Stump’s Supper Club & Howl At the Moon

Stump’s was pretty good for the first few years after it opened, but I’m really sorry to say that it has gone downhill. The food was never great, but that was never the reason to go to Stump’s and that part has stayed the same. The service isn’t horrible, but it’s not as good as it used to be when they were much busier. The main reasons we use to love Stump’s were the band and the Trashcan Punch, which together made for a great time. The punch is still good, but the band was much better with the female singer they had when we use to go all the time. In fact, she was so good that I wish I knew her name since I’d love to find out where she’s singing now. In any case, sorry Stump’s … you’re best days are behind you … we’ll miss you, but still have some great memories.

Unfortunately this one time Tampa hotspot has shut down…

Hokey décor, so-​so service, and now that Howl-​at the-​Moon has closed, really not worth going back to. The menu is varied, but the dishes are, for lack of a better word, «different». I’ve tried several things on the menu, and they are just okay. My favorite item I’ve had there was a cocktail (the raspberry lemonade), but you can find those anywhere. I could definitely skip the shag carpet walls, sub-​par food, and tinny acoustics. I honestly wonder if this place will last now that Howl is gone. I really only ate there for the convenience factor (and being able to go to Howl cover-​free). I’d much rather eat at Splitsville or the Tapas bar.
I will say, though, that they did well accommodating a large group. I made reservations for 24 people, and they came through in providing us seating. But the food came out in waves, so that by the time those at the end of the table received their food, the ones at the other end were done. But I can understand how it would be difficult with that many people.

Don’t eat here, that side of the house is mediocre. You just have to come here at least once to see the house band. The highlight of the show is Jimmy covering his one hit from the Tommy Tutone days 867‑5309. That was the highlight of Stump’s for me, and made it completely a great experience. The band did rock on a lot of other classic stuff as well.

We went last night (9÷8÷12) for a birthday party for two of our friends. I haven’t had a worse experience in a bar in recent memory. I am from the south and when I go to a place that advertises «southern cooking» my expectations are high.
As we entered the hostess couldn’t be bothered to get up and indicated the general direction of our party. That was nice.
Our group had about 10 – 15 people and the waitress seemed competent at first and took everyone’s orders… and here’s where the REAL fun began. The people we were with are quite a healthy group so most ordered salads. I don’t believe they got a single one right. They initially claimed they were out of romaine lettuce so no Caesar salad could be made. However, when they brought the food they changed that to say they were actually out of Caesar dressing. They brought 5 plates to our table and tried to figure what was whose for about 5 minutes before finally figuring out they had the wrong table. On the plus side we kept the plate of french fries they sat down on the table that nobody ordered. When the salads finally came most of them were wrong and the server actually argued with one of us over whether it was the right one or not to the point where we actually had to point out the differences between the salad and the menu to prove it wasn’t correct. Yeah, that one probably got spit in it. One person in our group (a birthday girl no less) eventually gave up after about an hour of trying to get a salad and just cancelled her order. I don’t know if they’re just not used to a «large» group but wow, come on. I got little pulled pork sandwiches and they weren’t anything to write home about. They advertise the pork is cooked «slow and low» and it might be… in a crock pot. Oh, and my stomach has been upset all day.
My girlfriend’s glass also had a HUGE chip in it. She had a straw so we just laughed at this point and overlooked it.
On the plus side they didn’t charge us for one round of drinks. Whether that was on purpose because of the horrible service or just due to their general incompetence I do not know but I’ll take it.
The gratuity was automatically added and I wish I could have taken it off. But I guess it’s ok since we got a free round of drinks and french fries.
The general atmosphere was ok, but nothing too great. The menu was very limited. If you’re going to advertise yourself as a «supper club» how about having some good dinner items?
The entertainment (Jimmy James and the Velvet Explosion) was decent. as far as bar bands go. The girls who sang could really wail. They had your average bar band pointless banter between songs but they only murdered one song by my account so all in all not too bad. (Note: take Jump by Van Halen off your set list. It’s been out for almost 30 years and if you can’t get it right by now, you’re not going to.) Props for a good rendition of Whiter Shade of Pale.
All in all it got downright laughable by the end of the night. Needless to say we won’t be going back.

This is probably the worst experience I’ve had since moving to Tampa. The fact that the place was so popular confuses me, as I wouldn’t give this place a second chance.
My girlfriend had some friends in town for the Coldplay concert, so we were hoping to grab something quick and cheap before the show. As that doesn’t exactly describe anything by the Forum, we went to Channelside to try our luck. Sushi and Thai were out, let’s go simple and try Stump’s.
We were off to a terrible start when the Hostesses (plural) didn’t even acknowledge we walked in. Literally we stood there for a minute, no peep from either of them, and my girlfriend decides «maybe the hostess is up more». At this point, we see an open table, but I stupidly suggested we do the proper thing and wait. This will be both the right and wrong thing to do.
So we go back to the hostess and they finally talk to us and say «10 – 15 minutes». This becomes a cliché out of Seinfeld as they repeat this to subsequent guests 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes later. So yes, not only have we first been ignored, but then given a longer wait time then originally suggested.
But while we wait, we get to hear confusion in the ranks — seems a group that decided to sit outside (0 wait) haven’t actually had a waiter stop by. No one also seems to be communicating what tables are open to the hostesses, so its just a cluster of problems.
Eventually we get seated, AND IT’S THE OPEN TABLE WE SAW 20 MINUTES AGO. Wow, thank you idiot hostesses, we should have just sat ourselves. And the only reason this place gets one star is our waitress. We let her know right away we want to order then and get out ASAP. And she did her best. We ordered then, got water (and even a refill) and she even delivered the checks early like we asked.
But once again, time for the problem — the food. As we wanted fast, we got the sandwiches: pulled pork, cheeseburger and for me I got the chicken sandwich.
The chicken sandwich was overcooked, and the cheddar cheese was shredded cheddar sprinkled on. My girlfriend got the pulled pork with mac and cheese. The mac and cheese tasted like Stouffer’s, only not cooked long enough.
Could it get worse? It does — my girlfriend was complaining about her stomach hurting on the car ride back. Granted she’s a hypochondriac, but the sounds her stomach made told me the truth. Sadly by the morning I too was feeling the effects (and actually still am).
So crappy hosts, crappy food, and possible food poisoning. Don’t go here.

Went here for lunch on Saturday. While the shrimp and grits were very good, they left the hard shells on some of the tails. I pointed this out to the waitress who said «yeh they do that»…o k a y. The «supper club chopped salad» was a joke at $ 10.95. Honestly would have been a joke at $ 8. The Brunswick stew was good. The cornbread is also very tasty. I am sure we will go back, we will just avoid the salads.

Stump’s. What a name, haha. Should have known better.
So after a lovely day at the Florida Aquarium a few of us were looking for a quick bite before heading back to Orlando. Stump’s was one of the few options and seemed like an in-​and-​out kind of dive, so it won.
The menu is mainly BBQ, with little options for vegetarians, so I ended up just eating corn bread because I was in no mood to crunch on salad when others were digging in to their chicken and waffles! Why have I decided to torture myself with this lifestyle?! Bah!
Anyway — the cornbread was good and everyone was happy with their meals; chicken and waffles and fish sandwich. The only complaint was with the service. Our server was crazy, a complete Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! When we first arrived she was very blunt and mean about taking drink and food orders. After our meals came out she did a complete 180 and started saying things like «very well miss» and «shall I clear this sir?» It freaked me out. I was used to her biker demeanor, and we had already discussed and accepted her being a terrible server, so hearing those formal phrases come from her was making things real weird. Made for funny conversation afterwards though!

Piano bars are a rare breed of watering hole that actively solicits audience participation. I have been to a few before and this location definitely falls short of the mark. They all come down to the quality of the piano players. If they can sing, play and perform well, they are truly entertaining and when they do get the audience involved it comes off in-​sync. If music just doesn’t come naturally to them, it becomes a horror show for the audience. Think cats getting strangled and someone holding out a tip jar to boot.
This location’s redeeming quality is the price of the libations — buckets of hurricanes will help you to become numb to the train wrecks on stage without damaging your wallet.

I like to start things out on a good note, so I’ll say that the bartender there was really, really nice and mixed a good drink. Place was comfortable, easy to get to from where we were all staying near the convention center. Lots of seating, clean bathrooms.
We were there on a random Saturday night, visiting from out of town, and Channelside was the only place we knew to walk to after being told multiple times not to venture into Ybor City after 8pm. There didn’t seem to be a lot going on. The bar was mostly empty minus one large group of people. The music was kind of meh. It was just sort of boring. Must have been the night we were there, I guess.

It’ s a piano bar. And not necessarily a good one either.
Before I lose my Cool Card, I was only there for a birthday party. I was hoping to pull my fingernails out at the root instead, but got suckered into attending, and also dancing to the Cupid Shuffle because the birthday girl requested. But the piano players were consistently out of key, and constantly whoring themselves for bigger tips. Allowing multiple people to sing terrible karaōke because they tipped enough is not a good way to entertain the crowd. And dude that paid $ 50 to sing something from Rent… really? That was well spent cash? Broadway is not in your future my man.
Having said all that, I got a bucket (BUCKET) of booze for $ 15. There were multiple options, but we went with the Sex on the Beach and the Hurricane. Granted, these aren’t good drinks, but they do leave you in a state of degenerate alcoholism where you must double check your typing and spelling at nearly 3am. Also, I forced myself to hydrate constantly because of their overwhelming strength. If you want to get falling down blasted, those buckets are a fine way to commence your road to AA. Otherwise, they are a hangover in plastic, and make sure to drink plenty of water.
It doesn’t take much for a piano bar to be good… play good songs, get the crowd involved, and stay in key as much as possible. This place doesn’t seem able to do that consistently, but it’s also a fun time that will have you and your friends singing and dancing for much of the evening. It’s just that it could be so much better if they stuck to the music and really focusing on playing it well. Banging keys in rhythm does not a piano player make. Just unimpressed with the talent on the mics, but very much so with that of the bartenders.

Stumps and Howl are a lot of fun. It has nice booth seating, a dancefloor and the bar staff is really great. Ariel is my fav. bartender. She’s always in a good mood and quick getting your drinks. It’s right in the middle of C-​Side so you can walk to other bars. Parking is expensive though.

i came here for a classmates’s birthday. it was a neat concept when i heard about a piano bar, but it got old with me quick. they played a lot of music that i don’t listen to. however the band is pretty talented and everyone else seemed to have a good time. this wasn’t really my cup of chai.

A-​OK is how I feel about this place too. The concept is good and I always have a blast, but I don’t ever think it’s been my idea to go there. The drinks were typical for any bar, but the prices seemed a tad high for beers. I think they usually charge a cover, but it’s nothing horrible if memory serves correctly.
On the negatives, Channelside seems to have been dead for about five years. This is usually the only ‘hoppin’ place late at night, and parking can be a dread between paying and walking to the garages. I wish the complex had more options, but this place is fun (and very original for the area).

Reading other reviews it seem that the piano men that could really work a crowd were a one night thing. When I was there, the atmosphere was good for groups and friends.
Stumps was poor at best. That night at Howl at the Moon saved this. Not sure how the music thing works.
Overall, Howl at the Moon, A-​OK. I’d go again, and not by force.

Bill and I came here with a group of friends on Saturday night for dinner and we had a really great time. There was a live band playing at the time and they played a Dave Matthews Band cover so that instantly scored some points with me! The service was actually very fast and our waitress was super sweet — another point!
On to the food, I ordered the fried chicken salad and let me say.. .it was huge! I like the fact that it was pretty simple just tomatoes, onions, fried chicken, lettuce, eggs, and honey mustard dressing! I hate when restaurants just put a whole bunch of randomness in a salad! Bill ordered the Brunswick stew and the shrimp and grits.. .I tried both and was almost disappointed that I didn’t order the same!
I can’t really offer a review in regards to the night time scene here because we only came for dinner. However, all in all Stumps was a fun place to eat with decent food. The prices were fairly reasonable as well, for Bill and I with our drinks it was approximately $ 40.00. I would definitely return to Stumps — I want to try the chicken and waffles next time though ;)

Wow. Cheese fest.
I admit that I was in LOVE with some of the decorating here. They had some kick ass velvet Elvis paintings, one of Dolly Parton, and even shag carpeting on the bathroom walls. Yes. They really did. (Bad idea but still freakin’ hilarious.)
But yeah. Everything else sucked. And a good portion of the joint was carpeted. We kept getting whiffs of some pretty nasty smells … almost like raw sewage coming from that carpeting. Use your heads people. Don’t have carpeting in a large bar where people are spilling drinks and possibly puking on it.
Also — don’t EVER buy a bucket of any sort of drink. No matter how good it sounds at the time.

Note: Food Rating Only
Congrats Stumps… You were able to fool me not only once but twice in one meal. First you have seafood written on the wall outside in giant letters… if by seafood you mean the salmon sandwich on your menu then yes I guess you have seafood…
Secondly you claimed to have the worlds best cornbread… it was not
Not to be all negative the prices were very reasonable and the staff was friendly but I would have to say this would be the last place in channelside I would go for food.

**3.5 stars: four for offerings, two for people and overall ambiance**
You get a two-​for-​one deal for cover here. For $ 5 you can enjoy either Stumps (at the front) or Howl at the Moon (at the back). Since I’m a fan of piano bars and they’re lacking where I’m from I decided to bypass Stumps and head straight back to Howl at the Moon. The concept is great — dueling pianos feeding the fire to bar-​crowd rowdiness singing along to the tunes. Songs come from the oldies to some new stuff and they change things up enough to be fun. Drinks are well-​made but since the husband paid for my drink I can’t vouch for the price (probably reasonable for the TPA area). Buckets available which guarantees good times groups or no groups.
What turned me off from this particular location was the rowdiness of the crowd with ladies of what should I say very liberal lady-​like demeanor. While a shimmying contest was amusing and entertaining to watch, some of the girls were a little too crazy for my taste. Must be the warmer weather encouraging more people to let loose or me becoming more conservative over the years and from living where I do.

I can only rate Stump’s on it’s food, so that’s why it isn’t getting a lower rating. I used to eat here all the time, while hanging out at Channelside, and when new management came in about a year and a half ago, every meal got systematically worse. Some of my family members have even turned up sick off food they have had there on numerous occasions, I’ll pass it up for the options surrounding anytime.