Trophy Fish — Restaurant in Tampa

Great atmosphere and decor! The remodel from the old Bodega is really good! Will go back after some of the "new location kinks" are worked out. To order food there is one location point of sale where everyone must line up to "open a tab" to order food and drink and then line up at the same place again to pay before leaving. Big choke point in the system. Long wait to both open the tab order food and drink and then another long wait to pay to leave. Being a new location most people are asking many questions about the menu to the one cashier able to register people's credit cards and to get payments at the end. My recommendation on hindsight would be go directly to the bar order some drinks you open your tab there, then go to the food ordering point of sale, tell them your name for the tab and order your food then. That way you're sitting at the very pleasant bar quickly enjoying beverages and you can try to time the line for food purchase until it's relatively short. When you're ready to pay your bill and leave also try to wait till the line is at its shortest then go to the one cashier to pay your bill and leave. We had one dozen oysters and the trophy fish boil for two. I was picturing the trophy fish boil to be a fish stew with various seafood items in it. I was picturing a bisque or a jambalaya type of big soup to be shared. Instead they boiled all the items and then take them all out and put them on a plate. I was expecting oysters on the half shell but instead they were cooked with spices and cheese. Next time I'm going to ask for oysters on the half shell raw and see if they will do it. Also if they did serve their trophy fish boil in a big kind of soup I think it would be very good and I would return for it and I think it would be more in line with the price point. I'm going to try something else next time instead of the trophy fish boil. I really do want this place to succeed definitely a place to go on a weekend afternoon or even a weekday afternoon sit at the bar enjoy some handcrafted cocktails or some draft beers. I am rooting for them and will return to try other menu items I hope there is a way to reduce the wait time upon entry and exit. As someone who lives within walking distance of trophy fish I really want it...

A few months ago I was deep sea fishing, as I often do, and was having a pretty nice day of it. The fish were biting, the sun was shining, and I was in the zone. After about an hour I pulled up a good sized fella. I told it “hey you’re a good looking fish,” which made it blush a little. I asked where all the other big ones are, because I’m a big fish kind of guy. It replied “well, you can find all my friends at Trophy Fish Seminole Heights.” I was shocked. “Where is this place where all your big fish friends go?” It looked at me with a smile and said “Sean, it’s right by your house!” At this point I’m speechless. How could I have missed out on such a place? I felt so lucky to meet this new fish friend and for it to share all this knowledge with me. So, I told the captain of the boat to turn it around immediately, to which they complied. Once back on land I put the my new fish friend in my passenger seat and we high tailed it to Trophy Fish Seminole Heights. We both went in and were instantly impressed. “I can see why all my big fish friends come here” said the fish. I had to agree. I ordered some grouper tacos and the fish got some hush puppies. I asked the fish if I was eating one of his friends, to which the fish laughed and replied “that’s Kevin, he looks delicious. Kevin was indeed delicious. I ordered an Aloe Ha cocktail and the fish got a craft beer. The drinks were spectacular. After some more conversation the manager came up to ask us how everything was. I told them everything was superb. At this point my fish friend started to cry. Myself and the manager asked why, after such a happy day, it was crying. “I want to stay here forever” it said with tears in its eyes. The manager grabbed one of its fins and calmly said “good big fish are always welcome here.” My heart was so full. I parted ways with the fish, knowing how happy it will be at Trophy Fish Seminole Heights. I go back every week, my heart still full of joy. This is a truly wonderful establishment where all good big fish can be themselves, whether thats fried or blackened. I’ll never forget...

Quick note up front: this place is cashless, card only. We really enjoyed our first visit. This is a new location for Trophy Fish. It’s a quick service restaurant where you walk up and place your order, then sit anywhere and they bring the food to you. We ordered our food at sat at the bar which is very large with a lot of seating. The food arrived pretty quickly. We ordered peel and eat shrimp with amberjack (they offer choice of plate or sandwich, I ordered the plate) with sides of rosemary potatoes and creamed corn. Everything was very good. The fish here is all locally sourced and fresh, and while it is is a bit pricey, knowing that it’s fresh is worth the cost. Also, all of the portions were quite generous so you get your moneys worth. For drinks, I ordered the Blood Money which was excellent, especially if you like smoky drinks (it is mezcal based). The servers were all very friendly and attentive.

They did a great job with the atmosphere here. You really feel like you’re near the beach. At the very least, you sure don’t feel like you’re sitting on Florida Ave. I thought I would be hot but the covering and large fans made it pleasant.

I read some reviews here regarding flies buzzing around. All I can say is that we didn’t see a single fly, bee, or anything else that would be an annoyance. Overall a really nice place to have some fish or grab a drink.

Only negative I can say is that parking in the front lot is pretty limited (maybe 20 or so spots) so you may have to park down one of the side streets. Just don’t block a driveway and...