Fresh Harvest Buffet (in Seminole Hard Rock Tampa) — Restaurant in Temple Terrace

We have been there a few times now, always for the weekend brunch. This is a review on BRUNCH. It is a great buffet and perfect for special occasions. This review is lengthy due to the cost of eating here so people know what to expect; good and bad.

I'd first like to say the Hard Rock has a HUGE footprint (so make sure you're not parking on the wrong side of the property) and a HUGE buffet with endless options and features; it's doubtful you could go and have room to try everything in one visit. I'll mention more about the features later.

The wait staff seems to run pretty tight and always does great keeping drinks full and tables cleared; do tip them! Standard beverages are included with the price so no worries going from OJ to icetea to soda, and then coffee after dessert, not to mention endless mimosas and champagne with brunch!

The buffet is GREAT as a whole however, I honestly feel that it's under managed and needs someone from BOH floor walking constantly from the customer's perspective across the departments. I always see items on the buffet, especially the dessert area, that are past their prime. The sushi/Asian section seems like an after thought and is underwhelming imo, it never seems to get replenished with any kind of urgency or look "Fresh."

Another thing I'd like to say is Eggs Benedict and brunch go hand in hand. So much so that many look forward to it including my wife. Personally it's not one of my favorites due to making it 1000s of times and knowing the butter content of hollandaise sauce; but, I've tried it on each visit. It's a hard dish to do as a buffet item because the muffins so easily turn hard as a rock, Fresh Harvest is not immune to this. Eggs Benedict should be part of an an action station. Not only that but there is so much vinegar used in the water poaching the eggs that it's all you can taste.

Some other things worth note.... Kids are welcome, it is a hotel/resort after all. It is very accommodating to those with mobility issues; there is an elevator and bathrooms close, the buffet areas are not crowded with ample clearance for all. For those with allergies or who are smoke sensitive ... it is a casino afterall, smoke rises and Fresh Harvest is on the 2nd floor; you can smell it. If concerned by: mobility issues, children, or allergies I would call before arrival for info on the shortest distance from parking to Fresh Harvest. Regardless I'd recommend parking on the South side of the property off of Orient Rd in the Draper Place Garage. Also be forewarned that there is a time limit of 90min for "brunch" but we have never been rushed out.

And as promised some buffet features for BRUNCH included to my recollection but are not limited to: a charcuterie station with excellent meats and cheeses side by side with an Italian station; a "meats" section with bacon, sausage, ham, ect + biscuits and gravy and a Carver cutting beef; a salad and fruit station with bagels and lox with the whole spread; an egg station where a cook will make you an omelette or eggs to order (over easy, sunny side up, ect); a "toaster" area where you can make your own toast, with other ”bready” items; a seafood and raw bar with muscles, clams, oysters, and shrimp, 2 kinds of seafood based soup, and they will steam anything raw you want cooked; an Asian section with 2 soups, fish, sushi, dumplings; and mixed dishes; a "grill" area that includes lamb, flank steak, chicken, fish, with a "Mongolian buffet" and a made to order mini burger/slider station; then there is the dessert area ... which is HUGE and includes a made to order crepes station, and an icecream bar that will make you banana splits, milkshakes, malts, ect.

All in all for a special day or event Fresh Harvest is a nice treat worth the money and parking hassle. AND SINCE YOU'VE READ THROUGH ALL OF THIS ... make sure everyone in your party over 18yo finds and signs up for the Player's Club because it gets you $5 off per person ......

My girl and I have been there twice. Once for brunch once for dinner. I’m giving the food a rating of a three and the service and atmosphere a rating of a five. We went there for brunch the first time and it was average. We went there for dinner and it was a lot better. Our servers were amazing both times and the atmosphere was enjoyable. I’m trying to keep this brief when it comes to the food. Both shish kebabs were dry and bland. I thought the pizza was ok. I’ve had pizza in other casinos and it tastes pretty much the same. The breaded chicken was average and it could be seasoned just a little bit better. I thought the prime rib and the ribs had a good taste to them. I had a steak taco with some cheese and the red sauce and it didn’t do anything for me. I’m thinking the steak kind should have some kind of Mexican seasoning on it. I do agree with most of the reviews that yes years ago the buffet was better. I remember the flank steak and the crab legs. I know the buffet is troubleshooting everything right now and they will improve it as time goes by. Last thing I will touch on is the desserts. I think most of the desserts were pretty good, but I tried a red velvet cupcake and the cream cheese icing was too tangy for me and it should have been sweeter. I tried a chocolate chip cookie and it taste like flour. I remember their cookies back in the day and they were amazing. The cookie recipe changed drastically for some reason. That chocolate chip cookie pretty much taste like a Walmart chocolate chip cookie, and it should not taste like that. The food quality and quantity was better the second time around than the first time we went. The first time we went there for brunch I noticed some breakfast foods that don’t get rotated fast enough seem to dry up and I’m sure they’re watching what moves and what doesn’t. I’m giving this a honest rating of a four. After the first time going in for brunch it was nothing to write home about. The second time we went I felt a lot better with the food choices and tried some different things than what I tried the first time we went. It might be a little expensive I agree, especially if you’re not higher up on the card level. Before they opened up I heard they were going to only be open four days a week and I think they’re going through a process of troubleshooting everything. I think the food quality and quantity will get better over time and they will find out from reviews what’s good and what needs...

Review: Fresh Harvest - Hard Rock, Tampa

You made this fat girl sad...

I used to love this place and would often give my husband a grin to talk him into a casino trip. It wasn't hard to do. But, a few months ago I was disappointed by the quality of the food so we stopped coming as often. Last week something made me think of it and I asked to go again. I should have grinned for something else.

I do admit to having some food (and control) issues but usually at a buffet I can find something I can eat and not tick off my belly too much. I couldn't do that here. I started with the salad bar, again something I usually really enjoy at the Fresh Harvest and today nothing was fresh. All lettuce options were wilted, the bar itself was messy, and several topping options were empty as was the soup. I skipped the lettuce type salad and grabbed a cucumber hummus bowl with a pita piece sticking out of the top (cool, I like hummus). No not cool, the hummus was warm (eww) and the pita was seriously rock hard ( I took the thing back out of my mouth and handed it to my husband "Try to bite this." - He loves me. He tried and handed it back whole with a face.). This went on and on. Many, many items were just sad or old. I ended up eating mostly desserts which Fresh Harvest does well. My husband, who will eat about anything, even had a few items he gave up on.

Did I complain to management? No. I probably would have told one how I felt if they had stopped by to ask and for a while I was thinking about stopping a manager if I saw one but when I did see one they were dealing with a drunk man and I didnt want to add to. And, I asked myself what would I have wanted them to do? Fix it all? Yeah, I do. So I can go back. (I also don't want a manager to think I am wanting a free meal. My personal worry and issue? Maybe.)

The buffet isnt cheap - about $30 a person weekdays. Way more on weekends. If you expect people to pay that much, it needs to be worth it.

Would I go back? Sigh... I probably will one more time and that is honestly because I love what it used to be. It was honestly one of those times when my food service background kicks in and I wanted to walk around and fix things. Also, this is one of my favorite places to take people who are visiting and a trip to the casino and an "oh wow" buffet was always nice.

Please fix it.

BTW... the salt and pepper shakers were...