220 East - Tampa

This place feels empty and uninviting… the food was disappointing for the price.

Not quite sure what the hype is. It’s mediocre food that I could prepare at home. The chicken Parm, and angel hair pasta barely had sauce on it. The chicken was dry, not appealing at all.

It saddens me to be writing a less than glowing review. We have been going to 220 East since it opened literally the day it opened, we were there. The food was great, service was great and Chef David (also the owner) always made a point to come out, say 'hello ' and check on things and ask how the food was. For 24 years, it was always good. The menu was consistent with everything from appetizers (potstickers were awesome), to a wide variety of salads, pastas, sandwiches and entrees. Approximately six eight months ago, we heard it had been sold. We 'd been in a time or two since then and everything was status quo. Then, last Saturday, we went in after a performance the Straz Center. As we approached the front door, my girlfriend pulled open the door to allow me to enter as I am in a wheelchair. At that moment a male server, was coming out to serve one of the outdoor tables. Rather than assist my girlfriend with the door, he just said 'oh, hello ', and walked by both of us leaving my girlfriend holding the door. Once inside, the two hosts took a minute to locate us a table and explained they had a new 'seating system '. Fair enough, although the restaurant isn 't huge and has never required a 'seating system ' before.Once seated, we were given a two sided paper menu, which we noticed was missing a few of our old favorites. Our server, Brooke, asked for our drink order. I ordered an Absolut Shirley Temple and my girlfriend ordered an iced tea. When, my drink arrived, I went to take a sip and didn 't sense any vodka. After my second sip (still no vodka), I verified with Brooke that she understood I wanted vodka in it. She assured me that was how she entered it. She asked me if I wanted a double. I chuckled and said no, just a plain Shirley Temple.For our meal, my girlfriend ordered the 220 Salad (very nice) and the prime rib French dip, which she had ordered the last time we were there. I ordered the fish chips. My dinner had four very nice pieces of tempura like battered white fish, hot crispy French fries and coleslaw. All very good. My girlfriend didn 't think her sandwich had as much meat, but enjoyed it with her French fries as well. As we both had leftovers, we asked for to go boxes. My girlfriend also asked for an extra side of au jus to go. We were both shocked when Brooke replied, yes, but there will be a $1 $2 upcharge . For a two oz. cup of au jus? Yep! We declined. Brooke did offer an empty au jus and my girlfriend poured what was left from the restaurant orderIn the meantime, we heard a new manager type (male, bald, bigger guy) telling another table abut the expansion, upgrades, all new kitchen equipment, interior decor, etc that was planned for the future. I guess that 's why they need to charge $1 $2 for au jus an or charge $7 for indiscernible amounts of vodka! When the bill came, the drink was still on there. I politely advised Brooke I wasn 't going to pay for the drink. She went and spoke to the manager and promptly removed the $7. I explained that my concerns were not a reflection of her service and thanked her and tipped my standard 20 22 percent.While this may seem like a rather long winded review of somewhat petty complaints individually, as a a collective and knowing how much we 've enjoyed it over the years, I fear the new owners with grand plans will ruin a fine hidden gem. We 'll see...

Food was great, and the service was top notch at the bar. Drink never approached empty before we had offerings for another. Pizza was good! Lots of cheese, light sauce (my favorite) and a good size crust!

Have eaten off and on here through the years, the food is always consistent with taste and presentation. Grouper is priced fair, and it's very tasty blackened. Drink quality is wonderful. There's a reason this establishment has been around so long.Food: 5/5