Is Bern’s restaurant the best steakhouse in Tampa?
No matter which city you’re from, it seems like there is always that place that people go to just for “special occasions.” For Tampa, Bern’s is one of those places. This post will take you through our experience at Bern’s Steak House.
As a Tampa staple, Bern’s is practically a part of this city’s history and offers a really unique dining experience. Reservations are hard to come by and sometimes done months in advance. Maybe it’s the times that we are in, but somehow we were fortunate enough to secure an early dinner reservation last minute to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday.
Why is Bern’s One of the Best Steakhouse in Tampa?
Ambience
The inside of the restaurant is dimly lit with an old Victorian gothic interior. Really made me think of those old-timey vampire lairs. It’s very unique and very red.
The actual dining room where we were seated were thankfully well-lit and the tables were appropriate spaced out. The small window-less room had bust sculptures all around the walls which I found pretty interesting and tied in with the rest of the decor.
One thing that we weren’t able to experience, due to covid restriction, was the wine cellar and kitchen tour. It would have been amazing to see that but perhaps next time!
Service
One of the best part of dining at a high end restaurant is the service. You can’t be considered one of the best steakhouse in Tampa if your service is not up to par. Sometimes it can make or break your experience. Fortunately, our server that evening was very attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and provided an overall great service. Their servers are trained extensively and it really shows. Each dinner reservation comes with an option to go to their infamous dessert room. Your server will reserve a table upstairs and escort you there after your dinner is over.
Food
Being that my boyfriend is a huge steak lover (I mean, the guy eats it most nights), I was so excited for him to try what Bern’s is famous for…their wines and steaks. I, on the other hand, wanted to try something I have never had before. It wasn’t hard since the menu featured several things that I hadn’t heard of before or are not very familiar with.
All entrees come with French Onion Soup, House Salad, Baked Potato, Crispy Fried Onion Rings, and vegetable for that evening.
Our meal cousre started off with oysters for appetizer. We are recent raw oyster converts so this was a chance for us try high end oysters and compare them to the dollar oysters we loved getting at another restaurant. We had the choice of east or west coast oysters and opted for half of each.
The oysters were served with cocktail sauce, horseradish and truffled mignonette. I actually enjoyed these oysters, we tried hard to distinguish any difference in taste and believed that each of us liked the other type better. After the empty tray of oyster was taken away, it was time for the soup, then the salad, and finally the entree.
For his entree, he chose to go with the Delmonico and I, the Duck Confit. So I was expecting some mouth watering dishes but we were both slightly disappointed by our entrees. The steak temperature was perfect but taste wise, it was lacking. We both said that the chuck eye and rib eye that he makes on our grill were seasoned better. My duck was just okay, and I hate that I’m writing this, but it really did taste just like chicken.
The Dessert Room
So we thought we had enough room for dessert, but in reality, we barely did. And it the experience at Bern’s Steak House wouldn’t be complete without it, so we headed upstairs to continue the evening. In our little pod, was a grand piano with a pianist taking music requests from guests. A nice touch for a romantic evening. I love how the seating areas allowed for a more private and intimate setting.
Conclusion
Safety: Bern’s requests their guests to wear mask when not at their tables, maintain social distancing, and all workers are wearing masks.
Even though we weren’t mindblown by the taste of the food and not being able to experience the tour, I would still suggest a visit for your own experience at Bern’s Steak House. I am also looking forward to the next time I come back to this place to try a different things on their menu. We left with full bellies and satisfaction of trying Bern’s for a second time for me and first time for him.
More Info: See Bern’s Steak House Website
Tampa blogger that loves to try new things! Loves to write about experiences that make her happy hoping to inspire others to find their own bliss.
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