Fly Bar & Restaurant
| Address: | 1202 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602, USA |
| Phone: | +1 813-275-5000 |
| Site: | flybarandrestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 4PM–3AM 4PM–3AM 4PM–3AM 4PM–3AM 4PM–3AM 4PM–3AM 4PM–3AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Alec Villanew
“Martinó” reads the sign painted on the brick wall. Like the eyes of T.J. Eckelberg in The Great Gatsby, it oversees whatever happens at Fly Bar. I can spot it from far away as my high heels argue the stupidity of wearing them proudly over a cobble stone paved street. I wobble a bit trying to manage some classy balance. I want to believe I look like a model… a short and drunk model most likely. Even if masochistic, I believe Fly’s street to be one of the most beautiful in Downtown Tampa. The columns, the line of abundant trees, the ferns and red geraniums on the balconies, the old bricks… remind me of New Orleans. So nice to sit at the outside tables watching the few cars go by, observing the arrival of the happy hour seekers, as I sip Fly’s Sangría. Trendy dogs tied to legs of tables wag their tails. Everything about Fly is unique and trendy. But you must pay attention to details. The open space, the cocktail tables with very high booth-like sofa (a coveted spot), the bar stools, the paintings on the brick walls, the smell coming from the smoker outside, the graffiti in the bathroom… The band plays from the corner, but barely intrudes in your conversation. Fly has the best sangría. I am defeated. Before Fly, my sangría reigned supreme among friends. I sip slowly trying to figure out the ingredients. The cinnamon is obvious, and I love eating the very thin slices of green apple. The tangy fruit soaked after having swum in the burgundy concoction. The happy hour serves many of my favorite dishes at half price. Beer for three bucks and the sangría sells for five. Other libations such as Aristaios, Bee’s Knees and Rosé All Day are a must try. There is plenty of space at the bar and one can choose to stand around and mingle. The service is amazing considering the size of the place. Three bartenders smile and interact as they pour beer and craft martinis. Jeffrey (or Geoffrey—forgive me if written wrong, my Puerto Rican accent assumes) politely introduced himself as well as the other two bartenders. I thought it was gracious. Can’t think of any other bar (and I am a bar hopping enthusiast) where this had happened to me before. He also immediately announced that the happy hour was taking place and recommended different tapas. I loved it. Many restaurants and bars do not let you know that happy hour is happening and that there are entrees valued as such. Don’t ask me, won’t tell you kind of service. Fly is a friendly space where you can feel at ease and chat with the person sitting next to you and compare dishes. Normally I order lots of appetizers and everyone shares. The spicy tuna tartare, the truffled mac and cheese, the beef sliders, the roasted garlic frites, the panko crusted goat cheese and the ropa vieja are sure bets. I have ordered them at different occasions and the consistency of taste remains. In an inconsistent restaurant market where one opens in one week and closes in the next, Fly is not flying anywhere. Fly has flown to Tampa to stay.
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Christian Anderson
Fairly new to the Tampa area and decided to try out Fly Bar to get some drinks with visiting friends on a Saturday afternoon. As soon as I walked in, I observed an abundance of empty seats and tables, and was greeted by the hostess in a way to indicate that my presence was terribly inconvenient. I said I had two more coming--no response, just a blank stare--I was finally asked if I had a reservation (this is a bar? An empty one?)--I said no, but stated I could just sit at the (empty) bar. I was told that THAT bar is full service (ok cool, thats what Im here for) so I needed to sit at this 1ft diameter table tucked up next to a plastic tree...(ok whatever)... then I I noticed even more tables opening up and asked to move--this was just an over the top request apparently, but we eventually moved. I have absolutely no idea who the alleged reservations were for that we got squeezed into a small corner. The entire two hours we were there, the place was virtually empty. I cant think of any superficial reasons to indicate I didnt belong there especially considering a lot of other patrons were in cut offs and snap back hats. Drinks were fine--about $10-$15 each. Id probably never consider going to this place again in my life. Go somewhere where youre treated like your money is just as good as the nonexistent reservation holders.
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A Private User
Warm and nice atmosphere, especially during cool weather where you can sit outside or any kind of weather where you are up for a drink. Good place to hang out if youre drinking. DO NOT go here if youre hungry. The portion is TINY and over priced. My date and I went there thinking we can get some good food. He wasnt hungry but entertain me by going anyway. We order an apetizer of Scallop Ceviche, not Ceviche at all. Wasnt fresh and was sitting in a bed of sour cream of some kind, sweet and savory, definitely a horrible combination. It was YUCK...I had the Sword Fish with eggplant. Sword fish 1oz each piece was definitely frozen cut in three tiny piece, it was decent tasting for a frozen seafood . My date order lamb, which has decent taste paired with chinese brocolli, also, about a 4oz piece. Since I was hungry and he wasnt, I helped myself to the apetizer, all two entree, and was still hungry. We had water, the bill came out to over $50 plus tip. We stop by subway on the way home to grab me another sandwich...Like I said, food taste good if you are ok with frozen food and tiny portion. atmosphere was great for date. My recommendation is if youre not tight on money, go and order like 6-8 different item to impress your date :)
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Erica Schneider
Really disappointing last night-I come here often and service is at best mediocre. Asked for a simple request of no peppers on our nachos and they arrived covered with Jalapenos. Manager comes over and says they will get them out "on the fly" which was 30 mins later (sorry, but thats def not on the fly). Manager states he will comp the nachos...check is delivered with nachos on bill. Takes almost 20 mins to fix. Im pretty patient but when it takes 2 hrs from sitting down to leaving for nachos, 1 cocktail and 1 beer-I dont have patience for that. Sorry Fly Bar, but I wont be returning anytime soon. We would have ordered more food (planned on it) but this was such a debacle that I couldnt wait to get home.
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A Private User
Dont come to Flybar Tampa. I usually love the food and service, however, my last experience was simply unacceptable. They claim to be a "Family Style" dining experience, however it is much more accurate to describe it as tapas. We had poor service and two members of our party had food come out significantly later. We tried to talk with the Manager, Leslie (who is apparently also the owner), who was completely unapologetic and frankly rude. She would be fired from Chilis if she was manager there and I was frankly insulted by her arrogance. If you want overpriced Tapas style food with bad service, be sure to stop by Flybar Tampa.
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Rodrigo Lopez
Nice environment to hang out after work for happy hour, however, the food portions are EXTREMELY little for the prices. I ordered a shrimp entree I believe was $12, expected a full plate with a couple of sides, you know the usual entree you get at a restaurant. Boy I was wrong, the waiter brought out a very small plate with about 6 pieces of shrimp on a skewer, I questioned the waiter to make sure he served me the correct dish (The menu did not mention that this was on a skewer). Again, nice environment, but ONLY go for drinks if you decide to visit. This is definitely not a place to eat if you are hungry.
