Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish — Restaurant in South Pasadena

A sad, sad disappointment.

This used to be my favorite restaurant in St Pete years ago, but well… no more, after our today’s visit. The personal was visitor-unfriendly and arrogant. And all we asked was to move 2 tables together - the tables were in the corner, not near the fire exit, not in a way or passage. We had 3 ladies over 80 yo with us, on crutches - really, was it so difficult to just move 2 tables together? Any other restaurant wouldn’t have problem with respecting the age of customers. But not here. The manager flatly and rudely refused our request, I asked him if I offended him, he shouted YES! So I said I apologize, but will write a bad review. He declared I insulted him and threatened to kick us (the whole group of 6, including very old ladies!) out.

So I humbly shut up and ordered the food - I didn’t want to ruin the day for them old ladies that were with us. The fish was overcooked and dry. I should be thankful the manager didn’t spit in it.

The waitress refused to split the receipt and said she will charge the whole table. That was not very convenient. The amount was ok, but the tip was already included - written on it. It was like 15%, which I don’t mind, but she wasn’t very serving. Plus, when she was bringing us the dishes, the food was pressed to her chest - and her dress was not very clean. Still I didn’t argue, let there be a tip. So I gave her cash (they only take cash, no cards), she said ok bye guys. I asked if she was gonna bring me change, because the bills I gave her were way over the charged amount. She was genuinely surprised - “YOU WANT CHANGE??” she asked. Ok she made us wait for another like 10 minutes until she brought the change. You should have seen how furiously she was putting it on the table - and even then she made a mistake in numbers! By then I was too tired to argue. We left. We won’t come again, and won’t regret it.

Folks, concerning their food - there is nothing special. You can find much better seafood for better money. I loved to go there because I liked the atmosphere. But that was in the past and is gone.

And don’t go to their restrooms - they are stinky, dirty and tight.

If you read negative reviews here - you will notice that EVERY SINGLE TIME the management attacks reviewers. Check if I’m wrong. I bet they will immediately attack this review also. Such is the nature of arrogance.

Find another place to eat, really!

UPD Lol, the manager immediately attacked my review, just as I predicted. Wow the man’s behavior is so consistent. No remorse, no reconsideration, nothing like “well, why didn’t we really show these old ladies that we do care”. Nope.

And no, they COULD move them tables, because they were doing it for other large...

I had high hopes of trying Ted Peters for the first time, after living in the area for many years… It was Friday, February 14th, and it was around 6:45pm. I did not realize that they closed at 7:30pm until I arrived, but the staff was friendly and welcoming… They assured me that it was no problem, and happily invited me to come on in and enjoy their food. They went over the menu, which was extremely limited due to a busy Valentine’s Day. I happily ordered the smoked salmon, and it came with two sides automatically… Coleslaw and potato salad. The salmon was tender and delicious, and the potato salad was tasty. The coleslaw was a little warm (maybe room temperature), but I figured that it was just because they had to make more and it had not been chilled yet… After eating, my stomach felt uneasy but I assumed I was just full. Within a few hours, I was vomiting profusely… Could it be that they left the coleslaw out all day? I wouldn’t think it would’ve been the fish or the potato salad… I also indulged in their fish dip… I experienced all of the signs of food poisoning, as I was on the road to recovery once I was able to get everything out of my system and begin to rehydrate. As I enjoy trying new places to dine, I was sadly disappointed with my experience at this otherwise widely-known and well-loved locally iconic restaurant. Update: I was super excited to try Ted Peters, but I have received a response that contradicts the fact that they take any food poisoning claims seriously. I have not been given any empathy, help, or resolution. Ted Peters was the only food that I ate that evening, and I practice alcohol abstinence. I was quite disappointed to not receive an apology. I also indulged in their fish spread, and that is why I questioned whether it was the coleslaw or not… I am saddened… Mr. Peters himself would have had the care and decency to make sure all was ok, and whoever is running the establishment should be ashamed of their defensive, unapologetic response. I typically only give excellent reviews and not any negative ones, but I got really sick… :-( I had delivered this sad news with the kindest and most professional demeanor, but I was still met with anger and contention. I even went out of my way to recognize the kind waitress, by giving 5 stars to her and the rest of the staff encountered during my visit. Does management only respond professionally and politely to customers who give 5 star reviews? How can one strive to improve daily as a person or business, without taking the feedback of every ‘valued’...

I always read reviews before going to a restaurant and according to all the reviews I read here, this should have been a totally positive experience...but it wasn't. First, reviews talk about a friendly staff, I guess today that particular staff was on vacation. We had a rude waitress who seemed to be in a hurry even though there weren't that many people there, didn't ask if we needed anything else once the food was brought out, basically placed the food in front of us and left, had to ask afterwards for condiments and a straw. I'm not much into seafood but I do love smoked fish but since the plates are a bit pricey, I let my husband order the fish and I'd try it and if I liked it, I would order next time so I ordered the trusty burger...can't go wrong with a burger right? WRONG! Didn't ask how I wanted it cooked, came out dry tasteless, bland and lukewarm at best. Nothing on it, just placed on a dry bun, asked for lettuce, tomato, and onion (that was .75 extra) comes with no sides at all and they don't offer fries, just potato salad and at $5 for a small scoop, I passed. I've never been so disappointed in a burger in my life. My husband's Mahi Mahi was good although because it's smoked, it too was dry but the portion was good so was everything on his plate, as it should be at $25 a pop. We were there with another couple and when the bill came, it was all on one check, we asked for it to be separate checks and our rude waitress told us they don't separate checks....what? What restaurant doesn't do separate checks for different parties? She took the check back and told us she would "make it easy" for us as if we couldn't do math. Brought us back the same check and broke it down on the other side and put arrows on the totals then plopped it on our table with the arrows pointing in the direction of the amounts due for each couple. Not a good first...