owners and more importantly, a new chef.

The bad thing about keeping the old name is it keeps people away. The good thing is that it does describe the place. It has a big outdoor garden which is great in the spring and fall. You can eat indoors all year round.

Ate there last night with 5 friends. Everyone ordered something different and everyone was happy.

The only reason we went, given the previous bad experiences, was the Friday / Saturday night music of Buster Cooper, trombone, Michael Ross on bass and John Jenkins on drums - all really professional jazz musicians + whoever sits in with them (last night it was Ryan Redding on sax).

Good food and good vibes - eat and listen and maybe it will stay that way. Good prices on the food and the house wine was not bad at all. Wait staff that we had was friendly.

Doesn't Recommend

misslacy

Joined 3 years ago

NEVER STOP HERE!!!! DOWN THUMBS!. Place is a dump!! go explore around the city before here! so many nice place's to eat! the food here not

All the good review's on here are most def. a person who works HERE !!!!! laughing my ass off at the last (GOOD) 5 star review on here. Croc O shizz if you ask me!

Recommends

Vani

Joined 3 years ago

One Stop Night Out!. My friends and I heard about The Garden and decided to check it out last Saturday night. It was all that we had heard. The food was delicious (I had shrimp scampi, excellent) and priced right. We sat outside to have dinner and listen to the live jazz band. If that wasn't good enough, after dinner we went into The Lobby (which is part of The Garden) for drinks and dancing and never had to move our car!! All in one, that was great. It is a very friendly place, has good food, good music and a great atmosphere. We are going back this Saturday night. What more could you ask for?