Arabellas — Restaurant in Winter Haven

I didn’t want to do this….but it has haunted me for several months. I wanted to do something really special my wife’s birthday and I made a reservation and hid this for weeks, absolutely convinced this would be the most special and unforgettable birthday with her favorite kind of food. Service date was 12/30/24. I traded working that night for working on New Year’s Eve so that we could go to dinner.

Our server was very nice, but we saw him maybe 4 times. We also had two young children at home and were gone over 3 hours just to eat dinner, by the time we did anything else it would’ve been far too late.

Piano- it’s nice, it’s classy. But so freaking loud we could not communicate across the table.

Food- honestly disappointed. Disgusted. Olive Garden would’ve been better. Like curbside. My chicken Marsala was basically a lean cuisine they microwaved…. Zero sauce, zero flavor. I’ve had a better experience eating MRE’s. My wife had the special with seafood Alfredo that had shrimp, lobster, and scallops. She could’ve gotten basically the same thing minus the scallops for about $50 less… I guess the “special” stood for special price. I was looking forward to bananas foster, it’s my personal favorite and I like the espresso as well…. We were so upset by the end of it, and pressed for time not thinking dinner would be over 3 hours, we had to skip the dessert. I believe it was right around $300 between one drink each, appetizer, dinner, and they included gratuity even though it was only two of us. That’s good because they might not have gotten a monetary tip otherwise. The money isn’t the issue… I just could’ve spent $275 less and went to Popeyes for the same quality.

I am not going to lie I was genuinely heartbroken. She so badly deserved and needed that night, and I so desperately wanted it to be perfect.

I am still just disgusted months later. I regret betting on Arabella’s and their reputation to make this night unforgettable. We had a relatively new infant at the time, so nights out were hard to come by and invaluable for us. I couldn’t even sleep. I didn’t want to embarrass my wife or ruin her night so I simply let it all go and apologized to her for the next 3 weeks, though she knew I had no clue and wasn’t upset.

I also watched the staff basically bully this older gentleman and his wife. They sat them next to us, then told them they had to leave 20-30 minutes later when they asked about a different table because they couldn’t hear each other or communicate either. The lady very nicely communicated that the piano being so loud was messing with his hearing aids and making them squeal and asked about options for another table. They literally did not offer a solution, they simply told them “if you don’t like it, you need to leave. We will not serve you, so get up and leave”. I heard the entire conversation. And my blood was boiling. I tried to talk to him and could tell he was a veteran prior to them being asked to leave. He confirmed several years of service to our country and I shook his hand and thanked him for his service. The way he was treated was absolutely disgraceful and uncalled for.

I hope that by reading this, they will get it together and not let it ruin someone else’s special night. Arabella’s certainly made sure the experience was unforgettable…. Just not in the way...

Arabellas is not just a place to eat, it's a dining experience. When you go to Arabellas you can expect two things. One, be prepared to spend a couple hours. Remember, this is a dining experience not a quick turnaround restaurant like Chili's. Two, be prepared to spend a little more than usual. You're getting top quality food prepared by talented chefs not cooks with minimal culinary experience. Our experience began with some drinks in the attached Ave Bar. Ave Bar is owned and operated by the same people and has a nice chill vibe. Perfect way to wait for your table to be ready. When we were seated we met our waiter and his assistant. They were amazing during the experience. They gave some recommendations and were extremely attentive. We started with appetizers. The brushetta and fiocchi were simply amazing! The brushetta had a perfect amount of tomatoes with some drizzle of balsamic glaze. The fiocchi was a cheesy delight of delicate pasta with gorgonzola cheese sauce! Bread is also served with butter and an olive tampenade spread! Its a big loaf of bread sonorder extra tampenade. You'll need it! Dinner came with salads dressed with a delicious white zinfandel vinegarett. Simple and satisfying. Since this is a once and a long while experience, we went all out and ordered the Chateau Brianne for two. Other party with us ordered the ribeye and Steak Lady Diana. The Chateau Brianne and Steak Lady Diana are both prepared tableside. I would highly recommend either dish! The Brianne had a delicious and earthy mushroom creme sauce with a cheese and spinach stuffed bell pepper half. The Steak Lady Diana is also served with some freshly sautéed mushrooms! By fresh I mean flambed tableside with your two large pieces of filet! While all this food alone will fill you up, remember you're here for an experience so order desert! We ordered the bananas foster and creme brule. The bananas foster is prepared tableside and the chef gives you a step by step of how to prepare thee dish adding to the already amazing experience! Keeping with the everything on fire theme, the creme brule also came flaming to the table. The idea is for the flames to finish the brule before you dig in. Be patient, it is absolutely worth the wait! Whether it's a special occasion or special date or just dinner Arabellas will make every cent you pay there well worth it! Sit and enjoy your meal and don't forget the have the piano player give you a rendition of AC/DC's Thunderstruck! You...

We were excited to try Arabellas for the first time, also excited to celebrate our friend's 50th birthday there. Our reservation was for 8pm, we were greeted and promptly sat. Our server Lizbeth was attentive and fantastic. Unfortunately, the rest of our experience was poor.

Our orders were taken, drinks were slow to come but arrived within 20 minutes. Sadly, this became a theme for the night. Approximately 90 minutes after being sat, we were served our appetizers. Bread did arrive sometime around the one hour mark and devoured quickly as we were all starving at that point.

Our entrees were served around 10pm, the restaurant's closing time. We noticed we weren't alone in waiting a long time for our food. We asked our amazing server if this is normal, she assured us it is not.

I/we are not people with high expectations but what we had heard as to the quality and taste of the food, versus what we were all served, most of us were disappointed. I will say the salad and sorbet were both delicious but the entrees were lacking what many had eaten on their prior trips and were below our expectations.

The worst part of the night came when our friend, the birthday girl, who had be raving about Bananas Foster for days prior ordered that for her dessert. Admittedly it was 10:30 when we asked for dessert but that wasn't our fault as we had only been served 30 minutes prior, 2 hours after our seating. Our server came back with the news "We are sorry but we are out of butter and bananas." I had never heard of a restaurant running out of butter but ok. Moments later, after noticing the disappointment at the table, she returned with good news. "We were able to find butter and bananas next door."

Bananas Foster was served tableside and the man who was making the dish was clearly annoyed that he was having to do so. He didn't speak to us once, didn't make eye contact, and was angrily throwing ingredients and dishes around.

At this point, dessert was finished, checks paid, and at 11:05pm we were exiting the restaurant. 3 hours after our reservation and the time we were sat.

Not once did a manager or anyone other than our server come to our table and offer an explanation or an apology for the long time to receive our food.

I had heard such wonderful things of this restaurant and we left with disappointment in what we experienced, tasted, and witnessed. Our server, Lizbeth, was exemplary and is the only reason Arabellas...