The food was good, the drinks marvelous (try the Mojito!) and the desert a bit too much (tasty Key Lime Pie). We started with the Beef Empanada appetizer and then had a couple of fish dishes (Tuna Steak and Tilapia) for the main course. We spent more $$ than was anticipated but left full and satisfied. The waitstaff was attentive and brisk. Â If the restaurant industry is floundering of late you certainly can not tell this by the crowds at the Brandon Mall on a Saturday evening.... and that is the down side. It's at an urban shopping mall restaurant row. I'd give the place a 4th star if it was near a harbor or in a beach community. Placing a restaurant (any restaurant) with outdoor seating and a good drink menu in the middle of a concrete mall entryway is an abomination. Between the appetizer and the main course we had to ask for fresh utensils (and our waitress had to track down a spare set up). But when desert came we were greeted with fresh forks and napkins. Overall I got what I expected from a upper mid-scale chain.
Review Source:I have to give the manager Craig a lot of credit. Â After my husband and I having a pretty bad experience here I sent a note via their website. Â Craig called me almost immediately, apologized and sent us a gift card to try them out again. Â
A few months after that we happened to run into Craig at a charity event with Bahama Breeze as one of it's sponsors. Â To be honest, I didn't even recognize him but he actually came over to us, introduced himself and apologized again in person. Â He also made it very clear that we are welcome to come back to the restaurant anytime and that he would do his best to make sure everyone has a good experience. Â
He explained some difficulties they had when they first opened and how they have made some changes to overcome those difficulties. Â All-in-all I really respect it when a manager or person can really give a sincere apology. Â It was a very nice gesture and one I didn't take lightly. Â I'm looking forward to going back to Bahama Breeze. Â Several of my family members that were there the first time have been back and reported that they have had fantastic subsequent visits. Â
Thanks Bahama Breeze and thank you Craig... job well done.
Finally a Bahama Breeze close to me! I was so excited when this location opened up. My mom and I stopped in for a late night bite. I started with a pina colada. It was very yummy. It was also happy hour so it made it that much better! We ordered the goat cheese and pita bread for an appetizer. I was disappointed they were out of pita bread. We had it with tortilla chips instead. They served it in grilled red peppers. The presentation was spot on.
For my entree I ordered the fish tacos. Wow! Very good. Just the right amount of flavor without overpowering the fish. It was served with rice and black beans on the side. It was enough food that I took some of it home. Yay for leftovers!! My mom ordered their vegetarian asian tofu. She is very picky. She couldn't stop talking about how perfect they cooked the tofu.
Our sever was very nice. He was little confused at times but I'm sure when my mom and I are together we can be confusing. All in all it was a great trip. I will definitely be back!
So this was three strikes and they're out. Â I am so sad guys cuz I really had high hopes for this restaurant. Â The service is just plain frustrating and the food is just...well....okay and for the price I expected more. Â Unless it's just to sit outside for a quick drink while taking a break from shopping....I won't be back.
Review Source:For a chain restaurant, this new location is a welcome addition to the vast dining options of the Brandon Town Center. Â I've frequented this location a couple of times for lunch over the past few months. Â Each and every time we have been greeted with fast and friendly service from the wait staff.
The food selections are enormous whether you are in the mood for a salad or an actual entree. Â The wait times were rather long when it first opened, but seemed to have come down to a normal level now that it's been around for a bit. Â
I'd definitely recommend a stop by this establishment if you're looking for something out of the ordinary to satisfy your hunger if you are in the area.
I popped in recently while exploring Brandon Mall. I took my mom and grandmother to lunch there. Â At first we were met with server who seemed to have a chip on her shoulder but ended up warming up significantly by the end of the lunch.
While it's not the same experience as the Tampa/Clearwater Rocky Point big brother, it's a nice mall option. Â The food was fresh and abundant and the prices were really good.
Our table had a Crab avodado stack, a grilled avocado and chicken salad, a conch fritter appetizer and a chopped chicken salad. I would say all were very tasty. Â The sandwich was on a very large cold bun so stars are decucted.
I am not sure if I would run back there and I definitely like the vibe of the other location much better but for a mall spot, I think it works out quite well.
I love Bahama Breeze (probably because I used to live across the street from one). The new Brandon mall location is super nice with a very impressive bar. They have a nice patio area and great happy hour specials. I highly recommend the spinach dip, onion rings with citrus dipping sauce, cobb salad, Cuban sandwich or any fresh fish. Â Great place for big groups or if you're in the mood for a fantastic cocktail!
Review Source:I'm starting to believe that most of the negative reviews of this particular location must have stemmed from growing pains. Â They haven't been open that long, and in a location like Brandon Mall it probably takes a while to establish how many employees you need to run the place properly.
In any case, my experience with this Bahama Breeze was very enjoyable and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Â The drinks are a little pricey, but they have a happy hour from 4-6 and from 9pm to close with some decent deals on appetizers and drinks.
Like one of the other reviewers, I highly recommend the yuca bites. Â They were the highlight of my meal. Â For my entree I chose the portobello and roasted veggie sandwich with a side of mashed sweet potatoes and both were delicious. Â The sandwich was thick enough to fill you up but not fall apart everywhere when you tried to eat it, and the savory vegetables went well with the sweet lime dipping sauce.
I had a zombie to drink and it was a little small and underpowered, but tasted good. Â I was designated driver for the evening so underpowered served me well. Â My wife had a drink called the painkiller which was rum, cream of coconut, fruit juice, and freshly grated nutmeg. Â I have to say, that was also really delicious.
Our server was very friendly and accommodating. Â My only gripe at all was that the outdoor entertainer was a little overly enthusiastic kept coming inside and bothering select guests at our table to come outside. Â Once would have been fine, but he literally came over three times and gave them the same speech about why they should go outside. Â It was..awkward and the staff didn't seem to be doing anything about it until we complained.
But despite this, it was a very enjoyable experience and hopefully we have an occasion to come back again soon.
The firecracker shrimp appetizer is a MUST have to start with! Yumm! Â As for the meal.. i tried the new Buttermilk Fried Chicken breast..soo delicious! If you like chicken, cheese, potatoes and spinach, you cant go wrong! Order a Pina Colada and you really do feel like your in the Carribean!
Review Source:The S.O. and I decided to give this Bahama Breeze a shot a while after their grand opening to let the hustle die down. Â I have always liked this restaurant of the Darden chain, where-as he has not been impressed in the past.
We arrived right at dinner time on a weekend evening, were asked to wait, even though the restaurant looked partially empty, but were seated within 10 minutes.
Once we were sat within TV watching range (but not IN the pretty new bar) our server introduced himself. He was so entertaining! Claiming to know sourcery and very upbeat, he started our meal out with a smile.
I like the new menu additions - especially the small plates. Prices are fair - about the same as most chain restos.
We ordered the yuca bites to start and all I have to say is that these are a must try. The sauce that comes with them is fantastic. A little smoky, a little sweet. I could bottle that up and eat it on everything.
He ordered the fish tacos, I ordered the portabella burger. Both of our meals were straight out of the kitchen, correct, hot and fresh and full of flavor. We enjoyed every part of our meal, and the $10 gift card I had floating in my wallet from an event that Bahama Breeze catered made it even sweeter.
The low reviews for Bahama Breeze puzzle me.
We had an excellent dinner here recently. The prices were very reasonable and the food was wonderful.
The happy hour drink specials were great. I had a Bahamarita for $4 during happy hour and it was honestly one of the tastiest, most fun drinks I've ever had. I had a 2nd one at normal price and it was only $6. Amazing!
We had the coconut shrimp and I had the macadamia encrusted grouper with mashed potatoes and green beans. Everything was delicious. Our server was very sweet and personable.
For 4 cocktails, 2 entrees and an appetizer our bill was $68. We had a great time and left very happy!
Service is awful. Arrived in a half full restaurant and had to wait and wait. We had our two three year old grand children with us and we were lucky that they were patient. Food arrived cold after the 45 minute wait.
It was our third trip to the restaurant. First time was close to their opening and the service was awful but I discounted it because they had just opened. I don't remenber the second time. There won't be a fourth.
Skip this place and go to the Cheezecake Factory across the way. Food is better, service is the better, prices are better, everything is better.
I went to this Bahama Breeze location for happy hour last night. Â As you may have seen from a previous post I made about a different Bahama Breeze, I have never really been a fan. Â Last night's happy hour changed my mind. Â The HH prices are great (only $3 for a 20 oz draft beer). Â We sampled the empanadas, the chicken sliders, the coconut shrimp, and the spinach dip. Â All very good! Â Definitely a good stop for a drink with friends after work.
Review Source:Bahama Breeze in Brandon is an example of a franchise gone wrong due to lack of oversight by the managing company.  When we arrived we were seated fairly quickly 25-35 minutes (Monday night) but then did not see our waitress for almost 20 minutes for drink orders.  25 minutes later was the next time we saw her when she brought approximately  1/2 of our drinks and 10 minutes more for the other half.  She was not prepared to take our food orders at that time instead we were told that she needed a few minutes.  15 minutes later.... (1 hour and 10 minutes after we were seated) she was ready to take our food orders and another round of drink orders.  We asked if we were allowed to put in two drink orders as they were taking so long and we were told "NO"?  The food took approximately 40 minutes to come. Â
The food.... My wife got Curry Shrimp something, it was a bland mixture of prepack masala on top of overcooked rice with some precooked shrimp stirred in it.  My burger was ordered medium well and came medium rare.  I ordered the chowder soup; it was either from a can or had been sitting in a warmer for two days, again with precooked shrimp thrown on top.  I didn't go here excepting great food but for a reseturant where  1/2 of the menu is drinks why do they come out so slow.  Only 2 rounds of drinks ever came the 3rd one got lost but didn't appear on our checks.
The check came very promptly when asked, we did not take any food home but they will box it up for you if you want to feed it to your dog. Â 3 hours door to door. Â 2.5 hours from when we sat down to when we left.
This place is new and it seems like they are still working out the kinks. For lunch I sat at the bar and was greeted by smiling faces. I ordered the firecracker shrimp and the chicken sliders. The shrimp had a safe spiciness level and was slightly greasy but overall good. It took a while for my sliders to come out but when they did O enjoyed them. The food isn't anything spectacular and i'm not sure if it's because the staff is still trying to get the hang of things but it it didn't by any means taste bad. If it wasn't for the great service I received I would've given this place 2 stars but I do value good service.
Review Source:Visited the new Brandon location and the initial impression was there is no Island feel to it, maybe because it's located in a mall or because that location used to be a Mexican restaurant.
Overall the food was good just like the other Bahama's in the area, obviously not a true Caribbean  restaurant. The big disappointment were the fried yucas they are served with barbecue sauce and that's a huge NO, NO!!!!!
First experience at Bahama Breeze in Brandon was so-so. Their new menu additions are good - especially their new burger that has portobello mushrooms on top. The ambiance is different from the waterfront location in Clearwater, which I will trade for a point in convenience. I would have proposed a rooftop tiki bar or something - that would spice this location up.
The waiter was a little slow and made numerous mistakes throughout our meal, but he was quick to correct any errors with no fight. One of his aides did try to pass off a died rum and coke as a regular rum and coke though and our waiter quickly fixed this mishap when my family immediately tasted the difference.
Like Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze is a member of Darden Restaurants which is cutting it's staff hours and numbers to try to avoid giving healthcare to it's employees. No doubt this will be negatively impacting service experiences in the future and though right now things seem to be OK, if I continue to witness low service I will certainly re-evaluate the rating for Bahama Breeze like I did Olive Garden.
The wait was bearable, hopefully this will pull some people from the Cheesecake Factory so I can visit them more often. Overall, Bahama Breeze in Brandon is kinda meh. It would be better with a view and that tropical feel. It's like a restaurant that has lost it's character. I hope they find a way to put some life back into it, although I'm sure that from the crowds - people will come regardless.
If you are a foodie... Beware, they are not friendly at all if you are taking pictures on the restaurant. Â They seemed to think that if you are taking pics with a huge DSLR you are trying to capture something they don't want you to catch.. don't ask me what.. I thought good quality pics were important to promote business. I have a terrible incident there with the manager because I took a picture of the colorful bar in front of him. Â
Not to the food... Â Low quality food for the price. Service was terrible if you think they never refilled our cups. Â Food was cold and late. Next time go to Cheese Cake Factory.
I hate giving bad review, but lately it's felt like that's just the kind of service I've been getting.
Ended up at Bahama Breeze because Red Robin is still not open. I was glad to see there were a few options for food (vegan foods at a seafood-y restaurant was a nice surprise). There is a huge drink menu, but everything is clearly veeeeeery sweet and being a vodka+soda+lime kinda gal I just can't get behind that.
Serivce was aaaaaawful. From the moment I walked in they quoted me a 40 minute wait for first available- it ended up being at least 25-30. I'm okay with that. I know restaurants get busy, but they left the entrance kind of clogged, didn't try to get people to move out of the way and there was just a lot of knocking people around.
Once we did sit (a party of 3) drinks too at least another 20 minutes. It was two beers and a mixed drink. Not only that but our server didn't run them and the guy that did didn't ask if we needed anything else, just set them down without a work and walked away.
We spent most of our visit unattended, waiting for drinks, waiting for refills, waiting for our order to be taken, waiting for our food, waiting for dishes to be cleared, waiting for our checks.
Having split and app, had one beer, one voda/soda and a sandwich $27 seems a little steep. Especially considering I wasted nearly 90 minutes without any of the things I was paying for. I sincerely doubt I'll be back. At least not until they've got their service a little more sure footed.
Was told 90 min wait, were seated in half that time. The table we ended up at, had been open for 30 mins & we'd asked if we could have it, only to be told NO repeatedly. Food, as always, was phenomenal. Service was slow & details such as "lemons with water AND w/ the dishes" were ignored.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
