Laid Back Cuban Fare Defines Tangelo’s
Gulfport, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Cuban, Caribbean Islands
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined in: August 2018
Article Updated in December 2019
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
Article Updated in December 2019
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Tangelo’s Grille Zomato rating:
Tangelo’s Grille Manager:
Lisa Brennan
Tangelo's Grille is located in a wonderful little area called Gulfport, not to be mistaken with the large gambling city in Mississippi. Gulfport is a little unincorporated community that sits on the Boca Ciega Bay between downtown St Petersburg and St Pete Beach, Florida. It is a town filled with charm known most for the end of summer GeckoFest, farmers markets, little shops, the beach bazaar, and little restaurants like Tangelo’s Grill. Tangelo's focuses a wide selection of Cuban fare, mixed with hints of the other islands, plus new American favorites that are all very well priced, laid back, and filled with warm hospitality. From grilled chicken, island hot sauces, beans with rice, and much more, you are bound to find something to strike your interest. For beverages, they have spiced iced teas, a few local beers, and table wines. My wife and I popped over for Brunch and sat at their sidewalk patio.
Brunch Menu:
- Brunch Specialties
- Americana Classics
- Brunch Sandwiches
- Brunch Salads
- Kids Menu
- Desserts
The patio has under ten tables with umbrellas to protect you from the sun, but no matter how you move that umbrella, the sun is going to find a way to burst through. There were many items of interest to choose from, where normally from my experience when you run across a Cuban menu it is not very exciting, no matter which meal of the day you eat. Here at Tangelo’s, it was the opposite. The way items were placed together, the use of sauces and sides and how they were presented on the menu were very upbeat and made me excited to place an order.
My wife started with a mimosa flight of four separate champaign cocktail blends of your traditional orange juice, along with mango, guava, and passion fruit, all of which had a wonderful taste, and they did not skimp out on the alcohol like some places tend to do to save money. My go-to cocktail on brunch is a Bloody Mary, and several other brunch or breakfast articles are written here on Wine Dine And Play you will see that is the cocktail of choice. The Tangelo’s Bloody Mary again like mimosa had good amount of vodka, a nice spice to the tomato, and as a first beyond the typical celery, bacon, and olive garnish, they had a fried jalapeño popper resting on the glass rim, with a warning that it was fresh from the fryer, and hot. Dipping it into the Mary made for a perfect brunch cocktail experience.
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| Tangelo's Grille / Mimosa Flight |
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| Tangelo's Grille / Bloody Mary |
For entrees my wife tried the Huevos Espinacas, a classic Latin take on eggs and spinach, scrambled, then mixed with the baby spinach, parmesan cheese, red bell peppers, and a green onion garnish. The dish came with a side of toast, plus we added a small bowl of grits after our server recommended them. The eggs were lightly scrambled and did not pack a strong punch of seasoning so as to not overpower the vegetables and flavor. It was a good dish, though maybe next time instead of the parmesan to give a real Caribbean kick it would be more authentic to me to have a Queso Para Freir or a Cotija which is known as the parmesan of Mexico.
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| Tangelo's Grille / Huevos Espinacas |
I decided to go a little off the beaten path from my typical breakfast or brunch orders and go with the island custard french toast that came with your choice of three types of topping; the Cuban which is a topping with cream cheese and guava, the Caribbean topped with toasted coconut, and the Jamaican topped with homemade butter rum sauce. All three sounded amazing and being a Cuban centric restaurant, I chose the Cuban topping. As the dish was brought out the server also Brough out a little sample of the Caribbean and Jamaican for me to try as well.
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| Tangelo's Grille / Island custard french toast |
Funny how we were taking our puppy to Gulfport as a test for her to lay-down or sit in place while there were distractions around her to see how she would do. Passing by Tangelo’s our server stopped us, offering a treat to our dog, and inviting us to stay for brunch. We knew that we would stop to eat somewhere, and the good customer service sold us for here.
Dessert:
We didn’t have dessert on this visit but saw a key lime pie with an Oreo cookie crust that looked very inviting for our next visit.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Caribbean articles and restaurants similar to Tangelo’s Grille:
There are 13 sovereign island nations and 12 dependent territories in the Caribbean. Its cuisine is a fusion of African, Creole, Cajun, Amerindian, European, Portuguese, Spanish/Latin American, East Indian/South Asian, Arab, Chinese, Jewish, and Javanese/Indonesian. These traditions were brought from many different countries when they came. The locals have also created new styles unique to the region. Sweet potato, coconut, and plantains are stapled ingredients to the cuisine.
Bongos Bar and Grille Eclectic beachfront bistro, Cuban and American cuisine, in St. Pete Beach, Florida
Columbia Restaurant Traditional Spanish and Cuban chain since 1905; reviewed in Sarasota Florida
El Jibarita Casual, local, and traditional Puerto Rican cuisine, Old San Juan, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, USA
The Salty Rim Grill Nautical themed American eats with a Caribbean flair in St. Pete Beach, Florida
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Gulfport restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Old-School Rustic Tuscan
Gulfport, Florida, USA
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Southern-inspired comfort eats
Gulfport, Florida, USA
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Waterfront Bar with American Bites
Gulfport, Florida, USA
|
A few Florida restaurant favorites:
|
Italian-inspired seafood at the Opal Sands Resort
Clearwater / Beach, Florida USA
|
Homey seafood eatery in a 1903 cottage
Dunedin, Florida USA
|
Casual Floribbean and American pub chain
Brandon, Florida USA
|
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Tangelo’s Grille 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Tangelo’s Grille
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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11
|
9
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2
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Food quality
|
11
|
8
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3
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Plate presentation
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10
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8
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2
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Customer service
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9
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9
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0
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Alcohol and other beverages
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6
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3
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3
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Total regular points awarded
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47
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37
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10
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.787234042553192
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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1
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.0212765957446809
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.808510638297872
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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3
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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3 of 5 Stars:
81% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus
Exceeded my Expectations in a Dining Experience
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Corkage fees:
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Tangelo’s Grille does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant-style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style at Tangelo’s Grille:
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Caribbean, Cuban, Island Cuisine
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-free choices, Local, Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Sustainable, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wears flip-flops!
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Tangelo’s Grille Experiences:
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Trendy, Lounge, Hotspot, Great outdoor dining, Great brunch, Hole-in-the-wall, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Tangelo’s Grille has street meter parking
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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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Low
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Smoking:
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Tangelo’s Grille is a non-smoking restaurant with a non-smoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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Alcohol prices:
$20.00 USD
Tangelos Grille:
3121 Beach Blvd South
Gulfport, Florida
33701 USA
Contact Information:
| Restaurant website: | Tangelo's Grille |
Maître d or host:
| +1 (727) 894-1695 |
| Email Us: | Email Tangelo's Grille |
| Serving hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00) | Tue - Fri 11:30 am - 9:00 pm Saturday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm Sunday 9:00 pm - 3:00 pm Monday Closed |
Social Media
And
Accolades for Tangelo’s Grille:
| Tangelo's Grille Facebook link |
****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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High-End Japanese Steakhouse
San Francisco, California, USA
|
Prohibition-themed New American cuisine Restaurant - password required
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Bistro w/Southern & Lowcountry cuisine
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Other Tangelo’s Grille Pictures:
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| Tangelo's Grille / Dining Room |
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| Tangelo's Grille / Gulfport |
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| Tangelo's Grille / The Mermaid |
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| Tangelo's Grille / Outdoor dining |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
