Laughing Cat, Tampa, Florida Restaurant Details

Food:

Came here because the reviews were positive. The food quality is the same as Olive Garden, but the prices are double. The food is not worth the prices. The atmosphere is poor and bland. The staff are not very friendly and welcoming. I won't go back.

Food:

DON'T GO! Absolutely the worst dining experience I have had in Tampa, possible ever.

Initially ignored, half of the food that came to our table was cold, and the incredible rude owner acted like he was doing me a favor by taking the cold, uneaten food off my bill.

We ended up walking out and will never be back.

Food:

Great Italian food, big portions and great menu variety. Ravioli del Golfo, best seafood ravioli ever. Definitely I'll be back.

Food:

I wanted to like this place. I really did. But this space must be cursed. The food was sub-par. I ordered bruschetta, which from my experience -- and I realize there are variants -- is a thin slightly toasted piece of bread with cheese and tomatoes or pesto and drizzled lightly with olive oil. What I GOT was thick cuban bread with melted cheese and diced tomatoes and no evidence of toasting. Then they had the nerve to charge $2 to refill a bread bowl.... seriously? Who CHARGES for bread in a restaurant? Then to the main course. Veal. Now I don't eat veal too often but most restaurants that say they are higher end serve the veal thinly and it is tender enough to cut with a fork. I should have asked for a hacksaw. The vegetables were a good choice, though. Fresh if a little bland. Friend's choice of pasta found that it was overcooked which ended up tasting like it had come out of one of those cheap cans of spaghetti. The dessert actually was the best part of it, but clearly it was just bought cheesecake, with little effort made in presentation. Friends had the chocolate cake which they said was good, a little rich, but again, the presentation made it look like someone had hacked a piece off with a machette. With tip, it was $60 per person. The last pet peeve was the price of their martinis. $15. Now come on. This is not LA or NY where you kind of expect to get ripped off on drinks. This is Tampa, people. The service was good, although the waiter seemed a little defensive. But he was friendly enough and that helped. It is hard to publish a review like this because I so wanted to have a new place to go in Ybor.... but I won't go here again, sadly. If they ever open a higher end restaurant in Ybor, I am sure it has the promise of doing VERY well because it will have no competition to speak of. And this place needs to get a better chef and a bigger kitchen because I think that it the problem. The kitchen isn't big enough and a lot of stuff has to be pre-prepared.

Food:

My fiancee and I ventured into the Laughing Cat last week. The name is whimsical and the location in Ybor is nice (Near CentroYbor).

Sumamry: Dont come here for dinner.

Cons:
1) Expensive! The average entree is $20/per person. NO SHARING ($5 service charge per person if you want to share. Ordering a salad/appetizer is not enough to waive this fee). Average glass of wine is $9. You want bread and butter? Thats an additional $2 charge for 5 small pieces. You can view their menu and prices on their website.
2) Poor ambiance! Cheap tile floor, no chandeliers, no paintings on the walls, etc (You can see images of the inside if you use google maps and search for laughing cat tampa). Does not live up to the $40/per person average bill.
3) Poor quality of food! We ordered: Gnocchi (caramelized with minimal sauce. Tasted very sweet, and was passable, but not worth $19 by far). Lasagna (Cheese squares were layered on top and microwaved - You can tell because of the rubbery feeling of the pasta). Side of vegetables were sauteed in garlic, but came out cold. Dont order the house wine - it comes from a box. Also, pastas were definitely over-salty and lacked any spice (no oregano/mint/etc). I recommend asking for a side of red pepper and black pepper (Sorry, guys it comes in a shaker. not freshly ground... still better than nothing).
4) Location: I have mixed feelings on this... On one hand, it is in Ybor (If you look out the window, you see a sign for GaY-Ybor). Therefore, it is in a hot-spot... However, it is attached right next door to Club Skye (which is a ghetto, low class nightclub). If you go for a late dinner (after 9PM, you see a bunch of tattooed, gold-tooth crack babies lined up right outside your dinner table. Not something you may want to see when eating a romantic dinner)
5) Sangria only comes in carafes/pitchers. No such thing as a glass..

Pros:
1) Waiters were very friendly. From the minute you walk in, they welcomed us nicely and escorted us to our table very quickly. Extremely polite and very attentive.
2) Food came out quickly.
3) Portions are huge. Unfortunately, no sharing ($5/per person)and the quality isnt good.

Recommendations to management:
1) Instead of a sharing charge, make it a minimum charge per table/per person ($15 or whatever). You will make the same/increased profit if a person orders an appetizer, drink, dessert - rather than not coming at all. I will not recommend anyone to come here until this changes. You are excluding a huge population: families, elderly individuals, etc.
2) Change the tiles on the floor and paint the walls a dark orange/red. The floor looks very cheap and ugly.
3) Replace the $1 salt and pepper shakers and the cheap utensils with something nicer. If you want to have upscale prices, you should have upscale amenities.
4) Make sure there are free refills with bread and soft drinks. Every major restaurant around the country has this.
5) Valet parking on weekends is a great way for you to increase some profits and provide a service. There are companies who will manage this for you (independent). Look into it. Your customers will really appreciate it on cold/rainy days.
6) Food really needs to be revamped. Looking at the reviews on here, most people appreciate your lunch buffet because there is a large quantity, but no one is really talking about the quality. That's not a good sign.