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Hours
Sun
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Mon
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Tue
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Wed
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Thu
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat
11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
4.0
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, American, Bar, Seafood, Grill, Gastropub
Special Occasion Dining, View, Groups, Bar Scene
Can a vegetarian person get a good meal at this restaurant?
Details
About
Located on beautiful lake tarpon this picturesque Key West themed waterfront restaurant has an indoor/outdoor bar, a large outdoor patio and 16 slips to accommodate boaters. So whether you come by land or come by lake grab a table or seat at the bar, enjoy the view and select from our 50 item island inspired menu featuring delicious appetizers, great sandwiches, awesome tacos, fantastic flatbreads, & tantalizing rice bowls. This array of Caribbean dishes is sure to please everyone in your party.
PRICE RANGE
$11.00 – $54.00
CUISINES
American, Bar, Seafood, Grill, Gastropub
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Waterfront
Contribute
4.0
843 reviews
Excellent
452
Very good
214
Average
83
Poor
46
Terrible
48
Chiefbuff
Tampa1647 contributions
Jul 2023 • family
It’s a nice location and the interior is laid out very nice. Big open outdoor seating with views of the lake and docks. Service was ok and I’m glad they weren’t that busy or might have been longer wait time. Never any check in while we ate or offer of drink refills.
Menu has choices but overly large in any specific area. The battered shrimp and fries was just ok as the fried shrimp are set against cold and wet lettuce. That caused the shrimp to be soggy on one side and the breading to fall off. The fish bite bowl was good, not great. The fish bites done well but the corn was cold as was the rice.
They also charged $.50 cents for a side of horseradish for the shrimp plate.
We went l, we ate and we left most likely not to return.
Written July 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
azuki
Miami315 contributions
Mar 2023 • friends
This place has a very fine view of Lake Tarpon, five stars for the location!
Five stars also for the service. Kali (if I remember correctly) is funny, efficient, and attentive.
Happy Hour is until 7pm on weekdays, with $4 beers and wine. If you go for dinner, head out a little early to get that special, sip and enjoy the view.
On the menu, there is plenty of burgers and sandwiches, salads as well as quick meals like fish and chips and bowls. Appetizers includes wings, fries, nachos, potstickers and the like. There were only eight entrees, mostly grilled fish with sides. The portions are on the small side, and the flavors just okay. I feel this place is better for lunch than dinner.
Written March 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristin C
184 contributions
Jul 2023 • friends
We enjoyed the view and our time here. Most of the food was pretty good. The grouper Reuben was very salty so I probably wouldn't order it again. I have a problem with restaurants that charge for condiments. Especially when they don't tell you they are doing so. We ordered a side of ranch and a side of another sauce. .50 cents each! Condiments should be complimentary. Server seemed like we were bothering her at first but we just kept showering kindness and she ended up being great. Would come again.
Written July 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane B
Norfolk107 contributions
Dec 2024 • family
We were seated quickly in a booth that felt very much like a bad diner. Light was too fluorescent for the room and the service was spotty. Not one of us enjoyed our meals and we all got different things (fish, salads, dumplings and soup). I had shrimp in my salad and it was loaded with old bay seasoning (the menu doesn't indicate this). One member in our party ordered a Jameson and Ginger Ale and it was served in a double shot glass for $12.50 (!?) I had the house chardonnay and it was so cheap I couldn't finish it. Save your money, there are much better places to go in the area!
Written January 6, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
maya331
Florida352 contributions
Sep 2024 • couples
Ate here for a light supper on a very rainy night so the outdoor area was closed. Might be a better choice when you can sit outside on a nice day or night. Decor is pleasant and we were seated promptly at a table with a view of the lake and marina. Service was friendly.
We had a big lunch earlier in the day and so we ordered two soups and two appetizers. Clam chowder was very odd - thick mush - like it was made with mashed potatoes. She crab soup was better but was quite spicy, so much so that the spices really overpowered the delicate taste of the crab. We would not order either soup again.
Appetizers were coconut shrimp (6) and what was advertised as "the best calamari you ever had" Shrimp were medium sized and were good, nice flavor, well cooked. Small order for the price. Calamari was made with very large, rubbery squid rings in a tempura batter with marinara on the side. There weren't many of them and they were very chewy. Again, priced high for what we got and didn't really like.
Pleasant atmosphere, friendly service, very loud rock music (even tho most patrons had gray hair on a rainy, off-season night), and hit or miss food. Not sure we'd recommend, at least not the items we ordered. Prices were high for what we were served.
Written September 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Denise S
Tampa3 contributions
Nov 2024 • friends
Food was Terrible! Staff and atmosphere awesome. I have been frequenting the Tarpon Turtle for decades, this time was awful. New cook? Food was dry and zero taste. Menu changes as well, more meat less fish, not thrilled. My friends had not been there before but I was truly very disappointed.
Written November 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiffany H
Holiday1 contribution
Jun 2021 • couples
My husband an I came here on Father’s Day. They seemed a little busy an while being seated we over heard the staff saying “I thought we didn’t get busy on Father’s Day” the staffs Morral was terrible. Our waitress was Kim she had absolutely no personality didn’t even try making conversation an kept forgetting what we asked her for. Then my husband ordered grilled shrimp an I ordered the catch of the day($30 plate) well when they brought our food finally they preceded to tell us that they accidentally fried my husbands shrimp an that’s why it took so long. Well my $30 catch of the day was so dry you could tell it sat there an waited for my husbands shrimp to be recooked. It was a terrible meal an a terrible time we won’t be back
Written June 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lee G
Palm Harbor115 contributions
Sep 2023 • couples
We have been to Tarpon Turtle many times over the past 15 years. It has been very consistent for several years. However on our most recent stop it was off.
The food was ok, but size of shrimp were tiny, wings skinny and fish nuggets not warm.
What turned us off was the bar staff, which is where we normally set. They were all new to us, disheveled and seemed uninterested in serving us. Historically they are nice, engaging and eager to serve you; not on this trip.
We left early and stopped at another establishment for a night cap where we learned others had had poor experiences recently. We questioned if it was under new ownership or management?
Not sure how long it will be until we stop again?
Written September 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna409
14 contributions
Mar 2023 • family
Our server Ally was either super busy or terrible. We had a large party, I understand time can be an issue but we waited entirely too long for a bottle of wine and then we received the wrong bottle and waited even longer. When the food finally came out it was mediocre at best, the burger was charred, one was missing bacon, the salmon was dry and overcooked and the fries were old and we had no silverware, the food runners happily got us some. We would’ve said something but Ally didn’t check back on us after dropping a soda right after meals came out. She came back and dropped our checks, took our payments and if I wasn’t in the business I wouldn’t have tipped 20%
Written March 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rich
Florida76 contributions
Nov 2022 • none
Came here today (11/01/22, 2ns attempt) after trying twice to find its location. Hard to find...until you find it and then it is ridiculously close and just off 19 in Tarpon. It was h/c accessible and good for a wheelchair. New hostess was young and sweet. Found a nice table on the outside deck and with a nice breeze on a warm day. Wife had a "Lakeside Paradise" drink and I had their Pilar Rum Runner with an extra shot of that same Papas dark rum. Great. We each had salads, one Florida Salad and I had a "crunch bowl" with the fish chunks of the day (Mahi). Very nice. The Manager "Tony" came along to touch base. We shared our disappointment that the menu states there are red onions in the FL Salad - he informed us that they switched to the white onions because their batch of red were not good looking. We suggested they change the menu (which he said was coming) to illustrate the change; the server did not know this change, it seemed. All in all it was a nice experience by the water. We WILL be back. Thanks to all and Server Norbert.
Written November 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beverly T
1 contribution
Nov 2022 • none
We had a lovely and filling lunch at Tarpon Turtle. The chicken tender boat was very plentiful. The tenders were just that: moist and tender and yummy. The bacon avocado burger was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. Our server, Danielle, was professional, friendly, timely, and pleasant. We never felt rushed, forgotten, or pressured into making any choices. A tasty meal was made even more pleasant by our waitress. Thank you, Danielle and Tarpon Turtle!
Written November 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lizzette A
19 contributions
Apr 2022 • friends
Today we celebrated a birthday during lunch time at The Tarpon Turtle. It was our first time here and we all enjoyed it very much. The Bloody Mary's are to die for. Robust, smoked salted rims, full slice of bacon, olives and a celery stick!! Awesome!! We had the Cobb and Wedge Salads. They were both fine dining quality at a reasonable price. The views are priceless! Their chicken wings are grilled to perfection. The Jerk and garlic parmesan were our favorites. We were able to score one of their individual Tiki Huts to dine in and it was waterside. Just fabulous with all the wildlife just beneath us. We even saw turtles 🐢 and alot of them! Our server was ⭐️ Yolanda ⭐️ and she was top notch! Ask for her, you will not be disappointed. She even surprised us with a beautiful birthday dessert on the house❤️ We are excited to return here and hope to spend a little more time hanging out and enjoying the sights, sounds and cocktails🍸
Written April 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim R-M
Tampa18 contributions
May 2024 • friends
The service provided by Hunter was superb. I have dietary restrictions and was able to get gluten-free, sugar-free meal that was wonderfully flavored and not fried. I am so happy! Healthy choices are definitely available in addition to salads. 😀
Written May 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MangooMama
Tampa19 contributions
Jul 2021 • none
Treated to this delightful place on the lake for my birthday. The decor is open, light and fun. The tables are on staggered levels so there is a view of the lake no matter where you sit. The food and service was excellent. My sister and I had coconut shrimp which was the best I've ever had! My son had a "kitchen sink" burger that was enormous and cooked perfectly. My brother in law had a fish that I had never heard of before but was recommended as similar to grouper. It was the "catch of the day"- flown in fresh from South America. It was as described- very meaty and flavorful. I am very much looking forward to going back when the weather is a bit cooler and I can sit on the beautiful patio.
Written August 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J. Nelson
Ramsey90 contributions
Mar 2024 • family
We picked this restaurant for our big family dinner on spring break with the grandparents who we don't see all that often so we wanted a nice place. We made a reservation which even though it was a Tues night in March was pretty full at the time. We got in a little after 7 pm and sat outside by the water which was amazing. The service was stellar and the food amazing. I had the Black Grouper which was just about the best fish I've ever had! It is a little pricey but we were ok with that. This is a great place to eat!
Written March 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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