Extremely disappointing experience. Do not recommend. Restaurant was less than half full and our server indicated the kitchen was pushing out orders very quickly so we would have plenty of time to eat before the show. We ordered drinks and watched them sit on the bar for 25 minutes before our server brought them to us even though she went to the bar multiple times and grabbed drinks for tables near us who had been seated well after us. Ordered soup and an app to start. SOUP! Throw it in a bowl and bring it. Once again we waited and watched while the tables around us (seated after us) got their food. Once we finally received our soup, two bites in and our server brought our mains (now sitting on the table getting cold). Server apologized and brought us a plate of bread that we didn't eat but made no attempt to adjust the check nor were any managers anywhere to be found. Table next to us never even got their mains (same server). Food quality and taste were mediocre at best. Scallops were lukewarm and obviously sitting in the kitchen for way too long before service. Do better, Sonata.
Kyle
The short rib was very small and overcooked. The drinks and deviled eggs were good. Service could be more attentive.
g
Food was good but EXPENSIVE!!! Drinks were weak & expensive. Wait staff was very attentive and courteous but the food was EXTREMELY slow exiting the kitchen. We arrived 2hrs prior to the show and barely completed our meals before curtain up. All in all it was a clean nicely kept restaurant with a fantastic view, but not sure we will return because of how extremely expensive & slow it was. Also, nothing worse than EXPENSIVE WEAK drinks. If you're going to be pricey and slow at least take care of your customers with decent drinks. Just sayin.....
John
We had reservations at 7 for the 9:30 show. There was mass chaos due to the turn over of the show starting at 730. We sat for 10 min before any helped us. But when the chaos died down service was great and we enjoyed the food. It was nice to be able to order drinks to go before the show an missed the lines at the bar.
Rosalinda
Not great communication, slow service and disappointing dinner experience. My boyfriend and I got there at 5:30 before our show at 7:00pm. It wasn't quite full yet and seemed quiet at first. Still, our server took a while to get to us and we put in our drink order, our appetizer and our main all at once. It wasn't until after our appetizer came out that our server told us that there were no more steaks (our main). By this time, it was 6:36pm and too late to order food and finish before the show. We essentially spent $70 for two drinks and an appetizer and still had to find food after the show.
Norm
Went before a show. Seated at 5p. Food didn't arrive until 6:40p. Obvious kitchen problems since we never saw the mgr again after we arrived. Assume he was probably cooking...or quit. Two of the four meals (both steak frites) arrived cold. The bar behind us was lined with dirty glasses for all to see..disgusting. Maybe non-show nights are better, but we won't be going back.
Anthony
Waitress was very attentive. Greeted by hostess and walked upstairs to the dining room where we were greeted within a minute or two. Beautiful moon and water view. Food was great. Had the octopus and salad. The steak was good. We were too full to have desert. Made it to the orchestra with time to spare. Very convenient. We will be dining there again.
Francis
Food was very good. Service was mediocre. Waitress was slow and inattentive. Almost didn't make the show on time.
Barbara
Small number of menu options but the grouper was very good. Service was excellent and much faster than a previous visit.
Karen Shapiro
Lovely restaurant, just what the Mahaffey Theater needs. Nice wine list. And if you have the good fortune to have Austin, the bartender, as your server, you are virtually guaranteed a wonderful experience.
One of the worst restaurant experiences of my life. Our waitress took over 15 minutes to get us our drinks and forgot to get our champagne bottle. We made a reservation for 12 for a graduation at 3pm but got service like a busy saturday night. Our waitress honestly seemed like she was working in the kitchen, just not the experience we expected for over $50 each before drinks. When we got our check, there was a "service charge" of $500. When we asked the waitress she pretended to looked shocked, the manager was barely apologetic and only voided the original payment and had us pay the full bill just without the random $500 charge. Not sure if we were being swindled but I would have expected at least some form of compensation. With all the fantastic restaurants in St Pete (that will give you a special dining experience) it was a shame to go here. Would not recommend to anyone:)
Cathleen
Our server Justin made our experience at Sonata perfect. It was our first time there and we will return. The food was amazing and there were people there to grab a bite before the show and diners like us having a regular dinner off the main menu. Definitely worth a try.
Cindy
Our server, Olivia, was excellent. The view was beautiful. Unfortunately, our food was mediocre and pricey. I don't mind paying money for good food, but I paid a lot for meh food. Oysters were tiny and drowning in butter, ribeye was overcooked, and the burnt ends were also drowning in some sweet sauce. We enjoyed our drinks and the service, but would not have a meal there again.
Cheryl
Went there before an event and it was wonderful. Our server Jamie was awesome - attentive with perfect timing and very knowledgable about menu item, the restaurant is very nice with a beautiful view, and the food was outstanding. A little pricey but what isn't these days - worth the cost.
Kim
Had to wait for our reservation time. The restaurant is full and “please wait here and we will give you priority” makes it clear they don't have the pre-show reservation thing figured out. Perhaps for shows, consider a pre fixe menu and a 1 hour table limit, or something like that. Bar ran out of limes and server had to apologize for wait on soft drinks from the bar. All that said, the servers were incredibly friendly and attentive. The food was a B- but I'm a hard grader. :-)
Extremely disappointing experience. Do not recommend. Restaurant was less than half full and our server indicated the kitchen was pushing out orders very quickly so we would have plenty of time to eat before the show. We ordered drinks and watched them sit on the bar for 25 minutes before our server brought them to us even though she went to the bar multiple times and grabbed drinks for tables near us who had been seated well after us. Ordered soup and an app to start. SOUP! Throw it in a bowl and bring it. Once again we waited and watched while the tables around us (seated after us) got their food. Once we finally received our soup, two bites in and our server brought our mains (now sitting on the table getting cold). Server apologized and brought us a plate of bread that we didn't eat but made no attempt to adjust the check nor were any managers anywhere to be found. Table next to us never even got their mains (same server). Food quality and taste were mediocre at best. Scallops were lukewarm and obviously sitting in the kitchen for way too long before service. Do better, Sonata.
The short rib was very small and overcooked. The drinks and deviled eggs were good. Service could be more attentive.
Food was good but EXPENSIVE!!! Drinks were weak & expensive. Wait staff was very attentive and courteous but the food was EXTREMELY slow exiting the kitchen. We arrived 2hrs prior to the show and barely completed our meals before curtain up. All in all it was a clean nicely kept restaurant with a fantastic view, but not sure we will return because of how extremely expensive & slow it was. Also, nothing worse than EXPENSIVE WEAK drinks. If you're going to be pricey and slow at least take care of your customers with decent drinks. Just sayin.....
We had reservations at 7 for the 9:30 show. There was mass chaos due to the turn over of the show starting at 730. We sat for 10 min before any helped us. But when the chaos died down service was great and we enjoyed the food. It was nice to be able to order drinks to go before the show an missed the lines at the bar.
Not great communication, slow service and disappointing dinner experience. My boyfriend and I got there at 5:30 before our show at 7:00pm. It wasn't quite full yet and seemed quiet at first. Still, our server took a while to get to us and we put in our drink order, our appetizer and our main all at once. It wasn't until after our appetizer came out that our server told us that there were no more steaks (our main). By this time, it was 6:36pm and too late to order food and finish before the show. We essentially spent $70 for two drinks and an appetizer and still had to find food after the show.
Went before a show. Seated at 5p. Food didn't arrive until 6:40p. Obvious kitchen problems since we never saw the mgr again after we arrived. Assume he was probably cooking...or quit. Two of the four meals (both steak frites) arrived cold. The bar behind us was lined with dirty glasses for all to see..disgusting. Maybe non-show nights are better, but we won't be going back.
Waitress was very attentive. Greeted by hostess and walked upstairs to the dining room where we were greeted within a minute or two. Beautiful moon and water view. Food was great. Had the octopus and salad. The steak was good. We were too full to have desert. Made it to the orchestra with time to spare. Very convenient. We will be dining there again.
Food was very good. Service was mediocre. Waitress was slow and inattentive. Almost didn't make the show on time.
Small number of menu options but the grouper was very good. Service was excellent and much faster than a previous visit.
Lovely restaurant, just what the Mahaffey Theater needs. Nice wine list. And if you have the good fortune to have Austin, the bartender, as your server, you are virtually guaranteed a wonderful experience.
Restaurantji Recommends
One of the worst restaurant experiences of my life. Our waitress took over 15 minutes to get us our drinks and forgot to get our champagne bottle. We made a reservation for 12 for a graduation at 3pm but got service like a busy saturday night. Our waitress honestly seemed like she was working in the kitchen, just not the experience we expected for over $50 each before drinks. When we got our check, there was a "service charge" of $500. When we asked the waitress she pretended to looked shocked, the manager was barely apologetic and only voided the original payment and had us pay the full bill just without the random $500 charge. Not sure if we were being swindled but I would have expected at least some form of compensation. With all the fantastic restaurants in St Pete (that will give you a special dining experience) it was a shame to go here. Would not recommend to anyone:)
Our server Justin made our experience at Sonata perfect. It was our first time there and we will return. The food was amazing and there were people there to grab a bite before the show and diners like us having a regular dinner off the main menu. Definitely worth a try.
Our server, Olivia, was excellent. The view was beautiful. Unfortunately, our food was mediocre and pricey. I don't mind paying money for good food, but I paid a lot for meh food. Oysters were tiny and drowning in butter, ribeye was overcooked, and the burnt ends were also drowning in some sweet sauce. We enjoyed our drinks and the service, but would not have a meal there again.
Went there before an event and it was wonderful. Our server Jamie was awesome - attentive with perfect timing and very knowledgable about menu item, the restaurant is very nice with a beautiful view, and the food was outstanding. A little pricey but what isn't these days - worth the cost.
Had to wait for our reservation time. The restaurant is full and “please wait here and we will give you priority” makes it clear they don't have the pre-show reservation thing figured out. Perhaps for shows, consider a pre fixe menu and a 1 hour table limit, or something like that. Bar ran out of limes and server had to apologize for wait on soft drinks from the bar. All that said, the servers were incredibly friendly and attentive. The food was a B- but I'm a hard grader. :-)
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