Best Restaurants for Special Occasions in Tarpon Springs

I can’t believe we’ve lived in Tampa and haven’t been to timpano until last night. What a great restaurant! Food was great, service was great, atmosphere was great and everything is at a price point that won’t kill your wallet.

Never experienced service so superb. One would expect a nice steakhouse to have good service but this was on another level. Staff was everywhere and constantly checking in. Steaks were amazing. My wife had the crab legs and they were spectacular as well. Loved the raw oysters as an appetizer and the corn and gnocchi sides were great.

The Columbia is truly a gem, and the food is exquisite! Service is perfect, ambiance is gorgeous, and again, the food was amazing. If you’re in Tampa and love Spanish food, this is a must visit

Mystic Fish is our favorite restaurant for special occasions, but it's great for just a night out (especially the day our house cleaners do a deep clean on our kitchen!). Last night we dined with another couple. I had made reservations ahead of time, but forgot to request our favorite server, Tom. For the second time, "someone" checked our past dining history and knew that we usually requested him. I was very happy to find that Tom was our server, and that we were assigned our "usual" table. He's the best! Very professional, but also friendly and knowledgeable, and anticipates his customers' needs. We each ordered different entrees. The pan-seared scallops, Asian-style short ribs, and bronzed tripletail were all raved over and thoroughly enjoyed. I got the crab-stuffed flounder, which was a bit disappointing. The flounder was tender and flaky, and very tasty. Unfortunately, the crab stuffing was seasoned with Old Bay or something similar -- a taste I do not enjoy at all -- and overpowered the flounder. The beurre blanc was a bit runnier than I expected, but had a subtle lemon flavor that went well with the fish. It didn't go as well with the green beans or mashed potatoes that ended up swimming in it. I ended up eating a good portion of the flounder, and my husband finished the rest of the fish and the crab, which he thought was very good. Three of us had dessert. I love the small portions for a very reasonable price. There's just enough to enjoy without getting over-full. We had the creme brulee, espresso pots de creme and Key lime pie. Each one was perfect. This is the first time in dozens of visits that I've ever not completely enjoyed my meal. Everyone else at the table enjoyed theirs immensely. We'll definitely be back, but I'll know better than to have any crab-stuffed entrees in the future. (This account is under my husband's name, but he did not write the review,)

We went for my mom’s 80th birthday. The service was amazing! They had birthday confetti on the table, provide a special cocktail for my mom and even comped her dessert. It was a beautiful, memorable dinner, we will return soon! Thank you, Ocean Prime ❤️