Muelle Marino FJ Riverview — Restaurant in Riverview

AC condensation dripped into our dishes (which we still paid for at full price), some dishes were poorly prepared and some just packed a lot of what is expected out of the dish. My husband's order was good and the ceviche was mostly great, but every other dish we ordered had some significant flaw and the price point is on par with much nicer Peruvian restaurants in the Tampa area. All in all, the experience was entirely disappointing.

Edited to add specifics: The hominy in the ceviche had an off texture, not like it should be, but otherwise, the ceviche had great flavor and texture. I liked the shrimp in the tostone cups, but they were very hard, not crispy, so difficult to eat and no one else in my party enjoyed them. The tamale was very dry with almost nothing but masa, so it didn't really have any redeeming qualities. Yuca frita was fine, nothing spectacular, but I don't need it to be anything beyond what it is, however, the tostones were so dry and hard. The waitress had a hard time understanding what I was asking for when pointing to a picture on the menu and brought what she assumed it to be, it wasn't, but either way, the sushi items were so sweet. I wasn't expecting it to be like a sushi restaurant, but I definitely did not expect that. The pasta and steak dish had an incredible bland sauce that had no garlic flavor, nor any other herbs, just a flat, barely tasted like spinach flavor and the pasta itself was overcooked. The steak that accompanied it was tough and not flavorful. The steak in the lomo saltado was okay, but the vegetables were cooked to mushy and not stirfried with the fries (which weren't really crispy enough to hold up to a sauce anyway). The rice was perfect though! Seasoned just right and the texture was excellent! Not enough places get the rice just right. The sauce on the lomo saltado was great as well. Now, whatever my husband ordered was incredible! That had all the flavor and the rice and beans were excellent with it. The only complaint I have with that dish is it was served pouring off of the sides of the plate, which, yes, makes it look heaping and abundant, but it also feels messy and makes it hard to not have more food fall off when eating. Also to note, the issue of the AC condensation dripping onto the plates and table should not be taken lightly as many harmful bacteria can be present. The server seemed pretty indifferent about the situation and it definitely detracted from the experience of going out to eat. Normally, service and atmosphere don't matter so much to me, but this is actually a pretty serious matter and no one should be sat under the dripping vents and no food should have the liquid from the vents dripped into and still intended for consumption. At the price point and standard of my favorite dish, I cannot see returning when there are other Peruvian restaurants I haven't tried and others that I know are good. Yes, we ordered a lot of food, but for $200 before tip, in this economy, I cannot see the value in returning myself. You seem to do well enough business though and might consider applying some money and efforts into improving that old building for the patrons you have. Good...

This is a newer place and it is different if you are looking to break from monotony. They are a different kind of Hispanic food as it is a Peruvian restaurant. They are just north of the Alafia River on 301 and right by the new marina that is on the river. Before you enter the restaurant you get the idea that you are going to experience something different because their windows are decorated with beautiful pictures of Peruvian landscape. Upon entering, you see that it is nicely decorated to set a mood of an exotic experience from Peru. They have flags, and televisions playing videos of beautiful Peruvian landscapes. The music in the background also helps to set the mood with Latin music. We had to ask for help when it comes to certain items on the menu (not most) because we did not recognize certain words of food that different than other Latin food we've had. There were four of us in our party and we ordered steak with different kinds of rice and beans, yuca and some seafood (pictures included). We've been there twice now and we'd go back. The prices were good for the very large portions they serve. No matter where you go, sea food is a little more expensive so we thought that was about what we've seen in other places too. Some things to note... The atmosphere and mood changes very quickly there when the soccer game comes on... They are soccer fans so when the game comes on, the music is turned off and the televisions all go to soccer with volume that is a bit distracting if you aren't into the game and instead want to talk with those at your table. That's cool if you advertise as a pub but they don't... to be honest lots of people around us were totally into the game but a few others, like us, weren't. Still, it wasn't a deal-breaker for us or anyone else that I could tell. I think they are still figuring some things out as a newer establishment but we've found them to be worth visiting a couple...

I had high hopes for Muelle Marino FJ but unfortunately, my experience fell far short of expectations. Having read several reviews warning about slow service, I decided to call my order in ahead of time. I was told it would be ready in 30 minutes, so I arrived about 25 minutes later, expecting only a short wait.

However, upon arrival, I was informed that my food would take another 15-20 minutes. I understand delays happen—no big deal. But then 20 minutes passed. Then 30. Then 40. In the end, I waited 50 minutes at the restaurant, making it a total of an hour and 15 minutes from when I placed my order to when I finally received my food.

What made the wait worse was the complete lack of communication from the staff. The restaurant wasn’t busy, and the number of employees on duty exceeded the number of diners. Yet, not once did anyone acknowledge the delay, apologize, or even offer me a glass of water while I waited.

Sadly, the food didn’t make up for the poor service. It was edible, but far from enjoyable. Nothing about the meal made the long wait feel even remotely worth it. If the service had been the only issue, I might have considered giving them another chance. But with food that was lackluster at best, I see no reason to return.

Would I recommend Muelle Marino FJ? No. There are plenty of other restaurants that respect their customers’ time and serve food worth...