Restaurants near Lightner Museum

As a local in the area, there are only a handful of places I would suggest for a very romantic dinner date. This is NOT to say there are not a ton of others; it's just my opinion. Collage is a gem if you can get a reservation. It is a small, quaint restaurant with maybe (and don't quote me) 15 tables separated in two rooms. The table near the fireplace is our favorite! It is in an old historical house with beautiful architecture. The quiet ambiance and quaint decor are what you can expect to find when you walk in. The hostesses are amazingly friendly as are all the staff including behind-the-scenes kitchen staff. It was my wife's birthday when we went. We had a cake from Creme de Coco (another local gem that's a must-try!) and arrived before they even opened. The kitchen staff gladly took her cake and put it in the fridge for us until our later reservations! Win! We didn't have to haul a cake around downtown for 2.5 hours! Our server Franco was amazing. He helped us select a beautiful bottle of wine that did not disappoint! Very robust wine list. Not as large as some of the others in the area but PLENTY of small to high-end bottles depending on your budget. We were very pleased. The food....oh my! We had the escargot for an appetizer and it was delicious! The main course we both had beef tenderloins in truffle butter and it was to die for! Cooked perfectly and just melted in our mouths. We did not have dessert because we had the cake but I am guessing that it would be equally amazing. We did cap the evening with a 20-year-old Port wine (sadly they didn't have the 40 year) but just A+ experience all the way. We will be back again. The bill was decent but we did have two apps, two dinners, around a $90 bottle of wine, and two 20-year Ports. It can be as pricey or as budget-friendly as you make it. Please do yourself a favor. If you can get a reservation, take it. I wish I could hear about your experience, but you won't be disappointed I am sure of it!

Great food, great service from start to finish. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted immediately and lead to our table. Very cool vibe..reminded me of a Greenwich Village NYC spot..felt right at home..Abby was our server, very accommodating, and offered great suggestions. The fish was seasoned perfectly, and my husband ordered the shrimp and grits. I'm not usually a grits girl but...these were off the chary good!! Thanks to the chef, servers, and greeters. We'll be back quite often... Awesome experience

Excellent service and outstanding food are still the standard at an old favorite. Plate presentation still gets a high rating . No reason not to keep going back.

Came in with reservations for two, Friday at 6pm. First off thank you for holding our reservations for twenty minutes late after we called at 530 saying we were running late due to heavy traffic. Let's start with staff. The hostess and the lady who walked us to our table were friendly and greeted us with warm smile, and genuinely showed that they were happy to have us. I think the lady who showed us our table was Mandi. Our server, Brandon was top notch. He acknowledges us as quickly as he could despite a large group of six that were sitting next to our table. Gave us a sincere welcome once he was able to get to us. Plus he's got a great memory (or table checklist as he called it). Was able to remember everyone's orders perfectly without writing it down. Despite the other tables that kept him busy, always checked on us. The staff member who delivered our food (Carlos?), thank you for taking the extra care to ensure our presentation was perfect. Now let's talk about food. Absolutely outstanding! The house bread was delicious and we appreciated the large slices that came out. I ordered the Cannelloni De Langosta and my wife ordered the Alicante. Both were amazing, and were cooked and seasoned well. Highly recommend this place. This place had a great atmosphere and it's great place for a special occasion if looking something a little bit more fancier in the tourist area of the historic district. Note to other guests though. Please keep control of your kids. A group of middle school kids apparently threw a ball from the second floor and it bounced right off an empty salad plate of guest close to us. This is a restaurant not a park. Plus this isn't a laughing matter, as a few of them were laughing about it from second floor before leaving the restaurant.

First time here and cannot rave enough about how perfect everything was. The best lobster bisque ever. Delicious pate. Entrees were all delicious. Anna, our waitress made our dinner experience just wonderful. We will definitely return!