About Speaks Clam Bar – Italian & Seafood – Lakewood Ranch
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8764 E State Rd 70, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202, USA
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Truly a hidden gem - not at all what you would expect in a strip mall on SR70. Very clever and fun concept. All the food I've tried is fantastic and the drinks are what you would expect from a Speakeasy style lounge/restaurant. Highly recommended!
Overall, the experience of the restaurant is pleasant. Good food, great service - thanks to the new very nice waiter :) And thanks for the red wine you recommended! And by the way, bread with olive oil and spices was also on top!
Average at best. They say they consider themselves an Italian place, it’s not an Italian place in any conceivable way. They say the pasta and sauces are all made in house… if they are, they do a great job of making them taste like TV dinners. They cater to the snowbirds so they say the seafood is delivered fresh daily, it definitely doesn’t taste like it is! Still, the elderly crowd seemed blissfully ignorant to the host of better restaurants in the area. I will say they have a pretty good cocktail menu. I got a sazerac and it was top notch, but I’d be suprised if the entire volume of liquid in the cocktail I was served exceeded 2oz. It was the smallest drink I’ve ever been served anywhere in the world and it was over $10 😭 The only thing out of this world here are the prices! I would only recommend this location to someone who enjoys paying for overpriced tiny cocktails and has more dollars than sense.
Overall a good restaurant. The food was good quality. The spicy Diablo type sauce was quite mild and the clam linguini very salty. The lobster and shrimp lasagna was rich but delicious. They serve hot buttered rolls that were a tasty treat. Overall a good dining experience. Mike the waiter was very attentive and we had prompt service. It can be a bit loud the earlier you go. Solid 4 stars!
It’s sad that I have to wright this review, because there’s good in this restaurant and the potential for it is great. But the sauce is in the details and it’s where I believe based on my experience they are failing. We got there right at dinner and were seated outside. We ordered a couple of appetizers, main course, drinks and all of the desserts they had as we wanted to try them. The waitress was good, personable and had a great attitude. We order Eggplant Napoleon and the Colossal mozzarella sticks and they are BIG! Unfortunately it didn’t seem or feel fresh. The cheese was hard, not melted or hot at all the picture is uploaded. The meals came out pretty soon after the appetizer did, mine was the Buba Bucket which was greasy, the batter was supper thick and it fell apart on the first bite, I couldn’t finish eating it. The other one was the Penne alla vodka, that one was good but we found a hair in the sauce and it was sent back to be remade. Front of the hose manager came out and was very apologetic and so was the back of the house manager. The food came out and again, there was another hair in it! Like I wish I could have those odds playing the lotto. At this point we didn’t say anything, just paid the bill and left. Based on my experience here and first impression, the meal and the service wasn’t worth what I paid and I will not be eating here again and I won’t be suggesting this place to anyone any time soon.