Whiskey Cake Tampa — Restaurant in Tampa

I give this place 5 stars because of the ambiance, the service, and the drinks. The food was a solid 4 stars but could’ve been better. We had a super friendly server who explained the menu and drinks to us since it was our first time there. The bar is of the old-fashioned variety and has a TON of liquor... literally floor to tall vaulted ceiling of many glass bottles of brown liquids. They make almost all of their juices and mixes in house we were told except for cranberry juice.

We started with one of their whiskey cocktails (Tennessee Stud), and I had a Guava Gimlet but substituted Bombay Sapphire Gin for the vodka that it normally comes with. The Guava Gimlet was amazing! So delicious. It’s a sweet drink but went down very smooth and refreshing without being too fruity... like a classic cucumber gimlet but with guava instead.

For appetizer, we had the caramelized onion dip that comes with their homemade kettle chips. The dip was ok.. needed more caramelized onion to cream ratio.. but the chips were delicious. Hot, crunchy, salty and sweet (they’re salted and have a touch of brown sugar and paprika we were told).

For dinner, we both got burgers. I had the OMG burger which is an 8 oz patty, melted cheese, mushrooms, onion straws, mustard aioli, etc. I opted for the fries instead of the chips since we had that for an appetizer. The burger was good and juicy.. toppings were good.. bun good. It was a decent burger... it just didn’t blow me away. Fries were seasoned well and they have this nice kicked up ketchup with mustard seeds in it.

For dessert, we had their namesake, the whiskey cake. It was a moderately moist brown cake that is sitting in sauces with a crumbled glazed pecan? topping on top. They also serve it with whip cream on the side that you can scoop on top. It was tasty too. I felt like the cake could’ve been a little more moist... was just surprised I had room to eat it after all we had.

Anyway, our waitress was super attentive and pleasant. The ambiance was great for a date night. Location is in the Bay Street area next to the mall where all the outdoor restaurants are. Definitely a place...

Edit: 1/19/24 Came back to give the restaurant a second try and initially was more disappointed than the last time. The food was again barely warm, and the service wasn’t great, however, my issue today was the portion size. I ordered the Rigatoni and the portion was incredibly small. We had a few other issues and decided to bring it to a manager. The Manager Natalie came over immediately upon request and listened to our issues. She went way above what I expected to make it right. I really appreciate her for taking the time to hear us out, and for trying to make things rights. Natalie’s level of service is invaluable, and I will return for a third visit because of her hospitality.

What a disappointment… This restaurant has so much potential, but the mark was missed in several areas, mainly, the food.

Our service was fine, our waitress was actually very friendly, and informative, and did an overall great job. The atmosphere is nice. Very comforting and warm. The food is the real issue. 3 people in our party and all of our food was just lukewarm. Which was odd because the time to get the food from the time we ordered was actually very quick, so it wasn’t like the plates had been sitting long before going out. I had the rotisserie chicken and it was very bland and very oily. My friend had the steak frites and while he said the flavor was good, it was over cooked, and not hot. My other friend had the salmon and said his was actually very good, but again mentioned that the food wasn’t hot.

The whiskey cake dessert was fantastic however. It was moist and flavorful, with a great sized portion. The spiced pecans were a nice touch as was the sauces that came with it. Again however, the cake was like warm. Would have been better served hot.

Next time I decide to come here, I’ll eat dinner somewhere else first, and come here for...

Wow! I was very impressed with this restaurant. When I entered, the restaurant was nicely dimly lit and the vibe of the restaurant was very relaxing and inviting. I started with a figgy smalls gin cocktail. I love a good gin cocktail, and this place surely did not disappoint. This drink was made with Amsterdam gin, a touch of cinnamon with subtle fruit notes. It was so good that I ordered 2. I ordered the Thai BBQ duck wings as my appetizer. Now these were incredibly yummy. The duck wings were tender with a crispy skin. The sauce was sweet yet also had a bit of a spice. It was a very good balance. I then had the whisky braised short rib as my main. This was so delicious. The short rib was incredibly tender, not tough at all. It laid effortlessly on a bed of horseradish potatoes, tender roasted carrots, and sweet pearl onions. This was my first time having horseradish potatoes, so I was a bit unsure if I would like them. But, wow! I’m so glad I tried this. No regrets. I ended the meal with dessert. I, of course, ordered the whiskey cake. Y’all have to order this if y’all visit this restaurant! It’s a sticky toffee cake with a bourbon anglaise spiced pecans. This cake was so decadent, moist, and it’s served warm. My tastebuds were having a party at this point in the meal. And they serve this delicious cake with house made vanilla whipped cream! Wow! It was so thick and buttery. I’m salivating just thinking about this whipped cream!

I highly recommend this restaurant. If you are at the International Plaza, check this place out. It’s worth it. I went around 12pm on a Saturday, there was no wait. But maybe around 2pm it starts to get busy. So be mindful of that. I’ll definitely be back. The food, drinks, and the service was amazing. My server was very attentive and nice. Y’all need to check this place out. Y’all will...