Tag: datenight

Dinner at Jackson’s Bistro

Jackson’s Bistro is a locally owned restaurant located on Harbour Island (Tampa). It was the location of our first date in Tampa, and has been one of our favorite places to return to whenever we want to dress up a little and grab some sushi. Whether you are dressed for a night out or just casually strolling, you will not feel out of place at Jackson’s. The restaurant offers an upscale feel without the stuffiness of many upscale venues. The views of the city are inspiring, whether you are stopping by during the day or after the sun goes down. Any time the weather permits, we ask to sit on the balcony so we can take in the view as we’re eating. We were celebrating a birthday, so there seemed like no better place to take a break from social distancing and head down to the balcony at Jackson’s.

We were seated out on the balcony, but before long it started to storm. The staff asked if we wanted to move inside, but we thought we’d be okay under the shelter of the balcony. We were wrong – the rain started to blow in all over us and we quickly changed our minds. The staff were amazing. They immediately replaced our drinks, bread, and the appetizer we had already started eating. It is this kind of service that keeps us coming back. 

As usual, our servers were friendly and conversational, making the evening even more enjoyable. Over the course of our COVID-19 quarantine we had been ordering sushi from a few places and, thanks to a couple of painfully slow Door Dash experiences, we lost our desire for it. The sushi at Jackson’s is amazing, but we took a break from our usual order of sushi and decided to try some of their other offerings. For our appetizer we ordered the Deviled Eggs, which turned out to be amazing. Our main course was the Seafood Linguini Alfredo and the Jackson’s Salad with shrimp. We were not disappointed. You may download their menus HERE.

After dinner, the storm had cleared, so we took advantage of the abnormally empty streets (thank you coronavirus) and walked along the water for a while before returning home. We found this little guy swimming around by the dock.

Jackson’s is the perfect place for a celebration or just to have a nice evening out. We love this place and recommend that anyone give it a try! Their inside seating can be a nice break from the heat, but be sure to make your way out to the balcony for a romantic picture!

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St. Pete Pier

The St. Pete Pier opened to the public on Monday, July 6, 2020. 

The St. Pete Pier provides fun for those seeking a casual stroll, children needing to release their energy, fisherman wanting to cast their line, or couples seeking a romantic evening. We visited the newly opened pier to see what it had to offer.

One convenient feature is the St. Pete Pier Tram for those wishing to explore the new pier, but would rather not walk the length on foot. The trams offered wheelchair accessible options as well.

The Pier Plaza features both the Spa Beach Bistro and the Stone Fired Pizza restaurants. A bar sits in front offering adult drinks. The Pier offers an educational experience for those who visit the Discovery Center and Wet Classroom, operated by the environmental organization Tampa Bay Watch.

Level 1 of the main structure featured a gear and gift shop, as well as a tackle store. Driftwood Café is located on level 2, and on level 4 is the Pier Teaki.

The Pier Teaki Bar & Restaurant is located at the top level of the structure at the end of the St. Pete Pier. This is where we decided to take a break and have a snack and some drinks. It has tables along the outside of the top balcony that allow for lovely views of the water, boats, surrounding parks, and downtown St. Pete. It also has couch seating areas throughout. There is a full bar and a menu of light –  even somewhat healthy – bar food (including a tuna bowl and a blackened grouper sandwich). The waitresses wear masks and the menus are scannable (you scan the QR code on the waitress’s device and view the menu on your own phone). The service was rather slow, but if you’re just there to relax it’s not a big deal. There were kids present when we were there at around 2pm, but the waitress said that after 8pm, it’s strictly 21 and over.

Adding to the amazing views of the skyline was being able to watch the planes take off and land at the Albert Whitted Airport near the pier.

Google says that the Pier is only open from 9am-5pm, but that’s not the actual hours of the bars and restaurants. Pier Teaki, for example, serves food until midnight and drinks until 2am.

COVID-19 Concerns: There were clean bathrooms everywhere with staff limiting the number of people allowed to enter at once. We also saw multiple hand sanitizer stations with foot pedals, so you don’t even have to touch them. Pier staff all wore facemasks.