We decided to go to this quaint and eclectic spot before we headed to a nearby museum. We had a large group. We made a reservation and it worked out well! We loved the coffee drinks. The latte was very nice along with regular brew. We had the French onion soup, the huevos rancheros, chicken schnitzel, chicken salad sandwich and the broccolini sandwich on a Cuban roll. I wished the roll was toasted. The side salad was overly dressed and extremely sour. Other dishes were well liked. Our server “Joe” was fantastic and took good care of us.
Madison was my server and was an absolute angel in disguise. After a very long day, and after going through a very difficult time, I just wanted to visit one of my favorite restaurants. I have a great memory tied to this restaurant and felt that visiting for lunch would make my situation better. As I sat crying at the communal high top, I ordered a bottle of Pellegrino and a wedge salad. After crying and explaining the situation to Madison my server, she paid for my meal and told me everything would be ok. It gave me so much faith in humanity. As always Willa’s remains at the top of my list of places to visit in Tampa.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kaira Garrett
When we arrived the hostesses asked us if we’d like a table or to sit at the bar, we sat at the bar and the bartender wasn’t really spritely. I get she was busy, but she didn’t greet us nor did she introduce herself. She gave us the menus and asked us if we’ve been there before and if we’d like to order. We let her know it was our first time there so she said let her know if we had any questions from the menu. While we waited for our food we asked for spring water and she said there wasn’t any, but I found some in their min fridge across from us at the bar. She apologized though. Then she put in an order for hot matcha tea instead of iced like I asked. She wasn’t really attentive, but was nice, we talked to her a bit and her demeanor changed from tense to chill. My boyfriend had to ask her, her name and it is Cass.
The food was good for the most part, I really liked the potato onion latkes. The roasted chicken frites was yummy, but the skin needed more crisp and if it didn’t have the garlic aioli on it; it would have been unseasoned. My boyfriend’s scrambled eggs were watery and he had to send it back two times, but his sourdough French toast was superb. I actually wanted his food instead of mine. The ambiance was chill themed and vibey. Not bad for a French cuisine.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Sourdough French Toast
Tammy Olivier
Our waitress was soooo sweet!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pelin Güneş
Celebrated the bday of a friend here with a pretty large group. We all enjoyed the ambiance and the service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bagel
cosmic confusion
Walked in, more than half the restaurant was empty. I was told it was a 30 min wait unless we sat at there very uncomfortable bar seats Only 5 minutes before completing our meal were most tables full and still a good many were empty. The food ranged from ghastly to acceptable. One of us ordered hanger steak and eggs. Ordered the steak mid rare but once we got it the center felt fridge cold yet the outside was basically burnt. Very expensive considering the quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Bill Waller
Truly enjoyed dining at Willa's with my lovely bride. The food was uniquely delicious and the ingredients were fresh and tasty. The atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed and the service was friendly and efficient. An excellent dining experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Schnitzel
Dan Hazy
This diner is ok, I assume it is catering to a more upscale consumer without really being upscale. nothing special, prices are higher than expected. Overall, I was not impressed. It was loud, and there was no special atmosphere. The food was nothing special. I expect the main draw might be location. I was disappointed and would not recommend it.
Kid-friendliness: Ok, but not really recommended
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Caleb Fuddy
One of my favorite spots in town. Always on point!
My visit today was not exactly what I expected after reading the reviews. We were not greeted at all upon walking in and were left standing next to two ladies. They told me they had been waiting for 10 minutes and not sure where the hostess was because the front stand had been left unattended (?). I assume this was because the restaurant was a little busy but it began to set the tone for the rest of my experience here. Once we were seated, our waitress, Bailey, was very friendly and helpful- which I really appreciated. Her customer service was great, she was well-informed about the menu, and her personality all definitely saved my experience here. However, something I could not help but to notice was that it was very hard to tell who was an actual employee and who was also dining in. That being said, I understand this place seems to be aiming for a “laid-back” vibe, but I feel like there should be some level of professionalism in the servers’ dress code (i.e This is the first restaurant I’ve been to where a FoH employee was wearing gym shorts?). This is something else I tried to brush off because I understand that, while working long shifts, you want to be comfortable but it made it a little harder to get a server’s attention for water & sauce refills, etc and it did not match the ambience. Something as simple as name tags (even if it is an alias) or a waist apron could definitely help avoid other customers feeling the same way. To review the actual food, I felt that the menu was a little limited but I was able to find a few plates that sounded good. I found the food, especially the sides to be over priced for the portions given. However, I feel that I was a bit at fault when it came to ordering because, although what I ordered (Salmon bagel) was underwhelming, the plates of the table next to us looked appealing. The matcha lemonade was surprisingly delicious, I would have never thought to combine the two. It was probably the best-tasting thing I had at Willa’s. The iced americano was just okay. I would pass on the broccolini & cabbage side salad. The fries were pretty good but the garlic aioli did not stand out. At the end of our meal, we did end up waiting almost half an hour for the checks to be brought out but it left us time to talk amongst ourselves. I really wished I enjoyed my visit here a lot more but everything about the place was just average.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
laura
Solid 3. The prices are really unjustified for the quality and portion size of the food. I got a Nate’s Plate, which was $25 for scrambled eggs, avocado, salmon, and latkes (which were no better than McDonald’s hash browns). It was very fatty and I ended up feeling sluggish, but not full. Also the waiters are indiscernible from regular people, our busboy looked like he just clocked in after a run. It’s confusing when you can’t tell who works here and who’s a customer, and it definitely makes the vibe less elevated/fancy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Natalie Oleary
LOOOOOVE Willas -- the food is consistently amazing, the drinks are *chefs kiss*, and Joe the gay waiter will be the reason my partner and I will keep coming back. 10+ stars!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aaron Vogler
Fix your website, it's bad and unintuitive. WYSIWYG the thing, pls, the menu is a disaster, bet the food's great. Won't be coming in until you fix your website.
All the best, Aaron
Judy R
Great place. Nice laid back but yet classy atmosphere. Service was great. Food was delicious.
We decided to go to this quaint and eclectic spot before we headed to a nearby museum. We had a large group. We made a reservation and it worked out well! We loved the coffee drinks. The latte was very nice along with regular brew. We had the French onion soup, the huevos rancheros, chicken schnitzel, chicken salad sandwich and the broccolini sandwich on a Cuban roll. I wished the roll was toasted. The side salad was overly dressed and extremely sour. Other dishes were well liked. Our server “Joe” was fantastic and took good care of us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Broccolini, Chicken Schnitzel, Huevos Rancheros, Chicken Salad Sandwich
Great atmosphere and the best grits I’ve had in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Madison was my server and was an absolute angel in disguise. After a very long day, and after going through a very difficult time, I just wanted to visit one of my favorite restaurants. I have a great memory tied to this restaurant and felt that visiting for lunch would make my situation better. As I sat crying at the communal high top, I ordered a bottle of Pellegrino and a wedge salad. After crying and explaining the situation to Madison my server, she paid for my meal and told me everything would be ok. It gave me so much faith in humanity. As always Willa’s remains at the top of my list of places to visit in Tampa.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
When we arrived the hostesses asked us if we’d like a table or to sit at the bar, we sat at the bar and the bartender wasn’t really spritely. I get she was busy, but she didn’t greet us nor did she introduce herself. She gave us the menus and asked us if we’ve been there before and if we’d like to order. We let her know it was our first time there so she said let her know if we had any questions from the menu. While we waited for our food we asked for spring water and she said there wasn’t any, but I found some in their min fridge across from us at the bar. She apologized though.
Then she put in an order for hot matcha tea instead of iced like I asked.
She wasn’t really attentive, but was nice, we talked to her a bit and her demeanor changed from tense to chill. My boyfriend had to ask her, her name and it is Cass.
The food was good for the most part, I really liked the potato onion latkes. The roasted chicken frites was yummy, but the skin needed more crisp and if it didn’t have the garlic aioli on it; it would have been unseasoned. My boyfriend’s scrambled eggs were watery and he had to send it back two times, but his sourdough French toast was superb. I actually wanted his food instead of mine. The ambiance was chill themed and vibey.
Not bad for a French cuisine.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Sourdough French Toast
Our waitress was soooo sweet!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Celebrated the bday of a friend here with a pretty large group. We all enjoyed the ambiance and the service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bagel
Walked in, more than half the restaurant was empty. I was told it was a 30 min wait unless we sat at there very uncomfortable bar seats Only 5 minutes before completing our meal were most tables full and still a good many were empty. The food ranged from ghastly to acceptable. One of us ordered hanger steak and eggs. Ordered the steak mid rare but once we got it the center felt fridge cold yet the outside was basically burnt. Very expensive considering the quality.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Truly enjoyed dining at Willa's with my lovely bride. The food was uniquely delicious and the ingredients were fresh and tasty. The atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed and the service was friendly and efficient. An excellent dining experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Schnitzel
This diner is ok, I assume it is catering to a more upscale consumer without really being upscale. nothing special, prices are higher than expected. Overall, I was not impressed. It was loud, and there was no special atmosphere. The food was nothing special. I expect the main draw might be location. I was disappointed and would not recommend it.
Kid-friendliness: Ok, but not really recommended
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
One of my favorite spots in town. Always on point!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My visit today was not exactly what I expected after reading the reviews. We were not greeted at all upon walking in and were left standing next to two ladies. They told me they had been waiting for 10 minutes and not sure where the hostess was because the front stand had been left unattended (?). I assume this was because the restaurant was a little busy but it began to set the tone for the rest of my experience here. Once we were seated, our waitress, Bailey, was very friendly and helpful- which I really appreciated. Her customer service was great, she was well-informed about the menu, and her personality all definitely saved my experience here. However, something I could not help but to notice was that it was very hard to tell who was an actual employee and who was also dining in. That being said, I understand this place seems to be aiming for a “laid-back” vibe, but I feel like there should be some level of professionalism in the servers’ dress code (i.e This is the first restaurant I’ve been to where a FoH employee was wearing gym shorts?). This is something else I tried to brush off because I understand that, while working long shifts, you want to be comfortable but it made it a little harder to get a server’s attention for water & sauce refills, etc and it did not match the ambience. Something as simple as name tags (even if it is an alias) or a waist apron could definitely help avoid other customers feeling the same way. To review the actual food, I felt that the menu was a little limited but I was able to find a few plates that sounded good. I found the food, especially the sides to be over priced for the portions given. However, I feel that I was a bit at fault when it came to ordering because, although what I ordered (Salmon bagel) was underwhelming, the plates of the table next to us looked appealing. The matcha lemonade was surprisingly delicious, I would have never thought to combine the two. It was probably the best-tasting thing I had at Willa’s. The iced americano was just okay. I would pass on the broccolini & cabbage side salad. The fries were pretty good but the garlic aioli did not stand out. At the end of our meal, we did end up waiting almost half an hour for the checks to be brought out but it left us time to talk amongst ourselves. I really wished I enjoyed my visit here a lot more but everything about the place was just average.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Solid 3. The prices are really unjustified for the quality and portion size of the food. I got a Nate’s Plate, which was $25 for scrambled eggs, avocado, salmon, and latkes (which were no better than McDonald’s hash browns). It was very fatty and I ended up feeling sluggish, but not full.
Also the waiters are indiscernible from regular people, our busboy looked like he just clocked in after a run. It’s confusing when you can’t tell who works here and who’s a customer, and it definitely makes the vibe less elevated/fancy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
LOOOOOVE Willas -- the food is consistently amazing, the drinks are *chefs kiss*, and Joe the gay waiter will be the reason my partner and I will keep coming back. 10+ stars!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fix your website, it's bad and unintuitive. WYSIWYG the thing, pls, the menu is a disaster, bet the food's great. Won't be coming in until you fix your website.
All the best,
Aaron
Great place. Nice laid back but yet classy atmosphere.
Service was great.
Food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
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