Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Bradenton

This Neighborhood Applebee's location on Cortez Rd is the closest location that we can visit. And have visited several times. Each visit brings about the same results.

Other Applebee's locations in Ellenton, and on Fruitville Rd, in Sarasota offer better dinning experiences with the Fruitville Rd being the most favored placed to dine.

The Cortez Rd. Applebee's location is ALWAYS cold the dinning area air-conditioning set for maximum cooling. On numerous occasions we have requested to be seated in booths with/near a sunny place for warth. Only the Fruitville locator had a comfortable dinning room area. Attempts at the Cortez Rd asking staff to accommodate patrons by increasing temperature was met with the response of " We keep the temperature set lower for the kitchen staff to work, and can't adjust it, sorry". During multiple visits similar responses were given. (Now we prepare by wearing/ bringing additional clothing)

This visit was more disappointing than past visits. After being seated by the host, a waitress came and took the table's drink order. Immediately, less than 1 minute after placing the order a second waitress requests our drink order again. We explain to the second server and questioned the confusion. She apologized and we continued to discuss the new menu options.

We placed our orders

All food orders were our preferred past menú options.

First a Four Cheese Mac & Cheese with Honey pepper Chicken Tenders.

A sweet and savory four-cheese penne mac & cheese topped with Applewood-smoked bacon and crispy chicken tenders tossed in honey pepper sauce. Served with a signature breadstick.

Then

Spicy honey mustard chicken sandwich.

Crispy, hand-breaded chicken breast topped with two strips of Applewood-smoked bacon on a Brioche bun with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles and spicy honey mustard for the perfect amount of heat. Served with classic fries

The last item we attempted to order was the double crunch shrimp.

Crispy battered shrimp are fried golden brown. Served with cocktail sauce and a lemon wedge. Served with signature coleslaw and fries.

The server took the order, then remarked the shrimp was unavailable. She made a recommendation for fish and chips. My companion declined replying that he preferred shrimp. They then decided on Blackened Cajun shrimp, with a side of coleslaw and onion rings.

The meals arrived promptly, the mac & cheese and sandwich were prepared satisfactory. But the server did remember to ask about the quality of the food, or to say enjoy the meal.

But the shrimp were cold almost uncooked. It took several minutes to notify any employees of the problem, we were being ignored.

Eventually our server took the shrimp back to the kitchen. She rapidly returned with the dish. This was done so quickly enough to assume that the shrimp were microwaved rather than re-prepared.

Each return visit becomes more and more disappointing. But the New NFL themed menú options clearly advertised the 'double crunch shrimp' appetizer in several times and in the main menu as well.

This franchise location seemed to be unprepared for the daily regular menu items or the Advertising of the parent company. Clearly there were shrimp available. But the staff was clearly unqualified to even dredge, and batter the shrimp for the advertised menú choices.

And the staff although friendly lacked proper professional attentiveness.

We will continue to visit Applebee's locations but this one is still lowest on the...

I'm extremely disappointed with my recent experience at Applebee's. The four cheese honey chicken tender was inedible, with dry chicken and a disgusting, watered-down cheese that was more like a mess than a topping. To make matters worse, the food arrived barely warm, which was a clear indication of how poorly it was handled. When I brought this to the attention of the back of house manager, Trey, he seemed more concerned with justifying the mistake than apologizing for it. He claimed he had personally checked the meal before it went out, which only added to my frustration. As someone who's worked as a cook at not one, but two different Applebee's locations, I know that this is not the standard of quality that should be expected from any kitchen, let alone a chain with a reputation like Applebee's. What really took the cake was Trey's lack of remorse. Despite my detailed explanation of the issues with the meal, he didn't seem to take responsibility for the mistake. Instead, he offered to replace the meal, which I declined since it was already late in the evening and would've required me to make a special trip back to the restaurant. The fact that Trey seemed more interested in defending the kitchen's mistake than in providing a solution or apology was a major letdown. As a cook myself, I understand that mistakes can happen, but it's how they're handled that really matters. In this case, the handling of the situation was completely unacceptable. Given my experience working in kitchens, I know that quality control is essential, and it's clear that Applebee's fell short in this regard. The lack of attention to detail, the subpar food quality, and the unapologetic attitude of the manager all contributed to a truly disappointing experience. I expect more from a restaurant chain like Applebee's, and I'm sad to say that this experience has left a sour taste in my mouth. One star is even generous...

A Surprising Culinary Journey in an Unexpected Place 🌟🍽️ One day while walking in a somewhat neglected industrial area I accidentally came across a small restaurant called HaSod HaKatan From the outside it looked simple and inconspicuous but something about the intriguing name drew me in When I entered I was surprised to find a tastefully designed space with a pleasant and intimate atmosphere I sat down at a small wooden table and started looking at the menu The dishes were original and interesting with unusual combinations of ingredients I hesitated a lot because everything sounded intriguing and in the end I decided to go for the daily special - pan-seared salmon fillet on a bed of quinoa with root vegetables in a citrus sauce When I received the dish I was surprised by the aesthetic and creative presentation The salmon fillet was perfectly seared with crispy skin and juicy flesh The quinoa was soft and delicately seasoned and the root vegetables were roasted just right and retained their natural sweetness The citrus sauce added a refreshing and tangy twist that blended wonderfully with the other ingredients During the meal I enjoyed the quiet and tranquility of the place It was a relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of the city The waiter was attentive and pleasant and told me that the chef is young and talented with a great passion for creating innovative dishes I left HaSod HaKatan feeling a pleasant discovery I didnt expect to find such a culinary gem in such an unexpected place The food was delicious and impressive the atmosphere was pleasant and the service was excellent I will definitely go back there soon to discover more of the small secrets that this...