Hurricane Lounge

Worst service I have ever had. My family and a friend came to Hurricane's today, a place we have frequented over and over for a long time. It too... more

The absolute worst customer service experience I had ever received! I went to Tampa on vacation with my family and we went to The Hurricane on a Saturday night during Memorial Day weekend and reserved a table with the hostess at around 8pm. We were told that there was a 35 minute wait and the hostess asked for our phone number so we could wait upstairs at the bar. After 30 minutes we thought that we would head downstairs and wait by the entrance. I saw several groups of people that had come after us to reserve tables and yet they were seated before us. Additionally, I also saw quite a few people come up to the hostess stand and have to wait several minutes to make a reservation because she had disappeared to clean tables and whatnot. Well after 9pm when we were finally seated at a table that I had previously noticed had been vacant the entire time we had waited. The hostess apologized for the wait and said she wanted to seat the two separate groups of six first even though they arrived after us with no prior reservation (as far as I know). Is it just me or is it first come first serve? Moving on to the actual dinner… The waiter came to our table and then abruptly said he will be back in a moment. About 10 minutes later he came back and said, “Oh, I should take care of this” and left again. When he finally decided to wait on us, my mother ordered a BLT on wheat toast and the seasonal vegetables. When the order came they had given her asparagus instead of the seasonal vegetable and her BLT didn’t have any bacon. Honestly, who forgets the bacon on a BLT? She called the waiter back and, later, when the dish came back again, the sandwich was made mostly with rye toast and one half slice of wheat. After at least two hours of all forms of ineptitude, when we received the bill they didn’t have the nerve take anything off! The waiter even had the gall to say how it wasn’t such a big deal to have these mix ups with the food. I am sorry, but isn’t that their business to provide food for people every single day? Isn’t this a holiday weekend? The entire wait staff (I also saw the couple at the table next to us had problems also) took their sweet time getting anything for the customers and had an attitude to match. I don’t know if they were short staffed that evening or if they just didn’t care. Ultimately, the hostess seemed to be working harder than the entire wait staff combined! Pros: view of the sunset Cons: Horrible staff more

a little warm in July to eat outside comfortably, but as the sun set a nice breeze came up, so, overall, a pleasant experience and the food was good. Friendly staff, as well! Worth the drive to S St Pete! Pros: eating great food outside Cons: eating outside more

Agree with the other posters about the great view from the roof top bar but would definitely stay away from the restaurant. The food is AWFUL, the service terrible and I will never go back. I'm a FL local and like to visit local businesses but this was a mistake today! The grouper sandwich was not blackened, rather they fried it and put on some blackening spice. The drinks....horrible. i ordered the citrus lemonade and what came out was a neon blue concoction that tasted like chemical water. The crab cakes were disgusting as well. Sorry, Hurricane you need to get a better cook and stop ripping off your tourist customers. Cons: Low quality, high price more

I recently went into the Hurricane to get a bite to eat. The first thing i noticed when I walked into the restaurant was this terrible, musty odor. It seemed to be caused by some type of black mold that I saw. I also witnessed more than one cockaroach during my short dining experience. It crawled into a hole in the wall that was covered up by an American Express check presenter. In the Hurricane the managers and employees communicate via radio. I was disgusted at the disrespectful comments that the managers made to their employees. I have never witnessed such degrading management in my life. The only thing nice about the place is the view of the sunset on the rooftop, but the place is in need of some serious renovations. Furthermore, if you want to get a meal on the rooftop, I learned that you have to go down to the first floor and get your own meal. Now that is service! Do yourself a favor and stay away from this place. It has a terrible reputation. Pros: Nice view of the sunset Cons: Dirt, Mold, Odor, Disrespectful Management more

The Hurricane serves mostly seafood. The restaurant used to be the place to go years ago. We were so disappointed the last time we went. We couldn't get service until we finally went to the bar and asked a waiter if he could seat us. Then we noticed the broken rusted fan hanging over our head. This used to be such a beautiful place to relax as well as to eat. Long story short, horrible service, should have known because there were virtually no customers there and the restaurant next door ( Brass Monkey) was packed enjoying the same views and receiving great service I soon found out. The food was O.K. after waiting forever it seemed. The staff was more interested in watching T.V. in the bar area than to meet our needs. This I need to mention as I have never seen this on a menu before, the Hurricane charges 10 cents for each added extra such as tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle etc. The Brass Monkey next door serves the same great food and does not charge extra for anything and their prices are much better. We had no choice to go over to their restaurant - we were hungry! If you want to have drinks and enjoy the sun set, go to the Hurricanes roof top bar - if it is still open. That much is still nice. I believe the Hurricane is closed on Mondays. Do not stay and eat though, you will regret it. Pros: thumbs down - poor service more

I'm surprised at the few reviews this place has. This place has been a land mark for over 40 years. Unfortunately, that's all it is anymore. We don't know how they stay open with so many good places to choose around the beaches. IT IS A TOURIST TRAP, OVERPRICED, OVER RATED AND OFFERS POOR SERVICE. Pros: The view, not worth it! Cons: Over priced, over rated, poor service, 'bout says it all. more

This restaurant is the worst place I have been to in a long time. The waiter was mean & stormed out leaving us waiting & waiting for food. We were told he was sick & having a bad day. So this is a reason to be mean to patrons. The manager (pretending to be one) was defensive & not apologetic, Food was common & overpriced. Please do not waste your time or money on this establishment. They were good back in the day>> There are places to eat in the St. Pete area that actually want your business. This is not one of them. more

Ate there reluctantly after reading reviews on this site. I would probably return. Others are largely correct about the food: it was good, but certainly not amazing. We cleaned our plates, but the meal wasn't memorable. Others have said that the place is a tourist trap and customers are herded in like cattle... we didn't find that at all. Our waitress, in fact, was excellent. Friendly, knowledgeable about the food, and efficient. In a world of bad service, they did NOT fall into that category. Prices for food and drinks were what you would expect for this type of restaurant. We ate on a Thursday evening, and watched the sun set after we finished eating. We felt no pressure to leave so they could turn the table. I'd return- not for the food, but for the nice experience. Pros: Sitting outside in the breeze and watching the sunset Cons: Food- ok, but nothing amazing more

The Hurricane use to be the place to go for a grouper sandwich, but not anymore. My family has been coming here since the early 90's, back then the service and food were great, but once the head chef Harold got fired on Christmas Eve, (yes fired on X-mas eve) the food has taken a slide. The management is family run, and horrible, all they care about is the bottom line, and I swear more than once they thought I was trying to rip them off when I complained how bad my meal was. The last time I was there, (last weekend) will be my last, food was cold, service was non-existant, and the place had a bad smell, not sure what it was, but it wasn't good. The only upside to the whole day was watching the sunset on the rooftop bar called the "watch", the drinks up there seem better but no food. If you want a real good grouper sandwich go to Dave's Dockside on Maderia Beach. Pros: Sunsets Cons: Bad Food, High Prices, Horrible Management more

Moving to the area in 2004, this is the one place we were told to go for dinner with an outstanding view of the sunsets on the gulf. The sunsets lived up to the hype. Unfortunately the service and the management was more about making $$$ than about the customer. The food on the lower level and/ or deck is good, and priced about the same as other are restaurants. The Calamari is to die for and the grouper is REAL, and well done. Beware of the cocktails tho. They can be more expensive than the meals. The 2nd level, however (the best views, of course!) are more pricey than quality. The rooftop bar is the best place for the view, but there is no food service. Pros: The view! Cons: The prices and the service more

My father took me here (we are locals and I have never eaten here before) for dinner last night. I drink apple martinis occasionally so I asked the waiter if they made this particular drink and he said yes. Not asking the price I ordered one and then another (I usually only order one but the martini glass was very small). Once the bill came my father asked me to look and make sure the prices were right. After reviewing the receipt I discovered my drink cost $15.94!!!!!!! I have NEVER had a drink that was so expensive. The most expensive part of a martini is the Vodka but my dad ordered a Vodka and Tonic and it cost him $3 (by the way I didn't upgrade my vodka either, imagine if I did)! Our meal was only $15, how can a drink cost more than a meal!!!!! Pros: decent food, decent drink Cons: expensive food, expensive drink more

The food and service are dismal. Patrons are treated like cattle - and they sure get milked! NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY. NOT PATRON FRIENDLY. This place thrives on tourists who don't know any better. LOCALS DO NOT COME HERE ANYMORE> Pros: The view, which you can get for free at the beach across the street Cons: LOUSY SERVICE, MEDIOCRE FOOD. POOR ATTITUDE TOWARD PATRONS. more

I have been here a number of times over the last 30+ years. It has gone downhill so badly as to be nothing more than a pathetic tourist trap. The ONLY appealing thing about this place is the view of the beach especially at sunset, BUT it in no way makes up for the mediocre poor-quality food and the dismally horrible wait staff. The attitude of the servers and management is "Well, we got your money, so if you had a crappy meal we don't really care. We have more than enough tourists eager to squander their money here." READ THIS::::: THE LOCALS DO NOT GO HERE! This is not a family friendly restaurant. The service is a ZERO. The food - is overpriced and of poor quality. I suggest you just get a fast food meal and bring it to the beach - that way you won't have blown a lot of money for the Hurricane's mediocre food which is below even fast food quality. The ambiance is a total negative. Wait to get seated, then get ignored by the waiters. This is a cattle call and the only thing missing is the "mooing" of the tourists as they get milked. This place used to be good a long time ago, it isn't now. As a diner, it should be a treat to go out, not an ordeal. Avoid at all costs! Pros: Nothing Cons: Everything more

Have dined here several times a year since it opened. Have had some great experiences, both lunch and dinner during the 80's and sometimes in the 90's. Since 2000 things have gone progressively downhill and tonight is our last visit until/unless complete overhaul. Past reputation now lost. Greeting, service, food, drinks, atmosphere ALL dreadful. Three generations of our family will hold on to the past happy memories and pray for new direction on all fronts. Also PLEASE lose the pungent smell of disinfectant. Pros: Location Cons: Everything else more

The food was generic at best and we were charged for ice cubes. My better half ordered the special which was luke warm. I ordered the alfredo with "six tiger shrimp"... I received decent pasta with a couple dozen canned shrimp thrown in. I ordered a "Stoli's on the rocks" and had to pay $.90 for "the rocks" Overall... a total waste of time and money!! more

The other reviews are right on the money. Why this place is even on this site is questionable. Sunsets are great but don't eat the food and bring lots of money for average drinks. The place is definately living off its once great reputation. Cons: expensive, terrible service, bad food more

The food was very good, whether in one of the dining rooms or at the rooftop area. more

Had dinner at the restaurant on the street level, outside. The food and service were marginal at best and overpriced. BUT.... go to the rooftop bar about an hour or so before sunset. If it's a hot evening, the place will be packed with festive people watching the sunset. We had sooo much fun up there. Everyone cheers when the sun sets and everyone is friendly. The draft beer was 2 for 1 so that was a good value. The view is second to none. Watch the sunset and then go elsewhere for dinner. Pros: view, atmosphere, beer Cons: food, prices, service more

The food lacks just about everything you could imagine, and over priced to boot! The ambiance is terrific, if your going to drink somewhere and have lots and lots money you don't mind spending - this is the place. The sunset view is second to none, if you get drunk enough the food gets better. Pros: great sunset, good ambiance Cons: very expensive, lousy food more