Gasparilla Pizzeria & Growlers — Restaurant in Florida

I couldn't wait to update my review after my 3rd visit today. It just happened to be after their latest expansion project. It was perfect timing because now I can report that it is so much bigger inside. They added a craft beer bar area, and there is lots of indoor and outdoor seating. I mean, it feels very open and comfortable now. They also have a refrigerated section with various cans of craft beer where you can create your own six pack as well. All of this is right in my neighborhood, and I'm so excited about this.

So, my first visit was at the end of 2020 when they first opened. They hadn't incorporated the beer yet. What I got at that time was the same thing I got today. I was super happy with the eggplant parm garlic knot sliders, and I was craving them today. I also ordered the chicken parm sliders for my husband. I decided to order a beer while everything was being prepared since the layout looked so much more inviting. Also, the current brews on tap looked really good. Unsure of what I wanted, the bartender offered me a sample of two that I was considering. One was the Carrot Cake À La Mode by Untitled Art and the other was Fuzzy Peach Tea Gose by Infinite Ale Works. She was so friendly and helpful, and we talked a little about the remodel which added so much more space. I'm so happy for them! Anyway, I ended up getting the gose even though I liked both of the beers.

I also noticed lots of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Bolts memorabilia. The beer flight set caught my eye immediately. Yep, they are mugs shaped like a rancor's tooth from the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge movie. It's unique, right? I haven't seen it before today. I was also drawn to Star Trek stuff as well. Everything felt so open and comfortable at the bar. There was even a compact fan that was keeping me nice and cool. Hey, it's Florida. What can I say? The gose beer from a brewery in Ocala was also very refreshing. I'd get it again. My order was ready as I finished my glass of beer. The staff brought it to me hot and fresh. Everyone was great! I live nearby, so the sliders were still hot when I got home.

The sliders were excellent. Just like the first time I tried them. You get 4 large garlic knot sliders in each order. It's a very good portion. My husband seemed to like his chicken parm sliders. He didn't have to say anything to me. I saw him very carefully wrapping up his 2 leftover chicken parm sliders to save them for dinner. They were wrapped like prized possessions. I also must mention that the pizza and salad are also very good. We have ordered the 18" Big Daddy pizza in the past. I remember that it was delicious. The salads are enough for 2 people. I think the strawberry salad was my favorite but you can't go wrong with the Greek salad either. Both were pretty good.

It's located in Plaza Bella with Shrimp Boat, Sweetie's Delights, Naga Tea, and Green Boutique in Brandon/Valrico. This plaza is kind of like my one-stop place to go in my neighborhood when I don't want to be out and about too long. I'm looking forward to dining inside next time. I do want to try more menu items, but it's just so difficult for me to pass up the eggplant...

I was searching for a nearby pizza place and came across Gasparilla through Google. Based on the good reviews, I called to ask if they did dine in. I was told yes, but was not advised the air conditioner was not working. Florida heat is no joke, especially during the summer. A heads up by the person that answered the phone would’ve been nice. In any event I decided to go with my two young granddaughters, my mother and teenage cousin with special needs. As soon as we walked in we could feel the stuffiness and commercial fans on. Why didn’t we walk out that instant?! We were hungry, had been running errands and thought pizza at an empty restaurant wouldn’t take long. Think again! We waited over 40 mins for three lunch specials and 5 piece wings with a basket of fries! When I asked the first time around, which had been 34 mins into waiting, I was told they didn’t recall me have being there that long. That was “not” a great answer to my question. Amanda, our waitress, never bothered to stop and ask us if we were doing ok, so she would’ve had no recollection of time because she didn’t care to keep track of it! I had to flag her down when we needed something. I on the other hand knew exactly when I had walked in. When addressing it to the bartender I was given a little attitude because apparently I can’t tell time! I was told some bologna about them having to cook an entire pie, second time I got up to ask, I was told it was some other bologna of the Sicilian two slices we ordered! So which one was it?! The pizza that should’ve been ready to begin with because it’s lunch special or the sicilian lie?! There were no refills offered while we waited, no to go boxes, no manager coming out to apologize, no manners or customer service skills whatsoever. I normally have a lot of patience when it comes to customer service nowadays and giving the person the benefit of the doubt. They may be having a bad day or something may be going on, respecting the fact that we all have those days. In this case there was no doubt that on behalf of Amanda and the female bartender, which I also spoke to, there was no consideration of our time, the diversity of my party and/or keeping us informed without me having to follow up twice within a 30 to 45 min span for “lunch specials!” Won’t be returning and will not be telling my family or friend’s...

This was our first visit. We arrived, with a party of 5, at 8:40pm. We were sat during trivia night, we didn’t know the theme might since we had not been there before. That was okay. The waitress was extremely rude and told us that we were late and the kitchen ended service and 9:00pm and we needed to hurry with our order. We did. Order in at 8:49. The establishment was Extremely loud. We like loud music, but we were sat in the back and flanked by all the game consoles as well as the tvs. There were many more open tables .It was so loud! We couldn’t even hear eachother sitting inched from one another. From all sides. We didn’t say anything until trivia night was done and we were the only table occupied in the establishment. We, respectfully, asked once everyone was gone if we could have the music turned down. We couldn’t even hear the person sitting next to us at our table. The waitress told us, “Thursday nights are trivia nights and loud.”. We understood that since we hadn’t been there before and We stated the trivia night had ended as we were the only party in the entire place. Everyone had left. It was obvious they were annoyed we were there. Our total time in established was less than 45 mins. Food was good, but I will never go back because of our experience. The music was never turned down even though there were no other parties in the...