St. Petersburg, Florida
Dinner with Friends
Dined in September 2015
In late August and early September my girlfriend and I had just moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, near to where both of our families and a few of her friends lived. Once settled in, we met some of her long time friends at a restaurant that they frequented several times in downtown St. Petersburg at the Hollander Hotel called The Tap Room. We enjoyed some great drinks at the bar and then a few small bites from the menu and enjoyed even greater conversation. St. Petersburg has a fantastic food scene, and The Tap Room is a classical example.
Scroll down to read the main review
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Follow Wine, dine, and Play:
From the restaurants home page:
Located right near the heart of scenic Downtown St Petersburg, the Hollander Boutique Hotel is just a short distance from St Petersburg attractions. There are a vast assortment of museums, attractions, restaurants, and clubs close by The Dali Museum, Theaters, Cinemas, The Pier, Shopping, Pools, Boating, Nightclubs, and Beaches.
With over a 130 feet of beautiful outside Terrace, The Hollander Boutique Hotel St Petersburg will wow you with it’s elegant lobby, eclectic style decor, bar & restaurant and it’s amenities. Freshly remodeled, the Hollander Boutique Hotel St Petersburg, Fl has all the makings for a will be assured a pleasurable and peaceful getaway in the lovely St Petersburg, Florida area.
If you’re looking to visit the nice tropical climate of Florida, The Hollander Boutique Hotel St Petersburg is the perfect place to celebrate an anniversary, plan a romantic getaway, book your business stay, or just arrange a family vacation. Our Boutique Hotel in St Petersburg, Fl has a Tap House & Grill, Coffee Shop, and Full Service Spa.
Main review:
My girlfriend and I arrived at the Hollander Hotel shortly before the start of the 5pm happy hour and enjoyed a few drinks at the Tap Room bar waiting for her old and long time friends to arrive. At the bar one piece to remember was the large deer mounted on the wall to give the bar an older feel that match the architecture of the surroundings. Once they did, we moved from the bar to a table and enjoyed conversation and small bites from the menu.
The bar and dining room was in the same large room connected to old and very opulent hotel with more areas of dining on a large patio and a porch area.
The menu for the Tap room was very extensive with a large appetizer and which includes a few salads and soups, a wrap and sandwich menu which also includes pizza selections, and finally a dinner menu with items such as Caribbean Jerk Pork Chops, Hanger Steaks, Sangria Chicken and a few others. Between the four of use as we enjoyed some local beers, wines, and non alcoholic beverages, one item that was chosen was from the appetizer menu and included some slider burgers. The good thing is that we also shared each others plates. The sliders consisted of a tropical turkey sloppy joe slider topped with grilled pineapple, a Mojo Pork with jalapeno coleslaw, and a slider with ground Italian sausage with caramelized onions.
Other appetizer selections included chicken wings, tenders, jalapeno wontons, Cuban quesadillas, hummus, and Bangkok Fried Shrimp. For myself I enjoyed another appetizer from the list which was a crab and lobster nacho dish with pepper-jack cheese, pineapple salsa, and a mango-habanero sauce.
One of the final dishes was hot dog dish that will get people from Coney Island New York a little bit upset, and it was called a Detroit Coney Island Dog, that has roughly the same ingredients as the New York Dog. Why it is named for Detroit who knows, maybe it was a failed hot dog with criminal backgrounds, but has a few good news stories like Eight Mile from Eminem. LOL
After those entrees, we continued to chat and catch up, but did not have room for dessert. This was indeed a nice location, and worth returning to enjoy happy hour or full entrees.
5 stars
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is Extraordinary
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4 Stars
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is Outstanding
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3 Stars
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Exceeded Expectations
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2 Stars
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is Above the Average
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1 Star
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is an Average Dining Experience
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No Star Rating
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The Restaurant is Basic, Poor, or Appalling
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Overall Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:
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3 of 5
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Ambiance:
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6 of 10
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Quality of the Food:
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6 of 10
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Plate Presentation:
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5 of 10
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Customer Service:
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6 of 10
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Wow Factor:
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5 of 10
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This Restaurant reminds me of:
The Tap Room at the Hollander Hotel as mentioned above is a prime example of the fantastic food scene that St. Petersburg is becoming known for across Florida and the South Eastern United States. I rated the experience with service from the bar, food, and overall quality and atmosphere as a 3 out of a possible 5, exceeding my expectations. It reminded me of Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Austin, Texas, another outstanding spot for small bites and creativity of menus and drinks. The ambiance of the hotel gets higher marks because of the way it was designed and the rustic look. The quality of the food and style was American to the core, but a nice twist of differences that earned it the marking of a 6. The plate presentation was basic to most restaurants making it a halfway point on the list. The customer service and wow factors equal out as the bar was wonderful but the service staff at the table lacked what was to be expected as a better experience. With all of these factors I would say that it is worth a return several times, and the experience here also reminds me of the The Lobby Bar and Bistro in Atlanta, and the Harlequin Public House in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Other St. Petersburg / Tampa favorites on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Hurricane
CopperFish
Council Oak Steakhouse in Tampa
Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro
Other trending story’s on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Prato in Orlando, Florida
Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen in London
Ghost Block Vineyard in Napa
Bistrot La Minette in Philadelphia
Shark Cage Diving in South Africa
Gino’s Pizzeria in Chicago
Jack Allen’s Kitchen in Austin, Texas
Food Prices
(excluding taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
My food bill:
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Currency:
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Price chart:
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$50.00
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$$
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£33.00
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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€47.00
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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$66.00
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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$69.00
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Australian Dollar (AUS)
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$$
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¥320.00
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥
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Cost of wines and other alcoholic beverages in $$ USD:
$38.00
Review basics:
Wine selections by region:
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3 of 10
Old world:
Italy: Toscana
Germany:, Mosel, Rheingau
New World:
Chile: A). Central Valley: (Maipo, Curicó, Maule Valley, & Curico Valley)
New Zealand:
A). Otago: (Central Otago, Cromwell, Bendigo, Waitaki/Bannockburn, Felton Road)
California: Sonoma, Napa
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Corkage fee’s:
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American Restaurant standard is $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Casual
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Reservations:
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Not Required
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Walk-ins:
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Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter.
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Cuisine style:
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Contemporary, Bistro, Lounge, American, Southern, Mediterranean, & Vegetarian
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Music styles:
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Background instrumental
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Lounge, Business parties, Great bar, Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Rustic, Classy, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Gratuities:
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Industry standard is 18-20% added to parties of 6 or more
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Public lot, or Street Parking
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Transport options:
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Bus, taxi, limousine, personal vehicle, and walking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
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Restaurant address:
Hollander Hotel
421 4th Avenue North
St Petersburg, Fl 33701
Neighborhood:
Downtown St. Petersburg
Cross streets:
4th Street North and 5th Street North
GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 27.776779
Longetude: -82.639056
Contact Information:
Maître d, Reservations:
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727.873.7900
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Restaurant Website:
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Email:
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Social Media & Accolades:
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Hours:
Standard Time (GMT - 5:00)
Monday
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7:00 am –10:00 pm
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Tuesday
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7:00 am –10:00 pm
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Wednesday
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7:00 am –10:00 pm
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Thursday
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7:00 am –10:00 pm
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Friday
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7:00 am –11:00 pm
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Saturday
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8:00 am –11:00 pm
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Sunday
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8:00 am –10:00 pm
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Reviewed by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE) in Afghanistan 2011
Executive Chef
Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
