Older origional post with a higher star rating: Nice place, parking is terrible.
Edit: Be careful sitting outside, birds perched everywhere above you. Our table top received bird poop 3 times, 1 on a plate and silverware and 1 on the head in our group to total 5 gifts from above. Hula Bay seems to do nothing to keep the birds from perching above you and just say sorry. Kinda ruins the appetite and mood of the place. Yuck!
You’ll have to beg to get service at the restaurant and/or bar area. Food service is slow and the prices are above what you'd expect. Not saying it's expensive, just that it's over priced taking everything into account. If you want 1 drink and watch the sunset, this place will work for you. You'll have to valet. If it wasn’t one of the few venues in Tampa on the water (and with boat access which is nice), this place wouldn’t be in business. After several years going here, we've come to the conclusion it won't improve and that's a shame.
Six months ago the waiter forgot about me and my 92 year old mother, not once, but twice! It took over a half hour just to take our order. I swore I would never go back! Deciding to try again, I went two days ago. We were seated at 4:50 pm, with no one else in the restaurant. After 15 minutes we had to get up and ask for the manager. No one even took our drink order. If you are sitting inside, they completely ignore you. Food is mediocre to start with, don't waste your time on the service.
We come here very often and LOVE it! Easily our favorite spot. Great food/drinks and great staff. It can be pricey depending on what you get but it is so worth it. The last time we came we brought our Chihuahua to the outdoor seating area and the staff made sure it was a great experience for us, the people around us, and even our dog! Nearly every time we are here, I see a dolphin off the dock! Will keep coming back here!
Great Food and Atmosphere. Plus it is on the water with a great view. This place has military discount. My favorite restaurant in South Tampa.
Parking is horrible. 2 inch water puddle in front of entrance. Shrimp over cooked. My "blackened" grouper wasn't. Waitress was a bit distracted elsewhere ( I guess) since I had to keep waiting for my empty drink to be refilled. Perceived value. overpriced for the food. View is nice but doesn't compensate for the quality of the food/service we received. Hate to say it, but would have been better off eating at Red Lobster.
Very nice eating experience. We enjoyed our Crab Cake Sliders and Crunchy Grouper Nuggets. Both quite tasty and prepared fresh. Server was very attentive and thorough.
Food was quite good, though it seemed the fish portion was smaller than expected and the wedge fries were there to make the plate seem fuller. Service was efficient. Price is what I expect for the area. Not crowded since it was a weeknight. Needs another try for me to go to five stars.
Took a chance, stopped in just for a little shade. This was the best chance stopping ever! Ross, the bartender was extremely welcoming, provided great service and was just the best host. I have the strawberry salad. It was exceptional Huge slices of fruit. Thanks Ross, may be back next week for the pool. This time, I will have my suit. LOL
One of my favourite palaces in Tampa! Food and drinks are good and reasonably priced. There is also a separate bar area which gives a great warm weather beach vibe for those who don't want food. The views here are amazing!
Great outdoor an indoor seating. Located on the water. Friendly, prompt and accurate staff. Variety of choices; excellent selection of fish & crustaceans. Amazing mix of flavors; had the scallops and smothered fish. The scallops were perfectly cooked with a citrus sauce. Great presentation.
Nice place by the water, but it's in a kind of industrial area and not well marked. I had a business lunch here, and the service was ridiculously bad. It wasn't even that busy, but for some reason it took forever and some coaxing to get our drinks, order our food, get empty glasses refilled, etc. Just a really slow and inattentive staff. It wasn't that busy and we noted some of them standing around and sometimes seemingly confused. Food was just so-so, without enough varied choices on the menu. More expensive than it's worth, in my opinion. There are better choices in the area.
While the food and views of the Hula Bay Club are fantastic, the staff is no where to be found, far too often standing in a gaggle waiting for Something. They are extremely courteous, don't misunderstand, but they take far too long. One time they told us they just needed a pen and we didn't see them for nearly fifteen minutes. And no one else was being served, ordering, or really even there yet.
I want to be blunt. The Hula Bay Club is great for a gathering. As long as you don't need to be anywhere quickly. They take far too long, regardless of the quality of the food. I didn't even get a refill during my visit.
If there is a meeting at the beginning of the day, management needs to schedule it before serving hours. If you need to excuse yourself, find a stand in. If you are just slammed, which they weren't, at least stop by an let us know you're getting to us. I
If you visit Tampa, you'd be crazy not to visit Hula Bay! Right on the water with inside and outside seating. Family friendly. Excellent food; tastes great and excellent presentation! Also serves excellent drinks! This is the nicest restaurant I've been to in a long time!