Teresa S.
Yelp
My husband and I have been here once before- late night, after a comedy show at The Mahaffey Theater in October of 2023. That time, bc we came and it was late, the kitchen was closed- which was understandable. But it can be a little misleading bc Yelp says they are open until 3am- but that is bar/drinks only which should be clarified somewhere in case you're looking for food. Again, that is a little annoying and misleading, but also understandable so I understood and wasn't upset. And I will say the drinks we had at that time were good. Service was ehh, not bad or good either way. Now fast forward to May of 2024, and we tried to go in around 9pm. This is a full bar and restaurant fyi. I asked at the door and was told the kitchen is open until midnight. A man stopped me as I walked in to ask if I wanted a table (or at least I assumed he was asking that) I was like "hey my husband and I are gonna try to sit at the bar, but it looks a little full so we will see, maybe we will need to get a table instead." I continued and said "my husband is paying the parking at the moment, but he will be right in, I need to use the restroom so I'm gonna go do that and when he comes in/I come out of the bathroom then we will decide where to sit." This man gave me the hardest time. He would not let me in and said I had to show ID and mind you this is a RESTAURANT, not just a bar and it was 9pm and the kitchen was fully open, per what I was told. Also, let me mention, I'm almost 33 and maybe (hopefully) I look a little young for my age, but I'm also clearly over 21. This isn't a case of truly thinking I'm underage, this is a case of "I hold the power and so I'll be a jerk just to be one 100%." I had no purse on me, nothing. And this was clear. My husband had my ID in his wallet, which I told this man and again I wasn't trying to order a drink (which I would understand asking for ID), I was only trying to go to the bathroom while my husband was paying for the parking and then meeting me inside where we planned to order DINNER and also drinks (with my ID once he came inside). I am shocked this place acted like this. Idk if this is standard policy or what, but for a RESTAURANT to not let people in and require ID is so strange. This is not a bar only place and these were not late night bar hours. I guess you can't bring kids/teens to eat dinner here- bc again this was just barely 9pm. This particular employee was so extremely rude, I was so turned off and at this point my husband walked up and I explained to him how this guy was acting and what he was saying. How he wouldn't let me in to get FOOD or use the bathroom, so we left and went elsewhere. Not once did he try to fix the situation or act like there was a misunderstanding, even once my even older than me husband walked up and had his wallet in hand. And let me make it clear I was dressed nicely. I wasn't dressed "questionably" etc- not that it would excuse the behavior either way, but just to paint a clear picture here. They need new staff for sure and I won't ever try this particular location again. I will say the Ybor location- which we have been to many times- has AMAZING, friendly staff/bartenders and great food and drinks!! We normally sit at the bar and love it. Try that location instead of this one, unless you want to be harassed for no reason. I think they should brush up on Florida Law as well bc if you have a full menu like they do, they can't turn people away like that and I truly don't even get the reasoning. It was very disappointing and honestly disrespectful.