Garden Restaurant

DONT EVER GO TO THIS RESTAURANT!! when i went here i got food poisening 2 hours after i ate and i was puking for 3 days... definetly wouldnt recommend it!! more

Worst time ever! I've worked in the restaurant industry most of my life and have lived in St. Pete even longer! I love going out to eat and seeing chef's creations and having a chance to be served.. A friends band was playing at the garden, me and my partner decided to show some support and try them out.. Bar tenders were super sweet and on it, very attentive although we were the only ones at the bar while we waited for a seat outside.. Lucky for the garden St Pete has a lot of tourists coming through, it looks nice from the outside.. Got seated and sat for about 20 minutes watching servers buzz around, tried to make eye contact with all of them, not a peep from any of them.. Asked the hostess who our server was, waited some more, finally had one come up, seemed like she didn't know what to say or where to begin so I just asked for some appetizers.. Mussels and portabella crab stack.. I took one bite of mussel and spit it out, tasted how feces smell.. The portabella was almost nonexistent underneath a blob of cream cheese, may or may not have had crab in it.. We told the server we weren't happy and were ready to go, she said ""you gotta talk to the manager"".. so we waited.. and waited about 10-15 minutes and decided to walk out.. first time ever!! Upon leaving she came running out with a check and said he'd comp us 50%.. didn't even come talk to his customers and 50% was his best offering?! Bad service, bad food, bad business tactics.. serious lack of quality and integrity.. more

Avoid at all costs. Menu is inaccurate. Food is horrible. They switched my chicken salad wrap for a chicken curry wrap without even asking me, and claimed I'd ordered it before. I've never visited this establishment, and trust me I will never visit them again. Everyone else with me hated their food too. Worst experience ever. They also have a multitude of critical health violations on file. more

This is one of my favorite places in downtown St. Pete: The location is fantastic -- I always try to sit outdoors, as the patio area is awesome. Of course the outdoor chairs aren't all that comfortable -- they're all metal (as you would EXPECT in an outdoor location) and yes, they scrape the patio when you move them... duh! But they often have live music (with a variety of music styles) out there, and especially in the mornings and evenings, there's just an aura of calm there... I love it! The food is very good... not award-winning, mind you, but very good none-the-less. I've never had a BAD meal there in the 5 years I've lived near downtown. The menu is a mixture of standard face and some newer, more ""modern"" fare. It not only works for me - my parents (70's) and my kids (teens/20's) all love it there too! The service can admittedly be hit or miss... but this is a very casual place, and it seems to me that the staff just sometimes gets caught up in the casual ambiance... besides, when I dine out and have a service problem, I blame the server, not the whole restaurant. That being said, the only service issues I've ever had there were addressed and corrected on the spot. The cost is very reasonable. I can't answer for the other reviewer's concerns about coupons, as I've never tried to use one here -- but their prices are already affordable, if you ask me. (And when I DO use a coupon, I'm always courteous enough to present it when I order, not when the check arrives). Lastly, to the reviewer who suggested that other reviews were written by staffers or owners -- click my ID -- I'm an IT Consultant, not in the food business at all.... but I don't expect 5-star service at a casual dining place either! more

Have had bad experiences every time I've been to this restaurant since I moved here in 2007. They advertise in the Entertainment Book for the Saint Petersburg area and then when you show up, they refuse to honor the coupons! Talk about false advertising! This has happened every year that I have bought the book and been to their restaurant. I can understand this happening once...but every year??? Someone doesn't know how to do buisness with the public. Have been told more than once that they are ""under new management"" and that is why they do not honor the coupons. Well, bully for them and I am so glad there are so many other restaurants available that do honor the coupons and don't advertise falsely. The food is good and the atmosphere...okay. (hate the way the chairs scrape on the brick in the courtyard everytime someone moves one; ruins the whole ambiance and dining experience). All in all, they left me with a bad aftertaste and I will be dining elsewhere in the future.\r The coupons enticed me to try them, and I did more than once. To go back again would be an embarrasment for all concerned. more

We went to another restaurant across the street that hadn't published the ""times"" of their specials. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time; so we wondered! We ended up at the garden and had a lovely time! The grog and the food was excellent! The time was priceless! Enjoy! more

OH MY GOD ALL I HAVE BEEN GOING HERE FOR YEARS THEY SUCKED BEFORE NOW THEY HAVE NEW OWNERS AND THEY ARE AMAZING\r \r If you do not go to this resturant at somepoint in your life you wil no be able to exprierence the best resturant in the ENTIRE WORLD more

I ate here about 5 years ago and it was OK. Ate there again a few years ago and it was really bad. The place closed and has now re-opened with new owners and more importantly, a new chef. The bad thing about keeping the old name is it keeps people away. The good thing is that it does describe the place. It has a big outdoor garden which is great in the spring and fall. You can eat indoors all year round. Ate there last night with 5 friends. Everyone ordered something different and everyone was happy. The only reason we went, given the previous bad experiences, was the Friday / Saturday night music of Buster Cooper, trombone, Michael Ross on bass and John Jenkins on drums - all really professional jazz musicians + whoever sits in with them (last night it was Ryan Redding on sax). Good food and good vibes - eat and listen and maybe it will stay that way. Good prices on the food and the house wine was not bad at all. Wait staff that we had was friendly. more

Place is a dump!! go explore around the city before here! so many nice place's to eat! the food here not All the good review's on here are most def. a person who works HERE !!!!! laughing my ass off at the last (GOOD) 5 star review on here. Croc O shizz if you ask me! more

My friends and I heard about The Garden and decided to check it out last Saturday night. It was all that we had heard. The food was delicious (I had shrimp scampi, excellent) and priced right. We sat outside to have dinner and listen to the live jazz band. If that wasn't good enough, after dinner we went into The Lobby (which is part of The Garden) for drinks and dancing and never had to move our car!! All in one, that was great. It is a very friendly place, has good food, good music and a great atmosphere. We are going back this Saturday night. What more could you ask for? Pros: The Garden has it all Cons: Can't think of any more

We visited St. Petersburg, during our Spring break, and went to The Garden for dinner. We had been there a few years ago - and what a change in food and service! Now there are new owners, and what a delight. I had a Lollipop Pork Chop dinner that was excellent. My husband had the Tommy Tips steak dinner which was cooked to perfection. There was a live jazz band in the garden where we were sitting, surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees. After dinner we had wine and just relaxed listening to the music. The portions were a good size and the price was right. I loved the friendly, relaxing atmosphere which we have not experienced anywhere else in St. Petersburg. I recommend this restaurant to all, and we will definitely go back on our next trip to St. Petersburg. Pros: Great Food - New Owners Cons: Get's crowded - you may have to wait for seating. more

I was surprised to learn there are new owners at the garden as of 2010. I had been there a few years ago. Now the place looks fabulous. The food was fresh and delicious, reasonably priced, service was great, and so was the live jazz band. I sat in the garden enjoyed my dinner, relaxed around beautiful trees and flowers and just mellowed out to the music. There are many sections in this restaurant for all to enjoy, even a nite club called The Lobby which has reggae music on Sunday nites, and hip hop on Fri. and Sat. My friend just had her 40th birthday party there. She couldn't have picked a better place. I definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone, any age, who just wants a good dinner and a friendly atmosphere to enjoy. It was a great experience and I will go back for sure!! Pros: Superb food at average prices, can't beat the Atmosphere! Cons: Parking is a challenge more

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 more

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\r more

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. \r 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. \r 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.. Cons: Overpriced, terrible food, terrible service more

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 more

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. more

Unbelievably terrible!\r 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 !!!!!!!!!!!!! more

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. more

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 more