Mangroves Grille — Restaurant in Tampa

I won't go so far as to give this restaurant five stars (as a few others have done) but I will say it's a notch above the typical hotel restaurant. Catering primarily to hotel guests who choose the convenience of the hotel restaurant, it serves lunch and dinner, while breakfast is a free hotel only for hotel guests.

We ate here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner and were pleasantly surprised. Expecting the usual two or three-star hotel restaurant, Mangroves is clearly a solid 4-stars. I think they could be even better, but they're most likely hamstrung by Hilton management on making as much profit as possible. The service we had both times...

I stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel this week for a few days on a business trip.

I was dealing with severe jet lag, so discovering the onsite restaurant was a lifesaver, especially since they also offer room service.

I tried their Ropa Vieja plate, and it was solid. The rice was great, the beans were flavorful, and the beef was incredibly tender. The sweet plantains added a nice contrast in flavor and balanced the dish perfectly!

While the menu prices are a bit on the high side, they’re pretty typical for a hotel restaurant. Considering the quality of the food and service, though, it definitely feels worth it.

Will I try their food...

This restaurant is inside the Embassy Suites USF, Tampa. I ordered the red pepper soup and a cheese burger. I can’t state any positives here. Be prepared to wait for a very long time for your food to be served (I waited for around 55 minutes for a soup and a cheeseburger) The soup was extremely salty and it was evident it had been reheated in the microwave (inconsistency in temperatures, one spoon very hot, next cold). I could not finish it. I requested my burger to be medium-well and oh man, it was well, well, very well done. One thing was for sure, it was not raw!

Bottom line: Not...