Ulele — Restaurant in Tampa

It is nearly impossible to convey how terrible our dining experience was at Ulele last night. Our table (party of 6) was ready on time and we ordered pre-dinner cocktails, which were adequate, but it quickly went downhill from there. We ordered two dozen oysters (both raw and charbroiled), and three other appetizers. Of the dozen charbroiled oysters, two of the twelve had no oyster on the shell…just baked cheese filling, as if whoever was shucking just put a couple of empty half shells on the tray and filled/broiled them without any thought. Of the three other appetizers, only one was truly edible (mac and cheese with shortrib). No one cared for the fried green tomatoes or the crab cakes and platters were returned to kitchen half eaten. Then things get really bad. Not only did we wait a ridiculous amount of time for our waiter to return for our main entree orders as he was tied up splitting checks and running cards for a party of ten (What decent restaurant allows this nonsense on a busy Saturday night?!!) but, when he finally did come to take our order, he took one person’s order and immediately left the table with some of our empty plates. We were all puzzled as to why he didn’t take all of the orders and then saw him disappear to the kitchen with dirty dishes only to return with a tray of drinks for the table adjacent. Flagged him down and inquired when he planned to take the remainder of the orders, and he said he thought we had only intended to order the ONE salad and ONE entree for the ENTIRE table to share…seriously?! The restaurant is half empty at this point and my husband, whose retirement party was the whole reason for this ‘special’ dinner with both local and out-of-town friends at Ulele, sat for more than 20 minutes with no drink as the waiter took his empty and never came back to take another round of drink orders. Finally, over 1/2 hour later, our food is finally delivered…two of the six plates were lukewarm, and we were missing a salad that should have been delivered before the main course. One of our party ate his green beans first and literally had to spit them into a napkin as they were so hideously oversalted so as to be inedible. Three others at the table had also received green beans as their side and everyone’s were indeed oversalted and couldn’t be eaten. None of the meals (or even the salad that was ultimately delivered AFTER the entrees) hit the mark…even if they had been at the right temp or not slathered with salt. Waiter was politely told about issues and offered to bring replacement sides, but at that point it was well past 10pm and we opted to quickly finish our meals and pay. Waiter didn’t ask about dessert (we’d already conferred that it wasn’t worth the time or money to likely be disappointed anyhow)…at no time were we visited by a manager, there was no attempt to adjust the bill for the oysters…it was absolutely not a dining experience befitting a restaurant mentioned in the Michelin Guide. They’ll never even get a Bib Gourmand with that kind of performance unless they pay someone off. Half of our party, including me, spent many years working in the restaurant industry in Chicago, New Orleans and elsewhere…we were trying to give benefit of doubt throughout the night…but there were so very many missteps by front of the house, back of the house, etc, that you just can’t look past it. Worst though was that it ruined a special evening that was meant as a retirement celebration…thank goodness the company was good and we will laugh about it later. In fact, we laughed on the ride home that we should have just eaten pizza and wings at a dive bar vs dropping a hundred a head on a dinner at Ulele. This place is a ‘one and done’ restaurant for us now and we’ll wait for their doors to shutter before returning the beautiful location and building where it is situated. Hopefully people will see past the Ulele hype soon enough and a more impressive restaurant will take this prime Tampa...

Ulele is truly one of the great restaurants in Tampa, owned and operated by the 1905 Family of Restaurants and a storied and revered Tampa family- the Gonzmart's. Ulele was one of the first establishments to make use of a revitalized historic building in the Tampa Heights area of Tampa- in my opinion they were one of the pioneers to the booming renaissance of the city! The building itself is beautiful but what makes this establishment so amazing is the food and the staff! Expertly lead by GM Mike Sellmeyer and his top notch management team and staff, this amazing restaurant offers fresh Florida seafood, steaks, chicken and other delightful offerings. Inspired by the ever inventive mind of Richard Gonzmart, featuring a brilliantly crafted Florida inspired menu by Chef Quak, and an in-house brewery - the Ulele Spring Brewery lead by renowned Brewmaster Tim Shackton, Ulele is a truly unique and must-visit offering in the ever evolving foodie scene in Tampa. As you pass by a stunning statue of Princess Ulele, you arrive to this iconic restaurant! My husband and I have been to Ulele way too many times to count and have celebrated just about everything you can celebrate at this wonderful restaurant. While we have many favorites on the menu including fresh oysters, steaks and fish- there are always new treats to dive into. Recently, we celebrated my husband's birthday with our friend Angel on a Monday night and the place was- as usual- hopping! What is most comforting about Ulele is their consistent high level of service and food. We began our evening with a celebratory toast featuring Old Fashions for each of us crafted with Eagle Rare Private Barrel Bourbon- simply delicious and you will find a wonderfully curated collection of the finest bourbons at Ulele, among other fab libations! For appetizers we had the Fried Green Tomatoes (3- featuring pimento cheese and pork belly) and Shrimp Barbacoa- both dishes full of fantastic flavor. For dinner we each had the Crackling Pork Shank. This is one of our go-to's! First, the shank itself is huge. Seasoned perfectly and accompanied by a spicy apple/cranberry/raisin chutney (which I could eat a bowl full by itself) the meat falls off the bone and is simply delectable. Unless you are starving you won't be able to finish it and should have plenty to take home- you don't want to waste it! Garlic mashed potatoes and crispy green beans accompany the dish and it is really heaven on a plate. The ambiance of Ulele allows you to enjoy different experiences depending on where you sit. We usually sit by the large sliding doors that lead to their expansive outdoor area and on an evening like this- watching the sun set over the Hillsborough River is pure magic. To wind down dinner you MUST partake of a desert or two or three! Tonight we opted for the Butter Cake and Pineapple upside down cake- both are accompanied by the deliciousness of the house made ice cream. Vanilla for one and coconut for the other. Both desserts are great- but the Butter Cake will leave you wanting more and perhaps going for a lick of the plate as a finale! I can't say enough about this wonderful establishment- it has been the location of many memories for our family. Aside from a great dinner menu- lunch is also always an amazing time at Ulele. You simply cannot go wrong with a visit to this fabulous place! On the way in or out say hi to one of the storybook characters refurbished and restored from an iconic Tampa landmark -Fairyland that opened in 1957 and was located next to Lowry Park Zoo. Mr. Gonzmart's dedication to keeping Tampa History alive is on display through these delightful characters located around the property- you may even see Humpty Dumpty teetering off of the roof of...

Tried out Ulele this weekend for the 1st time after trying to go for years. Every time we came down to Water Street area we would try to have lunch or dinner here but ended up the wait was too long for us. Decided to make a last minute reservation at lunchtime on Saturday. The do have a dedicated lot that you can park in and get your ticket validated and is free. This lot was full, so we decided to do valet which was complimentary and super quick. Just had to get the ticket validated before we departed the restaurant. The restaurant itself is situated right off the river walk and has a large courtyard area. It would be great for outdoor dining and there is lots to see/do in the immediate area. They also have lots of restored statues from Fairyland from back in the day at Lowry Park!

Got a round of the Froze for drinks which was really good. For apps we got the charbroiled oysters, which were great. Im not an raw oyster fan, so the cooked ones were great. Also had the okra fries which were crispy and flavorful. For meals i had the lobster roll, which actually came with 2 small rolls. They were served cold, which was my preference anyway! Others in our party had the seafood risotto, the pork shank, and the grouper sandwich. All the meals were good!

Service started out strong, but got very slow. Food took about 45 min to come out and the server never came to the table until we were done eating. Not good. Checks took a while to come as well, we were on his time not ours! The server did box the entrees for us which was very nice. Overall a good time at Ulele, I would come back on the right occasion and enjoy the beautiful scenery and great food!Tried out Ulele this weekend for the 1st time after trying to go for years. Every time we came down to Water Street area we would try to have lunch or dinner here but ended up the wait was too long for us. Decided to make a last minute reservation at lunchtime on Saturday. The do have a dedicated lot that you can park in and get your ticket validated and is free. This lot was full, so we decided to do valet which was complimentary and super quick. Just had to get the ticket validated before we departed the restaurant. The restaurant itself is situated right off the river walk and has a large courtyard area. It would be great for outdoor dining and there is lots to see/do in the immediate area. They also have lots of restored statues from Fairyland from back in the day at Lowry Park!

Got a round of the Froze for drinks which was really good. For apps we got the charbroiled oysters, which were great. Im not an raw oyster fan, so the cooked ones were great. Also had the okra fries which were crispy and flavorful. For meals i had the lobster roll, which actually came with 2 small rolls. They were served cold, which was my preference anyway! Others in our party had the seafood risotto, the pork shank, and the grouper sandwich. All the meals were good!

Service started out strong, but got very slow. Food took about 45 min to come out and the server never came to the table until we were done eating. Not good. Checks took a while to come as well, we were on his time not ours! The server did box the entrees for us which was very nice. Overall a good time at Ulele, I would come back on the right occasion and enjoy the beautiful scenery...