“Had the molten chocolate dessert which was good but I think I likethe pineapple upside down cake more.” in 27 reviews

“We started the evening with a couple of their signature cocktails:the Hawaiian Martini and the Hummingbird.” in 13 reviews

“We even more recently ventured back to take advantage of their"Aloha Hour" from 4:30-6:30 in the bar area.” in 12 reviews

Get Directions (813) 873-7697 roysrestaurant.com

$ $ $$ $ $ SeafoodSeafood, , SteakhousesSteakhouses

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7/24/2016

3 check-ins

Listed in 5-Star Reviews, 2016 Yelp Reviews , Seafood &Cajun, Assorted Ethnic Eateries, International Plaza /Westshore

After a couple of very long weeks at work, our teamdecided to treat ourselves to a superb dinner atRoy's Restaurant along Boy Scout Boulevard, across

Steve E.Tampa, FL

198 friends 1448 reviews

Elite ’16

from International Plaza.

Roy's is the brainchild of culinary pioneer, RoyYamaguchi. After graduating from the CulinaryInstitute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and earninghis executive chef credentials in Los Angeles, hemoved to Hawaii in 1988 and opened the first Roy'srestaurant in Honolulu. Roy's is best known as aHawaiian-fusion restaurant, serving the best of thedistinct flavors of the Pacific Rim. This is a reallywonderful place to enjoy an exotic dinner of veryfresh seafood (flown in from around the world),which is not drowning in heavy sauces.

We began our evening with a celebratory toast, andI ordered one of the specialty drinks called the1988, which was listed as a tribute to their openingyear in Honolulu. This light and refreshing cocktailwas made with Finlandia Grapefruit vodka, SOHOLychee, and Patron Citronge. It was damn good, andsurprisingly strong. One was enough for me!

Instead of bread, Roy's serves bowls of edamamewhich are warmed and salted just right. I highlyencourage you to spend some time splitting openthe bean pods and enjoying the soy beans insteadof carbo-loading on bread.

We ordered some sushi rolls to share, along withour salads. As you might expect with a group ofnon-Yelpers who don't understand the etiquette of"take pictures first before snarfing down the food",any thought of getting a picture of the tempura-crusted Ahi roll and the Ebi roll kinda went out thewindow when the food hit the table. Oh well, theywere good......you'll just have to go and order yourown. Oh, and the shared bowl of poke wasoutstanding!

I did have a great salad called the Maui WowieSalad which was made with butter leaf lettuce, andtopped with shrimp, feta cheese, and avocado, with

a caper lime vinaigrette dressing. It was veryunique, and not at all heavy.

For my main course I tried one of the Housespecialties called Misoyaki "Butterfish", which wasAlaskan Black cod, served with baby bok choy overFurikake rice, and drizzled with a light misodressing. Wow, this was spectacular! Again, verylight and very tasty.

Several of the guys ordered Roy's Pineapple UpsideDown Cake for dessert, but I was too stuffed tohave more than just a bite. This was caramelizedpineapple baked with a brown sugar pound cakeand topped with a heaping mound of vanilla icecream. It was very tasty, and I know there wassome serious oinking that would be happening laterin the evening.

By the way, if you are following a specific diet, thenspeak with your server. Roy's has a completeGluten-Free menu, and they will also prepare mostdishes to meet your needs (no sauce, no oil, etc.).

This is a really elegant, yet affordable restaurant,which is perfect for a business dinner or date night.The ambiance is wonderful for quiet conversations,and the service was top-notch. Roy's has 20restaurants in the continental United States, six inHawaii, one in Japan and one in Guam. Go find one,and enjoy a great dinner.

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7/25/2016 We are delighted to hear you enjoyedyour dining experience and truly appreciate thefabulous… Read more

Misoyaki "Butterfish" which was Alaskan BlackCod, with baby bok choy over Furikake rice with

Roy's Maui Wowiesalad with shrimp,

Roy's Hawaiian fusionrestaurant along Boy

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6/30/2016

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Managers Kal and Chad continue to show that notevery chain is just average. Roy's does a great jobat virtually everything, including a wide wineselection, reasonable corkage fees, attentiveservers and fun atmosphere. My wife and Inormally try to avoid chains, but will continue topatronage this establishment whether it is for aspecial occasion or just a great dinner. Our serer,David P did a great job last night, consistent with allour experiences.

The ONLY thing I would say I would like different isto see some true Hawaiian fish on the menu, suchas Opakapaka, Ono or Opah (as my family lives inMaui, Mahi Mahi does not count). Once in a whilethey will have a Hawaiian fish on special, but theydon't advertise it and it goes out of stock quickly.

7/1/2016 Thank you for the five star review! OurChef and management team strive to make everydining… Read more

6/5/2016

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Good quality meal, but a bit overpriced in myopinion.

Wait staff was awesome and very patient with ourgroup of 15.

Ben J.Tampa, FL

21 friends 17 reviews

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Susana B.Las Vegas, NV

0 friends 7 reviews

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7/24/2016

1 check-in

It is what it is - dine in last night with a party of 30g/f. We had a blast but food was not what Iexpected. 3 stars for favor & price. Definitely won'tbe back! Only thing that I can highlight isexceptional service & good drinks but overall justOK! If you're interested in checking them.out may Isuggest HAPPY HOUR.

Vivian N.Tampa, FL

26 friends 81 reviews

Chocolate Lava - too dry no favor not worth it /highly DO NOT recommend

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5/5/2016

1 check-in

Yeap 3 stars!

I came on cinco de mayo thinking it's going to be aslow nite. Bad idea on my part. It was little busy butgot seated within 20 mins of waiting. The waitresswas sweet but the food did take some time toarrive.

I checked out the menu online and wanted to getthe pork chop entree. To my amazement, they don'tcarry it at anymore (sad face). **Management!Please update your website** My waitressrecommended the braised short rib with mashedpotatoes and brocollini. Since it came with suchhigh recommendation, I opted for that as myentree.

25 mins later, I've realized no one came by to checkon me and I was still waiting on my food.

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Sushi (do notrecommend )

Trio (do notrecommend )

Robin K.Tampa, FL

148 friends 102 reviews

Elite ’16

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Finally I got my food and it was not what I wasexpecting. Damn! The meat itself was very fatty, sodisappointed. It coated my mouth with this oilygreasy coating. I loved the brocollini, simplepreparation.

5/12/2016

We came during the Prix fixe deals, which is thebest I could find in Tampa. So I've been there atleast 10 times, the manager even knows us. He is acool and friendly dude, always comes up to us if hesee us.

The food is amazing. My husband had the bestlobster bisque here (he likes to think hes a lobsterbisque expert) It has a Asian twist (coconut milk

Braised short rib with mashed potatoes andbroccollini

Thu N.Palatka, FL

28 friends 171 reviews

Elite ’16

and curry paste I think) which makes wonderfulflavor. Sushi is also amazing, or my husband saysso coz I dont eat sushi ( yes, I am ashamed as anAsian) However, I strangely love their sunrise roll.Its cooked and fried. Its so good that I forgot itssushi, they cheated a little by the drying lol. I lovethe rib so much but its definitely messy, not for afirst date. Our favorite is the lobster tempura, whichis discontinued. Its not just goood because it islobster but more about the aioli/sauce and blacksesame. Afterthat, nothing is the same again. Theyhave beautiful presentation.

For entree, we tried the Sampler Trio, Bone inRibeye, Filet Mignon, and Lobster. Our favorite isthe ribeye with truffle mac and cheese with BACON.The best dessert is hand down the souffle. It is notquite the same as other souffle I have. Its more likelava cake and very chocolatey. The rasberry sauceand vanilla bean compliment the dish so well. Iburned my tongue twice because I was too excitedand ate the hot lava as soon as it oozes out. Fortunately, the third time I was about to do it againmy husband stopped me coz he knows too well. Myhusband loves the pineapple upside down cake too.Oh, and the 1980 is so good, it doesnt taste toomuch alcohol, which could be quite dangerous lol

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5/12/2016 Without you, and the support of ourmany other loyal Guests, Roy's would not be

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Lobster Tempura aka the best tempura andsauce ever

Mai Hai

Comment from Social M. of Roy's - Tampa Comment from Social M. of Roy's - Tampa Business Customer ServiceBusiness Customer Service

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possible. We believe… Read more

3/21/2016

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1 check-in

All Roy's are not is the location of my first Roy'sexperience at the Inn at Spanish Bay but the tuna isthe same no matter the view.

From the insanely tasty edamame to the reasonablypriced wine list and superb sushi, Roy's neverdisappoints.

Get the Tuna. Always. Get the tuna.

9/29/2015

1 check-in

This was my first time at Roy's. I thought thecustomer service was great. Our waiter made somegreat suggestions and he was very nice. He wasalso very knowledgeable about the menu. As far aschecking on your table and asking how you'redoing, you won't have to worry about that here.They have someone filling your glass after every sipand asking how you're doing after every bite.

The restaurant seemed very clean from where I wassitting.

As soon as they bring your drinks over they bringover edamame. That was a nice touch. The sushiroll that we shared as an appetizer (Auntie Lei'sAloha Roll) was okay. Nothing special but it wasn't

Nolen G.Canton, MS

185 friends 176 reviews

Elite ’16

Mailoha A.Tampa, FL

374 friends 584 reviews

Elite ’16

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bad. My Butterfish was good but I would trysomething else next time. The texture was a littleoff for me. I did like that it came with more than oneside (small portions of rice, kimchi and bok choy).The soufflé was okay. The macadamia tart was myfavorite. A little more ice cream with that would'vebeen great :D

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5/30/2016

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Good sushi for sure! We came for happy hour onthe way to the airport. Had some beers and rollsand got out with about $20 per person.

Next time we are in Tampa we will check it out fordinner for sure. Hoping the rest of this menu is asgood as what we had today.

5/31/2016 Your kind words are truly valued!Your note has been share with our entire Ohana!We look forward to… Read more

7/6/2016 Updated review

1 check-in

Amazing " Aloha hour" as they call their happy hour.Super delicious selection of appetizers and drinks,and ask for the bartender Josh, he was so superattentive to us and to our needs, I walked in with abottle of water with marinated ginger and cucumberand he offered that if I need any more ginger to justask him, explain the whole menu to us and was sonice about letting me try couple of wines before Idecided on one. All the appetizers are so delicious,specially the lobster potstickers and the beef sliders.

GilYSarah A.Austin, TX

1 friend 47 reviews

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Cristina M.Tampa, FL

13 friends 23 reviews

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7/31/2014 Previous review

We will definitely be back and tell all our friendsabout the amazing and the best happy hour or "Aloha hour" in town ;)

Amazing food, drinks and desserts. The bone in ribayeis cooked to perfection and the truffle oil…

1/26/2016

2 check-ins

Roy's used to be my very favorite restaurant. Birthday, anniversaries, work... I chose Roy's. Overthe last few years I have become less and lessimpressed. I just don't think they're keeping upwith the other fine dining options in Tampa.

My husband and I went this past weekend becausewe had several bonus cards that we earned forbuying gift cards for customers over the holidays. When purchasing the gift cards ($300 worth) Ispecifically asked the bartender if I would be able touse all three of the bonus gift cards at once. Iassured me I would. When I attempted to pay mybill this weekend, using the three bonus cards, themanager came to our table to tell me that I couldnot use all three. I explained to him that I madesure it would not be a problem prior to mypurchase. He didn't seem to believe me. I offered acopy of my receipt, which I still have for expensepurposes and should have the bartenders name onit who helped me, but he declined. He went awayand the server brought the bill back with the threebonus cards credited. If I had not been as adamant

•

Chrissy M.Apollo Beach, FL

55 friends 67 reviews

Elite ’16

about it as I was (and I was pretty adamant andpretty aggravated), I don't think it would've beenresolved in my favor. This was an annoying thing todeal with when trying to have a nice dinner with myhusband.

On to the dinner: I asked our sever to describe oneof the signature wines on the menu (indicated by an"R" on the menu) and she couldn't. She knewnothing about it. She went to ask someone andcame back with a nice description, but I wasdisappointed that she knew absolutely nothingabout one of their standard wines. She seemed veryinexperienced, in general. She never did introduceherself. I had to ask her her name. And she spokeso softly that I had to ask her to repeat herself acouple of times. The dining room at Roy's is notquiet. We both were straining to hear her everytime she spoke. The service overall was fine. Notgreat. Fine.

The food? I ordered the prix fixe menu with somesort of filet wonton appetizer (really good) thesalmon, (nice presentation but was kind of dry) andthe chocolate soufflé (always amazing). Myhusband had the Thai style chicken, which he saidwas good. We enjoyed the dinner, but we didn'tleave dying to go back.

I had to ask for a new wine glass because food wasstuck on the inside of mine. When the serverbrought the appetizer out he put it down on thetable and walked away neglecting to observe thatwe didn't have appetizer plates. We had to wait toeat our appetizer until someone brought them,which took longer than it should have. The winetook a long time to arrive. It just seems like the barhas been lowered at this place. There are too manyother great options to spend this much money ondinner and not have an excellent experience.

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6/25/2016

By far the best restaurant I've eaten at in Tampa.Started off by both host and server calling me byMr. Lee. Very professional a first in my diningexperience. The only thing I will knock and it'sminor but very common - The martini was not filledto the top - I understand it's because it has to becarried - But many places I've gone will top it off atthe table. Again minor. Tonya was my server andwas very pleasant and professional. I had the 8ozfilet and shrimp with the Yukon mash andvegetables. Food arrived nice and hot but ready toeat. Filet was a perfect medium, sauce was tangyand had a nice bite. I had the calimari app withcilantro lime sauce - they were very rich tasting andthe sauce was a nice touch. Had the pineapple

Salmon with green beans and potatoes.

Christopher L.Clearwater, FL

0 friends 37 reviews

turnover with ice cream and a brown sugar crust.Rich warm and wonderful. I will not be eating verymuch tomorrow. A really nice experience overall.Everyone was attentive and overly professional.And I didn't get a crappy table which is often thecase when I dine alone. A lot of places will stick youin the back corner or next to the restroom. Thanksto Roys for a wonderful night cap.

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Calimari with cilantrored pepper lime Pineapple Turnover

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6/26/2016

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My husband made reservations online for my 35thbirthday (he happened to mentioned on thereservation that we were celebrating my birthday).When we got there they had sprinkled the tablewith confetti and had a framed birthday messageon the table - nice surprise.

Our food and drinks were amazing. I ordered a sidesalad and the beef short ribs and he ordered sushiand the steak and shrimp combo. The managerthen brought over a complimentary appetizer fromthe chef for my birthday - filet mignon andGorgonzola bites in an egg-roll like crust - AWESOME. All of the foodwas great.

For dessert we ordered the pineapple upside downcake which is made to order and came out so warmand delicious. In addition to that they added acomplimentary key-lime tart to our dessert plate formy birthday, wrote happy birthday on the plate inchocolate, and added a candle - nice surprise. Ourserver came over and took our picture and then putit in the frame that was already on our table for usto take home. What a great way to make you feelspecial. We loved this added touch.

Our server (Tanya) was awesome. She explainedeverything on the menu and made us feel verywelcomed. All the staff was great. This was ourfirst time going there and we will definitely be back! They exceeded our expectations!

Betsy W.Palm Harbor, FL

0 friends 1 review

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6/27/2016 Thank you for joining us on such aspecial occasion! Our Chef and management takefeedback about the… Read more

4/14/2016

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Amazing food, fantastic service, and greatatmosphere!!! Come for prix fix dinner for $36.95which includes appetizer, entree, and dessert andchanges quarterly! Fun happy hour aka aloha hourwith snappy cocktails and yummy appetizers.

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Anne S.Lutz, FL

0 friends 10 reviews

Amazing dinner with amazing friends

12/9/2015

1 check-in

If I could give Roy's more stars I would.

This place was fantastic. Took daughter here forher birthday dinner. It felt like we were allcelebrating our birthdays.

Our waiter, Jeff was the best. From his service, tohis personality, to taking photos for us, we could notask for any better. Cudo's Jeff!!!

I will talk only about my dinner experience sinceTerri and Frank will write about their own. It allstarted with alcohol!! Drinks all around. Then abasket of edamame. Nice little snack. Then themanager brought over a dish of 3 lobster rangoons,cuz it was Terris birthday (on the house). Terri and Istarted with an order of crab sushi with beef andtempura asparagus !! Wonderful. Then our mealsarrived. A dish of truffle mac & cheese to split. ( theonly item I wasn't crazy about, a bit too dry for me) I got swordfish with red potatoes and baby bokchoi. First bite of that fish and I swooned, easily thebest I ever had. Potatoes were creamy and bokchoi, mmmmmm. Dessert was a pineapple upsidedown cake with pineapple, strawberries andblueberries sprinkled around the cake, oh a a dollopof vanilla ice cream. (Once again, on the house) Wewere stuffed, but the three of us split the dessert.And I just had to add a coffee with Tia Maria in it. Heaven!

That's it, for that hour and a half or so, I must havedied and gone to heaven. Only explanation for suchan outstanding meal. And while there an angel tooka picture of us and put it in a frame and gave it toTerri!

Sue N.Riverview, FL

53 friends 296 reviews

Elite ’16

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Now I haven't even seen the bill yet, and I'm cheap,but this meal was not. Roy's is pricey, but wellworth the cost. You won't hear me say that toooften. We had an awesome time, a fabulous meal,and a surprise gift card put in our check wallet!!!Perfection!!!

Truffle mac & cheese!!

Swordfish, baby bokchoi, and red Sushi!!!

Amanda L.

6/3/2016

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1 check-in

I would not recommend this place to anyone. Somany things were wrong. So I sat in the bar areawhich I totally understand will not be the same adinning. However there was nothing but horse play,bad language (by employees) and then a fewwaiters would take out drink orders and no one everput the order in. It was a complete joke. Then foodcame, it was plated very nice but the food washorrible, the worst I have ever taste. I had the trioall the fish was cooked too long and dried out. Byboyfriend had the ribeye, wasn't the best we hadbut was better than my fish so I ate his food. Theonly thing that was okay was the crab fried rice, butagain it was not worth the money at all.

6/3/2016 We appreciate you taking the time tocomment on your recent dining experience. Weapologize for not… Read more

7/31/2015

Roy's is my favorite place to go anytime my familyhas a special occasion to celebrate. The serverstruly go above and beyond to make your experiencetop-notch and personalized. We celebrated mydad's 75th birthday at Roy's, and I mentioned theoccasion when making the reservation. When wewere taken to our table, we opened our menus andfound that the inside cover was replaced with alarge paper that said "Happy Birthday Ken!!" - we

Amanda L.Woodbridge, VA

14 friends 13 reviews

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Mallory W.Tampa, FL

46 friends 60 reviews

Elite ’16

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were so surprised and it made our night.

The service at Roy's is really just the icing on thecake. The food is what makes t his place 5 star.

To start: We love to begin with the Lakanilau Roll (WagyuBeef, Snow Crab, Tempura Asparagus, Avocado,Sesame Miso, Truffled Greens) - can't go wronghere. The Shrimp & Pork Gyoza appetizer and theLobster Potstickers also top my list of favoritestarters.

Entrees: I'm a sucker for salmon so I typically getthe Hibachi Grilled Salmon and it's magnificent. Ialso recommend the Seared Sea Scallops with thepork belly, and potato puree.

Dessert: If its a special occasion, chances are theywill surprise you with a dessert ( I think they still dothis). If not, be sure to ask what desserts are beingserved, because they are always decadent anddelicious!

6/11/2016

Thank you for an incredible 10th anniversary dinnerfor my wife and me! We could not have asked for abetter experience, our server David was justawesome!

For anyone reading this review, I totally recommendthe ribeye steak. It was absolutely perfect andcooked just the way I asked. My wife's Chilean SeaBass was delicious. Also the Ahi Poke was anamazing appetizer. Finally, if the chocolate souffle isavailable you have to get it!

Keith M.Warner Robins, GA

0 friends 4 reviews

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Overall, a fantastic night!

8/18/2015

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1 check-in

An absolute let down.. My boss raved about thisplace as he's been to the one in Maui and at the endof the meal we were both just stunned.

The service was horrendous, we actually never gothalf the apps we ordered. Which when our entreescame out we asked and they offered to hold ourplates in the windo and retire our apps.. We passedas I don't need my entree to sit under a heat lampwhile I wait for stuff we ordered for apps.

My entree was very bland, no flavor, they forgot thesauce on my fish.. And the shrimp was overlookedand chewy..

We had to flag the manager just to get our checkafter waiting 20 minutes of not seeing our server.

I'm disappointed and wish I had more positivethings to say but the whole thing wasn't good..

6/7/2016

Cool place to get together with friends as a leisureevent . Nice hang out spot. The food is average. Butnot bad. I would go back.

Matthew D.Southington, CT

69 friends 89 reviews

Elite ’16

Bernice B.Lutz, FL

14 friends 68 reviews

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