One Spot Six Dining Options Along The Tampa Riverwalk

The Tampa Marriott Water Street Hotel is an upper-upscale hotel located in downtown Tampa, along the Riverwalk. However, one doesn't have to walk the riverfront to have a joyful dining experience.

In fact, you don't have to leave the beautiful Tampa Marriott Water Street Hotel at all! As there are six dining options offering seafood, Mexican food, brunch and more! Just as good, you don't have to be a hotel guest to enjoy these dining options; each establishment is open to the public.

Let's explore!

Donna and I checked into the Riverwalk Terrace for its breakfast buffet. She loved the breads, scrambled eggs, steel cut oatmeal, and fruits—notably, the blueberries and strawberries.  I dove into a veggie omelet with lox on the side. I made my own charcuterie, picked up a Chobani plain yogurt and infused it with black and golden raisins, candied hazelnuts and pecans. We will be dining at the Riverwalk Terrace again.

Breakfast, brunch and private dining are available at the Riverwalk Terrace.

We also went to a morning eat at the Concierge Lounge. Located on the 24th floor of the Tampa Marriott Water Street Hotel, the private lounge offers food and beverages every day but Saturday. Pluses are: it is less crowded, which equates to a quieter dining experience. Although the Concierge Lounge is a self-serve buffet, there are staff on hand for the moment when help is needed.

On the 24th floor of the Tampa Marriott Water Street Hotel, the Concierge Lounge offers solitude, friendly service and tasty food.

Among the many items available at the Concierge Lounge breakfast were eggs, sausage, fruit, an assortment of breads, Chobani yogurt, a small-sized but no less delicious charcuterie and oatmeal. We enjoyed all that we tried.

I might be picking at nits; however, the cheese Danish was a bit mushy. Chobani yogurt is a downgrade compared to the rest of the hotel, and there was no omelette station. I do believe they will bring an omelette to the table if asked, but with no omelette station at the ready, it felt odd to ask for the staff to have one cooked. Those issues were not enough to sway us from agreeing that we'd include the Concierge Lounge on future visits.

After rain felled our attempt to see a ballgame at nearby George M. Steinbrenner Field, we shot back to the Tampa Marriott Water Street Hotel, dried out, and went downstairs to the seafood-based Anchor and Brine for lunch.

Anchor and Brine is the perfect spot for either a full-course meal or casual drink.

This was my second time at the riverside eatery. Time number one was to bask in a glass of wine, just admiring the Tampa Riverwalk scene. This time, Donna and I pursued the menu and landed at the same selection!  We both ordered the superfood bowl! I added chicken.

The superfood bowl is served warm, not in a bowl, rather, on a plate. The entrée is presented in a round shape, moving Donna to comment, "Very imaginative take on a bowl." It is, by far, the best bowl I ever had. What's in it, you ask? I stole this from Anchor and Brine's menu: quinoa, garbanzo beans, farro, kale, carrots, tomato, asparagus, lime cilantro coulis, (and) garbanzo croutons. 

We are not fond of dining outdoors; however, indoor seating for Anchor and Brine is in the lobby,  not appealing, so the outdoor choice was for us, and it rocked!

Anchor and Brine is a great place for lunch or dinner, as is Lona by Chef Richard Sandoval.

Lona is a Mexican restaurant that we have had the pleasure to dine at twice. Once, after seeing a concert across the street at the now-called Benchmark International Arena.

For the late-night meal, I chose a market salad. It tasted great! In addition to the shrimp, it had avocado, chayote squash, cucumber, heirloom tomatoes, panela cheese and red onion. Donna loves dessert and loved every minute of indulging in the spiced, warm mole chocolate cake that is punctuated with dulce de leche and a dollop of apple cinnamon ice cream.

We walked away thinking that Lona by Chef Richard Sandoval is a special place. However, its specialty is Mexican food, and I am here to say it did not let us down in that regard as well. I selected fajitas and was surprised at the slightly different yet nevertheless fantastic taste of the entrée. I suspect it is the crema that they used. Next visit, I'll be sure to ask. Donna chose the lump cradle guacamole. She said it had a kick to it, so beware, though it did not detract from how good it tasted.

Street entrance to Lona by Chef Richard Sandoval. All Tampa Marriott Water Street restaurants have street and hotel access.

The Café + Market within the Tampa Marriott Water Street was like a Starbucks on steroids. I mean that as a compliment. It closed in May. The new market, PERK, opened in late September, after our most recent visit.

This high-end coffee shop becomes PERK After Dark, a late-night hang serving espresso martinis.

PERK self-describes as upscale with neighborhood warmth. The Tampa Marriott Water Street website details the coffee establishment as offering artisanal teas, handcrafted coffee, grab-and-go bites and pastries.

Also opening after our July visit was a new ice cream parlor, Bright Ice. Their menu features a multitude of flavors that are standards, and some limited-time choices. Bright Ice locally sources as much as possible.

If you are counting (if not, no worries, I did!), Donna and I have been to four of the six eateries within the Tampa Marriott Water Street Hotel. In each case, the food presentation wowed us, and the service was top-notch.

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Photo Credit: Either the Tampa Marriott Water Street Hotel or eatery social media/websites.

See ya soon!

~30~