Brian's Place

10/10. Such an amazing place! Down to the food, service, staff themselves, and atmosphere. Every year we make sure to stop by this gem when we come for the scallop season, and it never misses. The food is so delicious, the staff is always such a pleasure to be around, and you are bound to leave fat, full, and healthy. Shawn and the staff were always there to make us laugh and ensure we were well taken care of and I can’t express enough how much my family and I enjoy visiting. The restaurant is only an hour drive from Tampa and I would highly recommend making the trip, if you’re ever in the area!

My girlfriend took me here for our 3 year anniversary dinner. It was great! I had crab pasta and she had a blacked grouper dish. Staff is very attentive. We enjoyed this experience very much. Definitely recommend this place.

We had such a lovely meal at Brian's Place! My mom, sister, husband and I visited shortly after opening on a holiday weekend Saturday and had the back patio nearly to ourselves. It was peaceful and offered excellent natural views, including gators who were clearly looking for delicious handouts! Our server, Brittany, elevated our experience by recommending the favorite item of all the meat eaters at our table, the chorizo crostini. I always think of crostini as hard and crunchy but this was made on soft Cuban bread - we would go back just to order this appetizer. (Unfortunately we neglected to get a picture before gobbling it up.) The grouper with plantains was another standout dish. I can't emphasize enough how awesome Brittany was - in addition to food suggestions, she was on top of refills for our waters, leftover boxes, pre-packing our salads with dressing on the side when we ran out of room on the table and bringing us a bunch of extra bread which my mom (the only non-meat eater among us) especially appreciated. We took a couple desserts home but the apps and entrees remained the highlights for us. We hope to be back soon!

Great atmosphere, amazing dishes , presentation, flavor , was all there . The staff was very friendly and helpful, the bartender quickly accommodated us and gave us an outstanding service , what a professional and genuine gentleman. This is place is reservation only , (it was completely booked)but sitting at the bar was the best decision. My wife and I had and exceptional experience. We highly recommend it for a couple's night .

We visited this restaurant to celebrate my friend Jeannette’s birthday, and it was a wonderful experience! The place is beautiful, the food was absolutely delicious, and everything was just perfect. I was truly impressed, especially with the staff. The waiters did an outstanding job. Thank you for making this celebration so special! We will definitely be coming back!

This hidden gem has quickly become my go-to destination for a night out in Spring Hill. From the moment you step inside, you’re greeted with a warm and inviting ambiance. The music selection is on point—It's the kind of place where you can unwind, laugh, and enjoy the moment. The food menu is a delightful mix of options, but please pair your meal with one of their expertly crafted cocktails. I have tried a lot of their drinks but the Lavender French 75 is my absolute fav! (Not in their menu) The staff here is another highlight—friendly, attentive, and always ready with a great recommendation. Whether you’re a regular or a first-time visitor, they make you feel right at home. In short, Brian’s Place is a fantastic spot for anyone looking to enjoy a lively evening filled with amazing food, handcrafted drinks, and great music. I can’t recommend it enough! Looking forward to my next visit!

Visiting Tampa, we drove about an hour to reach Brian’s Place. Immediately, we were greeted by the owner and taken to our patio table. It was a beautiful breezy day and we ordered everything Brian recommended, the spread was amazing. Cigars and guava rum old fashions, humble stories about the restaurant from the owner himself, we felt very welcomed. I tried so many different foods, I almost didn’t have room for my dessert, a crustless guava cheesecake. Anytime I’m in Tampa, I’ll have to stop at Brian’s Place and you should too!

This is my Second time coming to this restaurant and I gotta say the service and the food are excellent Quality!!! We live in Kissimmee the first time I came we were attended by Nick, excellent server! Nick gave great recommendations and was very kind and sweet. We came back a couple of weeks later and we were served by Sean and got the same wonderful customer service ! food was still excellent!!! I recommend this restaurant! Shout out to Nick and Sean! Even the manager that walks around was very nice and wanted to make sure everybody was having a great time! Brian’s place thank you for your excellent service!

Amazing atmosphere and food was an awesome combination of Italian and Cuban cuisine. Fantastic service.

Delish old fashioned and top notch food. Enjoyed the live music outdoors, and when the mosquitoes began to bite - the servers brought out spray

We were visiting from Virginia and my husband's sister gave us a gift card for Brian's Place. It was absolutely amazing! The ambiance, service, wine selection, and food are top notch! I'd love to be a local so that I could enjoy this place weekly! We will absolutely return anytime we are in town!

Looking to try something new and explore our surrounding neighborhood hot spots, we decided to give Brian's Place a try. It's a very nice place with tasteful decor, a small indoor seating area and larger outdoor seating areas very typical of Florida. A series of unfortunate events with the service staff put a huge damper on the experience. We arrived at 4:30pm on a Wednesday expecting there to be plenty of seating readily available. We asked the brown haired hostess, who greeted us with disdain for interrupting her set up efforts, for an indoor table, only to be told all they had available were outdoor tables. Looking around the room, we see many empty tables with all but one of them having a reserved sign on it and that one needed to be turned. We opted for the available table and were seated outside hoping the rain will hold out until we had completed our meal. Sadly, the sky opened up between the salad course and our entrees. Unable to continue to sit there, we went inside looking for our server to have the undelivered entrees wrapped to go. As we waited for our order to be brought up, dripping onto the dining room floor, the front of the house manager asked if we would prefer a table inside. We declined, settled the bill, and drove home to eat our food. If asked to rate just the food, my review would be 5 stars. The filet was succulent, cooked to perfection, and seasoned well. The red snapper had a wonderful crust on it, the mash was on point, and the lemon butter sauce was the surprise star of the dish. We felt the grilled eggplant was a little chewy and butternut squash was a little under cooked but those are subjective to our tastes and did not detract from the dishes. The fact that the dishes were now cold didn't even take away from the flavor. My issues really center around the service, or lack there of, that started with the RBF on the hostess. At no time was there a smile on her face or an apology for only having outdoor seating available. We were banished to the outside like Remy the rodent in Ratatouille instead of offering seating at the bar or being asked if we could wait a few minutes for the empty table to be turned. Where has customer service gone? When we walked in soaked we were not offered a towel to dry off and when we turned down the table inside (after being told there were none available less than 30 minutes prior) we weren't offered a comp of our meal or even a gratis dessert.

Love this place! The service is exceptional and the food is to die for!! Brian is an exceptional Chef!!

I would say average overall... we each got a drink, one was delicious and the other was off. Appetizers, same deal. Entrees, same - one was good and one was bad. I wouldn't recommend the crab pasta - tasted like cheap crab on top of canned tomatoes. We would still go back because maybe it was just what we ordered!

Always delicious food always great service accommodating our gf needs Our local gem.

Had a wonderful meal on a very crowded night. I was able to sit upstairs and do a bunch of people watching. Grouper was good as I had the house special with plantains.

9/30/2025 visit. First, the good part, the drinks and server were great! The two apps we ordered were less than not good. Skirt steak crustini was just gristle, just couldn't chew it. The tostones with crab were so hard they were not eaten. We were a Birthday celebration, four adults and a child. Spent $300 including tip....very disappointed. Guess I expected too much.

This is by far the best place to eat fresh fish and sweet plantains!! The ambience and the service is phenomenal!!! The bartenders treat you like family and the owner like you are his best friend!!! I will definitely recommend this place!!

The ambiance is clean and minimal decor. It looks completely fresh. The space is a tad loud due to lots of hard surfaces. They had soft music from a gentleman and a keyboard which was a nice touch. The food was a bit of a mixed bag however the service was pleasant, prompt and welcoming.

Excellent food, service and ambience! We got there at 4:30 in time for the afternoon special dinner for $17! 3 course meal that was absolutely delicious!

Party of 10 with a reservation. We ordered drinks and the items from the bar took about 30 min. We were not given silverware or plates until we had finished our appetizers. When we finally were given silverware they did not have enough for all of us. When they brought out our salads they still didn't have silverware for everyone. We were seated in the back room near the kitchen and it was extremely noisy. Our food took a long time after the salads. Overall the food was ok but definitely not worth the prices they charge. Even though we had very poor service from beginning to end no one apologized or made any attempt to make it right even though we spent over $500. Very disappointed!

Incredible experience at Brian's! Service was top notch and everything we ordered was top tier. The Balsamic Roasted mushroom Marsala pasta was easily a top 5 dish I've ever had! Tuna crudo was decent. The pork shank appetizer was dynamite. Salads were fresh and delicious. Dessert was also amazing. Highly recommend this spot when in town. Easily the best restaurant in town by far! Will absolutely be back to try more.

Love 352 812-1907 Casey Mirage Evans Check it out for yourself sometime please Take your mom for Brunch

The service was excellent and the location is great. The food itself was not too bad, but if you are charging Michelin star prices, the food should match. Our appetizer of coconut shrimp was delicious and promised of good things to come. I had the grouper with rice, and the center of the grouper was not cooked, so half way through my meal, it was taken away to be re-fired, not good for the rest of our party, who continued eating. We would go again just in case this was a one off mistake, and hopefully it will restore our confidence in supporting local individual restaurants rather than big chain.

This place is locally owned and gets his fish right from the Gulf from a local fisherman. His restaurant is almost always busy so that speaks to the service and the food that he provides. He has a Spanish fusion menu, but don't let that scare you, there's plenty to feed everyone. There are great sunsets at this restaurant, so if you're into that, definitely check it out. He has a meeting room upstairs that can accommodate roughly 30 people so if you're thinking of a gathering, definitely consider Brian's Place A friend and I had lunch there on Friday, and I have the ahi tuna burger, which is served with fries. The ahi was perfectly cooked in the bun was toasted delicately but lightly. I opted not to have the pineapple mayonnaise served with it as I do not necessarily like sweet and savory together, so I got there slightly spicy and housemaid mayonnaise, which was perfect. This place has great charm and service and food have always been wonderful every time I have visited. I definitely recommend so don't hesitate. You might even see the owner wondering about to say hello. Sorry for the lack of pictures of the food as I was starving and I dug right in.

The food is delicious and the menu has some unique flavor combinations. The grouper special came with a lobster and cilantro salsa - who puts those together?!? It worked though, lol. The appetizers are large enough to share or to make a small entree. Ours were bursting with flavor. They do sauces really well here - and provide plenty of Cuban bread to soak them up. I'd suggest ordering one course at a time. Our appetizers came out before our soup and salad, and the entrees showed up before we had finished any one dish. Our outdoor table couldn't hold the entree dishes, so they pulled over another table to ours and set them there, lol. Our outdoor dining experience was cut a little short because a black snake kept crawling up onto the patio and my companion has a snake phobia.

We were very disappointed on our last time at Brian's Place. Service was way off from start to finish. Food is usually spot on but everything seemed to be missing this night. Even called and talked to Brian himself and by the end of the conversation and he himself making excuses I knew I wouldn't be back before the end of the conversation. I am all about supporting local small business but when they have an attitude and offer no apology or a way to make it better. C ya Brian.

From the mi Ute we walked in we felt welcomed. Brian came and sat with us for a few minutes talking about the menu. The food was exactly as ordered and perfectly portioned. My smoked old fashioned was just right to go with a rib eye. I can't wait to get back up there.

Good,service, and ambience all very good! Indoor and outdoors seating. Entertainment. Food is amazing.

Such a cute spot with a waterfront view! Brian's place has fresh, delicious food clearly prepared with love. :) I got the sun dried tomato Alfredo with shrimp (can add chicken, shrimp, or grouper) & it was divine! The owner came out to greet us and was incredibly kind. I appreciate the extra personalized touches Brian's Place offered. I tried Brian's Place for the first time after Hurricane Helene devastated this area of FL- they were flooded out but are making renovations and doing their best to rebuild. Please please support our local businesses getting back up on their feet! They clearly care and make outstanding food- it's a win win to visit Brian's Place! Thank you for still being here.

Went to Brian's Place yesterday for the first time . The setting is beautiful , nice bar . The food was fabulous . There were 4 of us, we all got something different and loved our entrees . Appetizers were recommended by the waitress and very good also . My only complaint was where we were seated . In the back by the kitchen which was very loud. The kitchen door kept swinging open , lots of noise and smoke from cooking . There were plenty of other tables as it was 430 in the afternoon . We will be back just will ask not to sit there .

Definitely recommend for brunch and breakfast. I'll have to revisit for the dinner menu. The last meal I had for supper was a bit of a disappointment. Overall I do recommend Brian's Place as it's one of the finer establishments in Hernando.

This place is nice, and can be romantic depending on where you sit inside the restaurant. It makes me think it used to be a house years ago, and converted into a restaurant. They have cloth table covers, and candles on the tables. I love, love, love their Sangria. The food is absolutely delicious also! I have been here 2-3 times and each time I got something different, and no complaints. The servers are always friendly and sweet.

On a Wednesday night it was pretty busy!! The service was great. Our drinks brought over very promptly and appetizers as well!! Out dinner was served all together and were excellent. Paella was so good and then we had the Cuban bread pudding for dessert, o m g!!!

Great food great staff great location. Give them a try you won't be disappointed and if spending the day on the gulf this is an easy place to eat!!

Food is much better than normal beach fare. Service was just the right mix of attentiveness and friendly.

I'm giving five stars because I had a wonderful experience at Brian's Place. I am gluten free and on a low sodium diet, so I have a difficult time eating out. No one is obligated to accommodate me. I always go early to get the best shot at the server and chef not being overwhelmed with my questions/requests. That being said, our server at Brian's Place went over the menu with me and helped me choose the best option. I had blackened grouper with plantains 3 ways. What deliciousness! The grouper was perfectly cooked and paired perfectly with the plantains. I truly appreciated and enjoyed my meal at Brian's.

Great ambiance, sat on the back patio next to the water. Service was wonderful, our server was attentive and quick, able to answer all our questions. Finally the food was amazing. Well thought out flavor combinations, we all left stuffed!

My nephew took six of us to this restaurant upon a friend's recommendation. We chose to sit inside, as it was raining outside and there's no amazing scenery outside anyway. We were sat near the door, but as a larger group, it made sense. Most of the tables had 2-4 people. There were many couples seemingly having a nice dinner. The keyboardist played nice music and sang some lovely tunes. He was pleasant and neither too loud, nor too quiet. The server was terrific. She had a great attitude and was playful and funny, without over-doing-it. It took her a while to deliver drinks, but she had to get them from the bar, which was very busy. We had two appetizers and that was a good thing, as one of them only had four pieces and we had six hungry people. We made it work, but it would have been great if the server pointed out that fact ahead of time. The decor and ambiance are quite nice. Since our table was set for six, it was two tables pushed together with a linen table cloth atop. The seam between the tables wasn't exactly even, so we shifted it to match up as much as we could. (That was slightly annoying for my sister, who sat against the seam.) The food was excellent and cooked well, for five of us. My niece's pasta dish had an overly sweet sauce, but every other meal was great. Mind you, her meal wasn't bad, but it was unexpectedly sweet. Mine, a rib-eye steak was prepared perfectly, just right--with minimal seasoning and medium-rare. Steaks like this are often prepared incorrectly, so this was a nice treat. Overall, the place is a nice little gem. It's expensive, but they surely use high quality, fresh, and local ingredients. You get what you pay for, right? We will return, especially because the musical accompaniment and server were working hard to make the experience great.

We just happened to be passing by this restaurant after a kayaking trip and decided to stop. We were able to get a table out on the deck by the river for the two of us, even tho we didn't have a reservation. The service was excellent and quick! The food was fantastic and of course, sitting by the river provided excellent surroundings! I had the crusted Salmon and my husband had the ribeye. We didn't even take home leftovers! It was that good! As a side note, their coffee was wonderful! Would definitely recommend Brian's Place if you're in the area!

We had dinner here last night. The service was not all that great...it appeared had the entire bar as well as a few tables outside(ours included). She was very nice but not very attentive. I put this on management. I ordered the filet, my dad had the lamb, my mom had the salmon and my husband had the chipotle pasta(no protein). The only food that came out hot was my husband's pasta. My filet was luke warm and my potatoes were almost cold(very hard to eat cold potatoes). My parents food was also luke warm. The filet was quite good, but I do prefer my food hot. Again..the only meal that was hot was the pasta...very poor planning on the kitchens part. When our server did eventually come around to check on us, we did let her know. She asked if there was anything she could do, we declined as we were well into our meals after what was already a lengthy wait. It was disappointing that no member of management acknowledged the barely warm food.

I can't believe I have never reviewed here. We have been here a few times. Never a bad meal and always a good time. Service is always accommodating and friendly. Bring friends and and share the bottle. I usually get something seafood. While the wife usually not. Neither of us have ever regretted a choice. I would however make a reservation. I am not the only one that knows the gem Brian's is....

This place is quite overpriced! We were here Tues night, party of 6, and the place was busy. We waited 15 mins for the server to come to the table, then we waited 15 more mins for water, then we we waited an additional 15 min for cocktails. The appetizers came out before the cocktails did. Food was average. They say they add a 20% gratuity to parties of 5 or more. We all got separate checks. My hubs and I had 1 cocktail each, one appetizer we shared, i had MOJO pork, he had a crab encrusted steak dinner, and 1 chocalate cake dessert. Our bill was $145 including the 22% tip they automatically added. The place is not upscale at all. Basic diner metal chairs and tables, the air-conditioning was barely working, the water tasted like it was right out of the creek. We won't back..

Really neat restaurant in Hernando Beach. We were staying the weekend, scouting it out and found Brian's Place. The ambiance is great, the service was fantastic and the food was amazing (we each had a daily special - snapper and stuffed pork chops - SO good!). Hoping to become locals here and will definitely make this one of our regular restaurants

Drinks were hot not cold. Salad came before appetizers. Speaker music was set for those who are 99 year old or older. We are old and this was even too old for us. Proprietor was talking with guests and shooting a bird. Music system kept going out and making a loud beep beep beep. I am not sure where the water was but we ate outside and it was not busy.

Great food and atmosphere! Many great choices from a diverse menu! Servings are generous and always a pleasure to enjoy !

If you're looking for scenery this is not the place. Although the food was very good , I found it pricey. We waited a long time before the waitress came to take our order. There was live music the day I was there and that was very nice.

There is great music. The food is delicious. Good seafood choices. The service is also excellent. Been there 3 times and will return again.

This is a great spot for brunch. A little out of the way, but so worth it. Food was fresh and the atmosphere was great as well. Music on the patio on Saturday morning made our day.

If you're looking for fantastic good that is a little different this is your go to. Hard to explain but delicious. We sat outside which was a relaxing cooler day. There is a creek off the deck and you can feed the fish/ turtles its brackish water. The service as on point.

We are here because of a phantom bookmark that I cannot remember for the life of me! I've been to the area before but do not recollect a recommendation. Was it Guy? Was it Bourdain? The comp sangria coupon in Yelp was a great bonus. The Porter was delicious and the alcohol content was high or my tolerance was low. Woohoo. We ordered fish dishes, local grouper and snapper...delicious. Maybe the best recommendation for this restaurant comes from my check-in note. The majestic American Bald Eagle that swooped down out of nowhere, 20' from us to skim the water and grab some live food from the slow-rolling stream next to our table. Like a scene from a nature documentary!

We come to Hernando Beach every winter and this is wheee we celebrate our anniversary. The food is absolutely delicious. Since we come from the cold north we love sitting in the patio and listen to the live music. This year we had the pleasure of listening to Just Chad as we are our dinner. I love the ambiance of the patio at night.

Nice looking restaurant that has a lot more seating than it looks from the outside. Brian's Place makes great use of space and they use it attractively. There is even a party room upstairs that can comfortably seat twenty people. Surprisingly for a small upscale restaurant there is a bartender that can make frozen drinks. The table is topped with paper for quick turnover. I kind of expect that from a crab house. At least a table cloth under the paper would be more welcome. The cutlery was in a paper napkin roll up. Great for side work and to put down a place setting quickly but it feels a little low brow for the little higher than average prices. I would expect better bread if not made on the premises bread. Butter was in a plastic ramekin. The bread in the picture looked and felt like golf balls only harder. The menu selection was creative and read deliciously. I ordered my dinner companion the Manchego Chicken with plantain salsa. I ordered the Mojo Pork Chop. I got The Italian Stuffed Pork Chop. If there are two pork chops on the menu I believe it behooves the server to double check and be sure to hit the right pork chop key. My server seemed to have tables outside as well as inside. While polite she was very hurried and "going through the motions ". I've been a waiter myself for over thirty years and have found that even with less tables I can make just as much by making a personal connection, having attention to detail, and making the people you are waiting on feel important, special and very welcome. I find the potential for this restaurant very promising. The meal was delicious albeit not what I ordered.

Visited my sister and brother in law from Orlando. They took me here at Brian's as they have eaten here for dinner and loved it. We came around 2PM on a Sunday. We wanted to see their full menu, but apparently they only serve brunch on Sunday. Bummer!!! We asked for the plantain dish with crab, I think, but no can do because only brunch plus on Sundays they are mostly out of their stuff. So we ordered brunch, and I must say, the food is excellent! Every we ordered were delicious. I would definitely recommend.

What a great little secret! The food was fantastic and the staff was very friendly and accommodating! They have a nice little deck out back for Riverfront dining. The decor was unique and provided sone very nice ambiance. We will DEFINITELY be going back to Brian's Place!!!

Came for the early bird specials with my parents. Ambiance nice but a bit crowded and loud, especially with the live music. Food was good. Salads generous. Wife's chicken breast tasted good but was very dry. Black bean soup base was good but was overpowered by large chunks of onion, easily corrected with finely minced onion as a topping or green onions and a spoon of crema. Crostini was a nice touch with the Boursin and roasted red pepper. I'd like to return and try the full menu in the future.

We ordered the crispy grouper on brioche and were very disappointed. The fish did not taste that fresh, but the crispy crust was over cooked and had no flavor and tasted like cardboard. I would recommend not ordering anything with this crispy crust. The waitress was kind and offered to replace. We tried the mojo pork and chicken. It was just alright and nothing I would come back for. Not much flavor in the rice or beans. I guess we have a higher standby for Cuban food. I remember coming here for dinner before the pandemic and liking the food, but I think we ordered something Italian then. We tipped our waitress well, but I don't think we will be back.