Rusty Pelican Banquet Office

Hello,\r Not sure why the restaurant is no longer listed, only the banquet office. Perhaps because of bad reviews?\r \r But in any event, your steaks are just the caliber they should be. And to over pepper them does not hide the quality of the meat. You use to have just good food. I don't know what happened, do you?\r \r And your manager was not pleasant. Surely he knows your food is not up to par? But just because someone makes a complaint could mean they are correct, and not trying to pull a flim-flam. We found that to be highly unprofessional on your part. more

My wife and I chose to celebrate Valentine's Day tonight by having dinner at the Rusty Pelican. I took flowers, a bottle of wine, and a card, to the restaurant earlier in the day. Jessica at the hostess desk was super friendly and told me she would have everything waiting for us when we arrived. \r \r When we got to our table, right by the window, the flowers and card were neatly arranged and the waiter, Doug, soon brought our bottle of wine. The manager stopped by TWICE to check on us, and literally every person we interacted with (even the valet!) seemed to make it their personal responsibility to take care of us.\r \r The food was good, not superb, but honestly it didn't matter because the service and ambience was so incredibly fantastic. I cannot recommend a dining experience at the Rusty Pelican highly enough. more

What a great night!!! You know those nights, the ones where all the food is perfect, the atmosphere inviting, the service is actually more that pleasant?? We came here for an anniversary celebration. We had a great table next to the window (the restaurant actually hangs out over the water), and there are a few glowing fireplaces around. There is a nice selection of seafood and steaks, along with some other items like lamb which I was tempted to try. We started out with a great crab cake, all meat, then had Caesar salads made from scratch table side. For dinner, I had a special with snapper that was perfectly cooked and my love had a filet with a peppercorn sauce, spicy but he loved it. Our waitress was really nice and answered any questions we had. She also helped us pick a nice pinot noir to go with dinner. At the end a surprise flaming creme brulee for us to celebrate. I can't wait to go back, and will ask for Jennifer again! Pros: service, atmosphere, VIEW!!! Cons: a little difficult to locate more

My husband and I reside in the n.w. Tampa area and recently had the pleasure of lunching at the Rusty Pelican. We were very pleased. Our lunch was quite excellent with portion size large enough to take some home for tomorrow! Parking was no problem, the lovely tropical walkway and deck steps lead to a lovely area complete with fireplace. Next was the bar area and wine display with a piano at the ready. We were very elegantly seated near the window and the bay view is beyond compare. This is the place where you propose and later come back to plan your reception or if you've been around awhile like us, it's a respite from everyday life. Our lunch was under fifty dollars although we didn't have a drink. Clean casual dress was acceptable. I can imagine the sunset would be spectacular for dinner and be sure to visit the bayside gazebo if possible. I can't wait to go again! Pros: Romantic all the way! Cons: None we could find more

Our evening was awesome from the service to the valet parking. The food was outstanding from the stuffed mushrooms to the dessert tray. We enjoyed filets and lobster tails that were cooked to perfection. Would highly recommend the Pelican - a true dining experience. Pros: Friendliest, Service, Valet Parking more

The view is awesome and the food and service is the best, ask for Sandy!!! And if you love wine this is the place. Signed a Food Lover more

On a recent visit to the Tampa Bay area my wife and I stumbled upon this jewel hidden in unlikely surroundings. The view and service were exceptional. I had scallops for an appetizer and we both had sauteed grouper--excellent. The wine list was inconsistent:a few overpriced but some bargains mixed in there, too.Overall a most pleasant experience-a little pricey, but worth every dime.Would certainly recommend without reservation. Pros: plenty free parking, excellent service, food quality topnotch more

I was suprised to see how much nicer the Rusty Pelican is. The Dining Room is completely different. New wine list with some great bargains. We went there because they had just won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Great time, food, wine and view. Pros: waterfront, piano more

The Begger's Salmon is one of the most creative and delicious seafood dishes I have had in some time. In addition, the house steak I ordered on another occasion was excellent, topped with gorgonzola cheese and cooked to perfection. For starters, try the crab stuffed mushrooms. It's a little more expensive than other restaurants, but good restaurants often are. Pros: Food, View more