An Oyster Bar Brunch With Bottomless Mimosa
St. Petersburg, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Seafood, Tavern
Average Price: $$
Overall Rating: 2/5
Dined in: August 2018
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:
The Oyster Bar Zomato rating:
The Oyster Bar Executive Chef:
Mohammed Hassan
It has been two years since the last visit to The Oyster Bar in downtown St. Petersburg, and with the large selection of dining establishments in the Tampa Bay to choose from sometimes getting back to places can take time. The first visit was on a Sunday in the afternoon after Brunch ended, but before dinner, with the dining room and bar crowded to nearly standing room only. This visit was for a buffet style Saturday Brunch and was the same way. We joined some friends who had arrived earlier to reserve a cocktail style table.
The Brunch menu is a combination of either platted dishes with an oyster section or a set priced buffet at $18.00, that had a large grouping of items, making it very reasonable for that price point. You could also order the bottomless mimosa or Bloody Mary’s for $14 or $18 also. The cocktail list is very imaginative as well as creative if mimosa and Bloody Mary’s are not to your liking. The first visit we had a garden party cocktail, and an old Cuban cocktail, which you can read more about, as well as other drink favorites by following this link to that review.
Menu:
- Oysters + Raw Bar
- Baked Oysters
- Fried Oysters
- Oyster Shooters
- Appetizers + Small Plates
- Soups + Salads
- Seafood
- Meat + Poultry
- Desserts
- Saturday and Sunday Brunch
The first visit was relaxed between the ordering of cocktails and some oysters since that is their namesake after-all. I tried a selection, which they did offer as a sampling of either the raw, baked, or fried oysters. I chose a half dozen sampler of two separate oysters from the fried portion, which is pictured towards the bottom of this review article. From the Brunch buffet line, you could choose a large assortment to fit your taste from smoked salmon, beef brisket, a carving station of beef tenderloin, fried chicken, and several breakfast selections that include scrambled eggs, sausage links, biscuits, and creamed gravy. They also had several assortments of muffins, house-made bread, cinnamon rolls, as well as fruits with yogurt and cereal. $18.00 is not a bad price for all of that. One of our friends and my wife ordered from the buffet.
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| The Oyster Bar / Buffet Line |
I was the only person in our party to order from the menu, though one thing that all of us had in common except for the designated driver was to order from the Bottomless mimosa or Bloody Mary bar. On occasion I will order a Bloody Mary at Brunch so to be offered an endless amount at the price point offered is something that would be stupid to pass up. One person from our party returned to the table with an eggs Benedict served over the traditional topping of ham, over a buttermilk biscuit instead of an English muffin, poached egg, plus hollandaise sauce. The plate also had some other breakfast assortments to include bacon and hash brown potatoes.
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| The Oyster Bar / Buffet |
The second member of our party did more of a combo to his Brunch plate with some fried chicken, breakfast sausages, biscuit and scrambled cheese eggs. This was of course only the first round.
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| The Oyster Bar / Fried Chicken |
The shrimp n’ grits dish was made with slow-cooked stone ground grits, mixed with pimento cheese, then topped with baby shrimp, bacon, and an Étouffée sauce. The juice from the bacon, Creole flavors of the sauce blended perfectly with the pimento cheese grits for one of the best shrimp and grit dishes I have had, matching the ones in Charleston, South Carolina.
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| The Oyster Bar / Shrimp And Grits |
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Seafood and Tavern articles and restaurants similar to The Oyster Bar:
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in most cases, where travelers receive lodging such as an Inn. The word derives from the Latin taberna or the Greek Taverna, whose original meaning was a shed, workshop, stall, or pub. In the English language, a tavern was once an establishment which served wine whilst an inn served beer and ale.
McCrady’s Tavern Acclaimed high-concept inspired Farm-to-Table tavern in Charleston, South Carolina
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Seafood:
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other St Petersburg restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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A Fusion of Thai and Mexican Cuisine
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An Asian-Fusion Gastro Pub
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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Cal-Italian Cuisine, at the Sundial
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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A Few Florida Favorites:
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
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 The Oyster Bar a 2 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants. The first review score was 3 of 5 stars, so they have dropped by one star due to the customer service score being much lower from my last visit.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for The Oyster Bar
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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
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9
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2
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Food quality
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11
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8
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3
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Plate presentation
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10
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9
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1
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Customer service
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12
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6
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6
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Alcohol and other beverages
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9
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7
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2
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Total regular points awarded
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53
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39
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14
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.735849056603774
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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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0.0188679245283019
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.754716981132075
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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2
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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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2 of 5 Stars:
75% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus
An Above Average Dining Experience
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Wine List:
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The Oyster Bar
Wine rating:
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6 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Germany, Italy, Spain
New World selections:
Argentina, Australia, California, New Zealand, Oregon, South Africa, Washington State
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Corkage fees:
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The Oyster Bar 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 The Oyster Bar:
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American, Seafood
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
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Not Required, but Recommended
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s 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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The Oyster Bar Experiences:
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Contemporary, Modern, Trendy, Hotspot, Rustic, Great brunch, 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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The Oyster Bar has a 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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Loud
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Smoking:
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The Oyster Bar is a non-smoking restaurant
WARNING: has a 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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$$
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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:
$45.00 USD
The Oyster Bar:
249 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, Florida
33701
United States
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 727 897 9728
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Online reservations
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Website Contact:
Email Us:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Mon-Thur
11:00 am - 12:00 am
Fri-Sat
11:00 am - 3:00 am
Sunday
10:00 am - 12:00 am
Happy Hour
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for
The Oyster Bar:
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****
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…
|
Eclectic & innovative gastropub using molecular gastronomy
Tampa, Florida, USA
|
Seasonally inspired continental European fare
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
|
High-end bistro with modern New Zealand cuisine
Christchurch, New Zealand
|
Other Oyster Bar Pictures:
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| The Oyster Bar / Bottomless Mimosa Bar |
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| The Oyster Bar / Bottomless mimosa line |
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| The Oyster Bar / Brunch Buffet |
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| The Oyster Bar / Dining Room |
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| The Oyster Bar / Tenderloin carving |
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| The Oyster Bar / Oysters |
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| The Oyster Bar / Smoked salmon |
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| The Oyster Bar / Tenderloin plate |
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| The Oyster Bar / The bar |
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| The Oyster Bar / Serving and 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
