Jackson's Bistro Bar & Sushi

The location really sells this place - right on the water, beautiful views, outdoor seating. An OG Tampa restaurant. Really used to be a favorite spot when I first moved to Tampa. However, the last few times I’ve been here the quality seems to be struggling. The food was hit or miss, the service was friendly but seemed disorganized and green, and the atmosphere was standard. The sea bass itself was good, but the vegetables were bad, lacking flavor. The calamari was fine but the portion was small. The lobster Mac needed to be introduced to salt. Everything was fine, but not what you’d expect from an establishment like Jackson’s. The service was nice but not what you’d expect at somewhere like Jackson’s. Once we were done with our food it took 50 minutes for them to get our boxes and the check.

Visiting Tampa in early December and chose this patio for a pleasant evening dining while overlooking the harbor. Ordered French onion soup, sweet chili calamari, pan seared grouper and crab, and a slice of cheesecake for dessert. All the dishes were mouthwateringly delicious! The French onion soup had just the right mixture of cheese and onion soup, and sweet chili calamari is especially yummy and fresh, and the grouper with bits of crab meat on top was the right amount of seafood I needed. Great food, super friendly service, and amazing view.

The service was exceptional and the food was delicious and beautifully presented. The atmosphere was gorgeous, however the entire experience was diminished from my perspective because of the strong bleach smell from their cleaning products. We were sat inside and I am certain the smell was not as noticeable outside. If I returned, I would be sure to request an outside table. I think the smell unsettled me enough that I struggled to enjoy the food and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

I love the ambience of this restaurant. We had a very nice dinner on the water looking at the sunset. We had a quick walk from our hotel, seated quickly and experienced good service. The food was flavorful and fresh and our server checked on us regularly. I would recommend this restaurant for location, good food, ambience and service. Try to go during the sunset and sit outside, you can't beat the views.

I was a vendor for a wedding in the beautiful room overlooking the water. The space is gorgeous and the staff, specifically Nick was lovely to work with. He hustled and had his eye on the client and keeping them happy the entire night. Such a sweet location for an event. I personally felt that 90 guests was too many for the space to be comfortable, if you are planning if a bigger wedding this may not be the right venue for you. The other thing to consider. As a vendor, it is tricky to load jn and out of this room, there is one elevator for guests, the kitchen and vendors. You must leave plenty of time and plan ahead. The view is amazing and everyone had a wonderful time.