Maritana - St Pete Beach

3.5 stars My husband and I recently honeymooned at The Don Cesar in St. Pete's Beach, FL. When I did research about some must-do activities in the area, Maritana was suggested many times as somewhere that people must dine. I was happy that the restaurant was IN our hotel. I made reservations ahead of time. A few days later, I received a call from the restaurant saying that they just scheduled a rum pairing dinner for the night we had reservations. They asked if we wanted to attend the dinner or if we wanted to move our reservation to another night. I asked if I could call back because I was out and wanted to speak to my husband about it. We also had already planned a few other restaurants, activities, reservations, so I wanted to check. When I got home, I had an email that my reservation was cancelled. I ended up rescheduling for another night, but the restaurant never really seemed that packed during our stay. The food was very good. I think the octopus was a little over-salted, but for the most part, we really enjoyed. I do think the restaurant is a bit overpriced. We went to another incredible, pricier steakhouse in the area and got way more food that was EXCEPTIONAL for less. Also, we went on a Wednesday evening at 7:45. It wasn't too crowded, but there was a large group of older women who were extremely loud. Because of the acoustics of the restaurant, the sound carried A LOT. We were very happy that they left before we received our entree. To me, when you're in a really nice restaurant where you're paying top dollar, you shouldn't have to encounter that. It would have been nice to hear music instead- live or piped in. I will say- the service was really great. The hostess and server genuinely cared and spoke to us about our trip and congratulated us on our recent wedding. We were stuffed and didn't want dessert, but our server still wanted to do something special for us so she brought out champagne and truffles which was a nice touch.

Absolutely worth my 5 's! The Don Cesar hotel is one of the most charming and peaceful stays in the St. Petersburg area. During my last visit, the hotel itself was undergoing a massive exterior restoration and now looks more beautiful than ever. Inside Florida 's 'Pink Palace ', the Maritana restaurant is always a must in each visit. The Maritana is partially indoor, part outdoor but I must say, the outdoor setting is definitely the better selection (If the weather permits . The patio offers a beautiful view overlooking both the pool, and the ocean; Most evenings, guests have the option to enjoy the ideal romantic ambiance with lounge seating around a glass firebox, beautiful twinkle accent lighting, and relatively quiet environment. In my visits, I 've noticed that the Maritana rotates menu items (maybe seasonally? , and I always keep a lookout for their calamari and filet mignon. I 've never been disappointed in my dinner selections here. Overall, the Maritana is definitely one of my top 3 favorite dining locations in St. Petersburg because of it 's scenery location at the tip of the St. Pete peninsula. Will definitely be back to visit!

Absolutely superb food, service and ambiance. Expensive but definitely worth the money.

Service was amazing but the food was not worth the price. Being a nice restaurant at the Don Cesar provides a great ambiance but this was interrupted by a rowdy kitchen. Food was quite underwhelming considering the prices paid for it. We ordered the sea bass and the shrimp linguine. The sea bass was quite tasty but the linguine actually came out luke warm which was very concerning. The staff quickly made a replacement of this upon letting them know but it really begs the question: what is happening in the kitchen for something like this to be brought out? Be sure if you do decide to check this place out that you book a reservation in advance as the time slots will likely fill.

Before I begin my review I want to say that this place is very upscale and pricey so be prepared to drop a bundle here. From the excellent hostess to table service, all the staff was courteous knowledgeable and fun! My daughter has a gluten sensitivity, and our server was extremely knowledgeable as to what the kitchen can prepare and pointed out what was available, which was many, on the menu for people with gluten issues we ate all her recommendations and were not disappointed. The restaurant was beautiful on the inside, and although we dressed for dinner, it seem to be OK to dress casually as well since it was located inside a beach resort. I will definitely eat here again for another special occasion, as it was quite pricey, but quite worth it as well .