06/21/09

Best Calamari, Pesto and Pate

by dpsellers

I've live downtown for 4 years and The Garden is easily my favorite restaurant. The food is outstanding, the ambiance unbeatable. Have had nothing but good experiences there. The bad reviews here are very misleading. if you miss this restaurant, you miss out.

• Pros: Charming Downtown Garden Dining
• Cons: Some of the reviews here

03/07/09

Really Bad Experience

by DennisKovach

I presume The Garden is on the way out. I took my family there before the orchestra in St. Pete. The orchestra was wonderful, the Garden was horrible. The tagine (a specialty) was weeks old and served cold. The waitress was, we hope, waiting on her first customers because she forgot things, put her fingers into the wine glasses as she served and spilled the over-dressed arugala salad dressing all over the table when removing the empty (except for a puddle of pure lemon juice dressing) plate. I presume they broke some law by taking money for what has to be described as a fraudulent meal. There are other good choices such as Cafe Alma, etc. and I would recommend that you don't even think of going to The Garden of Evil. Dennis M. Kovach

01/05/09

Worst Restaurant in St. Pete

by FloridaGirl35

We live locally and thought we would give this restaurant another shot - as we experienced terrible service about 10 years ago - well not much has changed.

The food was awful, terrible! My husband and I took my 16 yr old and his GF. GF ate none of her salad as it was no nasty. My fish was supposed to be "fresh - like grouper" - no way. It was way overcooked and it was perfectly square like the frozen fish at the supermarket. I was told mine was the special, fresh fish topped with crab stuffing. I honestly cannot identify what was on my fish. It was runny - and seemed like sour coleslaw. My husbands chicken was tough, and overcooked. Our salads... well, I think it was the spring mix out of the bag, usually good - but this had sat and wilted. Also, we asked for Ceasars - apparently they do not know the difference... seriously - that is what the waitress told us.

The sevice was horrible. Our waitress forgot about us for almost 45 minutes, we had to ask twice for our appetizers... no refills on drinks and the food was cold. We are pretty easy to please, but this was just god awful. The icing on the cake was when the server gave herself a 22% tip, and charged it to our account... We asked the manager about it - he just said we can change it if we want...... It was a terrible dinner experience, I was embarrassed that we took my son's girlfriend there... I am going to be sure to tell everyone I know how awful The Garden is - I honestly think Red Lobster was 100 times better than this place....yep, I'm serious..

• Pros: None
• Cons: Overpriced, terrible food, terrible service

12/15/08

That was an hour I'll never get back...

by KoiGirlDee

Don't bother. Lunch took way too long. I ordered the Catch of the Day which was flounder with the white wine and shallot sauce and a salad. The fish looked like it was a previously frozen filet, not fresh. The sauce just tasted like salt - nothing else. The salad was some kind of bagged junk that they threw a couple of slices of onion and some nasty canned black olives on. And the white wine dijon vinagrette could have been water for all the flavor it had. What a waste of a lunch hour.

• Pros: easy to get a seat
• Cons: everything else and it smelled funny

05/04/07

Dont go if you need a drink!

by fl_sales

I thought the atmosphere was decent. Bar staff was terrible. I waited for a drink and then when i finally got it, it was not what i had ordered. It took equally long to get my correct drink. After that experience i opted to have dinner at the oyster bar down the street. Rather than risk an equally bad dinner experience. Mastrys seemed to be a pretty good bar If that is what you are looking for.

01/12/07

Are you kidding!!!!!

by svfrenchy

Unbelievably terrible!

Had a meal wish was good, gave my credit card to the waiter, he misplaces it between the table and the credit card machine. He can't find it anywhere, that's for 1/2H. Talked to manager who was most unhelpful. They comped my diner which is the least they could do. While in the restaurant waiting for my card to reappear, I call my bank to cancel it and it has already been used in the cigar store 2 doors down the street. By then I'm furious but the manager is so not helpful. He never returned my calls for follow up with this problem. I will never return there and will make sure anybody considering going there gets the whole story. I am a concierge in a local hotel and know a lot of other concierges. I will make sure this gets around town !!!!!!!!!!!!!

04/09/06

The Garden: good atmosphere, some great dishes

by kcc_clarion

The Garden is much better than some people seem to think; I've never had any complaints about service or the food - that said, some dishes are better than others. The grilled chicken appetizer is fantastic and large enough for a meal for one; the pesto penne is a very generous, tasty dish, and the daily catch is usually an excellent choice. The atmosphere is unbeatable, but if you don't like crowds avoid the weekends, and especially "First Friday," when it's impossible to even navigate. They do serve a pretty good long island iced tea, too.

Housed in the oldest building in St. Petersburg, it benefits from the historic ambience of the former Hotel Detroit.

by Contributor

In Short
The restaurant is located in a building dating from the 1880s that opens onto a courtyard shaded by a big banyan tree, providing a cool mien during the many hot months. Specialties include lamb chops, or the pasta made with duck, influenced by a Mediterranean outlook that calls upon culinary traditions of Spain, the south of France and northern Africa. Adjacent to the restaurant is The Lobby Bar, offering a generous selection of imaginative martinis and good cigars.

07/16/04

2 stikes your OUT!

by girlclearwater

Bad place to go, First time the staff was cold and did not smile and food was oily. Second time the waiter was not friendly and we ordered the Special. The fish was broiled but it looked raw to us. We sent the fish back 3 times to broil it some more. (you think it would come back cooked and dry) Well no, it was still slimy. We said forget it we lost our appetite with all the hassle. They did let us have our bread and salad for free, but the food and service are so bad I will not try this place again.

• Pros: decor, colors, outdoor setting
• Cons: , service, price