To say this restaurant is overpriced would be an understatement. I was very specific about how I wanted my steak cooked and when I received it, I was unable to eat it due to food allergies. I feel like this restaurant is trying way too hard with its menu choices. We were looking for a nice, simple steakhouse and let's just say, this place isn't that. Everything on the menu is a bit extra and off beat. The cocktails are extremely overpriced for the size of the glass. The presentation of the shrimp cocktail was laughable. The shrimp were literally thrown into a a small saucer lying on top of sauce that they refer to as “bloody mary” sauce; it was worse than your usual cocktail sauce. They even charged us for 4 extremely small brioche rolls that looked like pillsbury dinner rolls. Bread is actually considered an appetizer??!! The dessert menu didn't offer one thing that we'd even consider trying. Like I said, they're trying way too hard, but not in a good way. Would not recommend.
Katina
We had a great experience eating dinner at the Driftlight Steakhouse. The food was excellent, the waiter was very good, and it's a beautiful setting. We would definitely go there again. And we recommended highly..
Molly
The food was incredible. Extremely flavorful and cooked to perfection. The wagyu carpaccio and tuna tataki were the stars of the show, for us. Service, on the other hand, left a bad impression on us. For being a JW property, we expected much more. Our server was just going through the motions, and for an almost $300 dinner between 2 people, we found that the value wasn't there. Would not return.
Thomas
Service, ambience and all of the food was top level, would highly recommend to any and everyone, no matter what the occasion.
Cameron
Unfortunatly for Thanks Giving dinner, we were not impressed. $125/person buffet. Cold seafood portion was plentiful but no flavor. Lobster tails and crab legs were on ice but dripping the water they were cooked in. Salmon was dried out sitting under heat lamps. Prime rib again, not much flavor. Stuffing was fantastic. Sweat potatoes not so much.
MARCUS
My Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet was amazing. From the hospitality to the main event which was the feast. The service was very upscale, the food was prepared elegantly. From the seafood to the modern holiday meal was fanatic. The desert room didn't miss. The pairings of many different deserts for your pallet was a delight. I'll be sure to book my Christmas Buffet Dinner soon.
Toni
Anthony was fabulous! Attentive, personable and such a pleasure! Food was great for Thanksgiving. The restaurant was nice enough to comp my meal as I barely eat anything.. The little bit that I did eat, I loved the stuffing and the sweet potatoes!
Kerriston Wilson
I recently visited Driftlight for dinner and was impressed by the clean, crisp ambience. The atmosphere was calm with mellow background music, and the service was prompt and attentive. Our reservation was honored on time, and we were seated in a comfortable corner booth with a nice view of the restaurant.
I ordered my steak medium-rare with sides of broccolini and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, the steak was significantly overcooked, though the sides were well-prepared and flavorful. The hostess was understanding and promptly offered to have my steak remade to my liking, which I appreciated.
Pricing is slightly higher than comparable steakhouses, and guests should note that parking is limited to valet service at the adjoining hotel—something we weren’t aware of beforehand. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience with room for improvement in food execution and parking convenience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Jennifer Verraneault
Excellent steaks, sides and carrot cake!! Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Marco
Our 40th Anniversary dinner - the restaurant team printed a personalized menu for us for the event. Such a great evening, which went too fast.
Made a quick stop here before a hockey game. Very convenient to the stadium. Deidre gave us amazing service. She was quick and very knowledgeable about the menu, wine list and area. Farmer's margaritas, carpaccio, calamari, sweet potato bread and carrot cake are all on the must have again list.
Brett
For a steakhouse, steak was marginal at best. We had a filet and the Delmonico. The delmonico was nothing more than a thin ribeye, no char and lacking flavor. It said 16 ounces and it was certainly that, just lacked any character at all. The gilt did seem to have a char, was a better quality cut but again lacked any flavor. The brussel sprouts, with broccoli and cauliflower were soaked and drenched, good flavor but way too much sauce. Bread was great. Would recommend Trying other dishes.
Nathaniel Prunetree
The only challenge is if you are not familiar with the area as parking was a bit challenging. The food was excellent. If I were to really try to complain, the crabcales were rhw low point. Full disclosure, Smith and Wollensky in Manhattan is superior, IMHO. I had the Wagyu...it was divine. The Malbec to accompany, or pair with, (see photo) was the best I have had to date. Brussel sprouts and asparagus were excellent. To finish things off, the carrot cake was simply exquisite. Jim, our server said it was rated number one in the area and I could not argue. Try it warmed to the point that it has fallen over. I most definitely will revisit! Jim, our sever, was an absolute model of courtesy and professionalism.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kerriston
Driftlight was truly beautiful—the ambience was calm and inviting, with soft metal music setting the perfect mood. My server was phenomenal, and the food overall matched what you'd expect from a quality local steakhouse. My steak was slightly overcooked at first, but the management and server handled it with professionalism and quickly offered to remake it. Excellent service is hard to come by, and they delivered. I'd definitely recommend Driftlight to friends for both social gatherings and romantic evenings.
Sean
This is one of our favorite restaurants. Some of the very best steaks in Tampa, vibrant and classy ambience, and top notch service.
To say this restaurant is overpriced would be an understatement. I was very specific about how I wanted my steak cooked and when I received it, I was unable to eat it due to food allergies. I feel like this restaurant is trying way too hard with its menu choices. We were looking for a nice, simple steakhouse and let's just say, this place isn't that. Everything on the menu is a bit extra and off beat. The cocktails are extremely overpriced for the size of the glass. The presentation of the shrimp cocktail was laughable. The shrimp were literally thrown into a a small saucer lying on top of sauce that they refer to as “bloody mary” sauce; it was worse than your usual cocktail sauce. They even charged us for 4 extremely small brioche rolls that looked like pillsbury dinner rolls. Bread is actually considered an appetizer??!! The dessert menu didn't offer one thing that we'd even consider trying. Like I said, they're trying way too hard, but not in a good way. Would not recommend.
We had a great experience eating dinner at the Driftlight Steakhouse. The food was excellent, the waiter was very good, and it's a beautiful setting. We would definitely go there again. And we recommended highly..
The food was incredible. Extremely flavorful and cooked to perfection. The wagyu carpaccio and tuna tataki were the stars of the show, for us. Service, on the other hand, left a bad impression on us. For being a JW property, we expected much more. Our server was just going through the motions, and for an almost $300 dinner between 2 people, we found that the value wasn't there. Would not return.
Service, ambience and all of the food was top level, would highly recommend to any and everyone, no matter what the occasion.
Unfortunatly for Thanks Giving dinner, we were not impressed. $125/person buffet. Cold seafood portion was plentiful but no flavor. Lobster tails and crab legs were on ice but dripping the water they were cooked in. Salmon was dried out sitting under heat lamps. Prime rib again, not much flavor. Stuffing was fantastic. Sweat potatoes not so much.
My Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet was amazing. From the hospitality to the main event which was the feast. The service was very upscale, the food was prepared elegantly. From the seafood to the modern holiday meal was fanatic. The desert room didn't miss. The pairings of many different deserts for your pallet was a delight. I'll be sure to book my Christmas Buffet Dinner soon.
Anthony was fabulous! Attentive, personable and such a pleasure! Food was great for Thanksgiving. The restaurant was nice enough to comp my meal as I barely eat anything.. The little bit that I did eat, I loved the stuffing and the sweet potatoes!
I recently visited Driftlight for dinner and was impressed by the clean, crisp ambience. The atmosphere was calm with mellow background music, and the service was prompt and attentive. Our reservation was honored on time, and we were seated in a comfortable corner booth with a nice view of the restaurant.
I ordered my steak medium-rare with sides of broccolini and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, the steak was significantly overcooked, though the sides were well-prepared and flavorful. The hostess was understanding and promptly offered to have my steak remade to my liking, which I appreciated.
Pricing is slightly higher than comparable steakhouses, and guests should note that parking is limited to valet service at the adjoining hotel—something we weren’t aware of beforehand. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience with room for improvement in food execution and parking convenience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Excellent steaks, sides and carrot cake!! Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Our 40th Anniversary dinner - the restaurant team printed a personalized menu for us for the event. Such a great evening, which went too fast.
Restaurantji Recommends
Made a quick stop here before a hockey game. Very convenient to the stadium. Deidre gave us amazing service. She was quick and very knowledgeable about the menu, wine list and area. Farmer's margaritas, carpaccio, calamari, sweet potato bread and carrot cake are all on the must have again list.
For a steakhouse, steak was marginal at best. We had a filet and the Delmonico. The delmonico was nothing more than a thin ribeye, no char and lacking flavor. It said 16 ounces and it was certainly that, just lacked any character at all. The gilt did seem to have a char, was a better quality cut but again lacked any flavor. The brussel sprouts, with broccoli and cauliflower were soaked and drenched, good flavor but way too much sauce. Bread was great. Would recommend Trying other dishes.
The only challenge is if you are not familiar with the area as parking was a bit challenging. The food was excellent. If I were to really try to complain, the crabcales were rhw low point. Full disclosure, Smith and Wollensky in Manhattan is superior, IMHO. I had the Wagyu...it was divine. The Malbec to accompany, or pair with, (see photo) was the best I have had to date. Brussel sprouts and asparagus were excellent. To finish things off, the carrot cake was simply exquisite. Jim, our server said it was rated number one in the area and I could not argue. Try it warmed to the point that it has fallen over. I most definitely will revisit! Jim, our sever, was an absolute model of courtesy and professionalism.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Driftlight was truly beautiful—the ambience was calm and inviting, with soft metal music setting the perfect mood. My server was phenomenal, and the food overall matched what you'd expect from a quality local steakhouse. My steak was slightly overcooked at first, but the management and server handled it with professionalism and quickly offered to remake it. Excellent service is hard to come by, and they delivered. I'd definitely recommend Driftlight to friends for both social gatherings and romantic evenings.
This is one of our favorite restaurants. Some of the very best steaks in Tampa, vibrant and classy ambience, and top notch service.
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