Perspective Rooftop Pool Bar — Restaurant in Sarasota

Great view, but the bar staff have not been great on my visits and have overcharged me each time.

Even when there are four men behind the bar (and it seem to be the men who are the worst offenders), and no one else is waiting to be served, they tend to ignore anyone at the bar for a long time, and when they got around to serving me last time, they were somewhat surly and placed my drink so far away I had to stretch over the bar to get it.

And later, there was some very public feuding between bar staff, done loudly and in front of all the customers.

I know everyone has been through a lot this past two years, so I can only hope that all the staff here find peace in their lives and appreciation for their jobs. I would not wish anyone to be miserable every day.

And if poor management or poor pay is the cause of their apparent unhappiness, I hope someone does something to fix that.

Regarding the overcharging ...

This bar has a Happy Hour from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. But they have NEVER given me the happy hour prices until I questioned the bill. Then they acted like they forgot it was Happy Hour.

This has happened to me on three separate occasions. And this Friday (08/12/22), I mentioned it to another customer and, when she questioned her bill, they reluctantly admitted they had done it to her, too. So it does not look like it is an "accident."

Plus, they like to keep any change without asking you. My bill was $7.50 (should have been $5 during Happy Hour) but they only returned $12 to me from a $20. I tend to leave any change along with a regular tip, but it's a bit cheeky to assume that.

But they have finally put up some shade on the roof, which is a huge improvement and very necessary. Until recently, it was impossible to use this bar on a hot, or even mildly sunny, day, which is 99%...

I planned to have my wedding after party at the Perspective rooftop bar at Art Ovation in late February 2021. I spoke with the event coordinator (Christina Campo) nearly a year in advance to plan our event. I spoke with the same coordinator at 3 months and then 2 weeks before our wedding day to confirm our after party. With the changes going on with COVID, I called again the week of our wedding to confirm that the hours were the same as we previously discussed (closing at 1 AM). The person I spoke with laughed at the thought of the rooftop bar in Florida closing early for COVID and assured me that he would notify the staff of our large party coming in. After our wedding, we had the shuttles head straight to Perspective as planned. We arrived at 11:30 PM with 75 GUESTS only for the bar to tell us they were closing and just had last call. The bald manager who was working was extremely rude considering the situation. He refused to allow us to place an order for drinks. Before I wrote this review, I called Christina to allow a chance to explain the situation. She told me she notified the team to expect our large party and wasn't sure why there was a misunderstanding. She said she would talk with her team and get back to me by the following Monday. It has now been 5 months since my wedding and I haven't heard anything, not even an apology. I would not rely on Art Ovation/Perspective for events. We were very...

This place has a lot of potential, but you never know what to expect. It could be hoppin', or it could be dead. It's a large amount of space. The first area you enter is quieter so you can talk with your friends or date. There are a few private cabanas around the perimeter, and several lounging sofas throughout. The pool usually has two glowing balls floating around. It's not roped off, but I've never seen anyone swimming at night. Just beyond the pool is the bar area. The barrier is glass that you can see the town through, from 8 stories up. There are tables and chairs with umbrellas. The area is triangular shaped, with the bar running down the right side. If it is a busy night, this area will be very crowded. Plan on spending quite a bit for your cocktails. A captain and coke in a rocks glass runs about $10. There's been talk about a DJ in the space between the pool and the bar. But I'm unsure if they have been permitted for that yet. There was music playing, just no DJ. Overall, it's a cool location with great views...