2nd visit
Craving burgers and not wanting to drive very far we visited Whistle Stop again.
Tried their 'Top Secret' menu item - Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds. For nearly $7 we got about 10 super greasy small cheese blobs. I know what a WI cheese curd tastes like and these were not them. This should remain a 'Top Secret' menu item and be invisible on the menu ;) If you want fried cheese curds, hit Dunedin Brewery.
Bacon Cheeseburgers here rock! And they serve them on a nice bakery style roll - love when a restaurant puts some effort into the bun. Burgers come with a side option (coleslaw, black eye pea salad, beans & rice, or fruit) - I now LOVE their black eye pea salad and the BF likes the black beans & rice.
We had decided we were going to try a pudding shot (sounds disgusting, right?) this time but they were not on the menu - boo! I guess we'll have to wait until winter to slurp down thick pudding with a little bit of alcohol in it ;)
Oh my. I love this place!
I have been here twice. The first time, I learned they were pet friendly. So the second time I brought my wiener dog Gracie. I love when I can do that!
The fried dill pickles are so scrumptious I've had them on both visits as well as the veggie burger. I'll tell you why I've had it twice.... organic oats. You can never find a place that wont slap a Boca burger ($3 for a box at your local Publix) on a bun with lettuce and tomato and charge you five bucks for it. I'm impassioned by a good veggie burger made in house!
I'm in love with Whistle Stop, their vibe and their menu. I plan on coming back to try the buffalo shrimp, crab & shrimp burger, black beans & greens salad, fried green tomato salad, fish tacos and oh my the list goes on! And I will do it every time with a four legged friend by my side. Oh and my husband too!
Love Whistle Stop! My latest foodie find!
Love the diversity of the menu, the drink specials, and face-melting dessert options, so I can look past the fact that I'm a long haired bitch seated next to a whirling fan in the smoking area of a dog park. I love dives but there's no getting past my allergies, and hatred of doggy urine soaked mulch chips when I'm trying to grub for the fun of it. Luckily, this was my third or fourth stop so I wasn't hungry at all, and took it all in stride. Wasn't going to admit how delicate I am like some sort of badass, so there I sat in defiance of a hellish allergy attack  kindly smiling at someones miniature wookie. Hafta admit, the shredded pork tacos were well done, and I'm Hispanic, so thats gotta stand for something! I will most definitely be Bach!
Review Source:Liked this place a lot, food was good, prices are real reasonable and I love the outdoor seating.
This place is good if you want to chill outside, have some drinks, and pair em up with some good food. Â I love the rustic old Florida vibe they aim at providing.
Really just a good spot if you want to have dinner and hang with friends.
Stopped here solely out of gluttony after already eating down the street at The Nantucket Buckets ... Â Pure gluttony. Â We really just wanted to stop in and see what the deal was with this place. Â We were seated in the pet friendly section, which ended up being a disaster because La Chica is highly allergic to pet dander. Â On the flip side, the waitress asked us if we wanted to move, and La Chica declined. Â So the sneezing brigade I got to witness later that night was actually her fault. Â :)
We ordered up some SHREDDED PORK TACOS and they were scrumptious. Â The pork was amazingly smoky and tender. Â They were served up on corn tortillas with lettuce and avocado and a side of mojo. Â Mojo is cool, but not one of my favs. Â They actually drizzle some of it on the tacos too, which was annoying because the tart, citrus flavor doesn't mix well with the smoky pork, IMHO. Â The dish also came with a small side of white rice and black beans, both of which were delicious.
Price tag on the dish and the awesome low price of $2.50 for a huge glass of wine was $14. Â Good deal! Â And I will definitely return sometime.
Stopped here at the advise of  a friend after a day of kayak fishing.  After living in the Keys for more than 21 years, this place was like being in Tavernier at a seaside bar/restaurant only without the water.  Come to find out the owners used to own a business in the Keys.  Owner was very friendly as was the staff. Food was good and the beer was cold.  Great joint
Review Source:This is a pretty odd place; it was bult out of/around an old 1960's ice cream stand; they converted the building to a kitchen, and put tables out back. Â It is now mostly shielded from the weather, so it works ok even when it is cold or rainy.
I've been to Whistle Stop dozens of times. Â The food is pretty good; it's consistent, and things are well seasoned, etc. Â They have some unusual things on the menu, which is nice.
Service is generally quite good, even when they are busy (and they can get busy!!!).
Smoke can be a problem; far too much of the restaurant allows smoking, under the "it's outdoors" provisions of the Florida law. Â They seem to be cutting back the smoking areas, though.
Lastly, they are devoted to providing/supporting music, and often have live one or two person acts. Â Some is good, some less so. Â Wednesdays is open mike night...be forewarned!!
An Ode to Fried Green Tomatoes, the wonderful movie!
Is found at Whistle Stop Cafe, a place so groovy
You can get your fried green tomato fix in every which way
Fried up plain, in a sandwich, on a salad, or fancy if you say
Although Big George isn't out back fixin the BBQ with the secret sauce
Whistle Stop is still one of the most charming places I've come across
It's all outside seating centered around a big ol bar
But you can relax under a roof if you don't want to sit under the stars
Service was a little off today at my lunch
So I'm glad I wasn't on a time crunch
Looking forward to a nightly visit to hear the live bands sing
Chill, have a beer, & enjoy the weather this spring!
So nice we ate there twice.
Was visiting Safety Harbor for less than 24 hours and ended up eating here twice: once at dinner and again at lunch. The food was excellent both times. Both times we had to order the fried pickles. Perfectly crispy on the outside with a little burst of vinegar/pickle when you bite it. The ranch dressing that they are served with was a little on the bland side but that did not take away from the deliciousness. My friends both had the veggie burgers with avocado and I had the turkey wrap with bacon and added avocado for dinner and then the buffalo chicken wrap for lunch. The wraps were sizable and tasty. The sandwiches, burgers, and wraps come with your choice of sides. I tried the fresh fruit and the onion rings. The onion rings were better for obvious reasons. They also had a nice selection of vegetarian and healthier options to choose from.
The ice cream is clearly fresh and fabulous. Try a sundae, milkshake or scoop. You won't be disappointed. My friend ordered the chocolate peanut butter shake on both our dinner and lunch visits.
The atmosphere is very chill. The tables are all outside on a covered patio. The sides can be pulled down during rain or cold weather. Great happy hour specials and live music. Fun place. I will be visiting again!
SUMMARY: A great spot in cute li'l Safety Harbor, with friendly locals, good beer specials, a great patio, and locally sourced fare. 3.5 stars for some technical glitches
HITS:
- Grass-fed burger (the fact that they carry it!)
- Key lime pie (done well, but would have asked them to hold the marshmallow sauce, which was mostly on the side).
- Black eyed pea salad (side)
- Ahi tuna salad with "cusabi" sauce; well-seared, nice fresh greens
- It's also known for its milkshakes and sundaes from a local ice cream company, but we didn't have those on this trip
GOOD, NOT GREAT
- Grass-fed burger- they overcooked it the first time (well-done not medium); because grass-fed is so different from the factory output cooks have been used to for the last 50 years, I don't fault them for it. GF meat cooks faster and is typically leaner. Anyhoo, I told our pleasant waitress and she had another one brought out which was cooked properly, but I suspect it had been frozen. (still wasn't as juicy as others I've had).
- Fried green tomatoes- I know it's their specialty and I'll be accused of blasphemy for saying such a thing, but it was just okay; they offer different variations to make it more interesting; we had the "fancy" style with tomatoes and goat cheese; I found it still to be a bit wanting; next time I would "go for broke" and get one with crawfish sauce.
- Parking lot is small, and there are ominous tow-away signs in the immediate office complex next door (although almost all offices were vacant). We did not get towed.
I will definitely return, most likely during happy hour when beers are $1.50!
This place offers to upgrade your burger to "grass fed" for a few more bucks, and it's your first tip-off that this place cares about the food it serves. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality and taste of the cuisine in a place that looks like it focuses mostly on getting people drunk (it's an outdoor air restaurant/bar that we THOUGHT was mostly bar.) This is by far the best casual restaurant in Safety Harbor and is now a must-visit whenever we go back.
Review Source:My fiancee and I stopped in for a bite to eat the other night and it was AMAZING! The fancier green tomatoes were perfect! deliciously cooked and topped with goat cheese. YUM! He had a chicken and veggie wrap with onion rings that was also SUPER FANTASTIC!!! We'd go back just for those. But add in the laid back vibe, outside seating and (the best) Sangria and youve got an awesome dining experience. My only criticism was the service was lack luster. Not bad...just not good! We will be back for sure!
Review Source:I was torn about the stars...I didn't want to give it 2 for "Meh, I've had better", because I really don't like fried green anything, so I don't have a baseline to judge...and I didn't want to give it the 3 for "A-OK". because it really isn't. I've never had a bar run out of Budweiser! And I sure as hell wasn't going to drink anything that requires citrus fruit to give it flavor.
This place is kinda odd. They don't have indoor seating at all, everything is outdoors, sort of. They use roll down awning for walls (and if there is a wall, no smoking). I think it used to be an ice cream stand in a previous life, near the railway station. They expanded (to be kind) to a full service restaurant. It seems to cater to both the yuppy crowd and the local bar flies. There was nearly a fight at the bar when we were there between two of the regulars...and I was sitting between the two!
They do have a fantastic smoked fish spread with fancy crackers. I'm a biker...gimme the Premium Saltines! And their burgers are pretty good also.
And did I mention they ran out of Bud?
Nice casual spot to stop and have a burger and a beer. I love the fried green tomato sandwich, it is simply awesome! Ok, it' s not healthy but it has to be better then a beef burger right?
It's a good place where hubby can get his beefy fix and I can get my girly food all in one spot. That;s always a plus for us!
For a casual, outdoor dinner Whistle Stop is one of my favorites. Happy hour wine prices are excellent (I think $2.50), draft beer is around $1.50 and their food is always great.
I keep coming back for the black eyed pea salad. I can't get enough. Such a simple side that they make so well. The fried green tomatoes are great, as you would expect.
I'm personally a fan of the Fried Green BLT and the Buffalo Chicken Wrap, but I have never had a bad item.
There is live music on the weekend and a portion of the restaurant is dog friendly. What's not to love.
Just had a great meal at one of Safety Harbors local restaurants. Â The Whistle Stop is a family friendly indoor outdoor gem located on Main St mid way through down town. Â You have to try their fish taco's and southern sampler. Â Friendly staff and reasonable prices. Â Enjoyed the band playing and oh Yeah you can take your four legged friends. Â That's a plus for us.
Review Source:I am a vegetarian, so I appreciate that they have several vegetarian options. I have had the fried green tomato sandwich, the veggie burger (love Joe's Oat Patties) and the veggie wrap and they were all good. The bean salad is a nice side option when you want something more healthy than fries. Pretty good beer selection.
Service has been hit or miss, but overall is fine. We have ordered ice cream from the front window a few times and the service there is terribly slow. After waiting 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us (I really wanted some ice cream), we ordered 2 Bron's Sweet Sundaes. The sundaes were made by 2 different people and looked completely different from one another. Plus, one was much larger than the other and they gave them to us like nothing was wrong.
I recently went here for a friend's birthday party. I didn't realize it was all outdoor seating, but luckily it wasn't that hot of a night. We had a nice corner of the restaurant. This place has a great casual, almost divey kind of vibe. Complete with live music from a guy with long hair and aviators.
The menu is pretty straight forward, but there were some unique items that you don't always see on menus. A bunch of different apps were ordered for the party...fried pickles, fried green tomatos and corn fritters. I had a bite of each and they were all great. Not too fried!
For an entree I ordered the crab and shrimp burger with sweet potato fries. The fries were awesome...I think it's hard to screw up sweet potato fries. But the burger was underwhelming. It was served with a mango salsa and an aioli. The aioli was great, but the mango salsa would have been great with bigger hunks of mango. Also the burger tasted a bit off, but I ate it anyway. I got sick later that night...not sure if it was the food or something else (no, I was not heavily drinking).
Our waitress for the night was top notch. She was friendly and funny and kept our big group happy. Props to her!
Would I come back? Yes, but I wouldn't make a special trip out. It seems like a great place for a casual group hangout.
This is one of my new favorite spots! We've been twice now and had a great experience both times. The first time I got the grass fed burger, and it was PERFECT. The black bean salad that accompanied it was fresh and packed with flavor. The meals everyone else in my family got were all delicious, too! All of the seating is outside, but there's always a breeze and we were very comfortable. The second time we went, it was late at night and they had excellent live music. The atmosphere was like one big party! The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because the BBQ pork sandwich I got on my second visit was OK but not as mind-blowing as the burger I had previously. The sweet potato fries were AMAZING ... if you go, I definitely recommend ordering a couple of plates because they will disappear quickly! If we move to Safety Harbor like we hope to, we will definitely be Whistle Stop regulars! :)
Review Source:The atmosphere is tiki-hut, old Florida neighborhood eatery. Its one of those "everyone knows your name" places.
The food is good and some of it is even healthy. The music at night is never over powering and the talent is local and good. It's not bad sitting outside even in the Summer.
My one complaint after several visits is the service. It seems the servers are always over worked and in the weeds and the kitchen is behind every time. If you're in a rush forget it. If you want to relax and have a 90 minute lunch it is worth the effort.
I loved their Fried green tomatoes so good! I tried one of the burgers, it was cook to perfection and the flavor was great. For desert I had cookie dough ice cream, mmmm it was delicious!
The seating is all outside but they have fans and misters to keep you cool in the summer heat. The service was attentive and caring. Â I loved my whole experience there.
The setting is very cool. Â Outdoors, live music, cute bar...Jimmy Buffett feel to the place.
Food is moderate to awful. Â And the bar serves only beer and wine, which would be ok for some places, but this place NEEDS to serve margaritas and cocktails, it is just that kind of setting. Â If I am going to suffer through bar food, I want a real bar.
A cute restaurant that has all outdoor seating. Â Customers are kept comfortable by awnings/roof and fans/misters are present. Â
The menu items looked really inspired, but items I tried lacked a certain spark. Â I'm not saying they weren't tasty, but I am saying that Sysco has a bigger hand in the food than actual home cooking.
I tried the signature appetizer "Fancy Fried Green Tomatoes". Â Medium slices of green tomatoes in a crispy coating, covered with "plops" of goat cheese and sprinkled with cilantro. Â Tasty!
Entree was the Surprise Burger, a cheddar cheese filled jalapeno popper was stuffed in the middle. Â Also on the burger was salsa, onion slices, avocado, lettuce, tomato slices & lettuce. Â It was a decent burger, but the salsa was missing, and that might have added the zing that was missing. Â I wouldn't order it again, but I don't regret eating it. Â The side of Black Eyed Pea salad was entirely too salty, almost inedible. Â Tasted like taco seasoning mix with some oil as a dressing, mixed with the peas and some chopped onion and tomato. Â Stick with the fries...
The Calamari the Kidlet ordered were a generous portion of lightly battered and fried squid and small slices of green and red pepper. Â Served with a ginger dipping sauce. Â Sauce was forgettable, but the Calamari were tasty.
We tried a brownie ice cream sundae. Â Brownie was not terribly tasty and the soft serve was a soupy mess. Â Skip it. Â Kidlet had a scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream in a waffle cone. Â Not sure what the hoopla around the ice cream is, but it was not the best/creamiest I've ever had.
My favorite part of the meal? Â The $2.75 Shock Top pints! Â Yummy beer goodness!
If we lived near here, I'd come back without hesitation.
My husband and I had just gotten back from a long day at Busch Gardens so we decided to get something that was nearby our hotel in Safety Harbor. Â Plus my brother in law and his wife are vegetarian, so this place had more to offer for them. Â We went on a Tuesday night, so it really wasn't that busy. Â Our server was quick to come to us when we got there, but I felt like she didn't really come around much thereafter. Â I ordered a peanut butter milkshake (which was amazing, btw) and a chicken wrap and hubby ordered some chicken wings. Â
This probably wasn't the best place for him and I to go to because we're kind of picky eaters.  A lot of their food had goat cheese or blue cheese crumbles, and I'm not a fan of either, but its our own fault for going here.  The other thing was my brother in law's wife ordered a sandwich which was supposed to contain mushrooms and red peppers and it only had  one mushroom and didn't have any red peppers in it because they were out.  We felt like the server should have at least let her know that they were out.
I might stop in next time we go to Florida just to try the fried green tomatoes, but I probably won't try anything else.
I finally tried the food here after visiting several times for live music and drinking only beer. I was wowed by my calamari salad. Very fresh greens with red peppers under a large bed of crispy, non-greasy, plump calamari, all dressed in a garlic vinagrette. Excellent! The hummus plate is also good: a generous amount of tasty hummus, surrounded by a lot of fruit and veggies and crispy chips of some sort. The sweet potato fries are also something special here. I skipped dessert, but that's one of their claims to fame, so I would not hesitate were I in the mood for ice cream etc. The music on weekends is always great when Greg West plays! The only caveat is the outdoor seating allows smoking, and the smoke drifted my way a little too much. They should ban smoking around food period.
Review Source:This is a really fun place to come with a group, especially for Wednesday open mic nights, but a place to avoid when it's very hot and humid, because it's an open-air venue.
Their fried green tomatoes, Â topped with goat cheese and chopped red tomatoes, are sensational. They also have fried dill pickle chips in a spicy batter that are much better than they sound.
The grilled chicken breast, Â topped with sour cream and orange slices, is served with lime marinated red onions and black beans and rice. They also have a wide selection of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and salads.
Save room for dessert - the ice cream sundaes are delicious and priced at only $3.95 or less, or you can share an order of nachos dulce, warm tortilla chips sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and topped with soft serve vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce.
They have live music every Friday and Saturday night. The evening crowd tends to be in their 20s and 30s but we "older" folks don't feel out of place here.
This place is great, and very unique. It is pretty much completely outdoors, so be aware of the weather. The owners are great, we had a big party there one time, and they let us bring our own music and everything. Sometimes they have live entertainment, open mic's, etc. Also fairly inexpensive overall.
Review Source:This is a cute little locally owned joint on Main Street Dunedin, right near the railroad tracks. Seating is completely outside and the menu sports typical Floridian fair with a large selection of burgers and sandwiches as well as larger entrees like steak and chicken or fish filets. For us veggies they do serve up a Boca burger. Ordering without the provolone cheese should make this item vegan. The wait staff is very attentive and if they don't know something they'll be quick to return with an answer. The food itself is average but the atmosphere is great and a really relaxing affair when the cooler whether sets in.
Review Source:
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