I had a friend tell me months ago that someone was renovating the old Floridan Hotel in downtown Tampa.  I got excited.  The Floridan Hotel, now known as the Floridan Palace Hotel, is located in an almost residential part of downtown Tampa.  So I knew that its renovated presence would make downtown Tampa even better.

The likes of Babe Ruth and Elvis Presley had walked through this palace back in the day and I was excited to walk in their footsteps.

And a few weeks ago I was able to finally get to eat at the Floridan Palace, specifically in the famed Sapphire Room.  I dressed in slacks and my best long-sleeved shirt as dress was business casual.  There was one person in shorts and a few gentlemen were wearing jeans, but for the most part the dress code was maintained.

We had a large party.  When I went to pull two tables together I was quickly ushered to the side by the staff who did it for me.  The drinks were drinks.  Nothing special but they didn’t skimp on alcohol, which is always a plus.  The food was stellar.  We had the Mediterranean plate, escargots, and octopus.  Having never eaten octopus, I was expecting fishy and chewy; but I got moist and juicy.  I would definitely order it again.  The only complaint was that the food took a while to get to our table.

The whole experience was fabulous.  From the blue lights to jazz I have no qualms about going back again.  And I would recommend you go to if you haven’t been.  Check out some of the pictures below that were taken that night.

If you’ve been to the Floridan Palace, what were your thoughts?  What was the highlight of your night?  Did you spend the night or just get dinner?

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