Gaspar's Grotto

It's been a while since we've been to G.G. ... was nice to be back and notice some nice changes since a few year's ago. The outdoor patio is inviting and the umbrellas provide welcome shade. The menu is considerable and features something for any taste and appetite. The Cuban Sandwich is excellent! Will be back to try some other items like Quesadillas, etc.

This place has a great atmosphere. One side of the restaurant is more family friendly with live music and good food to enjoy. The other side I would say is more for adults. Good music, hookahs and delicious drinks. Always encounter great people and lots of fun!

What an awesome place! They really know how to throw a party. We came here around 10pm and were immediately drawn to the music as the DJ was rocking some 90s hits. Bartender was super nice and provided fast service while still being kind and friendly. They do have hookahs with many flavours for only $40. The hookah guys was great and super nice. Helped us with maintaining our hookah and also deciding on our flavour. Did not want to leave this place because we were all having so much fun

Their call in order system is awful. I had to call multiple times 10 minutes apart to get ahold of anyone. When I showed up, they said nobody ever actually sent in the order. The restaurant was empty and the staff was just sitting at the bar. There have been 2 other times when they had incorrect toppings & missing sauces. they didn’t give me the dipping sauce for wings or loaded fries, which was came with just cheese after telling me it came with a ton of stuff. Today they asked if i wanted sauces, i said yes, they didn’t include it in the order. and now i have a burger with no ketchup and a caesar with no dressing. genuinely don’t know why the staff is so inaccurate with call in ordering.

Got the breakfast skillet to go. Supposed to have onions, pepper, and cheese but my plate had like 2 pieces of peppers and a sad slice of onion and no cheese. Pretty disappointing as I ordered this for the veggies. Id go 3 stars bc the rest of it was pretty good but I called to talk to a manager about it and they couldn’t be bothered to talk to me. Tough

Came here expecting a greater fusion experience but was a bit disappointed. The plates were good, but nothing remarkable. It appears to me that their focus is the bar and not the food. I couldn't particularly recommend any of the three dishes that we had. Nobody noticed that no silverware or napkins were delivered to our table. Good beer specials if you order before 8 pm. Both indoor and outdoor seating

Gaspar's Grotto has a truly unique atmosphere that sets it apart. The eclectic decor and lively vibe are definitely a draw. Prices are reasonable and the staff were all very friendly. However, our experience was hampered by significant delays. It took over an hour for two orders of chicken wings to arrive, and they were unfortunately prepared with the wrong sauces. However, the wings were still pretty good. We also encountered long waits to even get a bartender's attention for drink orders. Despite these service hiccups, the overall experience was still enjoyable. Make sure you take advantage of the beer and shot for $5!

We tried the Cuban Bread and fried pickles...both were amazing! The atmosphere of this Grotto is amazing!!!! Service at the main bartip was a bit slow. There's a case full of old pirate guns for sale in the back near the bathrooms.

I'm not going to lie--I loved this place. The coffee was amazing, perfectly brewed. I ordered the jerk Caribbean dry-rub wings and a Caesar salad, and both were on point. The wings were flavorful without being greasy, and everything tasted fresh. What really made it special were the free-ranging chickens around the restaurant--it added a unique, wholesome touch and made the whole experience feel intentional and authentic. You get the sense that the food here is thoughtfully sourced. I'd absolutely recommend stopping by.

Great local place open on Thanksgiving. Very friendly staff along with the roosters that walk the outside patio. Chicken wings are outstanding a must have. Prices are very reasonable for the area.

Love the atmosphere here! Visited Tampa not too long ago and on our last day we were drawn to this place by the music coming out of their outdoor patio. The vibe was just very chill and a great place to relax and enjoy the sunshine while listening to live music. The restaurant is located in the heart of Ybor City so it's not hard to miss! My friend and I decided to dine outside as the live one man band singing sounded really good. He would sing medleys of country, RNB, hip hop and spin it all together where it just worked! What a great entertainer. Per their website, "Gaspar's Grotto pays homage to the legendary local pirate Jose Gaspar and celebrates Tampa's immigrant past". The food selection during the time we went was mostly Cuban, so I went with a plate that had tostones, pulled pork, and salsa. It was great! Kinda reminded me of loaded nachos but instead of tortilla chips, they used tostones (smashed & fried plantain bananas flavored in salt & garlic) instead. The service wasn't bad at all. The place was busy but I don't remember waiting too long before we got our food and drinks. And for drinks I went with the Sangria. It was a perfect day for Sangria and you can never go wrong with Sangria in my opinion. So yeah I would definitely come back here. I already miss the vibe while I write this review, and miss the wild chickens roaming around free in Tampa.

Gaspar's Grotto lit! Came here with the squad, it was cool, we did our thing. We had a blast, we might come back, we probably will, we lit. Gaspar's Grotto is lit, they love the culture. Marathon life, RIP Nip Hussle tha gr8! . Food here is good, service is cool. They can't give free water at the bar or they will get yelled at. We up. The bartender was weak, we ordered Irish car bombs and he didn't want to give us glass shot glasses for the true experience. I've been here a lot but my most recent experience was subpar ! Worst Irish car bomb I've ever had!

I got the two egg breakfast: eggs how you want them cooked, with Cuban bread and butter and jelly on the side, home fries with peppers and onion, choice of bacon, ham or sausage. Neat place with lots of historic items on the wall, sports bar like tv's, greeted and seated right away, food served quickly, great service & great food. Our waitress was attentive & lovely.

We had went to the Ybor City farmers market and needed more sustenance than baked goods. Had a well behaved dog with us and found this place had outside seating. Breakfast ends at 10:30, we learned this afterwards. We recently moved from a brunch heavy culture offering and are learning that is not a thing here. We ordered the mahi mahi dip (similar profile to a very wet tuna salad), the lunch special, half a Cuban and a cup of Spanish soup (Cuban was decent, the soup was okay), chicken quesadilla and two not a Paloma's. The vibe was better than the food, we'll try again maybe during happy hour. The people were very friendly. Still looking for our places.

Best bartender. Decent beer list. Fun decor and atmosphere. Good music. Patrons were fun.

Old school and we loved it. Two tired, hungry visitors and me. Two of us had the grilled fish sandwich (La Segunda cuban bread!) and 1 had the pressed cuban. Server was super friendly and restroom was clean. The dog enjoyed people watching on the patio.

I wanted to show my friend from Detroit what ybor city was and randomly looking up places online as a driving point we matched with this place. After parking and walking down ybor this actually was the nicest looking spot so we came for a drink. They were awfully cheap! $7 for a cocktail and then too shelf was more, friendly staff nice seating and dog friendly!!

Great non-smoking spot in Ybor City. You can tell there is a lot of history there, and there's a lot of fun decor. The bartender made me a lovely gin Gimlet and she was very nice. We had already eaten elsewhere, so we did not get to order the food. We will definitely return when back in Ybor City.

We stopped in for breakfast. Absolutely amazing! I had the lemon blueberry French toast. It was the best French toast I've ever had. My husband had the biscuits and gravy. So delicious! Everything is fresh made here. And of course you need to start your vacation with a cocktail. I had a mimosa and my hubby had a dark and stormy. And the prices were phenomenal!! Less than $10 for each meal.

This is a pirate inspired bar with so many pirate artifacts. Food was surprisingly amazing. I ordered Egg White Skillet, which is only $7.99. It is so full filling and just right amount of salt and pepper to taste the freshness of the egg. The potato cubes are fried perfectly, crispy edges and soft tender inside, just right amount of sprinkle cheese, and the amazing presentation. The staffs are all so patient as I was on the phone first 30mins. Definitely recommend it!

I popped in for a beer and some NFL football. I had a Miller Lite at the bar. The staff was really friendly and attentive. I am a big fan of wings so was psyched to see many choices for the wings. They were crisp and sauced well. Lots of fun things to look at on the walls. Certainly a great vibe in Ybor City...my kind of place!

Everything needs to improve! The drinks, the food, the service...all terrible!!! Would not recommend to anyone!!! There are so many great food establishments in Ybor city, just waste your time here!!!

After a long day and night we needed some coffee for a pick me up. We walked up and down 7th Ave looking for a coffee shop but they were all closed. Then we found a sign advertising Cuban coffee but the location appeared to be a bar. We asked for coffee and was seated near the window which allowed for people watching. The coffee at night in a bar type setting was actually quite tasty!

Great ambiance. Bar tenders were very friendly. The seafood quesadilla was very good; but, the black beans and rice were THE BEST I've ever had. (Ate some before pics) We highly recommend!

No pics but we've been a couple times. The last time was breakfast on the day of the Gasparilla Parade. Each time we've been, food has been good, location is fun and service is great. Definitely recommend!

This is a cool spot to grab a drink and some food. They had live music which is what attracted me in. The pirate decor was fun and they have a cool gift shop as well with pirate themed stuff. Food was decent.

What a fun experience this morning! So much to enjoy and yummy menu choices! A perfect breakfast spot before walking around Ybor and/or going to the Fresh Market. Enjoyable experience from walking in and taking a seat at the bar to checking out. Shout out to our attentive bartender, Stephanie. Highly recommend for your next Saturday Fun Day!

Stoped here before getting on our cruise. What a gem!! Great atmosphere! Great drinks! Great food! Great prices! Very friendly locals

Authentic Ybor vibe and friendly service. I haven't tried the food. I like sitting in the back corner listening to the fountain and the music. Super chill for a Saturday afternoon.

Came in and sat down while waiting for my friend. A table that arrived after me got acknowledged first, while I wasn't spoken to for 20 minutes--not even offered water. Shoutout to Candice, who noticed and immediately stepped in (even though it wasn't her section). Drinks and food were fine, but the lack of acknowledgment before my friend arrived was frustrating. Even a simple "We'll get you drinks, but food starts when your party arrives" would've been better than being ignored. Busy night or not, acknowledgment matters. Candice was the saving grace.

Went to eat there with my wife and two friends . I ordered the Cuban sandwich and french fries. The sandwich looked yummy, but after a few bites i found a blond hair in the sandwich. My friend also noticed it. The waitress was made aware and she claimed it was part of the sandwich, which is B.S.. I covered the remains and boy they were lucky I didn't regurgitate right there and then! I would not put anybody through that! Stay away from this place! Unless you like hairs in your food!

Had a great time during a away team gathering. Very good drinks and music was great (I believe the DJ was part of the 49ers faithful)...we had a great time

I'm updating my review after having left one several years ago. It sucked today. This was one of the first restaurants we dined at after moving to Tampa Bay several years ago. This was pre Covid I'll add. At that point it was a really fun quality place to go, and slowly it's gone downhill. Sunday brunch used to be a big deal at that point, needing reservations to get in as it was so popular. Today we walked right in for Sunday brunch. And sadly the menu was under whelming. I ordered the chorizo hash and once it arrived it was cold. The cheese sprinkled on it wasn't even melted, and when I pointed that out to our server she got super defensive saying that's not supposed to be melted and it's the last item to be placed on the entre. As if I haven't cooked a day in my life to know cheese naturally melts on warm foods... The few bites I did take were cold and bland. Literally was frozen fried tarot tot things, chorizo, an egg and shredded cheese. That's it! For $15! My other family members ordered the 1/2 lb burgers with fries. The fries were cold and the burgers weren't cooked how they were ordered. They got eaten anyway because our server never came back. No refills, no checking on us. I had to flag her down to tell her about my cold food, by then everyone else was done. I told the server I didn't want it because everyone else was done eating. That pissed her off too. What's more, it wasn't just my food but the lady next to me had the same experience with the same entre! If you're going to charge an arm and a leg at least make it good quality and hire quality employees to serve it! It'll likely be several more years before I return. Don't waste your time...

Such a fun bar to watch the Buccaneers. The peanut butter and jelly wings were yummy. We stop here every time we travel to Tampa and are never disappointed.

A nice fun little spot in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida. It's got a cool pirate theme to it fitting right in with the local yearly Gasparilla Pirate Festival! The people are nice. The drink was delicious. What more can I say? If you're looking for a bar crawl, definitely hit up Ybor City! Until next time! Enjoy the food!

I've had some friends and family in town visiting recently and we decided on a whim while walking by to stop in here one late morning. They have some brunch options, and we tried their shrimp and grits. I thought they were fantastic! The grits and the shrimp were perfectly cooked and I liked the addition of diced tomatoes in it. I've had shrimp and grits at other places and they weren't nearly as enjoyable. They were too salty and oily. But this place has the technique down! Our server was also great, knowledgeable and had plenty of pirate jokes up her sleeve. I would definitely visit again. I imagine it's pretty crowded at night!

I was in the Tampa area with a group of friends and we decided to stop in this place. There was an inside and outside. Here we decided to stay outside because the football games were on. They seem to be extremely short staffed as we had to hunt somebody down for a service. Even then things ran pretty slow on drinks and food. We waited about 40 minutes for our food order! When everything finally came the food was justokay. Could've been more horrible and could've been way better! The fried pickles were heavily breaded and heavily fried leaving no real pickle taste. The quesadillas were OK but nothing to write home about. Overall, I'd say this place has a decent outside space but I wouldn't come back for more than a drink.

We found ourselves in the Ybor area this morning so we decided to find a place to have breakfast. We don't know the area well so we kept finding coffee shops, which isn't exactly what we were wanting. We were surprised to find that Gaspar's Grotto served breakfast on the weekends. Visually there is a lot to take in. Not a bad thing, just a lot. There is a simple breakfast menu & the prices are very reasonable, especially for the area. Hubby ordered the 3 cheese omelette & instead of meat, they were fine with swapping that out for spinach, onions & mushrooms with no upcharge. He very much enjoyed this dish, which also came with home fries & Cuban bread. I had a fairly common breakfast of eggs, bacon, home fries & Cuban bread. Everything was flavorful, presented well & prepared perfectly. I didn't try the coffee so I can't speak on that. Hubby did try it & said it was fine but when he prepared a second cup, he could see that some of the creamer was curdled. We never got a chance to ask for another cup, since service was slow. If you can look past the extremely slow service and unsmiling waitress, then it is worth the visit. And just in case you're wondering, this visit was early in the morning and there was barely anybody in there. I can see that there would be slow service when the place is hopping and you expect that, but not when it was as quiet as it was. Nevertheless, it did not turn us away from the place. We will give it another try.

If you want a teriffic meal in Ybor, turn around and walk straight across the street to Carmines. Gaspars is great for a drink, but based on cleanliness I would not eat there.

What a fun place, it is like your local watering hole mixed with a tourist trap. You could spend all day looking around, but I preferred just to sit and have a nice cold beer on a hot Tampa day. The waitress and bar staff were very friendly, they talked about the bar in such a positive way it made me want to come back. Definitely if you are in ybor City you need to stop in and at least get a picture and make sure you grab a beer.

Amazing service - servers go above and beyond to take care of you. Shout out to Milly who took care of us at the outside bar and got us drafts inside. Clean fun atmosphere with great tunes and wonderful people. Given this strip - I HIGHLY recommend coming here!

Our flight to Tampa got in super early and we were starving, we looked up the closest open place with mimosas and found Gaspar's Grotto. Not a fancy place, but the food was cheap and hit the spot. The biscuits and gravy hit the spot!

They were out of Cubans. Really? They have a grilled chicken salad on menu but told me they only had fried chicken tenders today, was that okay? No. Took drink order. Waited forever for her to come back and tell us they were out of one of the beers. Inside was musty so we sat outside. Pina colada tasted like no alcohol in it. Only reason they get 3 stars instead of 2 is pulled pork with black beans was really good and so were the wings. We went after lunch crowd but service still super slow. We did consider walking out after she disappeared for over 20 minutes after taking our drink order but didn't

Always a good time at Gaspars Gotto! "That chicken just drank my vodka" wouldn't be uncommon to overhear! Great bar, great food, great atmosphere. Check out the patios.

This is always a fun bar. A fewer than usual patrons braved the 40° degree weather last night, colder when that wind blew. They have a really long bar and plenty of seating, plus a cool open courtyard on the side with those giant space heaters thank goodness. The wait staff was nice and even gave me a free cup of ice, maybe because the hubby purchased a beer?

I love this bar: pirate theme, karaoke bar outside to the left, and regular bar outside to the right. Smack in the middle... you guessed it A Bar! Seriously, though it's one of the best bars in Ybor. Food is good, drinks will get you hammered if you're not careful, and the staff is cool AF if you take the time to get to know them. Do yourself a favor and swing by for a drink, preferably early in the evening before all the idiots show up start drinking and punching each other in the face and shooting guns.

Service was awful Food was average Probably safe to say I won't return. Watch your receipt to see if tip is already added.

We were walking in Ybor City the other afternoon and walked by Gaspar's Grotto. The courtyard bar looked pretty fun, and there were a bunch of seats open at the bar, so we went in and have a few drinks. Literally as soon as the clock hit like 6, the bar filled up. This must be the SPOT, and we must have gotten lucky to stumble by early and get a seat. Everyone was having a great time and they played great old-school music. The bartender was super nice as well, and the margerita I ordered was divine. Would definitely come back!

By far the worst customer service ever . Bartenders were rude outside and impatient. I will never come back . They had the nerve to bring security as if there was a problem with asking questions . I will Never come back . I side bar was better service

My husband and I visited Gaspar's Grotto for the first time last week. We visited on a warm evening, so we chose to sit outside on the very large patio. We were greeted right away and given menus. The waiter returned shortly to take our drink orders. My husband ordered the 2 shots and 2 beers and I order the 2 Aperol Spritz special. Our drinks came very quickly and were delicious. The 2 beers were small, but that was fine since there were two and they were very inexpensive. We ordered the smokehouse sweet and spicy wings and a Caesar salad. The waiter (thankfully) let us know that the small Caesar was quite large and it was! The Caesar was very fresh, crisp and tasty. The wings weren't quite what we expected as it was a dry rub. We thought that they would be saucy. The waiter offered to bring bbq sauce but we just ate them as is with some hot sauce added. They were very tasty, but I'd order a saucier version next time. All in all, we had a good experience at Gaspar's and would return.

If you're looking for the world's salt supply dumped on your food, do come here. My tongue feels like a shriveled slug. Service is nice but basically nowhere to be found. Can't even refill our waters once. A plus is that at least the dishes seemed pretty clean. Thats really all there is to say.

Delicious bean and potato soup, great selection on shots and mixed drinks, friendly atmosphere, juicy flavorful marinated and roasted pork

The peanut butter and jelly wings are a must try. It's an interesting combination for wings but the taste was great with ranch dressing. Try something new and get the peanut butter and jelly wings. The atmosphere is fun and the staff is friendly. the Cuban sandwich is large and can be split with two people. We will be back.

Food was amazing, and service on point. Had the Cuban sandwich which was amazing and my wife had the shrimp and crab quesadilla which was bomb! Definitely would come back and highly recommend!

What a unique experience! We went with friends for Saturday brunch. We had boozy coffee and great food. While the inside was very cool looking, we ate on the patio. The service was a little slow at first only because we were the only ones out there initially. As the patio became more crowded our waitress was more attentive (honestly I think she just didn't want to hover or bug us before). The drinks and food were great and the atmosphere was funky and fun. One issue was only one ladies restroom working.

Gaspars Groto is my local go to spot for wings because they never miss! In the heart of Ybor so they are a bar environment, laid back, open late, and always friendly service. If you're a wing lover, in Tampa you have to come and have some. I love trying the different wings, my favorite is the Carolina Gold BBQ, it's a little tangy and Smokey. Today I stopped and asked my exceptionally friendly waiter Kel, what his favorite wings are, he told me it's a mix of the Smokehouse Sweet and Spicy with Moonshine Barbecue. Kel's way is DELICIOUS! Kel's way should be on the menu in my opinion, it's Smokey, sweet and savory. My partner had the Honey Lime Sriracha which he said were "fire". I found them to be very tasty, the kick of spice hits you right away and fried perfectly. The sweet potato fries are crispy and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and amazing paired with yogurt. Not a fancy place & on the weekends it's more of a club environment with a live Dj in the patio.

Saturday night dinner with a friend. Located in the heart of Ybor city and near several other hot spots. Indoor and outdoor seating. Friendly staff and rather quick service. I ordered they shrimp and crab quesadilla. Quite tasty.