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Gallery Eclectic Bistro the
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
11 reviews for Gallery Eclectic Bistro the
I wasn't sure what the fare was but was impressed with the Salmon Spinach & Tomato soup and the Tomato & Basil salad with fresh mozzarella.
The live pianist/singer was easy on the ears.
Nice experience.
This place looks really neat from the outside hence the name Eclectic. A friend and I ate lunch here and the food was good for the price. I decided to throw my same friend his bday party here a week later and it was horrible! The price of food doubled AND they sat our 10 person party off to the side in a corner away from the actual nightlife they have. Our food was not good at all either and expensive. Also, I don't know what it was but the floor was so slippery that night. I remember holding on for dear life so I wouldn't fall. It seemed like the floor had grease on it. I dunno. Overall, the place looks fun from the outside, but it is SO not worth your money. If you want a fun relaxed atmosphere then go next door to Cheesecake or Bar Loue..WAY BETTER!
The food was great. Service was good. The bar is nice. A lot of people complain that it takes forever to get out of herebut I feel the staff tries to make the dining an experiance. Everyone in this country is always in a damn rush lol just chill out eat and drink some good wine and get tipsy while eating good food! Anyways the ambiance is pleasing to the senses. Very dim lighting with interesting decor.
With long lines and wait times are the surrounding restaurants, we decided to give this a try. The immediate seating should have been our first clue that our dinner would be mediocre. Upon entering we were consumed by a strange smell, like a recent cleaning solution had been applied liberally to the dinning room. Our spinach dip appetizer was freshly micro waved and accompanied with bland chips. My pecan crusted chicken was run of the mill. The only saving grace was the coconut bread with an orange juice infused butter. Next time I'll wait in line for a table next door.
I've been here twice, with my wife. Both times, the service was very good and the food very tasty.
The appetizer chips with gorgonzola and balsamic are now a necessary part of my "diet", for the rest of my life.
We'll be back.
How sad that this was my last meal before leaving Tampa.... sigh.
I simply was not impressed with Gallery. To begin with my server was so off that night that there were a couple times I thought that she would never return to my table. Let me start at the beginning: I was seated and I had to wait for quite some time for my waitress to make it to my table. I had time to review the menu and by the time she made it to me, I asked a simple question: "Tell me about your fish." When I was given a confused "Deer in the headlights" stare, I said "What I mean is, tell me if it's flown in daily, caught daily...." She says "I can tell you it's fresh." Uh... ok. "Can you tell me what fish is local to these waters?" Again... the stricken stare. "I'll have the Jamaican grouper and the chicken spring rolls to start". She then wakes up from her paralyzed state to tell me that "That fish is SPICY, I had it at a Christmas party and I couldn't finish it." I told her it sounded delightful!
After a bit of a wait, my appetizer arrived. It wasn't very good. It was ground up chicken meat with some sort of creme cheese mix. I didn't even finish it. A while later, my entree arrived. Which the waitress damn near spilled on the table. Beside the waitress being clumsy, it was very nicely presented served over jasmine rice. I was so excited to try some spicy Jamaican jerk fish. Sounds great right? WRONG. How can I describe the dish without exaggerating or dry heaving.....? It was grouper covered with dried fruit (not native to Jamaica) and pancake syrup. I am not a harsh critic, just an honest one. THIS was nowhere near Jamaican, or Jerk, but I felt like a Dope for ordering it. I tried to be a good sport and doctor it up by ordering Tabasco. Nope, still not good. I couldn't tell my waitress how abysmal the dish was because she vanished again. She didn't even refill my coke, which was ok because it would have put me into a diabetic coma if I drank it with my fish dish.
I was left to sit with dirty dishes at my table for 10 minutes (yes I was timing) and finally, when my waitress came to drop my check, I just told her to run my card.
I would return to Gallery to try some of their drinks, or sit at their nice bar. That's about it.
All I can say about the wait staff here is... wow. They are probably the friendliest people at a restaurant that I've ever met. They were nice to us even though we were probably not dressed quite formal enough for a place like this.
The food here wasn't expensive for how tasty and nicely arranged it was. I really enjoyed the coconut curry shrimp.
Passing up the ever popular loud Blue Martini, we decided on the low key Gallery Bistro. I like the wrap around seats they have. I had the Honeymelon martini and tried the Milky way martini (tasted like butterscotch - yum). Both were really good. I had high hopes because the chicken egg rolls they made were REALLY good and so was the crab and corn chowder soup - very rich in flavor. The Hawaiian shrimp was disappointing only covered in a raspberry sauce. I ordered the duck, which came out pretty damn salty. I barely ate much of it, and lost my appetite thereafter. I should have stuck to seafood, but I'd still give the place another try.
I was pleasantly surprised by my whole Bistro experience when I wandered in here whilst shopping one day. The atmosphere is lovely, it conveys the idea that the food is more expensive than it is. The food is actually quite affordable for the quality. The portions are perfect and the presentation is fabulous. The cake portions are gigantic though, I couldn't even finish it with the help of 2 other people. I am definitely going back here and will bring people with me. Excellent.
One of my favorite restaurants in Tampa. Besides a contemporary and appealing decor, the food is very good. The Ahi Tuna is excellent, both as an appetizer and as an entree. Other good choices for entrees include grouper Florentine and Chilean sea bass. I stay away from the Jamaican or Caribbean style seafood: too sweat for me. Very good choice of wines by the glass. Service is very friendly and efficient. They remembered that I had ordered the sea bass four months ago - wow!!
The ambiance + the food = amazing. I fell upon the Bistro this weekend, and I have never been so happy to discover a random restaurant. A really neat art gallery with an eclectic (thus the name) style for interior design really sets the atmosphere of this restaurant. Not only is the food suprisingly healthy, the presentation almost makes you not want to ruin the crafty masterpiece that it is! I had ahi seared tuna for only around $11 at lunch (an amazing price for such gourmet food), and my friends had the crab cake and the blackened shrimp wrap. We were all shocked at the quality of our meals. The meals are amazing, much cheaper than they should be, and, in a word: impressive. Trying to describe this restaurant in a blog is impossible. Everything was A+, but the service could have been a bit better. The food/presentation/atmosphere made up for that though. PLEASE try the Gallery Eclectic Bistro!! It makes the Cheesecake Factory right down the way look pathetic. :)
