Love’s Artifacts Bar and Grill

A Greasy Oily Mess — Do not Waste Your Time.
Here are a few tips to the amateur preparing the food:
1. If it is past 8:00 pm and the bar is dead, and you cannot bother to bring the oil up to temperature, then do not serve fried food. Better to grill. Lukewarm oil absorbs into the food leaving a heavy oily taste that overwhelms all other flavors.
2. If you have not perfected a dish, ask for it to be taken off the menu. Or claim you ran out. Better than serving inedible fare.
3. Stick to what you folks know. Frying is not it. Fish is not it either. I say this with the best of wishes for you.
4. Get good, or get out. What I was served, I would not suffer on a cat…
To be fair to you, I ate what was presented. To judge fairly, and wholly. But I really wanted to ask: «are you folks serious»? Really ?
What is the old cliché ’ In this neighborhood, l can get twice as good for half the price’. So you cheat your patrons one at a time, do any ever come back. How long do you figure that would last?

The fried chicken here has to make the owner a «MacDillionaire» you honestly cannot go wrong with any entrees, apps, drinks, DESSERTS! Sooooo delicious 10 stars!

There is this lovely laid-​back feeling when you walk into Love’s Artifact. It may be the low ceiling, kitschy décor, or random singer in the corner that gives off the feel, but I love it!
We had a purpose on this visit – I was craving fried chicken. Not just any fried chicken, either. So many places think fried chicken fingers fit this bill –gasp!– but we true lover’s of real cast iron skillet, lard fried chicken know that Love’s Artifact is one of the only places in town to experience this crispy outside, juicy inside delight!!!
Of course, collard greens and cheese grits are part of the order-​but that’s a personal choice. Love’s has about 8 – 10 different vegetables on any given night available for your culinary pleasure!
They also make a great grilled Caesar salad along with, according to my table mates, fantastic fish tacos, shrimp & grits, and their version of a grilled chick n sandwich. Mmmm! Sounds great, but I’m sticking with my fried legs and thighs! :-D

What an interesting place. I havnt quite figured out the concept but from what I can tell it’s a collection of things probably that the owners adore as well as a menu that in compasses the same thought. We came for brunch mainly for the AYCD Bloody Mary’s, mimosas and margaritas. For $ 25 you are also offered a brunch buffet with quite a collection of food items. Eggs, quinoa with fresh veggies, potatoes, salad and fried chicken. Oh the fried chicken is what dreams are made of lol. By far the best friend chicken I’ve had in Tampa. Even though it was an odd mixture of food on the buffet we enjoyed all of it. The flavor was spot on. This is a weird atmosphere but we loved it. Its a nice place to enjoy a nice drink on the back shaded patio with live music, you won’t regret it.

I’m digging the vibe at this bar… hanging out with friends listening to amazing live music (Liz Hollister). Will definitely be back again… new favorite in South Tampa!!!

What happened to the quality of their bartenders??? You can’t make your own signature drinks or a dirty martini? We sat down at the bar on a Friday night and sat for 10 minutes and then asked what to drink when we weren’t given drink menus. My dirty martini was mostly olive juice and my husband got the nutty Russian that was served in a pint glass on ice. It was 90% some milk substance. Sad because this place used to have great drinks and staff. They lost good customers and we will definitely let our friends now

Fun Brunch place with seemingly great deal…$ 20 unlimited mimosas, bloody Mary’s or margaritas with omelette and waffle station, and buffet with great fried chicken and amazing biscuits. However despite having reservation, and requesting a nice or special table, they were clueless. Been there before and the food was great, not so much this time. Our server, whose name I lost, was Wonderful and attentive. The bar tender was rude, but the chefs very nice and accommodating. Also not a big fan of mimosas but these were delicious. Could definitely do better with the buffet. Also have an outside area with good musicians like Captain Kirk from James Joyce pub in Ybor on alternative weekends. When asked for special seating would have thought they would have seated us by the music in the outside patio, but…
Also, watch your step, there is a gap from the buffet to the main room. Somebody’s going to trip and…
Also although it was 2 adults and a child had to ask the server if there was a child rate since he obviously wasn’t drinking and it was lowered from $ 20 to $ 7
Just sayin.:

I loved this place! Very unique and super laid back. Stopped by here on a Sunday afternoon with friends after the brunch crowd had already dispersed. The bartender was really cool even after his bar had been raided by the post-​Gasparilla crowd. They made good drinks which were really reasonably priced (2−4−1 liquor drinks, $ 1 off beers during happy hour). I enjoyed a mimosa (made with pineapple since the bar ran out of OJ), bloody Mary and Dirty Martini. Everything was really good. Our group split an order of spinach artichoke dip which was fantastic! Next time, I hope to make it to Sunday brunch and try more of their food. Such a nice little place tucked away off of Gandy.

Best fried chicken in town by far. I ordered the fried chicken dinner with tator tots and garlic spinach. The fried chicken is perfectly done Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I love restaurants that give tator tots as a option. The garlic spinach was also amazing. They have a lot of good sides to choose from and they change from time to time. They also have a great Sunday brunch.

Stumbled upon this place on Unilocal.I was looking for a sunday brunch and realized this was not far from my house. When i pulled up i realized it was a little hole in the wall. We sat outside. The buffet was super small and not much to offer gor 25 bucks. I was extremely disappointed. They do offer all you can drink mimosas which was a plus. The staff was extremely friendly. Unfortunately this is not a place that i would care to come back to.

5 stars? I never assign perfection to anyone but this place deserves it. Our waiter as attentive and the cocktails were powerful. Lynn, the owner shared some pizza with us but the portobello mushroom sandwich was a show stopper for me. Charred and perfect, I could almost be a vegetarian if this was my meat substitute. The ambience is quirky and unusual, please visit and let me know what you think.

We went here shortly after they opened under the current name. We found the food to be mediocre and the service «confused» to put it nicely. But, we decided that maybe it was just that they were still in a shakedown phase, and things would improve. We live in the neighborhood, and have been by enough to notice decent crowds, and wanted to give it another shot, which we did this evening. The bar area was slowly filling up, but we were the first to come in for dinner (at 5:45), and they acted a bit surprised and put out.
Lay ordered their chicken, and I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. While we liked the tater tots, even they were a bit over salted. My grilled cheese was OK, but nothing special, which one would expect for $ 9.50. We agreed the breading on Lay’s chicken was well spiced, but it was severely over-​cooked, and dry. His rice tasted spoiled, and for $ 14.00 hardly worth it.
And then there was the service. While prompt at first, once the food was delivered, that was about it. I could see our waitress at a station in another room getting a lot done on her phone. We were nearly through before she came to check on whether things were OK, and to refill long empty drinks. Then she went to the end of the bar on the opposite side of the room we were in, and was too engrossed in a conversation with someone at the bar to even make eye contact so we could wave her over, long after were done and ready to pay. And then, when time to pay, we couldn’t even do cash because we didn’t have exact change, and apparently they didn’t have any. I have no problem paying with my credit card, but really… no change.
So, we were very disappointed. In the end, it was over-​priced, mediocre food, poorly prepared, and just really bad service, and all for a second time. I think we were fair to give them another chance, but we won’t be back again.

This is a really cool place. The bartenders are good and they know how to prepare drinks the way I like it. Good happy hr till 7 pm. It’s just always a little hot in there, the ac may not be working properly. Overall it’s a good local hangout spot.

I come to Love’s just to visit the best bartender in south Tampa. Jade u r so awesome, u always make it worth the time to stop in and say hi. Thank u

Sandi Taylor

We are from out of town and went for Easter brunch. A little pricey ($ 25) although it got you unlimited mimosas, bloody Mary’s and margaritas (one person in our party was under 18 so I think she should have had a price reduction).
The food was delicious (fried chicken – so yummy, cheesy grits, biscuits, eggs, bacon, etc…). They even have had a carving stand!
I think for any other weekend the brunch would’ve been perfect. For Easter it was missing something (perhaps added pastries or a sweet dessert).
The service was AWESOME and the manager even stopped by to inquire about how we heard of their restaurant.
Overall, a great experience and we’d definitely go back!

I realize this South Tampa car lot… oops bar. … ooops insect haven… has a huge following among the locals… but for the life of me, I cannot fathom why?
(BTW I was born & brought up in South Tampa)
When you combine the history of a failed used car lot owner, transforming himself and his car lot into a… what? Bar? Pub? Dump for Kitche’? You get predictable results.
It may appear I am being quite harsh, I understand how that can seem… but give me a moment to explain my opinion… It comes from one completely unacceptable experience which I will detail here.
Upon being seated as we all expect, you are customarily asked for your drink order … at Love’s, your first selection is not available (a common drink) then you switch to a simple Seagrams V/​O & Soda, after ten minutes, the waitress returns with a huge glass of the cheapest most fragrant rot gut bourbon possible… This nasty bourbon was so fragrant that the other people at the table could smell it before the glass touched the table. Not a pleasant smell either.
This is not what was ordered so you send the rot gut back, while the «server» admits they do not stock any decent brand of blended whiskey…
Upon this revelation you are then offered another lesser option,(Seagrams 7) which is accepted with a change of mixer to Ginger Ale.
This 3^rd effort at providing me with my first drink comes back as a glass full of booze & dead insects… As you can imagine, at this point, the resulting opinion of this establishment plummets.
To those who may chime in and say …“oh fruit flies are no big deal… they are in all bars at some point” — these were not little nearly invisible flies flying about… these were the carcasses of dead insects the size of dog ticks with visible legs inside the drink. They obviously had come from the inside of the bottle of Seagrams 7 that had never been capped and was old with hundreds of bugs inside. This was poured into my drink with ginger ale and served to me. I think it is a big deal.
Add to this disaster that not one apology was proffered by the server or the management. You sit with your party with a questionably clean glass of water which was never refilled…
Then you start to notice how the extremely loud trivia contest which is shouted through a PA system the size of Raymond James Stadium inside a 1200 sq ft space resulting in making the place a living hell to any patron not participating in said trivia game.
You also think back to how your server had no idea of what was available on the menu, or for drinks… well you then make plans to go to a real bar/​restaurant to sit down, chill out and compose a one star review… (Whilst trying to wash down the remnants of the insects you may have swallowed with a clean and refreshing cocktail served by a knowlegeble bartender or server — something not found at Love’s).
1^st & last time at Love’s Artifacts (tip, the Artifacts are swimming in the old stale liquor bottles behind the bar) — check your glass if you dare.

This place might be okay for dinner, but I had breakfast here on Sunday in October and I was both disappointed in the food and angry for feeling ripped off. For $ 20, the only food offered for the Sunday brunch was: scrambled eggs, limp fatty bacon that could have used some Viagra for stiffening, sausage even my boyfriend wouldn’t touch, grits or polenta (anyone’s guess), potatoes, green beans and some fried chicken left uncovered *outside* under a heat lamp. No. Just no.
As with any unlimited mimosas ‘deals’ the drinks are usually on the weak side, but I was hoping with such meager food offerings that they would make up for it with stiff drinks. No.
The redeeming quality of his place is the venue itself. Lovely shady outdoor patio and bar. There was live music on Sunday which we enjoyed.

Love’s is a very fun, funky and eclectic restaurant located on MacDill Avenue, just south of Gandy. I’ve had Love’s Artifacts Bar and Grill on my radar screen «list of places to try» for about a year, and now I’m sorry that I hadn’t been there sooner.
A group of Unilocalers went to an event last Friday evening, followed by some well-​deserved frosty adult beverages at Rapp Brewery thereafter. I was starving and seriously pondering the nutritional value of gnawing on a corner of the table, when someone kindly suggested that we find a place to eat. Since several of us lived in Tampa we caravanned back over the Howard Frankland bridge and made a beeline to Love’s in South Tampa.
Our group of four arrived about 11pm, and we were worried that the kitchen might be closed, but they welcomed us inside with open arms and assured us that the guys would cook whatever we wanted off of the menu. I had heard that Love’s makes the best fried chicken in Tampa, and so my heart was set on a fried chicken dinner with collard greens and black-​eyed peas. Thank you very much!
Once the orders were placed I had the chance to take a better look around the restaurant and saw their great collection of antiques, artifacts, old signage, and generally cool stuff that was hanging from the walls and ceiling. There was a fantastic jazz duo set up in a corner of the bar, with a lady wailing away on the sax and the guy playing drums. Sadly we only heard a few of their songs, but I would definitely go back to listen to more of their music.
The menu has a lot of creative bar appetizers like crab-​stuffed portabella mushrooms, peanut butter-​stuffed jalapenos, calamari, spinach artichoke dip, and grilled cheese sammies. They also have several salads, veggie burgers, and a veggie platter. For those of us with carnivore tendencies, Love’s has ribs, pulled pork, rib eyes, pork chops, chicken sandwiches, seafood specials, and then… the legendary South MacDill Fried Chicken Platter — three pieces of chicken, soaked in buttermilk, then battered and fried with two of their fresh daily sides. They also serve up some spectacular-​looking burgers.
For the sides you can choose from… *deep breath*… spinach, broccoli, collard greens, garlic mashed potatoes, cheesy grits, black-​eyed peas, black beans, yellow rice, baked beans, French fries, cole slaw, and anything else they can dream up.
I understand that Love’s has a fantastic $ 20 per person Sunday brunch, and I definitely need to make a trip just to give the food and Bloody Mary’s a try.
I liked Love’s very much, and want to go back soon so that I can try some other things on the menu.

I’d heard about Love’s from friends and made the attempt with the Husbeast to get down there for the brunch today. No luck! We got there around 3:15 and it appears that we missed the brunch by 15 minutes. No worries, the hostess was a bit baffled by why we were there, but the Owner sat us and told us that they were serving the full menu until 4 pm.
Armed with the full menu, we were seated at a high top and perused the choices. We placed an order for a starter of Spin Dip and she hustled off to go place it. After bringing our drinks and assuring us that our app would be out in just a little bit, the Owner came out once again and told us that they weren’t doing very well with us today, but the Spin Dip wasn’t available. Truth be told, they didn’t order heavily for the weekend, due to the Holiday weekend and them typically not being busy. So we asked for a suggestion and were offered the Peanut butter Jalapeño poppers, which I declined due to allergies. We asked for another and were told about the Brie Quesidilla, which we agreed to. When that came out it was served with a side of corn salsa, which was as colorful as it was tasty. The quesidilla was tasty with the roasted veggies and the cheese, but it was on the greasy side as well. And if we didn’t act fast, the salsa’s water content would have waterlogged the tortilla too.
Soon our Mains came out I ordered the fried chicken, something they’re known for and got two sides with it, the cheese grits and fries. The husband got the fat italian burger. When they came to the table everything was piping hot and smelled so good. The fried chicken was crisp, light and tasty, the fries were quartered potatoes, deep fried and yummy, but the cheese grits, well they lacked something so they were left uneaten. The Fat Italian burger looked delish and the Husbeastie said it was! The hand formed burger was served with onions, peppers and italian sausage on a pretzel roll, with a side. The meat was top choice and really good. A decadent choice.
We will come back to try out their Sunday Brunch. I’m told that next week, in honor of Football Returning, they’re going to have TV’s and the NFL package, so that should really pack the seats!

I have been meaning to try this place for a while. I bought a Creative Loafing gift certificate. It was about to expire so I drove all the way across town. The Facebook page says they close at 9 p.m. It was 330 in the afternoon. They decided to close early because of mothers day. Because really, who goes to a restaurant on Mother’s Day to take their mother out? Genius move guys.
Fortunately I used the opportunity to have a meal down the street at Chihuahua’s Mexican Restaurant. Apparently they don’t just randomly shut down their restaurant on a whim.