Chateau Cellars — Restaurant in Tampa

Drove all the way from Tarpon Springs to treat my Italian mother to an “Italian Wine tasting and dinner” the only thing Italian were the wines and Carolina. The place is beautiful, the wines and selection in their retail space were great…but the food left everyone in our table with nothing good to say, and on top of that, all six of us said we were starving after the dinner. For $150 per person, or the $88.50 per person special ($176 for 2) you shouldn’t leave starving. The people pouring the wine spilt wine everywhere on the table and brochures, for being a wine chateau the least they can do is know how to properly pour wine without making a mess. The prosciutto and melon appetizer was bland and unappetizing. The lentil soup was okay in flavor but the lentils were undercooked and crunchy. The ragú parpadelle was ice cold and undercooked, more than just Al dente, and had no flavor. The people from our table asked for cheese and red pepper and was never brought to them. My mom and I didn’t touch the pasta after the first bite and nobody asked us what was wrong and why we didn’t eat it. Same with the dessert. At least they could have asked if there was something wrong and how they could have made it better so we could have eaten something for the money we paid. I’ve had better ragú at Olive Garden and that says a lot. The “Italian dessert” promised a nice Italian chocolate cake and we got what it seemed like a cold dry brownie from Panera Bread that nobody in the table finished after one bite. Every single person in our table said the food was extremely disappointing and we talked about being extremely hungry and headed somewhere else to get dinner. After the money we all spent we really shouldn’t have be leaving so hungry. Needless to say, none of the people we met in the tasting said they would be back for another event. On the positive side, at least we made new friends with similar backgrounds and interests and now we will be visiting other food...

If you're a wine aficionado or connoisseur living in Tampa Chateau Cellars is your spot. I never knew this place was even here till recent. It's in Ybor but a few blocks away from the main strip. This place is absolutely amazing. From the people that work here to the wines to the location, literally everything is perfect about this place. Dave the manager is a stand-up guy and a wine expert. If you don't know what to get just ask him for a recommendation and he will put you on to something great that fits within your budget. They have a massive collection of Old World wines for great prices. Their food menu is perfect and pretty much has all you need when drinking wine - great selection of cheeses too! You can shop here for wine instead of supporting a monopoly like Total Wine or simply come in for a date night and enjoy a glass or two. Everyone here will take great care of you. Truly a hidden gem for people...

I decided to treat myself and splurged on a jazz night food and wine pairing event and I had a great experience for going solo. They served 5 delicious courses with 5 great wines and I was beyond full by the end and highly satisfied. I wish they poured a little more wine for the cost of the event because they all were so good but overall it was a great experience.The staff was excellent, even entertaining which was nice since I didn’t have anyone to talk to, the atmosphere very cool as it does feel like a wine cellar and the jazz band was awesome. For anyone looking to try something new, I definitely recommend it, as it’d be especially great for...