Cafe Dufrain

Café dufrain has made some changes to their menu over the past few years and the food is better than ever. High quality meats and good service. I recommend the fish or chicken sandwich with their truffle fries.

One of my favorite restaurants on Harbour Island! I have been here a handful of times and have never been disappointed.
My favorite is the burger and brew night, (you get a burger and a beer for around 10 $).
Great service and great atmosphere. The restaurant is located along the Riverwalk. Sit outside if you can you will have a great sunset view!
Tip: Calling all dog lovers: it is Dog friendly!

I was in the area for work and stopped in for dinner on a weeknight. Since it was just me, I was hoping to sit at the bar but it was busy so I sat at a table for four. For 1. Anyway!
My waitress was excellent; didn’t feel rushed and she was very attentive. The food came out quick: got a beer, ½ Cesar salad and the Dufrain burger topped with fried egg and a side order of truffle fries.
The food was fantastic! The ½ Cesar salad was a huge portion but I ended up finishing it throughout the meal because it was so good. The burger was cooked to my liking (medium) and the egg was runny! I’m not a big Kaiser roll person when it comes to burger buns but it was toasty and good. The truffle fries were out of this world with that chimchurri sauce. I couldn’t finish it so took it back to my hotel and it was still fantastic.
This seems to be a great date place as well as a place locals go to to grab a drink. A bunch of runners were at the bar with a beer, or outside. If I’m ever in the area again I would love to go back!

So far I have been here four or five times, and I have yet to be disappointed. Above all, their smoked wings are off the charts. 3 times a week, they smoke them on the roof of the building, and have an amazing smoke-​penetrated flavor.
I’ve also had their burgers, chicken and skirt steak here, each time absolutely fantastic.
I have noticed some reviews that complain about the service. The place does get busy, and service can be a little slower than people are accustomed to, but this is a great waterfront place to chill and not be in a hurry! Staff is friendly and I would never take a star away from them for slow service. The food is that good, well worth the wait!

I travel quite a bit for work and eat out often. I treated my sister to a birthday dinner and she thought it was the best meal she has had in decades. I couldn’t agree more. Grilled Grouper on pepper jack grits
Fab jalapeño hummus to start and excellent beer list. The after dinner coffee was perfectly rich and hot

One of my all-​time favorite restaurants! Service, food, and atmosphere are always 5-​Star!

I had an excellent lunch here today. I ordered the Argentinian steak with chimichurri sauce, tomatoes, and onions, and it was delicious — juicy and perfectly cooked. The steak came with yucca fries, which I had not tried before, but were fantastic. If I eat here again, I’ll order an extra side of these fries. They were light, fluffy, and flavorful — not greasy or oily at all.
For dessert, we ordered an apple tart (I don’t remember the exact name) with a vanilla cardamom ice cream and crumbly granola on top. It was warm and delicious — a great end to the meal. To top it off, our server was very helpful and friendly. I’d highly recommend this spot!

Tuna Tar Tar appetizer and Pino Cris taste wonderful, very light and seasoned perfect. Not everyone carries Pino Cris and it’s very very good. Totally recommend the place if you enjoy different and good. Menu is different in a great way

Café Dufrain is tucked away right across from the heart of downtown Tampa on harbor island. They have a bright, airy space with large windows to look out onto the water of the channel. The restaurant is intimate with a handful of tables both inside and out.
The food and drink selections are varied and each and every one sound delicious. I had a happy hour glass of red wine that was absolutely divine. We started our meal with a cheese and charcuterie plate that was the bomb dot com and I had a pork shoulder mac and cheese for my main course. The pork was moist and fall apart tender in my mouth. The mac and cheese was non traditional and delightfully unexpected.
All in all, it was a neat place for dinner albeit a bit expensive. A cute place to try if you haven’t visited it before.

We popped into this place after having a horrible dinner at That’s Amore the night before. What a refreshing change. Excellent service, reasonable prices. I really enjoyed traditional foods with surprising ingredients. We will be back whenever we are on this side of the bridge!

Came here on this wonderful 4^th of July with my workout friends and, decided to have the barbecue. Great choice! Ashley (the bartender) she’s was awesome!!! Recommended us everything and she was right on point with everything!!! Amazing atmosphere. Great drinks! Very clean!
Great job guys! And Ashley!!! I got the name right this time…
Keep up the good work!

Terrible! Went there last night for the first time for dinner. Bar was busy, restaurant had maybe 5 tables. After being seated, the waitstaff would walk by us, never acknowledging we were there or asking if we would like a drink. After 20 minutes sitting at our table outside and seeing the waiter look at us 3 times and walk by us about 8 we walked out.
For a similar price, great view, and amazing food and staff, walk five minutes over to Jacksons!!!

Good food and atmosphere. The highlight was Marley, a 3 legged dog that loves the fries. Marley’s owner was stunning!
Keep your eye out for the dog and his beautiful owner.

The food there was very good. The service was fast even though we were a party of 15+. Every thing I had was delicious.

Nice location. Great food at reasonable prices. My husband and I took a stroll over to Café Dufrain from the Marriott Waterside. The quick walk along the water was a bonus! Seated promptly and ordered after perusing the menu. We were happy with our choices and the food was tasty. The fries could have been slightly more crisp and the waitress should have refilled my water glass. Minor compared to the incredible tastiness of the duck wonton nachos.

I gave this place five stars on my previous visit but I’m adjusting down based on the poor service. Made eye contact with one woman who simply smiled and moved on to collect some dirty glasses. Ummm… I wasn’t just being friendly; I wanted to order food! Finally another woman addressed me, although she was clearly in a hurry to get on to something else. She barely seems able to conceal her contempt for her job.
I had been surprised by how many poor reviews this place had gotten because I had initially ranked it so highly. When I saw that the reviews mostly reflected customer service I figured people were being overly sensitive. However I believe the service has declined since I last came here. Perhaps they have new management.
Maybe the clientele at Harbour Island is wealthy enough to keep this place going on its own. They don’t seem interested in maintaining a broad base.
I just got my food and think that quality has declined a bit as well. Bacon braised kale that I really enjoyed before seems tough this time. The food’s still not bad but I’m not overly impressed.

Perfect place to enjoy a beautiful day looking at the canal. Yes, the tables outside are a bit wobbly. Yes, it might be breezy. But there is so much more to enjoy… the place is pet friendly. One of the many times I have eaten at Café Dufrain, there was dog birthday party been celebrated outside, hats and doggie cake and all the fun shenanigans. There are always the usual happy hour faces at the bar since it is a popular hangout of the neighborhood. Families enjoying the day, glass of wine in hand as they watch their kinds play unafraid in the street’s roundabout. Café Dufrain has a great selection of beer, spirits and wine. The beer with a hint of vanilla is delightful. They make really great Old Fashions and Muscow Mules. Their sangria is nice, but nothing to rave about. The food is consistently excellent: Short Rib Mac and Cheese, Empanadas (different flavors each day to keep it interesting), Mussels, chimichurri steak, duck burger… the home made ice creams… yum. The bar might get quite busy at times… but it is «the island» slow vibe… look out at the water. pet the dog staring at you… check out the attractive yuppies… chill.

I have mixed feelings about my visit to Café DuFrain. On the one hand the food was decent, actually the mussels were delicious but on the other hand the place was a bit dirty and our waiter was not engaged with the table. I started with Mussels which were cooked in a delicious tomato base. These mussels were tasty and tender but quite small compared to other mussels eaten in Tampa. I next had the duck burger which was too overpowered by seasoning. I failed to taste the duck in the burger and it was disappointing. I asked if we could open our $ 5 bottle of wine that someone randomly gave us on our way to lunch and was told there was a $ 15 corking charge. Since the bottle was a screw type we opted for ice tea. Overall, mehhhh okay:(

Café Dufrain is located along the channel on Harbour Island, a quick walk from downtown hotels. The restaurant has a mix of indoor and outdoor seating with a large ‘garage door’ that opens if the weather outside is nice. It’s one of my favorite features.
The servers have all been excellent. Food is top notch, but a little pricey. They have an excellent daily happy hour that runs 3pm-​7pm and offers half off drinks.
My favorite dish is the short rib mac and cheese. Join their e-​club and you get a gift card in the mail!

Why 4 stars? Because short rib mac and cheese.
— — —
The above is what I ordered. Any time something like that is listed on a menu, I’m probably going to be a fan. I loved my experience eating outside, and looking at the Forum reflecting off the water. What a great spot for Harbour Island.
Café Dufrain had been on my bucket list for a while, and I’m glad I was finally able to enjoy it. They always have a better-​than-​most beer selection to top things off.
Next time… the Dufrain burger will be gluttony of choice,