Barterhouse - Ybor

Review summary

1. L

   Lacey

   Tampa

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   We came here on a Sunday. Super excited to try out Barterhouse: Christmas edition! Especially seeing all of the hype online. Well, the experience was lacking unfortunately. Our reservation was at 9pm and we arrived early (about 8:45pm). When I asked the waitress what time they closed so we could plan our night accordingly, she stated they closed at 9pm! She apologized and said she wasn’t sure why OpenTable allowed us to book 9pm, but she would still seat us. This was so disappointing as I was excited to relax for a little while and enjoy the ambiance. Luckily since we were early, we did get to order a round of drinks and two appetizers. Couldn’t order ravioli because they were “out”. As our drinks came to the table, I heard the bartender tell the waitress “make sure you let them how it’s last call!”. This made us so uncomfortable as we came here to have fun, but were really just met with a bunch of staff that was trying to go home. I had the eggnog drink and it was NOT mixed well. When I went to sip from the straw it was straight up liquor! I mixed it myself and it was much better. I never got to try the Cindy Lou drink but from what my friends said, it was mediocre. Our food arrived and to focaccia was pretty good, but the deviled crab dumplings were kinda dry and cold. Wouldn’t recommend. Our waitress was very kind and understanding. She let us hang around for a little bit while everyone was cleaning up, but frankly we felt like a burden. It was very awkward. The bartender kept staring at us. I don’t know what he was thinking, but maybe he was waiting for us to order one more drink before he started cleaning or just wanted us to get the heck out of there. Not sure but I definitely did not have a holly jolly time. I felt like it was a waste of a Sunday night honestly. Especially paying for parking and everything. It was just upsetting to get there and feel rushed.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
2. J

   Jaime

   Tampa

   7 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Fun Christmas theme without being over the top. Food was excellent. Service was prompt and friendly.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
3. A

   Amy

   San Francisco

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Loved the Christmas vibes. The staff was so friendly and our server was excellent! The food was unique and delicious. Only complaint was a couple of items on our seafood platter were not terribly warm. The holiday cocktails were yummy. Would definitely go back!!
   

   • 
   • 

   Is this helpful?

   Report
4. R

   Ray

   Tampa

   14 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   14 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   We have gone to Barterhouse over the years and the service and food has always been excellent. Tonight was a different experience and unfortunately was subpar. On a positive note, the ambiance with the Christmas decorations was awesome. From a service perspective it starts with when you walk in the front door. We walked in and we were maybe 5-10 minutes late. We asked if we could sit on the more Christmas side and the hostess said well you were a few minutes late but I will see what we can do. She did accommodate us and it was appreciated but I don’t think that comment was necessary especially since we had waited in line for at least 10 minutes before she even talked to us and asked about our reservation. She was also cleaning off tables. They really could use having someone bussing tables. Next was our server. In the past we have had very engaging , personable and attentive servers at BH. Tonight our server did not seem to be that way. It took a while before the server came over. When we finally got our apps, the chef brought them out and we had to ask him for the plates, silverware, and napkins. Same for when we got our entrees. We looked at our food first before we got our silverware . Maybe they should consider putting silverware on the table first. The food. For the Tapitas, we ordered the Focaccia which was good but not much truffle oil considering the amount of bread. I believe we had the hush puppies , and the disco party dip. I think everything seemed like too much bread. In the past we had beet salads, the best blue point oysters, deviled eggs etc. The apps need to be more variety like that and less fried bread. Also it would be nice if the sever would make recommendations as well. As for the entrees, the smash burger was very good . We split the short rib. It was not like the short rib we had in the past. It was less meat and not as flavorful as before. In the end, it was ok. Not great like it used to be. Hopefully they will make some changes.
   

   1 person found this helpful

   Report
5. J

   JILL

   Tampa

   2 reviews

   2.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   I made reservations for the Christmas pop up as described on social media. I couldn’t sit in the decorated area. The food was subpar. Not worth the hype.
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
6. R

   Rhonda

   Orlando

   9 reviews

   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Cozy Ybor restaurant. Nice holiday touches. Tapas and dessert were good. Dumplings needed some extra to give it pizzaz. Chocolate mousse tasty. Chef/owner visited the table, nice guy.
   

   • 

   Is this helpful?

   Report
7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Pittsburgh

   6 reviews

   vip
   3.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on November 17, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   After seeing the posts of the Christmas pop up on Instagram, we had high hopes. We looked online and the menu was exciting….so we booked Saturday at 8pm. We arrived on time, but they were swamped…..so we took a seat at the bar. We ordered drinks from the holiday menu. The bartender made our drinks, but they didn’t look like the others. The bartender mentioned that they were low on the special holiday glasses. We told him we would wait so we could have the drinks as they were meant. Their holiday old fashioned was really good! Once we were seated, it took a while to get menus. We came out to try the short rib and the crab dumpling….both items were not available. We ended up ordering the smash burger as a main, and the Doritos with beef cheeks and focaccia as an appetizer. The appetizers came out with the food, which was a bit disappointing. It all took about an hour. The burger was great! 2nd best burger I’ve had in Tampa (second to bouillon). The Doritos beef cheeks lacked beef. We found only one clump of beef….so it was more so an expensive order of Doritos with sour cream. The focaccia was a little dry and had too much truffle flavor for our liking. We asked for butter, but they did not offer butter for the bread. Overall, the service was lacking. Maybe this menu is new and they have been busy with the new holiday decor? It was a miss for us this particular night. Maybe we will give it another try in a few weeks.
   

   • 
   • 
   • 
   • 

   Is this helpful?

   Report
8. A

   Ana Maria

   Omaha

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on November 16, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 5

   Great ambience!! Loved the food and decorations. Drinks and food took a while but overall it was awesome. Definitely will be back
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
9. G

   Gianna

   Tampa

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on November 10, 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   I typically love this place, but they were very short staffed this night. My food was cold and it took forever for us to get our main entrées. I did not want to send it back because it may have taken longer to make. I will go back again because I love the ambience and the vibe and I’ve never had a bad experience in the past. So maybe it was just this one time. 
   

   Is this helpful?

   Report
10. D

    Dayanis

    Tampa

    20 reviews

    5.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on October 27, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Jim was amazing !!! The fact that he took the time to explain every single detail behind the plates was absolutely amazing! We celebrated my bestie birthday and they created the desert just for her because they don't usually have the complementary birthday dessert like other restaurants ! We had a great time can't wait to go back
    

    Is this helpful?

    Report