The fish stew - WOW... WOW... WOW... Came during a visit to St. Pete and sat outside and tried the fish stew and it was one of the best dishes my wife and I have ever had. We still dream of it months later. The seasoning and flavor was just - WHOA! Layers on layers of flavor. We couldn't finish everything so we brought it back to the hotel and ate it cold the next day and it was still delicious!
Annick R.
How nice this little place was! Just beautiful inside and the dishes were fantastic. Lots of outdoor seating as well. Will definitely return.
Yirel M.
We had dinner here back in May and it was amazing. I've never experienced two such unique surf and turf duos before. The Ahi Tuna & Foie Gras was to die for as were the B.M.T. (Bone Marrow and Ahi Tuna). I wish we would've had room for dinner because the rest of the menu looked fabulous. Small space, but the food packs the punch! I hope they reopen soon!
MichaelB
We ate outside on Saturday night since air conditioning wasn't working inside. I had the charred octopus appetizer, which really can be a main course for a light eater. I also had the Miso salad with it, which was nice and refreshing but not very large for price of $14. My wife had the ahi tuna entree which was very good. Our server was young, and nice enough. An OK experience first time at this place. Best part was people watching on Beach Drive
AC was broken and we were covered in sweat by the time we got our food. We left half of our dishes because the food was so bad. Server didn't even bother to ask if the meal was ok or they could comp something due to the swampy environment. This was our second time eating here and the will likely be the last, as the food quality has gone way way down since our first experience.
SkiBum
Excellent food, service and people watching
Dani Wags
First time dining here and I will be back! We had a party of 5 and I loved that we were seated when it was just 3 of us waiting for the stragglers. The miso salmon was amazing- thank you Chef! I also suggest the pasta choices, you can add any seafood you would like do it. I highly suggest Michelle as a server, she knows the ins and outs of this menu and has great suggestions for a newbie. Thank you for a wonderful night with friends and fresh food!
Service was incredibly slow with both of our appetizers being prepared incorrectly. Our main courses were brought our to the tables beside us. The food tasted good, but overall was not commiserate with the stress of eating there.
L C.
Found this spot on the walk intriguing in the past and made a rez while on this visit to the historic side. It was a warm night so we asked to be seated inside. The service was prompt and friendly. My gracious and beautiful better half suggested sharing small plates as the heat wasn't conducive to a full meal. So it was Caesar salad, truffle fries, calamari and mussels. The first two servings scored an 8 on 10 scale .... The calamari and muscles not so much. Each was way over seasoned (chili powder?) and masked the real flavor of each. The muscles were served in a vertical bowl of tomato-based soup and they could have been steamed a little longer as less than half were opened. The bowl of muscle 'soup' required me to pick the desired muscle out of the 'soup' and pry it open to consume....messy to say the least. I finally asked the waitress to take the 'soup' bowl back and drain it off...she exclaimed, "wow, that is way to much sauce!"... why didn't she notice that when she served it? Well the over seasoning stayed with us for the remainder of the evening as a salty, caustic after taste that resulted in consuming a number of soda water to diminish it. Did I mention it was a hit night and we chose to dine inside were it was SUPPOSED to be. A/C? The inside was very warm and to add injury to misery, the two front doors were propped open ... maybe to make it easier for the service crew to attend to those dining outside....but in doing so it just made the inside warmer. Why not have some ceiling fans or someway of moving the air? Our first and last time at Alto Mare!
Tom F.
My family and I recently visited the Alto Mare Fish Bar. This is by far one of my favorite wine bars in the downtown saint Pete. Our server Lindsey was excellent! She was very attentive and knowledgeable. At first glance the prices may seem a little pricey but you're getting excellent quality and quantity for food and wine. I highly recommend.
We were so looking forward to this restaurant. Everything was good up until my food came out. I sat there with just my food, nobody else's for about 15 mins. I sat there and my friends said “no eat, don't wait for us” I began and felt bad and weird eating while my three friends sat there. Finally, two other meals came out, so I ate a little more with them. Finally, our fourth friends food came out way after I was done. My meal and his meal we're definitely 20+ mins. apart. So awkward eating in shifts. We mentioned it to our waitress and she nonchalantly said “the meals come out when they're ready” that's it...she should've at least offer our last friend a drink or comped his meal. So disappointing
Michael W.
Worst dining experience ever!!! The air conditioning had been broken for a month and we were never informed about this(and this was Florida in the summer). They also claimed the air conditioning had been broken in the entire building but we went next store in the same building to get gelato and their air conditioning was working great. They were very unapologetic and unfeeling about the situation. We left after reading y the fish spread because we couldn't take the heat any longer. They get one star because there is no way to give a never star rating. I'll give it a -3 star!
Tim M.
The mussels here are excellent. They are served in a red sauce much like a diavolo. The beets and burrata were nice with a light vinaigrette. I would stay away from anything lobster. The lobster is frozen which impacts the texture and flavor. The raw oysters were terrible. The were extremely small with little meat. Overall, nice, but not outstanding or exceptional.
LeslieB
Would give 5 stars except last dish was SUPER SALTY. All other food items were great. We went for a girls night out and shared several dishes, Artichoke Hearst, Lobster Avocado Toast, Grilled Octopus, Burrata/Beet Salad and Clam Pasta (which was the super salty dish). All others were delicious and great for sharing. Wasn't impressed with wines though. All the reds we sampled tasted like grape juice.
The food was excellent as usual. When we walked in there was a huge commercial fan blowing so I asked if the AC wasn't working. I was told it's working, just not at the highest level. It's July in St Petersburg. As dinner was wrapping up, our guests became very warm and we realized no air was blowing from the AC ducts overhead. When we commented on this we were met with “the how building is like this” and “all the other restaurants in this building are the same”. As a paying customer that's truly not an acceptable response. I'd rather they say up front that it wasn't working well or at all but “we will do such and such to make you comfortable, etc.” But to try to bluff your way through it and say everyone else in the building is in the same situation offers nothing to a customer. I will go and eat there again but will ask about the AC first.
The fish stew - WOW... WOW... WOW... Came during a visit to St. Pete and sat outside and tried the fish stew and it was one of the best dishes my wife and I have ever had. We still dream of it months later. The seasoning and flavor was just - WHOA! Layers on layers of flavor. We couldn't finish everything so we brought it back to the hotel and ate it cold the next day and it was still delicious!
How nice this little place was! Just beautiful inside and the dishes were fantastic. Lots of outdoor seating as well. Will definitely return.
We had dinner here back in May and it was amazing. I've never experienced two such unique surf and turf duos before. The Ahi Tuna & Foie Gras was to die for as were the B.M.T. (Bone Marrow and Ahi Tuna). I wish we would've had room for dinner because the rest of the menu looked fabulous. Small space, but the food packs the punch! I hope they reopen soon!
We ate outside on Saturday night since air conditioning wasn't working inside. I had the charred octopus appetizer, which really can be a main course for a light eater. I also had the Miso salad with it, which was nice and refreshing but not very large for price of $14. My wife had the ahi tuna entree which was very good. Our server was young, and nice enough. An OK experience first time at this place. Best part was people watching on Beach Drive
AC was broken and we were covered in sweat by the time we got our food. We left half of our dishes because the food was so bad. Server didn't even bother to ask if the meal was ok or they could comp something due to the swampy environment. This was our second time eating here and the will likely be the last, as the food quality has gone way way down since our first experience.
Excellent food, service and people watching
First time dining here and I will be back! We had a party of 5 and I loved that we were seated when it was just 3 of us waiting for the stragglers. The miso salmon was amazing- thank you Chef! I also suggest the pasta choices, you can add any seafood you would like do it. I highly suggest Michelle as a server, she knows the ins and outs of this menu and has great suggestions for a newbie. Thank you for a wonderful night with friends and fresh food!
Service was incredibly slow with both of our appetizers being prepared incorrectly. Our main courses were brought our to the tables beside us. The food tasted good, but overall was not commiserate with the stress of eating there.
Found this spot on the walk intriguing in the past and made a rez while on this visit to the historic side. It was a warm night so we asked to be seated inside. The service was prompt and friendly. My gracious and beautiful better half suggested sharing small plates as the heat wasn't conducive to a full meal. So it was Caesar salad, truffle fries, calamari and mussels. The first two servings scored an 8 on 10 scale .... The calamari and muscles not so much. Each was way over seasoned (chili powder?) and masked the real flavor of each. The muscles were served in a vertical bowl of tomato-based soup and they could have been steamed a little longer as less than half were opened. The bowl of muscle 'soup' required me to pick the desired muscle out of the 'soup' and pry it open to consume....messy to say the least. I finally asked the waitress to take the 'soup' bowl back and drain it off...she exclaimed, "wow, that is way to much sauce!"... why didn't she notice that when she served it? Well the over seasoning stayed with us for the remainder of the evening as a salty, caustic after taste that resulted in consuming a number of soda water to diminish it. Did I mention it was a hit night and we chose to dine inside were it was SUPPOSED to be. A/C? The inside was very warm and to add injury to misery, the two front doors were propped open ... maybe to make it easier for the service crew to attend to those dining outside....but in doing so it just made the inside warmer. Why not have some ceiling fans or someway of moving the air? Our first and last time at Alto Mare!
My family and I recently visited the Alto Mare Fish Bar. This is by far one of my favorite wine bars in the downtown saint Pete. Our server Lindsey was excellent! She was very attentive and knowledgeable. At first glance the prices may seem a little pricey but you're getting excellent quality and quantity for food and wine. I highly recommend.
Restaurantji Recommends
We were so looking forward to this restaurant. Everything was good up until my food came out. I sat there with just my food, nobody else's for about 15 mins. I sat there and my friends said “no eat, don't wait for us” I began and felt bad and weird eating while my three friends sat there. Finally, two other meals came out, so I ate a little more with them. Finally, our fourth friends food came out way after I was done. My meal and his meal we're definitely 20+ mins. apart. So awkward eating in shifts. We mentioned it to our waitress and she nonchalantly said “the meals come out when they're ready” that's it...she should've at least offer our last friend a drink or comped his meal. So disappointing
Worst dining experience ever!!! The air conditioning had been broken for a month and we were never informed about this(and this was Florida in the summer). They also claimed the air conditioning had been broken in the entire building but we went next store in the same building to get gelato and their air conditioning was working great. They were very unapologetic and unfeeling about the situation. We left after reading y the fish spread because we couldn't take the heat any longer. They get one star because there is no way to give a never star rating. I'll give it a -3 star!
The mussels here are excellent. They are served in a red sauce much like a diavolo. The beets and burrata were nice with a light vinaigrette. I would stay away from anything lobster. The lobster is frozen which impacts the texture and flavor. The raw oysters were terrible. The were extremely small with little meat. Overall, nice, but not outstanding or exceptional.
Would give 5 stars except last dish was SUPER SALTY. All other food items were great. We went for a girls night out and shared several dishes, Artichoke Hearst, Lobster Avocado Toast, Grilled Octopus, Burrata/Beet Salad and Clam Pasta (which was the super salty dish). All others were delicious and great for sharing. Wasn't impressed with wines though. All the reds we sampled tasted like grape juice.
The food was excellent as usual. When we walked in there was a huge commercial fan blowing so I asked if the AC wasn't working. I was told it's working, just not at the highest level. It's July in St Petersburg. As dinner was wrapping up, our guests became very warm and we realized no air was blowing from the AC ducts overhead. When we commented on this we were met with “the how building is like this” and “all the other restaurants in this building are the same”. As a paying customer that's truly not an acceptable response. I'd rather they say up front that it wasn't working well or at all but “we will do such and such to make you comfortable, etc.” But to try to bluff your way through it and say everyone else in the building is in the same situation offers nothing to a customer. I will go and eat there again but will ask about the AC first.