Sea Porch Cafe

Love the location, it’s a «you can’t help but feel on vaca vibe», but I wish our experience was better. We sat and waited awhile before anyone came to the table. Bright, sunny day, and after their lunch rush had passed (we got there after 2p on a Friday). Waitress promised water with our cocktails, we had to ask again. We had 1 hour 45 mins til my spa appt there, and remarkably we ended up stressed out that I’d be late. We wanted apps to share, and we each had entrees, table of 3. All the food came out at the same time… seriously, all of it. Apps, salads, entrees. So, cold food wilted in the sun, hot food got cold. We asked the runner why everything came out at once. Her reaction was as if we had asked her position on Benghazi. Food was good, very good. People watching was great, I would just hope they improve the service issues.

We’d discovered from our meal at the Rowe Bar that the 2 seafood chowders are fabulous. But, we ordered flounder, which was extremely bland. We advised our waiter we would share the entrée, but it was served to one of us on a single plate. We requested a second plate which was tossed to us by a passing server. When we advised the manager of our disappointment, she offered to buy our dessert. We ordered the chocolate crunch bar, which was killer.
We went back for breakfast and it was spectacular. I ordered shrimp and cheese grits with avocado to replace the greens. My hubz enjoyed the spicy shrimp skillet. We sat outside. Server was attentive. Food seemed to arrive lethargically, but on a gorgeous Saturday morning, who cares?

We had breakfast at the Sea Porch and it was fantastic and the service was even more superb. Great outdoor dining poolside with a view to the beach. Have the johnnycakes.

Two perfect lunches here, Today I had the conch chowder which was truly delicious and a fresh, tasty, and excellent salad which was very generous. My husband also loved his choices.
Wines by the glass were very good and even the whole grain bread was terrific. Our waitress was experienced, friendly and happy to make our lunch a good experience. It is expensive, but worth the splurge.
Only negative is that they had a problem with the heat and it was very cool in the restaurant. Everyone was wearing jackets inside.

Outstanding service! Our server Nikki was amazing — very friendly and accommodating. We had the shrimp po-​boys — the shrimp was perfectly breaded (not too much!) and seasoned.

Good food but poor service. Had to ask multiple servers to wait on us. Beautiful location

Everything was delicious there. The kale/​Apple fresh juice was amazing. Our waitress was very helpful and pleasant. We got the breakfast bar and the crab cake eggs Benedict. The waitress even brought us out a fresh waffle from the kitchen, since the breakfast bar didn’t have any.

We went for the breakfast buffet. It was delicious although a little pricey ($ 27.50/ adult, $ 12.75/ kid). The service was friendly and attentive. There was a very nice guy making custom omelets. They had a variety to choose from: bacon, sausage, ham, potatoes, fruit, cheese pastries. My only complaint is that as soon as we were brought the check the refills and attentiveness stopped.

This place is in the Don Cesar hotel where we stay at least once a year. The menu changes quite a bit so it’s hard to recommend any specific dishes but the food is always good. The service can get slow when they’re busy but you won’t mind waiting with those fantastic views of the ocean. It’s a little pricey but again, it’s at The Don,

Sea Porch is the kind of restaurant that really matches the Don Cesar hotel in which is located — aged, and better from the outside than it is from the inside.
My partner and I were meeting some friends here while we were in the area, and from the outside, the Don Cesar hotel is a gorgeous property. But it’s best days are behind it, and there’s a lot of «former glory» everywhere.
The vibe of Sea Porch is pretty beachy. Lots of light from the skylights, which I liked.
We went for an early lunch at noon, but most of the tables hadn’t been cleaned or reset from breakfast, which is kind of sloppy and disconcerting. The menu was just normal beach fare, nothing particularly special. We had a very animated server, who basically recommended anything on the menu. Not very helpful, but at least he wasn’t a sourpuss!
The roasted cauliflower was not roasted, just boiled then very bland. The fish tacos I had was a very meager portion and there’s more fillers and there was actual meat, which was disappointing.
Overall, Sea Porch was pretty bland and nothing I would write home about. If you’re staying at the hotel, you don’t really have much choice besides this or the beach bar, but I wouldn’t come from outside to eat here.

I go here overtime I visit my parents, as they liven Pass-​a-​grille and it is (was) my Mom’s favorite. Although in recent visits, it has not been up to par and seems to have gone down hill. The last visit, the tacos were boring, had to search for the fish in them, the scallop dish was cooked well but the taste of the entire plate was overwhelming the scallops and it seemed that everyone’s dishes were OK or lacking and for a resort like this, the food should be great. I think this was our last visit to the Don, oh no, I mean the Loews, right? Whatever they want to call it now.

my sister and I spent the afternoon at don cesar yesterday, starting with lunch at sea porch. I was so impressed by the service we received there that I had to share! Dustin was our server and was so friendly and conscientious and seemed so effortless in doing so. our lunch was tasty, but the service is really what stood out for me. I’ll be back the next time I’m in the area for sure :)

Sea Porch is the casual restaurant at the Don Cesar. I have only eaten here a few times during my many visits to the Don Cesar. It always falls short for me. I never understand why as the food at both the Maritana and Beachcombers pool bar is very good. I would think the pool bar and Sea Porch would have the same chef. This visit we did breakfast. We started with the monkey bread, which is warm and gooey goodness. The coffee pot is left at the table which is nice that you don’t have to ask for refills. My husband enjoyed his skillet, but my egg white frittata wasn’t good. I made it a point to ask if the kale was sautéed first and it wasn’t which the kale was more bitter than had it been cooked. So I picked out the kale. Our egg dishes were not served with any toast or English muffin. I was surprised at that. Sea Porch has a captive audience if you’re a guest of the resort if you want to eat more casually for breakfast, lunch or dinner and don’t want to leave the resort. So that is why every visit I end up eating here one time. My recommendation is meh although that monkey bread is pretty awesome.

We had brunch here at the Don Cesar on St Pete Beach. I had the salmon bagel for $ 14 and others in my party had the Don Omelette for $ 14, Banana Split for $ 15, and Don Eggs Benedict for $ 14. The prices are higher than average. Typically these dishes run for $ 7-​$ 9 elsewhere but you’re at a resort on the beach with beautiful views of the pool and the ocean so I’ll let it slide. We opted out of the buffet for $ 24 because the buffet wasn’t as extensive as other places like oyster catchers. There was no seafood or waffle station. There was just an omelette station, fruit station, and pastry station so getting an omelette for $ 14 was a better deal. The buffet is free for kids though! :) Service was on the slow side. There was a line 4 parties deep just to get seated inside and outside. It took us 10minutes just to get seated when there were plenty of open tables and it took another 6−7min before a waiter finally got to us which normally wouldn’t be a big deal but I was starving. After we finally got a waitress, service was pretty good. Everyone was pleased with their meals too.

Overpriced and not great. Very inconsistent. The bread mix they offer to start is the best thing here. This is one of those overly ambitious hotel eateries where they can’t pull off what they are trying to serve up and should simplify: KISS. In fairness, my review is based in years of bad
. The updated menu and service do send to be improved as the Don and restaurant’s décor have also been refurbished. It’s still not a place I would go if given a choice.
The whole snapper is bad although it looks cool. The fried oyster app is okay but you get very few. None of their dishes are especially great or memorable.
If they are hosting a special even expect to have an interminable wait. Castille across the street is supposed to be good for Spanish food and tapas (they have a happy hour menu as well). Verduccis also has a good rep and 1200 Chophouse is supposed to be good but is small and doesn’t take reservations. If you don’t want to drive then you can eat here and it’s not the end of the world.
For breakfast they do a good but expensive buffet (with omelette bar) as well as a la carte breakfast items that are pretty good.
Don’t forget to validate if you are visiting someone at the Don for a meal.

The Sea Porch was quite nice. I have eaten their dinner and brunch and was very happy both times. At brunch I had the Don Benedict, a crab cake on english muffin with poached egg and hollandaise sauce. Very tasty!
For dinner I had the Sea Scallops. I was very happy! :)

Located inside the Don Cesar hotel near the pool deck, this restaurant was fantastic! The Sunday brunch was delicious and quick!

We come here monthly for dinner. Today we had one of the best breakfasts we have ever eaten. The omelette station had egg white omelettes with capers and shiitake mushrooms! The potatoes on buffet were perfectly browned with caramelized onions, the applewood bacon was super crispy and tons of it. They made me custom coconut gluten free pancakes with ginger maple syrup and mango pieces. They also have other gluten free bread and muffin choices. The wait staff Dustin was tremendous and very helpful. You can see the Gulf of Mexico through the sea oats what more could you ask for?

Stopped in for dinner on a Sunday night with five of my colleagues. We were seated quickly and drink orders were taken. Shortly after the drinks arrived, we received a bread basket with several different types of breads.
I ordered the Mahi-​Mahi with chorizo sweet-​potato hash. It was dynamite! Check out my pic to see how thick the cut was. They had a mango bbq sauce on top, which provided a nice contrast to the spice of the hash. For dessert, I had the Key Lime Terrine which was really good.
Not a five-​star review because service was on the slow side. Attentive, but slow. Keep in mind that it’s a resort restaurant, so prices will be on the high side. That being said, I think the quality of the food makes the price a little easier to swallow.

I’ll just get this out of the way and say this was the worst, least option-​filled, most expensive brunch my family and I have suffered through. We’ve taken to hitting all the hotels and fancy Sunday brunch buffets in recent years, and Mother’s Day last week was the worst.
First, it was $ 15 to park and the waiter didn’t validate our parking nor did he offer/​ask to. No one did. Luckily showing the receipt to the poor dude forced to wear a black suit outside at 1pm in Florida worked.
Next, there were literally 2 seafood options on a buffet that Shoneys or Sweet Sweet Tomatoes would easily put to shame. Other places have grand Sunday or holiday seafood brunches. Not here. The other options were equally as limited. Let’s just say if there were 20 different items total, I’d be surprised. And yes, that includes scrambled eggs and potatoes. Good, not not worth the price.
The dessert selection was varied, but most of it wasn’t very good.
Look around for other options for a pricey brunch. This place just didn’t add up to a $ 30 value. Oh, and they charged $ 50!