Caretta on the Gulf
| Address: | 500 Mandalay Ave, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767, USA |
| Phone: | +1 727-674-4171 |
| Site: | sandpearl.com |
| Rating: | 3.7 |
| Working: | 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
A
A Private User
Worst dining experience Ive ever had. Honestly, I wouldnt go back if someone paid me to. Firstly, I made a reservation weeks in advance. No problem. I went in to scope the place out, for I wanted a great place for a special occassion. People were friendly, and the room was beautiful. I was also told by many of the hosts and waiters that if I changed my reservation from 7:00 to 6:30 than they could guarantee me a spot along the beach. I was ecstatic. Come friday night, and I walk in with my date expecting a great night. The reservation for the table I was GUARANTEED was taken by another couple, and in order for me to recieve ANY table by the beach they needed me to "wait a while". This was the first strike. We were then seated in the lounge while we waited. Eventually, I requested to speak to the manager. Not only was he completely rude, but nearly aghast with the possibility that one of his employees had given false information. In other words, I was either lying to him about the table reservation, or "there was a miscommunication". There was definitely no miscommunication, as I picked out the table myself. Strike two. By this point Im nearly livid. Ive waited 30 minutes for a reservation Id made weeks in advance, and the manager is treating me as though Im some cheap-skate looking for a free meal. Determined to let my date at least enjoy the rest of her night, we have a seat in the dining room. At a table not adjacent to the window with the beach-view. Weve not even been served when the couple at my table leaves. It would have been nice to take that seat -- the seat Id originally intended for -- but no one gives us the courtesy to either move us there or ask us if wed like to. Looking past that, we decided to order. Nothing seemed particularly appetizing on the dinner menu, so we asked for something on the menu wed seen earlier. Apparently, you had to be sitting in special section to recieve those meals. Perfect, just what I wanted. After a disasterous night I want to be told I cant order the food that I want because Im in some reject seat. Strike three. At this point, Im nearly furious. I walk in with high expectations -- willing to pay $26 for a decent entree, and find myself not only dissappointed, but offended, and aggravated with the two hours I sat and waited. Never again will I go back to Caretta. It was the worst experience Ive ever had at a "nice" restaurant.
JI
Jim Merrick
I really enjoy a good meal at nice restaurants. With that in mind I was really looking forward to dinner here. The resort itself is fantastic, the view from the restaurant is great and the atmosphere is indeed very nice. I was very impressed with the presentation, it was very well done. Then the food came and I was very disappointed, it just wasn’t very good. Our first clue was the Lobster C-Rolls had no flavor. We’ve had better ones free at another local restaurant. The beet salad had a splash of red beet juice, but no flavor. The couple we were with felt the same way about their food and sent it back. We asked to speak with a manager away from other guests. We thought he might have an explanation for why the food wasn’t very good. The manager Michael wasn’t rude, but he was condescending, so we paid and left. I travel around the world and am lucky enough to be able to eat at some very nice restaurants. I know my taste buds aren’t dead yet. Beware here - you might pay a high price for a great view and a bad meal.
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Malignant Juan
FOOD QUALITY HAS DECLINED over the last 5 y I have gone there. The menu doesnt change much. The meal is no longer memorable and the price does not reflect the quality, and believe me, it is expensive. For example, I was just there 2wks ago and ordered the Seafood Plateau for $60. The platter was worth $20. On a bed of ice was two dried out and tasteless lobster claws, 2x sawed-half crab claws, 4x rubbery gritty escargot, and 4x shrimp. It was tasteless and not worth the price. It seems that the Chef does what he can with poor quality ingredients but there is no attempt to improve their acquisition of better ingredients but the price goes up. As a local, I have been avoiding this place and hope that they can do better. As a recommendation to tourists, it is NOT WORTH THE PRICE. Leave the Sand Pearl and go down the street to Aqua Prime.
SH
Shane Viars
The food was amazing! Its pretty expensive, however the food I ate was definitely worth it. The only reason I give this place 4-stars was because of our server. He was fine until the end of our visit. We had a group of 7 people and we had planned of being on separate checks. When we asked him about doing so, he become rude and told us that we didnt tell him that in the first place. After that he was just rude with every comment and somewhat talking down to us. He said that he could split up the tabs but it would be a 40 minute wait to do so. Of course it didnt, because it never should take that long in any restaurant. We just blew it off and left after paying.
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Merry Ann Libonate
Hostess stated when I called they had a gluten free menu and gluten free bread. We arrived and were told the waiter would bring over a gluten free menu. He came to the table and said no we dont have a gluten free menu. I then told him about the 3 people that said they had a gluten free menu and he said no they dont. He then proceeded to tell me that the barley risotto was gluten free...my husband ordered the grouper and it was very bland and tough and rubbery. For an upscale restaurant I would expect their staff to be more knowledgeable about allergies and the food to have much better flavor. Only positive was the view.
JA
Jason Williams
My wife and I dine at Carettas frequently and we just received one of the rudest calls cancelling our reservation for Valentines Day because they want to price gouge us $159 per person now. We made this reservation weeks ago and this was never mentioned or advertised... When I tried to ask a question, the gentleman cut me off and instantly told me he will cancel our reservation immediately without even giving me a chance to speak. Ive never been treated or spoken to like that from anyone and it completely caught me by surprise. They certainly dont care about us...Terrible customer service and a lost customer for life.
JE
Jessica Hutwelker
Im giving this a one star because the waiter was great. The food was an abomination. I ordered the black grouper and the entire dish was bland. No flavor, no seasoning. My boyfriends steak was over cooked, no flavor, and tough to chew. I was appalled that such a lauded restaurant would come up with a menu that subpar. I had eaten there years before and everything was delicious, so I was very excited to come back. Now I wont go back and I will make sure not to recommend this place for dinner to anyone. Whoever designed the menu needs to rework it immediately.
