Cafe Ponte

I can't believe that I haven't reviewed Cafe Ponte yet? My favorite restaurant in Clearwater, Largo area and definitely one of the favorites in Tampa Bay area.

I've been there multiple times for Dinner, earlybird dinner, lunch and for 6 Items tasting menu (with seasonal Groupon deal). It's all worth it. Yes it's located in a strip mall but I'm sure that they have long list of dedicated fans. Just the service itself is one of the best in Tampa, friendly and perfect.

Love their complimentary bread, especially focaccia and also p their wine collection. There are different wine options with the 6 course tasting menu as well, so definitely try it.

Food itself, from presentation to taste, is absolutely delicious. Even lunch has great options, love their burgers, pizza and shaved steak sandwich, filet tip sandwich, Carolina chicken sandwich (sriracha buttermilk chicken).

Oh did I tell you about their wild mushroom soup? You should try it.

I really prefer to have Steak there over most other establishments in Tampa and I mean it (I've tried most other major steakhouses and this has been my favorite, along with Bern's).

I also loved the sea bass and Beef Bolognese for dinner.

Finally leave some space for the 6 course menu items.

I'll recommend that you dress up for the occasion.

The service here is the best I've had in the Tampa area. The waiters are extremely polite and personable. They really make an effort to make your experience feel special and you, attended to.

I've had the six-course tasting menu here twice now, thanks to CP's regular Groupons. This menu is normally $95/pp. the last Groupon allowed me to purchase two for $65 (after my additional Groupon Select discount). This is an amazing deal and really the only way I could justify coming here twice in six months.

My favorites include their soups, focaccia, and their desserts. Both the lobster bisque and the butternut squash soups I had, I wish I could drink buckets of. Their onion focaccia almost made me fill up before even starting the second course. It's so good.

Pumpkin cheesecake: fabulous. At the end of the meal, I was beyond full but could not leave a single bite of this on the plate. The only thing I've had that tops this is the molten chocolate cake. It's decadent.

We have had some hiccups while dining here, but they have always been apologized for and immediately rectified. One thing CP could improve is their pasta course. The first time, we had to ask for various ingredients to doctor the dish ourselves (garlic, seasonings). The second time, the pasta was more flavorful but still not worth the calories, especially when you have five other courses, plus bread, drinks, amuse bouche, and palate cleansers between courses.

I truly recommend this restaurant, particularly if you can snag a Groupon. The food is very good, and the service is even better.

This was my first visit to this restaurant and a wonderful surprise from my daughter.

The decor is calming and unique, a little reminiscent of the "Rat Pack " The kitchen was open to view through glass to protect the integrity of the food. I really enjoyed the ambience.

We had the tasting menu 6 courses.

Between courses we had a palate cleansing spoon. The first was a beet mixture I did not care for.

We started with Lobster Bisque and it was devine. Smooth, flavorful and the perfect temperature. The basil pesto oil on top really added to the dish.

Next was a very fresh Heirloom Tomato Salad with watermelon. The flavors were very complimentary .

Our next spoon was a mango sorbet with fresh mango pieces in it. Excellent.

The mini Casarecce Pasta was missing flavor. It had onion , pecorino and garlic, however, we both looked at the dish with a small sigh. We asked for salt, more cheese and fresh basil which was happily provided ( I had hoped for more pecorino, they brought parmesan ) We added some unique salts , cheese and basil. Then we ate it all. Delicious.

I should have read beyond Sea Bass and looked at the rest of the dish when selecting my entree. Israeli coos coos , served cold, and salsa verde should not be served with one of the most delicately flavored, beautiful fish on earth. My humble opinion. I loved the Sea Bass medallions on their own.

The after dinner cheese course was perfect. There was also a sweet crostini on the plate that paired well with a dollop of apple butter and honey almonds.

The dessert was a Tiramisu. This was served non traditionally as more of a mousse with the lady finger layer nestled inside and a crisp on top, softer cake on bottom with a smear of salted caramel. This dessert was wonderful and our waiter brought this out with tall candles, since we were celebrating both of our birthdays, nice touch.

If you visit CP I highly recommend you select a piece of the focaccia bread they offer for your meal. The top is covered with herbs and the bread is soft inside. It pairs well with the pasta and cheese plate.

The lobster bisque was the star of my dinner and I wanted more.

Overall a great experience and great service.

Where do I even start -- I may want to go back to Clearwater just to eat at this restaurant! This place is outstanding! From service to food to ambiance, this place has it all!

At first I wasn't sure of the place as it's out in the middle of no where and from the outside it doesn't look all that great but one step in and your perspective changes! From a live piano bar to fancy upscale dining that is super reasonably priced, this place has it all!

Guys please order the ahi tuna thing for appy... I have eaten at many places but this one beats them all! It's divine! The layers are fresh and crunchy and wholesome! Can't wait to be back! This place is amazing!

Came here for a 6-course pre fixe. I was expecting too much, probably. Great service but I wasn't impressed for what we had to pay for the amount of food we got, even AFTER Groupon discount. I also was daunted that it was in a strip mall for such upscale restaurant in Clearwater. For this kind of price point and being in Clearwater, I expected a better view. The interior decor us nice, however, and very classy.
Additionally, around course 3 to 4, there was an extremely long wait. Like all my food had digested from courses prior and I was ready to eat butter.
And the food was decent, but nothing super impressive. The portions were very Tony, except for the chicken mail course, which I did not get.
My friends who cane here in the past that they've had better menu in the past, so maybe we just didn't luck our with pre fixe de jour.

Food: 5 stars
Service: 5 stars
Experience: 5 stars

I've been here more times than i can count and quite surprised I haven't reviewed it. Cafe Ponte is nestled in a very chill plaza located in Clearwater. Don't let the plaza fool you, the restaurant is quite posh and very much a fine-dining kind of a establishment.

Btw, their bread service is so damn good! They offer an amazing array of bread like cheesy focaccia, raisin and pecan, thin & crispy nut and cheese and sourdough. And yes it compliments well with the truffle butter.

They offer a 4 course pri-fixe menu consist of soup, salad, main entree (full size) and dessert. This is how my meal looks like:
* soup - Cream of mushroom soup. Just wow, just melts in my mouth.
* salad - Kale salad. lots of flavors, quite delicious. Just wish there was little more dressing.
* entree - usually the pork chop or rib eye. AMAZING!
* dessert - flourless chocolate cake. Omg, sooo good! Very dense and chocolatey.

Only criticism, wish there was another choice on the dessert. It's always the same.

Overall, amazing food and service. Bravo to the chef and staff of Cafe Ponte!

I've only dined here a few times, but I wish I had the opportunity for a few more times. Read that this restaurant is closing, which is unfortunate. The restaurant had a great atmosphere and delicious food. All the best to Chef Chris Ponte as he pursues other restaurant ventures in the area. I look forward to visiting those soon.

I've been to Café Ponte over five times now, and every time I have been, it has been superb. I've had takeout, lunch, and dinner from here and the quality and service is always consistent and on point. I have tried a multitude of things off the menu, but my favorite is definitely the kale and quinoa salad, the mushroom soup, and the tuna entrée. The prices honestly aren't that bad, especially for lunch. And they have an outside patio if you'd rather eat outside.

If you are even a remote mushroom fan, you must try the soup! It is creamy, delicious and so savory. The kale and quinoa salad brings together great flavors with the crunchy sweet pecans, salty bacon bits, and Parmesan. Make sure to ask for the bread if you want it, because they only bring it out upon request.

This place gets pretty busy during lunch hour due to the professional crowd, but it's never been busy to the point where you have to wait for a table. There is ample parking and the restaurant is located conveniently off Ulmerton in a plaza.

I can't wait to come back and try their tasting menu, I've heard great things about it and it changes seasonally. I'll definitely be coming to Café Ponte again and again. Well worth the visit.

4 years ago I went on a date with my then boyfri end- now husband and the experience was absolutely amazing. The unique menu interest my husband from the beginning and knew we should celebrate my birthday here. We were greeted promptly and seated at a 2 seater table. Brittany took care of us from beginning to end. She was very knowledgeable and made our evening stress free.

On to the food... everything was delicious. We has the 6 course meal and paired it with wine. No complaints at all. There was a variety of breads brought to our table. Everything was very flavorful! I really enjoyed the perfectly cooked scallops and my husband's steak. Yummy- would recommend and be back to visit soon.

Really awesome lunch menu!

I have to caveat this review with the fact that I learned that we were under mandatory evacuation for Hurricane Irma right before we got here for lunch. Therefore, the meal tasted like hopelessness and despair. (I kid, I kid, but it definitely put a damper on this meal!) The fact that this place still gets five stars is a testament to its awesomeness!

Yes, you can spend an arm and a leg at dinner, but at lunch the prices are beyond reasonable! My husband got a personal pizza (which was $11) and I got the lobster roll (at market price it was $21 which was definitely one of the most expensive things on the menu. Everything else was in the $10-$15 range).

Testament to the service is the fact that I was on my phone for half the meal talking to my dad about booking a flight to Houston (what irony to escape Irma by going to Houston which was just devastated by Harvey) and the waitress never batted an eye about my exceptional rudeness. It didn't even deter her from doing the normal waitress things like checking in on us.

The lobster roll was overflowing with lobster. The $21 price tag was entirely justifiable. I thought the bun was perfectly buttered and the apple slaw was a great complement.

I think this place is great for lunch! Best thing is, you can make reservations on Yelp. Definitely do that! We went at 12:45 p.m. and it was moderately full. (This was also on a day that everyone should have been preparing for a hurricane so the fact that it was still pretty full makes me wonder how packed it is on a normal day).

This is one of my new favorite lunch places.