{"id":341256,"date":"2026-07-15T19:35:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/341256\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T19:35:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:35:45","slug":"two-local-faves-named-among-americas-best-hotel-restaurants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/341256\/","title":{"rendered":"Two local faves named among America’s best hotel restaurants"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s long been an adage that there\u2019s nothing like a hotel bar, but lately, hotel restaurants are taking the starring role. Two newer Tampa Bay Area hotel restaurants have been named among the best in America as travelers and locals alike flock to resort eateries, even without a room key.<\/p>\n

OpenTable just released its list of the 100 best hotel restaurants in America<\/a>, showcasing dining experiences \u201cthat are destinations in their own right.\u201d Lilac at the Tampa Edition and Elliott Aster at The Vinoy in St. Pete were the only Tampa Bay Area stars to make the list, though an impressive 18 Florida spots made the Top 100. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise to see these two on the list, as Elliott Aster just joined Lilac this year on the official Michelin Recommended list. In fact, Lilac earned a Michelin Star in its very first year of operation, back in May of 2023. Each restaurant reflects the growing trend of high-end hotel dining being treated less like a private country club and more like a front porch welcoming guests in regardless of whether they\u2019re staying the night. Not to take anything away from The Vinoy\u2019s excellent actual front porch, of course.<\/p>\n

The OpenTable list wasn\u2019t ranked 1-100, so we unfortunately don\u2019t get to quibble about where in the rankings each one fell. But the selection process was still meticulous, OpenTable says, as it relied on more than 10 million individual reviews to create the A-to-Z list. Restaurants with a minimum threshold of diner reviews were considered and evaluated by a compilation of unique data points, OpenTable explained, including diner ratings and the percentage of five-star reviews. Those metrics were also weighted to comprise an overall score.<\/p>\n

\"APhoto by Nikolas Koenig<\/p>\n

Elliott Aster and Lilac each checked in with 4.8-star ratings, and both have certainly been popular with locals. The two restaurants offer a nice contrast and reflect their locations. The swanky and modern Lilac fits perfectly into Water Street Tampa along with a Mediterranean-driven lineup. Elliott Aster is a perfect blend of refined comfort, its beautifully transformed dining hall and New American-leaning menu fitting in perfectly with the yacht basin and vibrant waterfront parks surrounding the hotel.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what OpenTable has to say about each restaurant.<\/p>\n

Elliott Aster: \u201cElliott Aster, a Michelin Recommended restaurant, brings refined dining to The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club under the direction of award-winning Chef Lee Wolen. Once the property\u2019s original dining hall, the space has been thoughtfully reimagined into one of downtown St. Petersburg\u2019s premier dining destinations, featuring an elegant lounge, beautifully appointed dining room, and stunning private dining space. The menu highlights wood-fired steaks, handcrafted pastas, fresh seafood, and a signature antipasti bar, with weekend brunch offered every Saturday and Sunday. Paired with The Vinoy\u2019s signature hospitality, every visit is met with warm service, exceptional cuisine, and a memorable dining experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lilac: \u201cLilac, the Michelin-Starred Mediterranean restaurant helmed by the esteemed Chef John Fraser, redefines the art of dining. It features signature elements of Chef Fraser\u2019s Mediterranean cuisine mastery, explored through fresh Floridian ingredients.<\/p>\n

Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, the dining room\u2019s open concept, walnut flooring, and glowing pendant globes surround an eight-seat Christian Liaigre chef\u2019s counter and a lively open kitchen, creating a convivial, yet elevated environment. Taking its cues from Fraser\u2019s Greek heritage and his admiration of Turkish and French cuisines, Lilac\u2019s menu is a balance of fresh, seasonal, and locally-sourced items with bold flavors and exquisite presentations.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can check out the full Top 100 list here<\/a>, and there\u2019s plenty in driving distance if you don\u2019t mind braving I-4.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s long been an adage that there\u2019s nothing like a hotel bar, but lately, hotel restaurants are taking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-341256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}