Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille

06/22/2008 Posted by lamboe001

i thought it was great spicy food. although i have never been to new orleans i would hope for this to be what its like

Pros: great food

03/02/2008 Posted by tastytampadotblogspot

Slow service, although it was a busy night. I had the shrimp creole, my husband the jambalaya, both New Orleans classics and probably what you should order at any New Orleans style restaurant. These should be Harry's specialty items. We were served very quickly, in about 5 minutes after our order was taken. The plates were large oval platters, mine with a large portion of white rice sandwiched by a gelatinous reddish goo on either side of it. My husband had an equally large portion of jambalaya, which was to include sausage, chicken and shrimp. My first bite made me feel instantly sick. The shrimp tasted like they came from a large frozen bag of minis that I would buy at Sam's Club for $10, and had not been seasoned. It is obvious the creole came from a jar and the shrimp are thrown in, microwaved then served to me. No wonder it came out so quickly. Disgusting! My husband fared no better with his jambalaya which was extremely thick and had no chicken in it. The shrimp were the same as mine and the sausage very thin slivers. After eating about ten bites declared "I'm getting a headache." We sat staring at our plates while we waited for the waitress to come back to our table to get the hell out of there. We had our credit card ready and you can tell she knew we hated the food. I felt bad about that, but I think she probably deals with it on a nightly basis. I left a good tip out of pity. Avoid this place!

Pros: Full bar

Cons: Parking, dark lighting

02/16/2008 Posted by romhell

This place was crowded on a Sat night. Usually a good sign. The bar is pretty welcoming. Once seated, we ordered the mussels special. They arrived cold and unappetizing. Sent them back They came back straight from the Microwave. Then the entrees arrived. We were told 'hot plate.' Not really. Maybe 'Warm plate.' I bit into a luke warm steak. This place is nothing more than a TGI Fridays with some piped in Dixie Land Jazz. It has nothing to do with New Orleans. If you think this is Cajun food then you think going to Epcot center is like going to Germany. Big waste of time. Wouldn't be surprised to see it vanish as soon as word gets out what a phony nothing place this is. Don't waste your time or money.

01/21/2008 Posted by Staceyam1111

Harry’s has the best New Orleans style food on this side of Bourbon Street. The atmosphere was festive, the service was impressive, and the food was unlike any other around. We started out the evening with the Shrimp and Crawfish Foudeux. The shrimp was fresh and tender and the crawfish was awesome with their signature cheese dip. The toasted French crustini was the perfect to dip in this Louisiana favorite. For my entrée, I had the Jambalaya. It was a huge, traditional, Creole platter with a mix of grilled shrimp, marinated chicken, smoked sausage, and Cajun seasoned rice. My date ordered the Shrimp Scampi Filet which he loved! His tender beef filet was seasoned with garlic herb butter and came topped with tender jumbo shrimp. All of our food was completely satisfying but we just couldn’t pass up the beignets for dessert. They came topped with powdered sugar, just like the ones I has at the French Market in New Orleans. We were enjoying the Mardi Gras atmosphere and decided to order cocktails and listen to the Dixieland music. We ordered the Harry’s Hurricane, it was a fruity drink made with rum, orange, pineapple juice, and passion fruit juice. They were so good that I ended up having one too many. It was a delicious drink that fit into the Mardi Gras spectacle. I would recommend Harry’s to anyone looking for delicious food and an unmatchable dining experience.

Pros: Fun atmosphere, Best New Orleans Food!

01/13/2007 Posted by jgrif01

I can't say enough about this eatery. We enjoyed food and service that was well beyond our expectations. While Harry's specialty is Creole and Cajun seafood, the menu offered a variety of options that would appeal to almost anyone. Our meals were noticably fresh - nothing walks into this place frozen or bagged. The service we received was exemplary, from start to finish. Our needs were anticipated, and exceeded! The manager even made a point to stop by and evaluate our experience. If you plan to dine in Tampa, forget the chains and make an effort to try Harry's. We'll certainly dine there regularly from now on.