Caretta On The Gulf

Ordered the seafood appetizer platter as the main – based on server’s recommendation. Total letdown. We complained about the crabs, and the server said she’d the chef know. Nothing happened. Overpriced for what it is.

1 because the food was good but not even close to a 5 because the service was hands down the worst service I have ever had anywhere, the waiter, Larry was condescending, rude, and complained to me that it was my fault when he made a mistake with the check, would never go back regardless of the food
I also want to express that I have never written a review til this time because it was the absolutely worst dinning experience I’ve EVER had I will make sure everyone I know knows to never go here… Thanks Larry for showing us what server should not be

Absolutely amazing sunset dinner! The food is flawless and the service is impeccable. I had a party of 8 and everyone was extremely happy.

This place was simply amazing. Me and my boyfriend went for an anniversary and it couldn’t have been better. We were promptly seated and our waiter came within seconds. Service was just great! Our waiter knew exactly everything about each item on the menu, he described almost everything and gave us great suggestions. The whole menu look so appetizing, I wish I could have gotten one of everything. We went for a reservation at 9 PM which was very nice because it was relaxing, and it wasn’t very busy. The food will just melt in your mouth. Literally delicious! I wish I had enough money to go every day. Will for sure be returning back to caretta in the near future.

One of the BEST dining experienced we have had in a very long time.
We went and they had their Valentine’s Day Prix Fix menu, we had the following:
— Drinks: As you would expect, they have an extensive wine list, and they make fantastic drinks. I didn’t get a look at their drink menu, but it turns our they have private labelled two beers made just for them:
* an IPA
* an Blonde Ale
Both of these were very good. The IPA was definitely hoppy, and not the palette wrecker that many IPAs are. The Blonde Ale was light and refreshing. These were the only «micros» on draght that they had. I put micros in quotes because often this is just another beer they private label, but I don’t think this was the case here.
— Bread: Normally I don’t compliment the bread, but it was noticeably better than other places. They had the normal loaf of bread, but they also have pretzel rolls. They also came with:
* port wine and mushroom butter
* Honey mustard
— Amouse Bouche: Oyster with strawberry sauce. Really good. The strawberry sauce was not too sweet, nor the oyster too big. Well-​balanced.
— Starter: Steak and Egg. The was a massive portion of short rib (I would guess 8oz), which was amazing, with a duck egg, served over grits. Not often you can get duck eggs, but the poached duck egg’s yolk had the perfect consistency when broken. Had we stopped here, we would have been full, but satisfied.
— Main course: Lobster, with a green curry sauce. Normally I don’t order lobster, but it was a fixed price menu. Very good, The curry sauce gave the dish enough spice w/​out overpowering the lobster. Very full at this point!
— Dessert: Chocolate covered cheesecake. Just amazing. Usually I don’t order dessert when eating out, but this was amazing. It looked tot pretty to eat (pic to follow), but it was really good. Note: my description doesn’t do it justice. Just get it.
If I was going to complain about anything — I would say the the meal took a while, but this was deliberate. It was a 75^th/​78^th/​48^th birthday party celebration, and we had the «wine room» all to ourselves (so they didn’t have to worry about «flipping the table»).

Good food overall. Really enjoyed the oysters on the half shell. My husband and I both got fish and it was just ok. They both were a little over cooked. Polite staff and very attentive waiter.

I had planned a special evening and could tell I picked the right place when I received a call that afternoon confirming the special requests I had made. Upon arrival, we were seated in a secluded romantic table for two, which was perfect! Larry, our waiter, could not have been better. He reviewed the menu with us and offered recommendations as needed. The Caesar salad (Uriahs little gem) was spectacular. The filet was perfect and the potato soufflé was to die for… the side of root vegetables were not the typical veggies, but the tastes went well together. For dessert, we had ordered the cake that could be shared, but they mistakenly brought us another dessert. Well, If only all mistakes tasted that incredible! We were absolutely raving about it, when they came and set our «correct» dessert on the table! Hah. We tasted it and promptly asked for to-​go bag to enjoy later. We also had the watermelon-​jalapeño cocktail and the Clearwater beach tea and both were perfect! Honestly, the service, food, and ambience are top notch. You must try it, if only for a special occasion! Treat yourself.

It should be better. Not sure quite what goes wrong, but overall we did not find wow factor here. Also, menu descriptions are not exhaustive… the tomato soup was hot with chiles, an unpleasant surprise that made it inedible (full bowl removed without comment). The oysters were quite good, however.
The chicken was too salty. The black grouper was good but not memorable.
All in all, not the best meal of the stay. If we come back to the hotel we would stick with a steak. not too salty, please!

The worst dining experience ever! Sunday night dinner with my family who was visiting from out of town and staying at the hotel. We went to celebrate what had been a very memorable visit and it ended in disaster! My brother and sister in law ordered the bone in ribeye and when it came it was disgusting ! The meat was spoiled and smelled up the whole table! They did take the steak entrees off the bill but that still did not make up for the horrible preparation and selection from the chef! Would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and will never eat there again!

Food: 8.5÷10
Service: ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Value: ⁶⁄₁₀
Ambience: N/​A (Ate in room)
Ordered room service right before closing at dinner time at about 10 PM. Food came about 30 minutes later despite being told that it was going to an hour.
Everything was delicious. The Black Grouper melted in my mouth, and I couldn’t stop eating it. My girlfriend was content with her side of fries, and we fed each other the exquisite Mayanmisu.
Shortly after the feast, our clothes started magically disappearing piece by piece until th…
Oh wait this is a food review site. My apologies.
Anyways, we didn’t get a chance to have brunch here, but there’s always a next time.
I would highly recommend staying here for vacation. It was worth every penny.
Cheers.

Loved their food and service! I had the poached lobster and it was cooked perfectly, I did feel like the portion of the lobster was too little for the price I was paying and that’s why I gave it 4 stars, other than that everything was amazing. Our server was Chris he was very knowledgable and attentive!

Als Vorspeise hatten wir uns für das Thuns Sushi entschieden, welches wirklich hervorragend war. Die Hauptspeisen Grouper und Lachs waren mit viel Liebe zum Detail zubereitet. Einzig der Service war etwas schwach. Alles in allem. Gutes Essen, aber halt für etwas teures Geld.

Brunch here is a total winner. Make reservations as it is a popular choice for Sunday brunch. Our server Robert was very nice and attentive. The value is definitely worth it. Mimosas until the eye can see as well as a beautiful spread for brunch. Sushi here is always fresh, as well as the shrimp and oysters. The omelet and carving stations were great as well. I can’t wait to go back. The view is worth the price of admission. Like anything at the sandpearl it is a first class operation.

Absolutely amazing dinner watching the sunset. Very fairly priced too, for what u get! Started w slider app, was small but very rich and full flavor ! Goota use Unilocal offer!
Beet salad was outstanding! The bourbon dressing adds an unexpected touch.
My main course was corvina fish with black rice (named differently on menu) and veggies. Huge dish, delicious and not heavy (I asked to skip butter they normally use, coconut sauce they pour table side was absolutely enough)). Would recommend to anyone for sure!

Had the scallop and tuna appetizers. Followed this with the Bibb lettuce salad and then my husband had the tomahawk steak and I had the grouper.
The appetizers were good. The lettuce is grown in the restaurant (you can see a wall of greens upon entering their restaurant) and the salad was simple but delicious! The dressing (a basil vinaigrette) was excellent.
We had the potato soufflé with the tomahawk. The tomahawk was PERFECT. We ordered it med rare. BEST steak I have ever had. The soufflé (a twice baked everything potato) was tasty and a perfect pairing for the steak.
My grouper unfortunately could not compete with the tomahawk. It’s an unfair comparison, I know, but it was also over cooked so it had no chance.
Their price point for wines was more than fair, though we come from Philadelphia so pricing in general for alcohol in Clearwater was always a pleasant surprise.
Our server was Larry who was very nice and obviously quite experienced.
We would definitely come here again and again.

It truly says a lot about a place when you find yourself returning for breakfast 4 days in a row. not to mention the lunch you also had here.
In the most sincere way to put it: Caretta on the Gulf has delicious food, attentive and professional surface, and views that are priceless. Their menu offers fresh, flavorful combinations which are not only original, but satisfying and memorable. My favorite breakfast was their Lox dish. I subbed the bagel for toasted whole grain toast, which was accompanied by a beautiful rose of fresh smoked salmon, capers, arugula, tomatoes, half an egg, and a fabulous cheese spread. Yes, all of that. All presented beautifully, and, when paired together, created such a memorable dish.
For lunch, I tried their shrimp salad, which paired fresh greens with a mix of flavors and a lovely goat cheese to add some richness to the light salad.
Overall, a beautiful place to dine. Their prices are incredibly fair as compared to nearby spots, however, their views of the gulf and quality of food are exceptional.

Here’s the deal. The best way to describe this restaurant is to make a pros and cons list. Actually a ven diagram would be better, but Unilocal hasn’t developed the technology yet. Here it goes:
Pros: food is of high quality, service is exceptional. Drinks are generous, atmosphere is cozy yet classy, menu has a lot to offer, pretzel bread and spreads are great.
Cons: steak was missing key ingredients, including but not limited to salt, pepper, and/​or garlic. Starter bread is only limited to pretzel bread and a peculiar bread which consists of a Godiva chocolate-​hot Pepper medley, which isn’t nearly as good as it sounds. The servers exaggeration of dishes resembled that of a late night QVC host. Not everything on the menu is «to die for.» After 10:00am a Craigslist band plays tasteful music but at a mein kampf! Decibel.
Overall this place is worth visiting but not revisiting.

What a disappointment — after reading such great reviews on many different sites, we chose this restaraunt over all others in Clearwater. We’re only here one night as we drive from city to city in Florida and we have a limited amount of venues to visit. I think that’s why we were so cautious in picking a place for dinner and why we were so disappointed.
First off, I must say that the host and waiter had great personalities and were really friendly. The drinks were also very good. The 6 dishes we ordered: spicy tuna roll, shrimp cocktail, salad, shrimp and grits, jumbo crab cake, and gnocchi were all delicious.
The only reason we give it a 3 star is because of the pacing. We specifically told our waiter that we hadn’t eaten all day and that we were hungry so to not make the pacing of our dishes too long. We ordered the full list immediately and yet it still took 30 mins to even get the bread. Truly a disappointment. Once we relieved all our dishes we asked for our bill and were on our way, but I can’t say we’ll want to be back again.

Five star service, Five star view.
My husband’s company — Malwarebytes, new to the Clearwater area — decided they needed to have a Christmas Party, and this was where they opted to do a low key affair on Monday evening.
It started out with drinks at sunset on the patio. I was glad I brought my coat, because that wind was bitter, but watching the sun settle into the ocean was splendid as I sipped on my blue Hawaiian, as our waitstaff of 4 attended to our every need. The fire columns interested every one, and when I put my hand on the cage, the sound of caution and then amazement when I didn’t burn myself made the geeks all take notice, I’m sure we’ll see a new design coming soon.
Once we were all seated, after about 10 minutes of musical chairs, and everyone jockeying for position near the various heads of the company, more drinks were offered, different wines and mixed cocktails. I asked about the wines and they were all dry, when I wrinkled my nose, I was offered a sweeter choice, a Reisling, without hesitation. SCORE!
There were chosen menus on our tables, we could choose a Soup or Salad: Mushroom Barley Soup, White Chili — Made with Alligator, Lady Moon Butter Lettuce or Little Gem Ceaser Salad. The husband got the Mushroom Soup, and though it was flavourful, it was missing something. That Something was salt. I ordered the white chilii, and it was missing NOTHING. It was delicious.
Our Mains were a choice of Black grouper with kale and clams, Naked bird Chicken — a stuffed chicken breast, or a petit Center cut filet. The husband had the fish, and he said it was delicious. He thought that it was served on corn, but I knew better, it was over an orzo. I chose the Filet, and OMG! That was one tasty steak. Perfectly seasoned and cooked!
The desserts were second to none! We had our choices of Vanilla bean Crème Brulee, Chocolate Cheese cake or Seasonal Sorbet — which turned out to be Key Lime. The husband chose the Keylime, since he likes all things tart, and he only ate about ½ of it. I chose the Crème Brulee, and I could have eaten more, it was DELICIOUS. Seriously it was one of the best Crème brulees I’ve ever tasted. The vanilla bean was so thick in it you could see the flecks through out the dessert.
Through this, the service was the epitome of perfection. Nary an issue with drinks, your glass never went dry, if you were drinking alcohol, a new drink was always at hand. Yes, an unlimited bar. how very nice! This is what i would call a first class meal at a first class dining establishment.

Wonderful service and really delicious food! We had the gnocchi and the blue cobia entrees. Both were very flavorful and presented well. For dessert, we had the chocolate-​orange cheesecake and the crime brûlée.
The bar staff, servers, & valet were attentive and very nice.

My wife and I stayed at the Sandpearl for 4 days due to a business conference being held at the location. Every conference meal was prepared by Carretta’s. My wife, not a conference participant, ordered her to-​go mess from Carretta’s as well. Every meal was superb! After the conference, I decided to try Carretta’s and order from their regular menu instead of eating predetermined conference buffet food. Carretta’s did not disappoint on their food or service.
For lunch, my wife and I started out with a surf & turf sushi roll. This was a unique roll of rare tenderloin, fried shallots, asparagus and creamy lobster. Every bite was amazing but the shallots sometimes over powered the tender lobster. The roll was $ 18 and worth every dollar. For entrees, we had a blackened chicken Cobb salad and a tenderloin flatbread. The Cobb salad was enormous, like Elaine’s «big salad». The chicken was tender and had a little kick of cayenne. The salad came with blue cheese nuggets and the best bacon! I felt that The flatbread was the better entrée. It was served on a very thin and tasty crust, topped with moist tenderloin, mushrooms, pickled red onions and topped with white truffle. The flatbread was savory from the crust and sweetness of the truffle and onions.
The total bill including an iced tea was $ 53.
If you’re staying in Clearwater and are looking for a nice place to eat, definitely check out Carretta’s.