10/21/09

Good food good service

by Lyman Sale

Sat at umbrella covered table in prefect weather. View of the bay waters and boats. Hostess brought menus.

Shortly our drink order was promptly taken by Beth, a hazel-eyed, dual-pigtailed waitress who had an unforced smile and who answered questions we had about menu. She brought out samples of curry sauces for us to try before ordering, which was nice. She waited until drinks were consumed before bringing our food. 2 ordered chicken curry and I had the fish and chips. Very preasant meal, topped with a shared key lime pie. We liked the place.

• Pros: Tasty chicken curry and good fish & chips
• Cons: fish coating could be crisper; the cod was great

01/20/09

British Colonial style pub

by spiceisnice

Nice setting, nice place. But bad service and not very good food spoilt it for me. If I am around one day and need food badly, I may go and try again, but there are many good places to eat in SP that were better.

• Pros: Nice to people watch
• Cons: nicer to sit on a park bench and people watch!!

12/30/08

Best Curry in town?

by JoshRogan

I am guessing people who say that have never tasted a good curry, because theirs are terrible! The only reason the place is open is because of its location. If it was down to the fact that it was meant to be an authentic British pub, curry and service, it would have gone down the pan years ago. The staff have always been appalling.

• Pros: Nice setting
• Cons: Curry is definately a CON!!

07/26/08

Unacceptable "Policy!"

by soandso

Always loved this place and even though the prices went up and food portions AND quality went down, I liked the outside ambiance so continued to eat there a few times a month.

But this is what really ticked me off:

I always carry a water bottle, placed in a very nice thermal cover, that has an over the shoulder strap. It's very convenient when walking around downtown in the heat.

My friend and I were seated in the outside area. I put my water bottle on the table and proceeded to read the menu. The waiter came over to me and told me I would have to put the water bottle on the ground as It was not allowed on the table. I explained that for sanitary reasons, I would not put my water bottle on the ground. I was told that I would not be served If I left the bottle on top of the table. Why is it OK for people put their purses, cameras and what not on the table, but not OK for me to place my water bottle there I asked ?

" It's just our policy" he said in a very rude manner.............We both got up and left.

07/04/08

Good Curry?

by Esporado

The MUW used to be a reasonable downtown pub, but I think it went to their head!! The Curry is not good at all, more like a thin curry soup! I cannot comment on all the servers, but the 3 that have waited on us were not good, one even decided to keep all my change, I guess she worked out her own tip. After the lady in charge came to ask me what was wrong, I eventually got my $15 odd back. That was the end of her tip, and I have never been back!! If you want a real curry, go to India Grill on 1st ave north!!

• Pros: Nice outside dining
• Cons: Bad service

05/25/08

Not a "Treat Yourself" Kind of Experience

by Alison48

Moon Under Water is a British Colonial Indian restaurant in St. Pete, Florida. It has terrific atmosphere, evoking a sort of clubby Englishness in 19th century India. Gin and tonics all around, what? It has a great reputation. We have had lunch there several times over the past three years. However...

I used to consider going there a Treat Yourself kind of experience, a place one would take guests because after all, they deserve something special that we wouldn't allow ourselves just every day of the week. No more. It is now more a 50% positive experience.

The food is still good, very good, in fact. But it feels like a cost accountant is now running the place. Portions have become smaller. And the menu has become confusing, with base prices for dishes and then additional charges for all sorts of add-ons that had formerly been part of the original dish. For instance, curried chicken $x. Add Tikka Masala sauce, $(x+2). Add naan bread, $2 more. Add chutney, $2 more. It would be far clearer to list two versions of the dish - one plain and one with all the trimmings - at two prices. Period. As it is now, the patron feels like s/he has to ask just exactly what would such and such a combination cost, just to have a sense of what to expect. To mitigate these (quasi-hidden) price increases, the restaurant now offers unlimited servings of rice. That is definitely welcome but does not sufficiently counterbalance the rest.

ALSO, the naan is terrible, which is unforgivable in an Indian restaurant. It tastes like grocery store bought average quality pita - thick, dry and stale. And IT costs $2.75 for a side order of two pieces! (Of course, that is plenty, since you can't eat it anyway.)

05/17/08

Never Again, Waitress Tried To Rip Me Off!

by alittleleftofnowhere

I've been a frequent customer of this establishment for a few years now, since I've been a resident of St. Pete. I come in about once a month, and prior to this have received poor service, but not enough to drive me away as their food truly is astounding. Until last night I had nothing bad to say about this establishment other than to not go if you are not prepared for a wait, and poor customer service. Last night, on my bill totaling $27.xx for two people, I paid with a $50 bill. When the waitress brought my change, she brought back $12.xx, shorting me by $10. I was truly going to leave her a decent tip as she'd gotten the orders correct, and kept up with the drinks fairly well. I was appalled at this, I understand that the economy is tough for everyone but STEALING is not the way to get what you want. This was nothing short of pure thievery as when confronted she gave me a $10 bill right out of her pocket and muttered something about it being a long day. That being said I will never bring my business or recommend this restaurant to another person ever again. Congratulations Moon Under Water, you've finally shown what poor quality of people you hire, and may that be a reflection of your management/ownership. That being said, if you are looking for someone to rip you off, by all means go here, the food is great. But, I'm quite certain if they were of the mind to attempt thievery with a cash consumer, they may steal your credit card information as well.

• Pros: Delicious curries, near downtown venues such as BayWalk
• Cons: Service, Parking can be difficult to find, Quality of Waitstaff is Questionable at Best

03/25/08

Great Curry

by Marjie55

After attending the wonderful opening of the new wing of the Fine Arts museum, my daughter and I wanted to eat somplace close. We came upon a very nice woman walking her dog and she highly recommended Moon Under Water. We header over in eager anticipation.

We were seated quickly and the hostess brought us menus and we started to look the choices over. Our waitress was quite a bit on the sullen side. I am not sure why...working on Easter? Bad night with the boyfriend? We didn't let it let her ruin our mom and daughter day.

Once we decided, the Baked Brie was wonderful. We had never had this before and although on the pricy side, it was worth it to a sense. I would actually back off from the price of this a few dollars to make it more reasonable. I had Chicken Curry -medium spicy, it was delcious. It came to our table hot and the rice was also wonderful and I could have as much as I wanted. I was a bit dismayed when asking for a second portion, instead of removing my first dish, the waitress plopped it down into the dirty silver bowl. When I had finished my dinner, she commented on my appetite which I thought was borderline rude. My daughter had Vegie Shepards' Pie, she wasn't really crazy about this...it seemed to need some spice or something.

Over all, I would return, but management, if you happen to read this, please tell your staff that as their job, they should be polite and caring. Fake it if you have to...but this insolence has got to stop. From reading some of the other people's reviews, I would say you have a problem with your rude staff. Even though you have a nice location and been here for a while, even Rome fell. So, step up to the plate and tell your staff to get with it. In this economy, it is a pleasure to eat out that I do not take for granted and neither should your staff.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: Poor attitude of the waitress

01/29/08

Best curry in town!

by vgonzalez3

We really do enjoy this place. Order the hot curry and it's hot & spicy (the servers will warn you on this too so tender tummies beware) comes with homemade pappadam, mango chutney and pickled onion. YUMM! Have had mixed experiences here though. Have come in for romantic dinners and had spot on service other times stopped by for a pint and crabcakes (baked-not fried) and waited 20 mins to be served. If you do have to wait, it's well worth it! Inside its English colonial with lots of wood and new friends to be made at the bar. Outside has covered patio seating as well as sidewalk seating. I definitely recommend this place!!

• Pros: Awesome curry & cold pints
• Cons: Can get quite crowded, service can be iffy

01/25/08

One of my favorites, but it all depends on who you get.

by stpeteatticus

Ive been to moon under water several times, and mostly have had a wonderful experience everytime. Some servers are definately better than others. Great fish and chips and samosa's, love the calimari! I love this place mostly because its indigenous and unique. The inside looks like an english pub, trendy/casual. Great beer selection, great cider. Have always had much better service when i sit inside, but outside is nice. , can be romanitic, fun. all around one of my favorite places in downtown.

• Pros: fish and chips and pints!
• Cons: have had poor service, but other nights had great service.