Hales Blackbrick Hyde Park — Restaurant in Tampa

4 of us had NYE dinner there because 2 of us previously visited their 1st location and was impressed with their food and service. However, this dinner was a huge disappointment in virtually all aspects of the visit. We had 2 orders of the egg roll, char siu pork belly, fried yuca, salt & pepper squid, dan dan noodles, Yangzhou fried rice and the whole duck. The positives:, char siu pork belly and Yangzhou fried rice because both of them tasted good and came out with proper temperature. The negatives: service was lacking until the crowd thinned out. Our server was clearly in the weeds when we sat down, he had way too many tables to handle. The service started so bad that our drink orders came out after the 1st dish had arrived. I had to ask him where were our drinks. Also, I made mention the poor quality of the egg rolls to 2 staff member who asked how was our food, nothing was done to rectify it...sad the management clearly didn't care enough about that. The rest of the food....most disappointing were the egg rolls because they came out lukewarm and soggy (unlike our 1st experience which I told everyone it was the best egg roll of my life!!!), 2nd most disappointing was the whole duck which the restaurant clearly advertised it as Peking duck. It was very much a false advertisement because they skin was not crispy nor was the skin properly separated from the meat. Also, for $93, I am not sure if they served us a juvenile duck because there were may be (from memory) 20 small slices of meat with skin attached. Then there was the $30 dan dan nooodle (not authentic but at least the fusion flavor works and it came out hot), I understand shrinkflation but its portion size took that word to a whole new level. Salt & pepper squid came out barely warm and under-seasoned (may be that's just my taste buds), fried yuca also came out barely warm. We saw the head chef came out to speak to a couple of tables which I think was a nice touch. But what's more important? Quality of the food that you charge a premium price for or rubbing elbows with your guests? That should be your GM's job. Other than that, for a meal that I was so looking forward to based on my 1st experience, it was beyond disappointment! Also, I know that I made mention of the prices of a couple of items, none of that would have been a problem had I felt the food they served us justified them. I think our meal came to just over $600 with tips included and I left hungry...lol. We didn't order any fancy drinks, bottles of...

Update to the owners response: In response to the owners comment on my review. There was no mention of race. Rap music is a genre of music created by people of many different races.Do you use this race card, victim mentality in all situations where you aren't able to tolerate someone's preferences, whether music or otherwise? Not liking provacative rap music while eating is racist? This is honestly one of the strangest things I've heard. I never said it has no place in fine dining, as your comment said , either but if I did that still wouldn't be racist. I'm not sure of you're familiar with adjectives but the key word was "strange". It's easy to call someone racist as a buzzword, despite them not mentioning anything about race instead of having a substantive conversation regarding your customers opinion about your food and atmosphere. Further, regarding the rap music, it's off putting to listen to a song about someone's " lady lumps in the back and in the front" while youre eating. I would also like to mention the person rapping in that song is white. In fact it was racist to imply that any certain race is singularly associated with rap music. So congratulations you've made yourself look like a race baiting, uneducated victim in front of all your customers when you could have just said "I'm sorry you didn't like the food and music hope you try us again". This was extremely disappointing. The menu seemed promising but the food was really bad and way overpriced for what it was. Honestly, I would have rather had the Chinese food in some Florida Publix Plaza. On top of that, they play strange rap music while trying to sell themselves as fine dining. It feels like an opposing vibe to the...

Yesterday was my very first time dining at Hales Black Brick in Tampa, and honestly, it was an experience I’ll never forget. From the moment I walked in, the atmosphere had this wonderful balance of warmth and elegance — it immediately set the tone for the night.

The dishes were absolutely breathtaking — both in flavor and presentation. Every bite felt like a story, crafted with so much love and attention to detail. I tried a beautiful selection from the menu along with a cocktail, and everything was pure perfection. The flavors were layered, balanced, and memorable, making it feel so much more than just a meal — it was an experience in itself.

Beyond the food, what really made the night special was the energy of the space and the hospitality. The staff were friendly, attentive, and truly passionate about what they do, which made me feel so comfortable and welcomed.

If I could rate it higher than a 10, I would — truly a 100/10 experience. I can’t recommend this place enough, and I’m already looking forward to going back again. Tampa is lucky to...