Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant

02/16/09

Great Tapas... Cooky entrance!

by FloridaRobert at Citysearch

Cooky entrance. Excellent Espanish TAPAS (not Peruvian Cebiche though). Great atmosphere - Fun. Not expensive, unless you order too much wine, oh and very good Espanish wines. This is a fun place. If you want to sit romantically in a dark silent place this is not it. This a fun place. If you get there too late on the Friday and saturday, don't expect to sit, even at the bar, which tells you its popularity. Though the entrance is cooky and one has too valet (tips only). I recommend it.

• Pros: Not for kids.
• Cons: Too much variety.

05/12/09

Still one of the best

by RonnieBaby at Citysearch

This is one of Tampa's best, for people that have some semblence of taste. If you order an enormous chunk of cow, regardless of what type of restaurant you're in (like about half of the people that I work with and everyone in the state of Texas), Ceviche is not for you. If you are delighted by sharing multiple, enticing flavors in perfectly sized portions that let you try many dishes at one meal, this place will be one of your favorites. Getting seated is a major hassle. Try going after the theater (no, not the movies Brandon & Carrollwood!) for a light, late night dinner. The rush of SoHo beautiful people should have died down by then.

• Pros: Great ambience and menu selection.
• Cons: Try getting seated!!!!!

03/03/09

Great place, but the address is incorrect

by wk3 at Citysearch

It is on Howard just a few blocks off Bayshore Blvd (not on Bayshore Blvd if that is the CItysearch address).

A great funky/quirky bar/restaurant that reminds me of tapas bars in Spain. The food portions are authentic, and a very good selection of Spanish wines. I was quite pleased with the varied tapas selections. the jazz combo caused me to think of how the place reminded me of a tapas bar in Sevilla.

Not a place for people who want vanilla and impeccable service, but great if you want a place to enjoy yourself. I am in my 50's and I helped raise the average age, but I was right at home.

• Pros: ambiance, wine selection, food selections

08/25/08

suprisingly good value, improved wine list, ambient outdoor dining

by sj31 at Citysearch

Yes, it is pricey, but you get a lot for your money here compared to all the other tapas places in town. We usually start with 2 tapas per person, then add one if/as needed. They bring delicious bread as well, which is great for dipping in the sauces. I've been thinking about the tuna ceviche since last time we went, last month. The new location's outdoor patio is a beautiful dining area with fountain and colored lights. The place is noisy and bustling. I like that, but I wouldn't bring kids here. I will however check my credit card statement next time or pay cash!!! Stealing is super lame, especially when I know that wait staff rakes it in. I was going to give 5 stars, but had to dock one for the other person's review, even though it didn't happen to me (that I know of.)

• Pros: tastiness, vegetarian options, ambience, value, valet parking, open late
• Cons: hit/miss service, wait time

07/17/08

CEVICHE'S STAFF IS STEALING FROM ITS CUSTOMERS

by deesbca at Citysearch

I recently ate there and when I looked at my credit card statement the waitress decided to give herself a $20 instead of a $15 tip. I called my credit card company and they took it off. I contacted Ceviche's and a manger called me back and left a message, stating he would call me later. I have left additional messages but I haven't heard back from them. Basically Ceviche is giving off the message that having their servers steal from customers isn't that big of a deal, but it is!

What makes matters worse is when I told my sister about it, she said they added a tip to her take out bill 3 weeks earlier. Her total was about $22 and when she looked at her bank statement the total was $30! This is ridiculous and unethical. I want as many people as possible to be aware of what is going on there!!!

• Cons: unethical staff

03/31/08

A Long Wait for Mediocre Food

by fmcgillivray at Citysearch

I saw Ceviche on a list of romantic restaurants and took my husband there for dinner on his birthday. Romantic? Not on a Friday night. They only take reservations for parties of 6 or more, so we had to put our name on the list and wait. We were told 10 - 40 minutes wait, so we got a drink from the bar. There was nowhere to sit and the music and other people in the bar made it too loud to talk without yelling, so we stood outside with our drinks. We stood for more than an hour before being called for a table. Obviously there had been some mix-up with the waiting list, but no acknowledgement or apology was made. No free glass of wine offered. Nothing. The staff seemed young and inexperienced and had a somewhat arrogant attitude.

The server was fine, but the service was ridiculous. It took more than 20 minutes to get a glass of wine once we were seated. We received one of the dishes we'd ordered and then had two more of the same thing brought to our table.

The food was inconsistent. Some was quite good - like the thin potato chips with blue cheese, and the asparagus. But some was terrible - the fresh tuna ceviche was so salty that it was inedible. In fact, all the food was heavily salted, overpowering the delicate flavors of the dishes.

One or two glitches can be overlooked, but when every aspect of the experience was lacking it gave us overall a very negative view of the restaurant. Perhaps it is different on a weekday evening, but it has all the elegance, romance, and character of a nightclub on the weekend.

We would not recommend Ceviche to anyone and will not return. As we left the restaurant, hours after we arrived, there were several people at the counter embroiled in complaints.

02/26/08

Yummy food, fabulous sangria and friendly staff!

by curlycyn31 at Citysearch

I have been going to Ceviche in Tampa for many years now. It truly is a great night out! It is one of the rare places in Tampa that also serves food until the wee hours of the morning (on weekends.) The Sangria is absolutely wonderful! I personally prefer the Champagne Sangria-so yummy! The food is wonderful and of course I have my favorites-the hummus, the asparagus, the chicken liver dish (I know, right-chicken livers-they were GREAT!!) Not every dish is going to appeal to every person-you have to keep sampling and find your favorites. There can be a wait at times, but you can also get in early and make the rest of the night fun after that. A very nice time!!

• Pros: Fab Sangria and food, friendly staff

04/29/07

worst tapas in town

by jou at Citysearch

I tried the food at Ceviche and what a disappointment. The "jamon serrano" and Manchego cheese were dry, stale & lacking their fresh flavor. The shrimp, eggplant and scallops were all consistently undercooked. The service really stands out if the place is partially empty, otherwise expect some waiting both at the door and at the table. I will never take my acquaintances from Spain to this noisy, over-rated and over priced restaurant.

03/07/07

Best Sangria EVER!

by starbrigt7 at Citysearch

First of all, I live in Miami & have been all over Spain, yet Ceviche's Sangria is the best i've had EVER! Although you may have to wait for a table for some time, it's definitely worth it. The food is fresh & tasty, the service is generally very good & the Almendrado dessert is to die for. Now that i've moved back to Miami I can honestly say that Ceviche is the only thing I miss about Tampa.

• Pros: Ambience, food & SANGRIA!
• Cons: None.

01/20/07

This place rocks!

by cwoolsey at Citysearch

I went to Ceviche last night with 5 friends and had a blast! We arrived late (10:30pm) and put our name on the waiting list for a table. We ended up in the bar where we quickly got a table which is where we stayed. The waiter was great and friendly, the service was amazing even though the placed was busy. The food came out quickly and was very good. The sangria was just ok but the rest of the experience was a 10! It is also great for a romantic dinner too and has low lights and a great decor.