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Driftlight Steakhouse, Tampa, FL

Driftlight Steakhouse

4.7
4.7
33 Reviews
$50 and over
Steakhouse
Inspired by the lighted bridges of Tampa, the restaurant offers a bold backdrop for long conversations and luxuriant dinners, connecting visitors to the region and to each other.
The menu features chef-selected land and sea dishes driven by regional ingredients, paired with a collection of wines and champagnes from around the world. Other handcrafted drinks offer new interpretations of classic cocktails, setting the scene for a fresh yet familiar destination.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 2 times today

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Steakhouse, Seafood, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 6:30 am–11:00 am Sat, Sun 6:30 am–12:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (813) 314-6611
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Private party facilities
    Contact our restaurant sales team at 813-314-6650 to inquire about booking your next private event.
  • Neighborhood
    Tampa
  • Cross street
    Water Street & Florida Avenue
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 33 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Tampa

    Steakhouse

33 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    service was great. I ordered the halibut but it was a bit too salty. The Brussels Sprouts were very tasty and the sweet potato bread with the future butter was amazing.

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  2. RJBTO

    Toronto

    19 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on November 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    A classic dining experience with wonderful service and excellent food.

    Driftlight SteakhouseResponded 5 days ago

    Thank you for your heartfelt feedback. Please join us again soon!

    Is this helpful?

  3. JBehar

    Fort Lauderdale

    22 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on October 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Everything was delicious! Our server was great and we really enjoyed our meal.

    Driftlight SteakhouseResponded 5 days ago

    Thank you so much for your kind review. We look forward to welcoming you back.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Christopher

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 7, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Hidden gem. This steakhouse was delicious and the staff were great!

    Driftlight SteakhouseResponded on October 11, 2023

    Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a positive review! We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed your experience. Our team works hard to provide exceptional service and delicious food, so It’s always rewarding to receive such kind feedback. We hope to have the pleasure of serving you again soon!

    Is this helpful?

  5. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 2, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Great location  service was amazing. Environment was super relaxed yet very refined

    Is this helpful?

  6. Rhpeirce

    New York Area

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on August 2, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent dinner. Our waiter was very nice and attentive and the manager came to our table and answered our questions about our wine. She was very nice!

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  7. Johnlerik

    Washington DC

    26 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on July 14, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience4
    Overall, we had a good experience. Service was good and the food was good as well. Only negative, was filet was over cooked and need slightly more seasoning.

    Driftlight SteakhouseResponded on August 21, 2023

    Good morning, John, Thank you for dining with us and also providing the feedback on your experience. I have shared your feedback with our culinary team in order to provide flawless experiences for our future guests. We hope to see you again in the near future. Regards, Ryan Burns

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  8. JeffC

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on July 8, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Had the Delmonico and it was delicious. The other guest got a filet and it was good but probably a little overcooked per requested temp. Would recommend the delmonico

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  9. luvtoeat

    Charleston

    69 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    69 reviews

    Dined on July 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Had the bone in filet and it was so juicy and tender. The cheesecake was a great ending to an excellent meal. Thanks for an amazing meal right in our hotel!

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  10. JohnP

    Coastal Georgia

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on June 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    I made reservation here prior to the Bryon Adams concert. This is a wonderful steakhouse with a beautiful setting of decors/ open kitchen view. My friend ordered the Halibut dish and I ordered the crispy chicken dish . Both were wonderful choices. Our server Juan, he made the evening go smoothly and pleasant. p.s. the concert was great! 😎

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  11. OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on June 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Delicious. I dined here for restaurant week and it was a great experience.

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  12. LynneB

    Jacksonville

    12 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on May 23, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We had a fabulous meal at Driftlight. My husband and I both had the filet. It was cooked perfectly, and the sides of potatoes and asparagus were delicious. He had the carrot cake, and I opted for key lime pie for dessert. Both were excellent. We loved everything about our dining experience. The service was top notch, the ambiance was quiet and refined. Great choice for a lovely evening!

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  13. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on May 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This was our first time and we loved. We reserved a table at 8:30 Friday night, using open table. It was very easy. The restaurant was very clean and beautifully decorated. Gary was our amazing server. We haven’t had such good service anywhere in a long time. The food and cocktails were delicious. We will definitely eat here again and hopefully we will get Gary’s table.

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  14. OpenTable Diner

    Orlando

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on April 29, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The wait staff are incredible, the only thing that surpasses their service is the food! You must try the smoked pork belly.

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  15. OpenTable Diner

    Oklahoma City

    3 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on April 13, 2023

    overall1food1service4ambience4
    Food was terrible. Appetizers and drinks were good but the steak and chicken were gross

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  16. Koop

    Indiana

    18 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on April 8, 2023

    overall1food2service1ambience3
    We had 5:15 reservations for a restaurant that opened at 5. They text me twice which I replied yes to both times in would we be there. They called me twice I called back but it’s not the restaurant it’s the hotel number they gave so when they called at 4:45 again I did answer and told them yes. For someone that was so eager to be sure we were coming you’d think they’d be ready for us. No! The waiter took about 5 minutes to even get to us for drinks. He kept pushing the Manhattan but I asked for blonde ale and my wife Aperol so we waited seriously another 5 minutes he was gone then comes back and says uh you wanted the Manhattan right? We correct him and he disappears for another 5 and comes back with the keg ran out and has to be changed! What? Fine give me any Pilsner and another 5 I’m not exaggerating here. We order medium rare steaks someone else brings them like almost 20 minutes later, our drinks are long done so wife asked for red wine kid says I’ll get your waiter, we order he leaves we cut into steaks mine is fine wife’s is no red and great so we try to get anyone’s attention nothing so we wait for him to bring wine but it’s taking forever again so I switched steaks with my wife and when we’re in last couple bites he shows up with red wine. I ask where are you going all the time? The bar is backed up and of course it is because it’s in the lobby of hotel as a separate entity and it’s packed. This is in the JW so this is highly unacceptable and I would never go there again and actually probably wouldn’t stay there because of it. Don’t waste your time it’s not even a good steak house. We were shocked as we stayed across street at Marriott and figured JW had the great restaurant…wrong!

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  17. OpenTable Diner

    Dallas

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 24, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The restaurant wasn’t very crowded for a Friday night. Waitstaff was attentive and food was delicious. Finding the entrance was a bit problematic but did not deter from the experience.

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  18. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 18, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience3
    Initially, I made the restaurant aware several times that this was our 37th wedding anniversary and requested a quiet romantic table. Instead, we were seated in the table directly in front of the busy and often distracting entranceway, the exact opposite of what I was expecting. We made the best of it, but it was very disappointing. That said, our server, Gary, was terrific. He was attentive, knew the kitchen well and gave us a great experience. The food, especially the dry-aged steak we shared which was flavorful and perfectly cooked, was also excellent, with the sole exception of the Caesar salad which was bland, sorely lacked garlic and had equally flavorless croutons.

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  19. OpenTable Diner

    Las Vegas

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on March 15, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    Great ambiance. Food was good too. Everything was a bit salty. I’d reduce the salt in the spinach and the steak.

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  20. RachelTome

    Tampa

    26 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    26 reviews

    Dined on March 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    DriftLight is a beautiful restaurant. When my husband and I first arrived. There were not very many tables seated, which immediately concerned me, given it was a Friday evening in downtown Tampa. However, we soon discovered that it was a pleasant dining experience. The service was excellent, and the food was absolutely delicious! Several more diners trickled in while we were there, but it never got totally full. My assumption is that the prices prevent it from being fully booked. It is slightly overpriced. We eat dinner out 5-6 nights per week, so I’m very familiar with price variation of entrees. I believe if DriftLight lowered their prices 10-12% they would actually end up being more profitable. The jalapeño cornbread was soooo good! My husband had the filet Oscar style and was actually moaning about how good it was! My salmon was excellent.

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  21. BobP

    Chicago

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on March 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Very nice, an overall great experience from the time they sat us until we left

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  22. EaterofTampaBay

    New York Area

    27 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on March 5, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience4
    Overall a mixed bag: started out well. Would highly recommend the amazing beet salad. Not a big fan of beets but these were excellent. The sweet pea cocktail was pretty decent as well, unusual but a good melange of flavors. I’d recommend mixing it before drinking it. While it looks pretty cool when it comes, the flavor improves 5 fold once mixed together. The bread ‘service’ was odd. Not bad , the cornbread was good , but the whipped feta? with it didn’t do much for it. Entrees were the big let down: For $65 I expect an amazing steak. It was merely an OK NY strip, not worth the hefty price. The side baked potato was fine. My wife had the scallops and they arrived over cooked and coated in something too sweet. In a nutshell, far better steakhouses abound if you want to pay such prices. But there are a lot of things on the menu to choose from so perhaps there are some better choices.

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  23. OpenTable Diner

    Orlando

    1 review

    vip
    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 4, 2023

    overall1food1service4ambience4
    Sadly the food inedible- every dish was completely horrible. The French onion soup was burnt and black, the calamari was inedible as it was so profoundly salty, the crab cakes were mushy, undercooked, and fishy. I wanted to get the short ribs but after the experience of the previous dishes.. I decided to cut my losses and leave … hungry This was the worst foodie experience in a decade. On a positive note the staff and ambiance was excellent..

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  24. magnoliablanche

    Chicago

    97 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    97 reviews

    Dined on February 23, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Highly recommend you check out Driftlight! It is a new trendy steakhouse in the JW Marriott hotel. Their food, service, ambiance and everything in between are phenomenal. Perfect for business meetings, celebrations, and date night!

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  25. RichP

    Tampa

    15 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall2food2service3ambience3
    dinner started off great with the bread service. I ordered the 30-day dry aged 18oz bone-in ribeye. I ordered it medium rare, and it came out overcooked, twice!! we ordered the fried Brussels sprouts as a side. the outside was fried, but the inside was still hard and raw. however, my server took both off my check.

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  26. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 14, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    I thought bc I had ordered a French 75 at the bar right outside that it would be as fantastic. It was Not! It was nothing like the first one . Please have a class so it can be a great experience. Food was just average. Waiter brought my husband a filet when he actually ordered a porterhouse. Just need to get in same page and all will be great! The dining room on Valentines was so empty. Not expecting that.

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  27. PeterC

    Greater Boston

    16 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    Great service, nice pace, excellent food.

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  28. OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 20, 2023

    overall1food1service4ambience4
    My wife had scallops. Scallops were overcooked and over salted. I ordered ribs. Impossible to eat. Very dry and hard to chew. For $50+ dishes I would expect much better quality food. Administration needs to reconsider chefs. Service was nice though. A Michelin star is so far from this place you can’t even see it.

    2 people found this helpful

  29. OpenTable Diner

    Toledo

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Phenomenal experience! Special thanks to our server Gary!

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  30. OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    23 reviews

    5.0

    23 reviews

    Dined on November 19, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Loved our evening at driftlight. Quiet, good cocktails, super service, delicious food. A little bizarre that a hotel restaurant isn’t open in the evening on Sunday and Monday (we hoped for a return visit).

    1 person found this helpful

  31. Toughbutfair

    Raleigh

    11 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on September 2, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Great food and service Only is the place is too damn bright - like runway lights bright

    1 person found this helpful

  32. NedF

    Tampa

    13 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on July 23, 2022

    overall1food4service2ambience1
    Felt like we were in a laboratory with the lights blinding. Had an 8pm resi ordered the seafood tower and a bottle of wine was rushed to finish and order before the kitchen closes (10pm). Sat us at a small lunch table, turned all the tables for breakfast and sprayed cleaner on all the tables next to us immediately after setting our food down. Food was ok but ambiance was a deal breaker.

    2 people found this helpful

  33. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 6, 2022

    overall3food3service3ambience3
    First of all - they don’t work with Open Table anymore so they didn’t have our reservation but were able to seat us. The food and service were okay. Seems very overpriced for what it is.

    3 people found this helpful

FAQs

Driftlight Steakhouse is rated 4.7 stars by 33 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 2 times today
Google Map for Driftlight Steakhouse

510 Water St, Tampa, FL 33602

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Water Street & Florida Avenue
  • Neighborhood
    Tampa
  • Hours of operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 6:30 am–11:00 am Sat, Sun 6:30 am–12:00 pm Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Steakhouse, Seafood, Steak
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (813) 314-6611
  • Private party facilities
    Contact our restaurant sales team at 813-314-6650 to inquire about booking your next private event.
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