Front Porch & Bart's Tavern — Restaurant in Tampa

The house itself is charming. The porch is a nice place to eat and they even have water bowls and treats for your pet. Unfortunately I cannot say much about the meal itself. My wife and I were here on Friday afternoon, in between busy times. There were only a few tables with 2 or 3 people at each. My sister-in-law joined us shortly after we arrived just to have a drunk and hang out while we ate. My wife ordered fish gyros and I ordered the impossible burger Mid-rare. The server was big on offering upcharge items, without saying they were extra, but that's fine because I know she is trying to increase the check price and the tip. What i did not care for, was that we waited a very long time for our food, which would have been expected if it was busy, but it wasn't. My impossible burger was well-done and dry, I did mention it to the server and she said there was only 1 cook and he was slammed by the 3 tables coming in a short period. I asked for ketchup, she forgot to get it so I went inside to get it myself. I had to dip the burger in it to help moisten it up, I even mentioned that to the server and nothing was ever said about it. For $16.00 I wouldn't expect to have to drown my meal in ketchup...The fries were fine but very skimpy. At least my wife's sweet potato fries were a normal sized portion, but of course they were an extra $2.00. Once again, that was the highlight of her meal. The pita and tzatziki were good, but the fish was bad. She was very hungry and ate quickly, but she was very wary because the fish was mushy and slimy. She thought maybe it was just the batter, but realized it was old or improperly stored fish because it was not flaky at all, just a mushy texture. Her body did not agree with it very well later that evening... Her sister had been here before and said the food had been great that time, which is the only reason I didn't give it 1 star. I am going to assume we had a bad cook when we ate there. Unfortunately we won't know if other cooks would do better because we will not waste our time returning, there are too many other good choices nearby. The prices were fine, maybe a bit high, but that would be fine if the food was good, I just feel like we wasted a lot for a lousy meal. The service was lax as well, never getting a refill on tea or water, even after asking at one point. I believe she just forgot, but she was mainly inside talking...

5 years ago when I lived in the area I loved this place. I moved back 2 days ago and the first restaurant I wanted to go to was The Front Porch. I went with a friend who had never been there. We were sorely disappointed. Multiple seats were open at the bar yet all were being saved for regulars. (We went in to watch Thursday night football) The Bartender / Manager was friendly enough. I ordered a Bud Light draft. After waiting 5 mins I asked him again for the beer I had ordered ...evidently he had to get it from a different bar....if I had known I would have ordered something he had on tap at his bar. Beer arrived 10 minutes after ordering. We finally found a non reserved table with a view of the game and the waitress who approached us was obviously irritated that we already had drinks. My companion ordered a vodka and sweet tea cocktail. ..he got the cocktail and an unwanted sweet tea....and was charged for the tea. We ordered a quesadilla that when it arrived was smaller than anything Taco Bell serves. (Photo attached....would you pay $7 for this??) Plus our lovely waitress who acted like she could not be bothered with us didn't even deliver a napkin or silverware with the food, nor did she ever check back to see how the food was. At this point, as we were trying to enjoy the game our server and another attempted to move a table to accommodate a large party. As they moved the table they damn near ran directly into me (I was distracted watching the game). Their reply? "Oops ... sorry At this point I am just completely ticked. Half way through the second quarter of the game we get the check. ( we would have stayed and drank the entire game) As the server left the check she dropped it on the table while mumbling "thanks" with her back already half way turned away.

She received a .05 cent tip only because I didn't have exact change. I used to be a server and bartender myself and this is the first time I have EVER stiffed a server.

Needless to say I...

First the apology! I accidentally posted a video that had nothing to do with my experience, was a negative piece and couldnt delete it. THIS WAS NOT A REVIEW! THIS IS......

My daughter took me here and we chose to sit downstairs at the outdoor lounge to eat. They serve the full restaurant menu there. The restaurant is ground level, but above the lounge. Cute place, in or out. As a musician, i was pleased that a 3 piece band was just starting. They werent fancy, but did fairly well, good tunes, raw, but they entertained.

The meal, we split. It was a Bouillabaissie, which would have been good with pasta, but it was a big soup, so, our fault for not knowing, but if you want something filling, get something to go with it. My daughter ordered fries later, but for me they were too salty. Not their fault, my taste.

The bar situation was a little sketchy and confusing. Went to ask for ketchup, and a guy, I think was a patron, went to a guy that was NOT behind the bar, but was apparently the bartender, hanging with guests. He was asked by the patron to grab the ketchup. He actedvery confused about the question and hesitated at first. The patron led him on to behind the bar and had to point out the ketchup. The " bartender" didnt realize it was for me, so he passed ot to the patron, who had to walk it to me. Very interesting situation.

All in all, i cant say it was a bad time, or a bad restaurant. It has a very good reputation in Seminole Heights, Tampa. I cannot really give a rave review because of what my experience entailed, but I would say try it out anyway. It may be worth...