07/17/08

The worst food we've ever eaten

by AnnandDan

The view from the Colonnade cannot make up for the terrible food it serves. My parents were visiting us from up north and for my mom's birthday, we decided to take her to the Colonnade after reading a write up about it and because we bike ride past it every night and see it jammed. We were greatly disappointed for the following reasons: my husband's beer was flat and later charged for it even though he sent it back, the conch chowder tasted like BBQ sauce out of a bottle, the scallops on our Captain's Platter tasted three weeks old and sent back for a couple of oysters, the fries served with our platter were cold, my dad's fish tasted like the cheapest fish you can buy at the grocery store, the grouper dish my mom ordered tasted like they poured salt over the top and had to be sent back and by the time she got it, we were done eating our food. For all the trouble, I think the manager should have taken care of something on the bill and apologized for the bad food. The waiter apologized many times and he was very nice (Patrick). A few days earlier we took my parents to the small restaurant on Ballast Point Pier (The Taste of Boston) and everyone was happy - the food was excellent (as always), reasonably priced, great view and location. I feel sorry for the people that eat at the Colonnade and think their getting good food. Obviously the Colonnade is under poor management :(

• Pros: the view
• Cons: the seafood

11/14/06

Avoid - Very disappointing

by bacher

This past Saturday (11/11/06), while visiting Tampa, my wife and I decided to dine at the Colonnade. Upon arriving, the people in front of us were about to be seated. We were told to tag along and someone would seat us; not our idea of a proper seating. We were never asked if we would like to sit in a booth by the window overlooking the water, of which a few were vacant, instead we were out at a wobbly table in the middle of the room. Here we waited and waited for our waitress, being told several times by another waitress that ours would be right over. Seeing that our waitress still hadn't come to our table the before mentioned waitress said she would take our drink order. Five minutes later our waitress finally came over and said she would take our drink order. We told her we had already placed it with another waitress. At that our waitress became miffed and was quite rude to us and instead of taking our dinner order, went on a quest to find out who took our drink order. This made us a bit uncomfortable. Some more time past, our drinks having arrived, and a waiter appeared to take our dinner order. Now our anxiety grew believing we would get yelled at again if our waitress should decide to come over to take our order. As it turned out she ignored us the rest of the time. My wife's grouper was excellent however my fried shrimp with your own special coating was nothing to write home about; indeed it was tasteless and somewhat greasy. We were mostly ignored through dinner and it wasn't until I finally asked to have my water glass refilled that I was able to get more. Then, without asking if we wanted dessert, our bill was thrown down on the table. My wife asked if we might have some coffee; which we got but still weren't asked if we wanted dessert. Now that we are ready to leave, we can't get our bill and had to wait awhile for it. All in all, on our future trips to Tampa, we will NOT be dining at the Colonnade.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Noise, Service

07/30/05

Decent.

by jayev33

The few times I've been there the food has either been good or terrible. The last time I was there was for my baptism and the wait for the food was over an hour, and the food was poor as well. I will go there occaisionally but it is not my favorite place to go.

• Pros: Scenery
• Cons: Wait

08/18/03

Go for the great seafood or the stellar view.

by Contributor

The Scene
The view of Tampa Bay and downtown make the Colonnade a favorite place for watching bikers, runners and roller bladers on Bayshore Boulevard, Tampa's non-commercial equivalent to a boardwalk. On a sunny day, you can see the cruise ships leaving port while you enjoy an early evening dinner.

The Food
Fresh Florida seafood with a few steaks and chicken dishes to round things out. Grouper, served eight different ways, is the specialty of the house, but don't pass on the tasty gator appetizer--golden fried, served with a tangy mustard sauce. If you can't decide on one entree, get the combination platter, which includes scallops, crabcakes, shrimp and tilapia. For dessert, try one of the only things on the menu without seafood: key lime pie.

08/13/02

delicious!

by moongoddess

I have been to almost every restaurant in the bay area, and by far the best for lunch and dinner is The Colonnade. They have the best consistent service, great prices and generous meal portions. Don't visit without trying the crunchy chicken breast- there's nothing like it! The waiters aren't hard on the eyes either :)

• Pros: price, generous portions, food
• Cons: dark lighting