This place is great - well worth the trip to Tampa!
I have to say I really do not understand where the low reviews are coming from? Some insight please?
A) This is Cigar City's Brewpub - You know, the guys who make the best beer in Florida? The same place that has like 5 beers in the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fratebeer.com&s=624294b96534dd9e6b0270792401600510f63ef90ac419f316f36cc1d20e6ce9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://ratebeer.com</a> Top 50!
B) The food is amazing - Yes, I realize they do not make chicken wings or any other battered trash. If you are looking for that kind of place you should just go to Wild Wings and leave us beer snob/foodies alone. Get the grass-fed burger or the smoked swordfish tacos, trust me!
C) They have a very nice, very clean restaurant and bar with an excellent view of the onsite beer making in action! They have a great patio area that welcomes late night cigar smokers like myself. They play decent music, aka not the typical 1980's bar rock. All -n-all what I'm saying is that this place has a very inviting brewery/cigar shop vibe, but in a restaurant atmosphere.
I really don't know how you could go wrong with the Cigar City Brewpub. I loved it, my wife loved it, our friends from Hawaii loved it, hell even our 8 month old loved the servers!
Get the "bar" out of your head before going. Instead think of great beer, a good cigar, and some Cuban-like pub food and you will be very happy!
JG
Fantastic decor and atmosphere, delicious food, I know they have great beer (huge CCB fan), but in good faith...I can't give the Brewpub 3 stars due to the miserable service we received on our first visit.
I arrived for a late lunch around 1:30 on a weekday...appeared to be maybe 1 or 2 tables being served with 2-3 people at the bar. Not busy at all...yet, after approaching the hostess- she walks to the back and then comes to issue a 5 minute wait for us. Totally unacceptable. Instead, you seat us and ask if it is our first time here, if you have tried CCB brews before, would I like something to drink, the server will be with you in a moment, etc. ANYTHING but ask me to wait 5 minutes in an empty restaurant.
Next off, our waitress is quiet as a mouse and you can barely hear anything she says. Honestly, after the whole experience- I can say that waiting tables isn't for her right now. Not only was she quiet and shy, but her movements across the table were finicky and you could just tell she was new at this (or at least, I hope). The waitress handling the OTHER table in the restaurant seemed to be on top of her game, I will say.
That initially soured things for me but luckily the food arrived and it was delicious...I mean, really REALLY good. The yucca fries were the best I have ever had anywhere. The Pan con Bistec was out of this world good.
...then it happened. For the first time in my life as a diner, I had a funny feeling in my mouth. Yep, "that is hair", I tell myself. Now, stuff like that doesn't gross me out and doesn't make me upset with the establishment when I have seen it happen to others before. However, this hair was long and entangled in what I was chewing so (Warning: Gross) when I was trying to get it out...it looked like a scene from The Grudge whenever endless amounts of hair was being pulled from her throat. Yeah, nasty.
I can get over this and I don't need a free meal or need to complain, but I feel it is my duty to let the staff know- especially if a cook isn't wearing a hairnet, etc so it won't happen again. We had a different guy refill our drinks, and I mentioned it to him. He asked if I needed to get a manager and I told him "it probably won't be necessary, I just wanted to make sure the cooks were wearing hairnets." He obliged and in the distance, I saw him relay the information to our waitress.
She came back to our table 2 times and not once mentioned the incident. She brought the bill and I asked "did that other guy tell you about the hair incident in my food?" Her reply was, "yeah, he told me...?" I said "okay, here you go" and handed her my credit card. Now, I didn't want ANYTHING for free. It was the principle. As a waitress who finds out their meal was soured and experience buzzed a bit, you approach them and apologize, ask if you can do anything, offer a free dessert, a free beer, etc...something to mellow the situation. I know it wasn't her fault and I didn't want anything free, but I DID want it to be acknowledged.
Just pitiful on all accounts. Somehow, word got back to the manager and he did approach the table and did comp my meal. I told him I was more concerned with the way it was handled and how service over all was- and I noted that everything else was fantastic, as it was. He said kinks were being worked out and he apologized. Great save, but the damage from his employees was done.
Unfortunately, I can't in good conscience give this restaurant a 3* review or better...and I am not sure I can recommend others. See, I believe the food and atmosphere will bring folks to your restaurant. Good service will bring them BACK.
For the restaurant being in Carrolwood, I don't know that I will make the effort to drive up from South Tampa again until I read things have improved.
I'd really like to see these guys do well. Â The beer is outstanding (lots of interesting, premium, draft and cask brews) and we need more places like this in Tampa, especially Carrollwood, which can feel like one big corporate strip mall. Â The people in charge down there are definitely paying attention with the locally farmed menu and Tampa Cuban/Cracker/dash of Asian theme, but, like the other reviewers have said, the execution could use some work. Â We had the Kim Chi appetizer, which while good, was way too vinegary and spicy to eat as served as a stand-alone item. Â It would make a great addition to some other dish, and we just kept it on the table to eat with our entrees. Â I has the beet and goat cheese salad as my main course- I was really happy with it, the greens were beautiful, and everything on it was fresh. Â My bf had the Ropa Vieja, which I thought was a little bland, but he liked it, so everyone left pretty happy. Â We were on the patio and service could have been a little better, but I think the CCB Brewpub is still evolving and they deserve our support!!
Review Source:I am a big Cigar City Brewing fan. Â Excellent beer.
I wish this place had more beers on tap. Â The tasting room at the brewery has so many, but this place doesn't have a third of what the tasting room has.
The decor and atmosphere is great, but it's obvious that they're new to the whole restaurant thing. Â Our food was great, Â I think they'll figure things out.
I'll start with the positives:
Service was decent; server was very knowledgeable and incredibly friendly. Barrel smoked black bean soup was delicious. They also know what they are doing with their chicken. I ordered the "organig arroz con pollo two ways". Â The chicken was cooked perfectly and had great flavor but the saffron rice lacked a desirable taste (on the bland side was my first reaction).
The butter lettuce and roasted local corn salad was very good (according to the family member who had it) and the Cuban sandwich was also pretty good and very reasonably priced, but not much better than the average Cuban sandwich in Tampa.
Now for the "developing" areas:
First, I am DYING to know who decided that it would be an intelligent idea to install dining tables with stainless steel table tops. A nice look..for my house! Â Really Cigar City Brewpub? Stainless steel table tops in an already freezing cold restaurant? Â Even after asking, the server insisted that the temperature of the restaurant could not be adjusted. I was so cold that I was literally shaking with goosebumps..and before you get to thinking: yes I was fully clothed. Upon entering I couldn't wait for my food to come; alas, as soon as it hit the iceblock-like tabletop, the food turned just as cold as my feet. Â
Beyond the atmosphere, which otherwise was fine - not dead but not too busy - the crab mac and cheese is served in a giant bowl but the portion does not even come close to filling the space. As you may have guessed, it didn't stay warm for very long and there wasn't much crab.
I loved our server: He had a very friendly and positive attitude toward the restaurant - a loyal and valuable employee indeed; but at no point should a server take your cup to refill your drink. Many people don't know not to do this (so this isn't a ding on him since I am guessing nobody old him) and many may not even guess why, but they would figure it out in the event of lawsuit as the result of a choking customer who has no cup in front of them...Any-who, other than that service was decent.
Overall, for a new restaurant, they aren't doing too badly. They definitely have some kinks to work out - and until they replace those table tops with something more food-temperature friendly, I will never opt for a booth there.
Also, if you're going to partner with Foursquare (hats off to the person who got on board with that, it's a great idea), don't offer people a bumper sticker for checking in. The check-in in itself is advertisement. Give me a beer for my check-in and a reason to want to return!
I wish I could give this place 3.5 stars for their menu. It has a local Cuban flare to it and I was expecting great things.
I ordered the Bibb lettuce corn relish salad with grilled shrimp. Although good, the salad had too much dressing and the shrimp was a bit pricey ($5 for 4 shrimp).
My husband ordered the biseteca and thought it was good but not great.
Would I return? Â Absolutely but I'd ask for the dressing on the side and my husband said he would try their burger.
I had been driving past CCBP for months, watching it being constructed, hiring employees, following their facebook page, etc. And then my work changed and I stopped driving by and kind of forgot about it.
My husband and I were in the neighborhood and looking for something to eat when I remembered "Oh! CCBP is open now! Let's go there" In appropriate Yelper fashion, I checked in immediately upon arrival and was quite surprised to see the low ratings it had been receiving. The brewery itself is so amazing! While feeling a little wary, I was still ready to try this place out.
We went on an early Sunday evening and it was pretty slow. We received good service at the bar and later at a table where we ate dinner with friends. Noting past reviewers stating slow service, maybe I got lucky because of there wasn't many people there.
Since we were starving, we went a little overboard on ordering. Between me and my husband we had the black bean cakes, fried yuca, the grass fed burger, and some kind of chorizo appetizer. I personally had everything except the chorizo dish. The black bean cakes and yuca were amazing! I would come back just for those!! The burger was okay but nothing exceptional. My husband said his favorite thing was the chorizo dish. I wouldn't know because I don't eat sausage :-P For dessert we had the milk and cookies. Yes, milk and cookies. Despite the fact that we looked like small children, we didn't care. They were delicious.
The main reason that CCBP is getting four stars is due to their prices. They are brew pub and in my head that says "cheap" and "laid back". However, they come off pretentious in their decor. Okay, whatever. Beer is the new champagne now anyway, and it reflected in their prices. I'm okay with paying a little extra for things that are worth it, but others, not so much. For example, when we got our burger it did not come with cheese. We asked to have some put on. Â I knew we would be upcharged but I really didn't think to ask because an up charge for cheese is usually pretty standard (.25-.50 cents). When we got our bill, they charged us an extra $2.00 for cheese (bringing the cost of the burger to $14). Seriously. One slice of cheese. Also, the milk and cookies. It came with 3 cookies about half the size of one of their coasters and a small coffee cup filled with milk. Like I said, they were delicious. But they were also $8.00! For $8.00 I could have gone to Sam's Club or Costco, bought an absurdly large container of milk and an obnoxious tub of cookie dough and fed my whole neighborhood a plate of milk and cookies.
My final complaint, and this may not even be a complaint anymore, is that of their changing menu. The bartender informed us that the menu has changed 4 times since they have opened. I'm all for a restaurant tweaking their menu to make their customers happy, but I can say that I would be sorely disappointed if I came back and the items I enjoyed were gone. So hopefully their menu is solid now, because the food was good.
Ultimately, I would come back here if I were in the neighborhood (I live over the bridge and through the woods to St. Pete). The food is good, now I know what to order, and of course, their beer is solid.
We've been wanting to try this place for a while. Â After many failed attempts, I planned my husband's birthday party here with a group of about 10 friends. Â I called ahead and the staff was very helpful with the reservation. Â I'm not a beer fan at all, but love cider and was excited to hear that Cigar City Brewery was now making their own cider. Â Unfortunately, they were completely out so I went with wine. Â Overall the food seemed disappointing to most of the group. Â I ordered the Ropa Vieja which was awesome. Â The portion size was pretty big. Â My husband loved the cafe con leche beer but wasn't a fan of the burger. Â He also felt like the beer selection was pretty small. Â On the plus side, the atmosphere and decor were awesome. Â Also, the staff seemed very courteous but not overly helpful or knowledgeable.
Overall, we were not impressed. Â I'd love to give it another try and hope that things will be better next time.
I am not sure how many stars to give this place. I really liked it. I did. The food is great and you get the Cigar City beer along with a full bar. The service was also quick and friendly. Who won't like this place...If you are looking for the same kind of atmosphere as the brewery on Spruce Street you won't find it here. This place is beautifully done and it is more restaurant like than a brew pub. I enjoyed it. I will be back but I think you will find me on Spruce Street more.
Review Source:Well...a 3.5 to be fair. I sense they'll be a 5 in just a few months once they get their feet on the ground.
We were ravenous. As I scanned the menu I found myself blurting out at least 10 items I wished to devour. The cuisine is deemed "Tampa-style Cuban cuisine" which is noted to differ from Cuban-influenced fare in other areas. Pledging to use locally sourced produce and humanely raised meats, Chef Nicolay Adinaguev is dedicated to serving top-notch goods. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to begin stuffing my face. Beginning with some of Cigar City's finest ales and a refreshing martini for yours truly, we wet our lips before indulging in some heavy fare.
Cuban Eggrolls were first to the table. I immediately loved the innovative fusion of Cuban and Asian cuisines. Never having seen this concoction in a restaurant before now, it just seemed like such a sensible combination. Fried wonton wrappers came generously filled with house made pork and glazed ham along with swiss, pickles, mustard, and roasted garlic aioli. Delightfully meaty, these little numbers were devoured in seconds.
Up next was the Tampa famous Devil Crab. I was introduced to these deep fried beauties several years back and wondered how I had gone most of my life without them. Now, an obsessed connoisseur, I was skeptical as to whether Cigar City's version would impress. Wow...did it ever. With an abundance of spicy crab all fried up in a crispy, doughy vessel, I was beyond words with my first bite.
For my entire review, check out: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leslie-floyd.com%2F2013%2F06%2Fthe-highly-anticipated-cigar-city.html&s=f558d3ca582296fef870400f1b6824f93f4ed7c69d713169a5a460917252abc6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.leslie-floyd.…</a>
Completely underwhelming!!!
We have gone in there a handful of times now unfortunately, the service hasn't gotten any better!! Each time we're lucky to be greeted within 2 minutes of sitting down at the bar, unacceptable! Not even an acknowledgment, they would rather be head down doing anything but waiting on guests. Oh and actually one of the bartenders stopped to bs with an employee sitting at the bar having a meeting right next to me and STILL didnt greet me or ask if Id like a beer... so eventually I had to flag someone down for a beer, then ask for a food menu since none was offered. When my food did arrive the server that delivered it didn't notice that I had no silverware, nor did the bartender. I had to grab it off the table behind me. Â No one came back and asked how my food was or did any sort of quality check!
I've been a bartender/ server for 20 yrs, this is a horrible example of customer service. I can't tell you my level of disappointment as we had high hopes for the brewpub, being that it's right around the corner. At this point we won't be back and, I'll tell my friends not to waste their time or money!!
For such a great craft brewery the beer selection is seriously lacking! you cant even get Jai Alai, one of they're flagship beers! There are too many other options out there where your treated as a guest should be! Cheers!
The original Cigar City location is one of our favorite hangout hoods. Finally, had a chance to try their newest endeavor - Northdale's brewpub!
Here's the skinny:
- no ciders on tap or bottle!
- no ranch dressing!
- flavorless food
I don't feel bad. They're good at beer and bad at restaurants. Now, that doesn't mean they can't get better.
- Black Bean Cakes: nearly flavorless and textureless. Should definitely be crisped on a griddle. Not sure if I couldn't eat all three cause they were gross or cause it was just too much food.
- Burger (I would mention the name but no menu is posted online!): dry, dry, dry! Doesn't come with cheese. Again, no ranch dressing to dip. Ugh.
Too bad. We'll give it some time for them to improve and try again.
Why 4 stars? Because my experience went against the grain.
 ---  ---  ---
As CCBP was soon to open up, I was really pumped to get over and check it out. I was *this* close to going opening day, but ended up missing out. Then I saw the reviews piling in... and they weren't pretty. I was fairly shocked at how poor they were. It caused my urgency level go from about a 9 to 3 in terms of how badly I wanted to stop in. But I had a work meeting, and the other half of my party suggested the Brewpub. Seemed like a good opportunity to hit it up.
My experience = solid beer, solid food, solid service. Yes, it's incredibly shocking that they don't offer paddles, but outside of that, I was very happy. I got a burger with plantains, which you can never go wrong with. The chips that come on the side are a delight as well. They're salty, but light aka perfect.
You know what else you can never go wrong with? Florida Cracker. Of course I partook in some-uh-dat.
I'll be back. And Carrollwood, you're lucky. You finally have a cool place to go.
I have mixed feelings, but for the most part, I'm a fan.
I was not expecting the Cuban vibe, but it makes sense to pair up "the Tampa beer" with "the Tampa food". Â Upon arrival, our waiter brought us a round of beers. Â I have had a lot of the Cigar City beers and I went for one of my old favorites: Â Florida Cracker. Â Yum yum!
The menu is set up into snacks, small plates, and full meals. Â I decided to go for the Swordfish as I have been trying to eat healthy lately. Â It was a great healthy option and I loved the kale salad and mini onions that it came with. Â Others at the table ordered the Cuban (had heard not so great things, but brother in law liked it!), the Black Bean Cakes (SO GOOD), the Arroz Con Pollo (the rice was LEGIT), and the Boliche (a little dry, but over all tasty).
Our server was very friendly, but the service was a bit slow at times. Â That said, it is a new restaurant that is still trying to work through the kinks. Â I'm not in the Carrollwood area often (which is why I decided to take advantage on this particular evening), but I am interested in coming back to CCB in the future.
I was impressed walking in this place. Â Very cool feel.... Â I was also pleasantly surprised that there was no wait on a Friday.... Â Things were looking up. Â The server was a little slow to the table.... No biggie. Â Soon enough I had a delicious glass of Jai Lai. Â I absolutely love Cigar City's beers by the way. Â
I'm not sure what I was expecting regarding the menu..... But nothing jumped off the page at me. Â I settled on the boliche at the server's recommendation. Â
As we waited for our food, and I mean waited, Â I was turned off by the gaggle of servers congregated around the server stand. Â At one point there had to be ten of them huddled in the little cubicle sized area laughing and carrying on. Â Again, no biggie.
The food finally arrived.... Â And as the server warned us about how hot the plates were, I wondered just how long our meals were sitting underneath the heat lamps in the kitchen waiting to be brought to our tables while the servers sang Kumbayah in their cubicle....
First bite: a big fat meh. Â The boliche (roast pork stuffed with chorizo) was overdone and rubbery. Â The rice and beans were nothing special. Â The fried plantains were good, but I've never had bad ones. The meal wasn't terrible. Â It was just underwhelming. Â
Since this place is a bit of a drive for me, I honestly don't foresee ever going back. Â I can get their delicious, delicious beer at another place in Tampa with good food.
If you do visit, stick to the beer and grab dinner elsewhere.
This beer is just too good. Â It didn't seem that there were more beers than the tasting room at the brewery farther South but it was nice our Pasco County friends didn't have to drive all of the way down there to meet us.
First the good.....
The beers I tried were great. Â I had the cask ale which was a red ale aged with Guava and it was delicious. Â I also tried their cafe con leche stout which I'd had before but forgotten how much I'd loved it. Â Five stars for excellent beer.
We ordered the homemade kimchi which I'd never had before and was only about $5 for a mason jar filled to the top. Â It was delicious and perfect because we weren't very hungry. Â Very spicy though. Â May have been better with some crusty cuban bread but honestly, what isn't better with carbs?
Vegan options were there, in addition to the kimchi, there were some tostones that looked dairy/meat free and the possibility of a bean cake without the cheesy/creamy topping. Â Some friends let me try the chips that came with their sandwiches and they were delicious. Â I never would choose chips over fries (not that there were any on the menu) but these were great. Â Malanga, I think.
But the beer is where it is at. Â And the atmosphere.....very cool and I thought they did a good job taking the TGI Fridays of my high school days and morphing it into what it is now.
And the so-so.....
I didn't think anyone really swooned over their food at our table. Â A couple people said they wished their burgers came with cheese or some sauce as they were kind of dry, another couple got the beef tongue sandwich on the recommendation of our server and said the way it was sliced and the fact that it was cold reminded them on bologna, and the bean cakes weren't anything to write home about.
Someone did get the Ropa Vieja and everyone pretty much agreed it was the best. Â Huge portions of that too. Â And we really loved the kimchi and chips. Â
And the missing star.....
One of the girls in our party ordered the bean cakes and after not receiving her food for about 15 minutes after everyone else finally said something to the waitress. Â The waitress told her 4 minutes and said she'd check. Â It finally came out when everyone was getting their checks and the waitress even asked if she wanted it to go instead with no regard to how inconvenient that is. Â I always think a forgotten order is worthy of a comped dish (I think that the dish was around $6 so it wasn't a huge loss either) but she didn't offer and my friend is to sweet to ask.
AND where are the flights? Â It was very difficult trying only two beers while I was there, I wanted to try everything and have someone carry me out. Â Maybe that's why they don't carry flights. Â But I would like them too and I'll try and keep it together.
I really want to love this place. Let me try again, I really want to love this place.
Despite my iPhone telling me it was on the other side of Dale Mabry I found it, had no problems with parking and noted to myself how much cooler the place looked cloaked in black, brown and gray than the old TGIF that was in the building before. When I walked in I was in love with the decor. Everything looked like it was made out of casks and pallet wood which gives it a rustic, brewery atmosphere. The low lighting and funky fixtures make you feel like your in a swank place.
I was late meeting my friends but our waitress came over immediately and I gave her my order, water and black bean cakes with green tomato escabeche and toasted cumin tzatziki for $8. She advised that my food would be out after everyone else's because they had all ordered before me and  I said that was fine (it really was, I know I got there late). I wasn't super hungry so I wasn't worried.
I'm not a beer fan but I love some good cider. None on the menu so I ordered a $5 glass of my other love, Keel & Curley wine from Plant City. I went with Tangerine Zin which I knew I'd love. I wasn't sure I'd love the Cafe con Leche beer my friend shared with me but I did. It smelled just like coffee and somehow tasted like it too. I wasn't carded although others in our group were. I'm over 21 so no laws were violated, I guess I just look old.
My husband and one of our friends ordered the tongue sandwich on cuban toast and he gave me a bite before he said what it was so my reaction was unbiased. The meat was shaved like roast beef and salty; it reminded me of bologna. I wouldn't have ordered it for myself but the guys liked it.
Another couple in our group ordered the kimchi which came in a half-pint mason jar. I thought it was a creative and very 'now' presentation. They mentioned it was a bit spicy and decided to eat some of it with the malanga chips we had as a side to the tongue sandwich.
There were two others in our group that arrived after me, placed their orders after me and, surprise!, received their food before me. Bummer. I asked the waitress about my black bean cakes and she looked a bit surprised but said she'd check on them. After about 5 minutes she returned and said it would be 4 minutes. I went ahead and asked for a box. She asked if I just wanted it served in the to-go box but I didn't. I didn't set a timer or anything, I'm pretty sure it was 4 minutes or so later when my food arrived and I ate most of it and took the rest home. They didn't offer to comp anything or give a percent off and I hate rejection so I didn't ask. Lame I know, don't judge me.
The black bean cakes alone didn't look or taste like anything other than smashed black beans. I'm assuming salt was added but I couldn't really tell. I will say that I did enjoy the taste of the dish when the beans were combined with creamy tzatziki, and tomatoes topped off with sprouts. I just didn't eat the black beans once was I was out of tzatziki sauce.
I hope to go back again sometime soon and maybe I'll love it then. I really want to like this place because my husband and all of our friends do like beer. Like normal people. I really want to have something to drink and eat while all my normal friends have their abnormal beers.
I've always liked Cigar City's craft brews, and so I was thrilled to see a new Cigar City Brewpub open up in northern Carrollwood along N. Dale Mabry Highway. This location is in the same shopping center as Sushi Alive and Grille One Sixteen, and it occupies the space once held by a TGI Friday's.
I was there for Happy Hour, so I passed over the menu of burgers, sammies, appetizers, salads, and soups -- although the food did look really good -- and went straight for the La Rubia Pernicious Ale. Very nice balance for this in-house brewed IPA with a tasty hoppy finish.
The bar area has a larger rectangular bar with plenty of high stools ringing the bar, and then booths along the sides of the room. There's a big chalkboard with the beers on tap schedule showing everyone's born-on dates, alcohol concentration, and flavor profile. If you're not sure -- just ask, the beer-nistas really know their stuff, and they'll gladly set you up with a tasting while they answer your questions.
There are some large flat-screen TVs in the bar area so you can keep up with major sporting events and sports news. The stainless steel fermenter tanks sit behind a glass wall, so you can watch the beermesiters working their magic. I would suspect that they could arrange tours, but right now they're still settling in to their new digs.
I'm perfectly content with the smaller selection of beers versus some of their competitors, since I really enjoy the product line from Cigar City Brewing.
Give this place a try and see if it is destined to be your new Happy Hour home.
We came here for the first time on a double date with friends, I didn't have any expectations having never been here before nor having read any reviews. Our waitress was great, very friendly, and offered us samples when I couldn't decide on a beer to get. I got the Cuban sandwich and subbed out tostones (one of my favorite foods) for the chips. My meal was delicious, and came very promptly. My boyfriend got the swordfish tacos, which he didn't really like all that much even though he ate all three of them (he's not the picky type or someone who sends back food). He had mentioned he thought it was odd that they were served cold, so I asked the waitress if they were supposed to be cold and she said they were but also inquired as to whether he enjoyed them. He said they were okay and he wasn't really crazy about them but didn't really "complain". Within minutes, the GM Bob came by saying he had heard he wasn't completely satisfied with the tacos, and offered him anything else he wanted on the menu free of charge, which we thought was extremely nice of him. He got the black bean cakes which were great and didn't charge us for the tacos either. Needless to say, I was surprised when my friend informed me that this place didn't have such great reviews. If you went when it first opened, I'd suggest giving it another try. They seemed to have stepped up their service and all other food items we ordered were delicious,
Review Source:I've been a fan of Cigar City's Brown Ales for a while now and recently heard about their Brew Pub having opened. We live on on the east coast but were in Tampa on business today and made a special side-trip to CCBP for dinner and we're so happy that we did.
We both tried two new (to us) draught beers each and they were all fresh and excellent. The staff was super friendly and helpful, *all* of the food was top notch (we had the cuban eggroll, burger with sweet plantains on it, mojo pork shoulder, and warm banana bread pudding for dessert), and the prices were very fair.
We walked around and admired the bar (great liquor selection too - who knew that Rogue made whisky and rum!? awesome.) and brewing setup in the front and even picked up some CCB schwag from their souvenir display cases.
We can't wait to go back for the same experience all over again!
First thing is the portions are entirely too small. The pork pâté was 80% fat and maybe two-three bites if the pork confit. It is served with three little pieces of bread which wasn't enough even for the small amount of pork. The pork belly was good but for the price you got a small piece of belly no sides just a small amount of sauce, again portion size. The flour less cake was very dense and I had pieces of plastic in mine, which the manager took off our bill but he didn't seem to have urgency a foreign object was found in the food. Our waitress was off point as well, waited for refills and such. Giving its newly opened I was hopeful it was new restaurant jitters they are going to work out. I returned for drinks at the bar and ordered a Cuban the next week, the portion on the Cuban was good but again service was a little lack luster. I'm thinking of going back soon to see if now being open longer they have worked through the early issues, I remain hopeful.
Review Source:I had been so excited to go to this place since the day announced it. Â Their beer is amazing. Â I take everyone who visits me to the tasting room. Â The beer is unsurpassed in my opinion. Â You just can't beat a beer poured at the source. Â
  The food is confusingly named and the descriptions are impossibly precise.  The menu is very difficult to understand.  I went for what I knew- A burger.  It was pretty good.  Everyone else in my party got food that was just- eh. Â
  The eye of the round thing- the 48 hour something-or-other was a grey circle of meat like stuff with sausage in it.  The habanero cheese on the cheese platter was great.  the Farmer's salad was really good, but the giant hunks of beet were kind of odd.
  I should've gotten the hint when I saw the restaurant was empty, but the bar was packed.  As far as service goes the hostesses were nice, but somewhat aloof.  The server had some trouble describing what the chips were.  Something about yucca, taro, or like a potato?  He assured us that although it was like a root they washed it. They were good, but it was a leap of faith.  One member of our party only got one refill on the soda, and one glass of water.
  If you're thinking of going here on a Friday night, just go to the tasting room when the food truck gets there.  If you're like me, and love CCB you'll probably ignore this review and go anyway- don't worry I won't hold that against you.
I want nothing but good things for CCB and the folks who run it, but I'm not sure when I'll make the drive from St. Pete to give this place another go.
Wow! Â
So, this place recently opened up, I try not to frequent a place that just opened up but I new they had good brews and how can you mess that up? Â So I went.
Beer was amazing as usual. Â The hand pull was super delicious and served at a warmer temp than the draft! Â Delicious!
The food.... Â Holy cow! Â The pork belly was the best I have ever had, the burger was amazing, the swordfish was excellent. Â Most of the food comes from local sources, the chef knows what is going on! Â
I was not expecting the food to have any level of quality, I was extremely mistaken. Â
The service.... Â Eh... Â Not so good. Â But I had a knowledgeable server and once I made my concerns heard, he fixed the issue. Â
Overall: I can't wait to go back and try more food items!
To the guy who wrote a poor review because the lunch menu WASN'T the same as the dinner menu.... Â Â Of course it isn't the same. Â It's a lunch menu, not a dinner menu.
Been wanting to come by and have dinner at this place since it opened, but have stayed away due to some of the reviews suggesting that they were having some problems getting their food act together. Â We stopped by mid afternoon for a couple of beers. Â Beers: Â good. Â Had the Lager and Ale and my wife had a Porter. Â We sat at the bar and the staff was attentive and quick to pour another beer. Â No problem there. Â We also ordered the four leches cake. Â Because the bartender dropped off 2 spoons, I was actually able to get 2 of the corners before my wife wolfed it down. Â It was pretty good. Â actually, very good. Â Leaving, my wife said she wanted to return to try out some of the menu items. Â So based, on what we had, I give it 4 stars. Â Will go back and dine there in the near future and update the review.
Review Source:I'll give them a 3 for now. Went during lunch, wasn't busy at all. Got seated quickly, but that was about where the quickness ended. The beer (as usual) for Cigar City was great, but took a little while to get to us. I think we waited close to 30 minutes for a couple of sandwiches to come to the table.
The food was tasty. The Cuban was flavorful, but really outclassed by the house-made chips. I usually hate salt and vinegar flavors on chips but oh man paired with my dark beer they were absolutely fantastic and definitely the best thing about this place. Hopefully it gets better with time because I love the brewery, and the only thing keeping me from rating this more highly is the slow slow slow food service.
Because I love their beer and the company in general...I want this place to succeed. But it's going to take a little bit of work, so I view this more as suggestion than a review.
Bottomline Up Front: Great Beer, Great Atmosphere, Good service, okay food
Went with my wife at about 1pm on a Sunday. No wait, plenty (emphasis) of seats. I break up the review in sections: Restaurant, Eats, Drinks, Service and Price. Jump to them if you get sick of my rants.
Restaurant: Really nice, everything was super clean, real nice/neat decor, brewery equipment out front, stainless steel tables and beer cans around the top add to it. Only complaint, they need to do something about the HVAC, at least in the section we were in. AC blowing right on all the patrons. We were the first to seat in the section we were in. My wife complained about the AC, but we dealt, 3 more parties all sat down after us, each one said something about the AC blowing right on them. Maybe when it gets hotter no one will complain, but today they did. Â Need to figure out the mood music, especially on a Sunday when there's not many folks there. The place was silent other than the conversations at the tables, which is fine, except when a couple (us) are seated in the same section as a party of 8. Might as well been part of their conversations.
Eats: BIGGEST Disappointment. First off, lunch menu ISN'T the same as dinner menu. I came here specifically for the Swordfish tacos...no luck, not on the lunch menu. The waitress said they are working on it, but they weren't expecting it to be as popular as it is. Â So aside from that, we ordered the fried plantains, first time for us. Not sure what fried plantains are supposed to taste like...but I'm pretty sure fried cardboard isn't it. Â Wasn't impressed. Â My wife got the cuban...it was good, nothing great, and she wasn't a fan of the salad that came along with it. Her quote was that it all tasted like ethic food cooked by an American. Her quote not mine. Â I ordered the burger. I will say this. THE BURGER WAS AWESOME! Tasty, some sort of good cheese (I can't remember) thick sliced bacon, garlic and plantains. Cooked perfectly! It came with home-made chips, the chips were good. Seemed like they were trying to figure out the temp, some came out soggy, others not so much. Also, came out with 2 different types of chips type 1: A sort of tortilla chip with red/purplish ribbons throughout...really good type 2: plantain/banana chips...not very good. We did get the cookies and cream dessert. There WERE AWESOME! 3 small chocolate chip cookies made to order (read it takes some time to get) served hot, we didn't get the cream. My wife: "I should have ordered 3 courses of cookies."
*Suggestion 1: Lay off the heavy plantains dishes and have a couple of things people will be familiar with, and give them your twist...I'm thinking nachos, but could come up with more. Â
Drinks: Full menu of cigar city beers, along with a few guest taps. While I only had the cigar city brewpub porter, trust me, they are all awesome. Â They have homemade soda too. I tried the rootbeer/creamsoda...don't think they had the system set up right, wasn't a huge fan...really watery...my first time with homemade soda, so that might be the way it's supposed to be, but if that's the case, lay off the ice and serve it cold. Â BONUS: They give you a drink menu with current beer offering.
* Suggestion 2: You all need to figure out the beer flights. This is the first brewpub I've been to, that doesn't offer flights. Â Expect this to be the place people discover cigar city beers. Â
*Suggestion 3: Make sure you put the homemade soda on the menu...it was no where to be found, food or drink. I knew about it from facebook. Â
Service: Good. No issues at all. Greeted, sat down right away. Good waitress with some suggestions and descriptions of the food. Drinks and water in front of us in a few minutes of sitting. Saw the manager once.
Price: I thought it was good/reasonable - Beers, 2 sodas, app, 2 lunches, and a dessert for $40. Â I have no problem paying that for a good eating experience.
Final thoughts: Place was good, if your in the neighborhood, go, enjoy it. Â We live in Brandon, it took us 30-40 minutes with traffic to get there. This will be the main reason that it'll be a while before we go back. I'm sure we will, but overall, while it's definitely unique, it was an overall average meal. Can't justify the 40 minute drive for an average meal. I also want to give it some time to figure things out.
I just got back and was a bit disappointed with the size of my meal. I ordered the shrimp and grits and although it tasted great, the portion was more of an appetizer than a $17 entree. There were 3 shrimp and a tiny scoop of grits on my plate. I left hungry! The people I ate with had good portioned meals, but mine was very small and more money. I'll probably eat here again, but definitely won't be getting the shrimp and grits.
Review Source:Decor is amazing! Â Beer is amazing! Â Everything else.... not so much. Â Food has potential but execution is off- served cold and presentation is just bad. Â The black bean cakes looked like s... on a plate, but the concept has promise. Â Service- non existent- after our beers were completely empty for 5 minutes our waitress took our order for two more, 7 minutes later she asked if we wanted more beer, after kindly reminding her of the beers we had already ordered we got them 6 minutes later and we were sitting right next to the bar. Â We'll be back, but only for beer, at least until some improvements are made. Â Love Cigar City and I really hope to write a better review of their Brew Pub soon!
Review Source:I hoped for so much more, but came away quite disappointed by a few things that made me conclude there is no reason to go back.
First, they don't do beer samples. What? A pub run by a local brewery that does not offer samples of beer priced at $6 a pint and up? That's absurd. We were told the 300-seat restaurant would get too backed up if samples were offered. Okay, except the joint was empty.
The Cigar City tasting room, about 3 miles south off Dale Mabry, does do samples, and always has. What's more, it has a better selection and its prices are generally $1 per pint cheaper.
Granted, we only tried one entree, the pork. The menu tries to base many of its offerings on local Tampa dishes, and Cuban pork is one. Unfortunately, there was nothing to set this one apart. The large chunk of meat was bland, no sauces. And, even worse for Cuban pork, it was tough. The sides were a mixed lot. Black beans were just okay, but not well flavored. The white rice was undercooked and crunchy. The fried plantains were fine.
You can get the same dish, about 100 times better, at La Teresita, and for one-third the price, plus toasted bread. So, don't bother here. Service was spotty, very.
In short, if you live anywhere south of Hillsborough Ave., there's no need to go here. Just go to the Cigar City tasting room off Spruce St. The food isn't worth the trip.
After reading all the previous reviews, I wasn't expecting much. I know that Brew Pub just opened the beginning of this month, and so I think with any new establishment, it takes time.
That being said, I really enjoyed my dining experience! I went with a foodie friend, and so we sampled quite a few things!
First up were the Cuban sandwich eggrolls. What an idea! Very flavorful and tasted like a mini Cuban in well, an egg roll wrapper. We also nibbled on chicharrón bites and oh my! They were so crispy and moist with a nice mojo/lime zest. I kid you not, I could eat them with a spoon. For dinner. And be a happy girl.
But wait, there's more! We each ordered an entree. I went with a grass fed burger topped with thick cuts of bacon and plantains. I opted not to eat my bun, as to sufficiently savor as much of the actual burger, itself. I wasn't disappointed. Alongside my burger were homemade malanga chips. That was my first time trying and they were decent.
The menu was a tad overpriced but I love that a local Tampa brewery has expanded to now include a restaurant and our server mentioned they use and buy local which both impresses and pleases me.
Give Brew Pub a try! I believe they will only improve with time.
Drinks were good had cigar city beer at bars so it's to be expected. Food was ok at best. Menu was very weird, food service was slow, service wasn't that great but they've only been open for a few days so I get it. I'd go back for drinks but definitely not for the food. Food was way over priced. For example, got desert milk and cookies, 3 small cookies with a half a small glass of milk, 8$! Overly priced for half ass food, wasn't impressed. If this place stays in business more than a year I'd be shocked with there crappy menu and overly priced crappy food. Don't recommend. It's one of those places you drive by and go "oh look a new place lets try that" and never to back it's that bad and overly priced.
Review Source:just got back and i was not impressed at all.
sat at bar took about 6 mins to get greeted by someone who wasnt a bartender. bad start.
couple next to us got 2 meals and both were cold and they sent both back. so we just order the meat and cheese appetizer (choose 5) housemade pork  was extremely bland, portions were very small. Had some pate' like thing on there that was 30% white lard paste. they should have cut that part off and not served it.
the cheese was good but only gave u a very small amount. Ive had more bang for my buck in the middle of Paris (most expensive place to eat) compared to what they served.
the beer was good but they didnt have any cask ale which is something i look for.
no recipes with their beer in it that i found
Sure this place isnt officially open but it will be this week. it has a long way to go.
How Not to Run a Restaurant.
I loved the idea of Cigar City opening near us - we live 30 seconds away, and Friday's was a non-entity before - blech chain food. Cigar City spent months preparing the place, it looked cool inside (albeit in almost exactly the same layout as Fridays; just better decorations), and I love their (local!) beer.
Too bad. I called today at 4:45PM to place a to-go order on my way home, started it, was put on hold for minutes after I asked about the pork I'd heard good things about, and then told it wasn't on the menu anymore. No problem, I'll stop by and check out the menu.
4:50, come in and check out the menu, told they "don't serve food other than 'snacks' until 5, if you want to wait or come back." OK, I'll head home and call you from there. Pulled up their site and menu at home, called in and ordered the swordfish tacos and sliders after hostess told me "they're awesome." They won't let you place a to-go order without giving them your credit card info over the phone - and you can't place a to-go order if you want to pay cash.
Get in to the restaurant at 5:10, guy pulls me aside "hey, sorry, I tried to call you - we don't have sliders on the menu anymore. We can make something else for you; your tacos are already ready." I asked them to remake them since they'd be cold by the time the burger got done, and they agreed (thanks). He apologized and asked if I'd like to sit at the bar and have a drink while I wait (10 minutes - ok). I haven't yet checked my card to see what's up with them charging me over the phone, then changing the order later.
I sit at the bar, order a beer (from a menu printed on receipt paper - "sorry, we're redoing our beer menu"), and wait 15 minutes for my food to arrive. At this point I'm waiting for the manager to comp my beer, or offer me a discount, or something, but nope, he tells me he'll merge my ticket with the bar one "so it's easier." I sit and wait another 5-10 minutes for this to happen while the tacos get soggy.
Finally, I'm home at 5:45 (an hour to get a burger and tacos), and the food is decent, except for the soggy swordfish tacos.
Bottom line - these guys have a decent chef and make good beer, and have absolutely no idea how to run a restaurant nor anyone there who apparently has any service management background. Bummer.
I am trying to remind myself - they just opened, they just opened. And I also want to start off by saying the food I ordered was fabulous. But the whole experience has left me exceptionally disappointed with this company. My husband has been such a fan of Redner Jr. and the potent,flavorful beers his company have produced. I love how much the beer culture has taken over my hometown and happy to know he is a major influence.To start, I know they just opened, but I only come to Tampa about 3-4 times a year. Everytime I try to hit CCB on Spruce when in town, they are TOO busy and I just end up leaving before I can get in the door. When I come back to town this time and heard this place has opened, I coordinated a group of beer fans I went to school with for dinner.
The day before I call CC Brewpub and ask for a reservation for 8p.m. First time I call, the girl ends of hanging up on me. Okay whatever, I call right back and get it scheduled. She states that she will put me on the list and call me if there are any issues. Great, I thought. I call the day of the reservation confirming everything and the same girl tells me that I was scheduled for 8:30 for my group instead. No excuses or apologies were given on why I wasnt contacted about the change. I'm slightly agitated because now I have to call my group of 9 to make sure everyone knows the new time. No big deal, just annoying. We get there and the place looks great. Cool interior, very busy and I'm just happy to be there. I am now told that they cant sit me until 8:45. Okay whatever, I am meeting some old friends and we are laughing it up outside waiting for our table. Finally, at 9 p.m. we are seated. I apologize to my thristy and hungry group and let them know this place just opened.
Our waitress, very nice and seemed attentative, but was quick to forget some people's orders. I was served one beer and two waters while one person at the table still hadnt received his first beer. I joked about him getting the short straw and reminding him that this place just opened. We had to track down our waitress to see if he would ever get his beer. On top of that, they were out of half of the beers on the menu. It ended up causing a bit of frustration when you had the waitress continuosly coming up saying that they were out and what other beer would you like. Two people in our party had that happen three times in a row. At one point, one asked the waitress, just tell me what beers you have. Four within the group complained that their beer tasted like hotdog water. I'm glad I stayed with the Florida Cracker which tasted fine to me, after it took two times to remind the waitress to being my second beer to me.
The food, however, was so freakin good. I split the farmers salad and mojo pork rilliettes and was able to try a bite of a friend's burger. Everything was so fresh and well seasoned. I absolutely loved the sofrito on the burger. The food was well presented and just so tasty.
After the 4th time I caught myself apologizing to my group for the poor service and stating that they just opened, I realized that no one that worked for CC Brewpub actually apologized for the delays, eff ups, poor service, etc. I also realized that they must not have a manager if our table had SO many problems and no one came up to see how everything was going.
I wish Joe Jr. much success. He obviously doesnt need my business because he is in such a great market. However, I am done with this company. I have no interest in ever going back to this restaurant or the brewery, despite how good the beer is.
3.5 stars for Cigar City Brew Pub
I don't normally go to restaurants after they just opened because they don't tend to be very good until they've settled in a bit and figured out what works. Â CCBP is no different, unfortunately.
The beer selection was great, however we were told that we would have to pay $1 to do a sample of any of them. Â Well ok, since I hadn't tried many of them, I figured it would be worth it to make a mini flight for myself, only to have our waitress come back and say they changed the policy since her last shift and now they don't do samples at all. Â A brew pub run by a brewery that doesn't allow you to sample beer is a bad idea. Â Hopefully this is just a temporary policy.
The decor was probably the best part about the place. Â Every piece of it seems to be artistically recycled from the main brewery and the booths were comfortable. Â The layout was great, but when we went in the late afternoon there weren't enough people around to tell how loud it could get in there.
The menu seems to be taking the cues from the Seminole Heights pubs, meaning a smaller selection with fresh ingredients as opposed to a menu brimming with fried things. Â However, being a vegetarian I found the choices a little lacking. Â I ended up just nursing a heavy porter in lieu of food. Â My wife ordered the farmer's salad and thoroughly enjoyed it though. Â The beets and greens looked well prepared and the portion was OK for the price. Â
I think people are going to expect a lot from this Brew Pub given its pedigree, and in its current state I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed. Â But as I said in the beginning, pretty much every restaurant goes through this when they first open, so hopefully I can give them a try again in a few months to see if they've improved. Â Right now it's not all bad, it just doesn't have anything that would make me prefer going there instead of somewhere in Seminole Heights.
We made reservations through OpenTable, but I don't think they were necessary. It was surprisingly empty for just opening.
The restaurant was decorated with local Cuban themes and beer decorations. Over each table is a light made of Cigar City cans, which are pretty neat looking. The dividers between the booths were filled with barley and can be seen through glass panels.
A full bar was available, but we stuck with Cigar City beers. They were fresh, as if brewed right down the street. They had a few other local breweries as well. Unfortunately, there were no beer flights offered, which is pretty standard with brewpubs that I have visited in California.
There weren't any appetizers on the lunch menu, so we ordered the panzanella as a starter. It was very light and refreshing, but not good as an appetizer as it comes in a bowl since it is apparently a salad.
I had the grass-fed beef burger which had nice, thick bacon, fried plantains, and pickles. The burger itself was pretty good, with the plantain providing a bit of sweetness. The bread was also very good. All sandwiches come with plantain chips which were delicious.
My wife had the black bean soup with creme fraiche and a rice cake. The lunch portion was a little small, but not bad with the panzanella and dessert. The soup was good, nothing special though in an area with a lot of Cuban food.
For dessert we had the Hunahpu flour less chocolate cake. It's made with chilies and cinnamon, which give it a little spiciness. It comes with a blueberry compote and creme fraiche to give some different flavors.
All and all, it was pretty good for lunch service two days after opening. With a few tweaks, this could become a regular spot. I will visit during diner to compare the menus as the lunch menu is fairly limited.
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