Tampa Improv Festival Reviews

Went w/my best friend and had a blast. Comics were funny, food was ok but drinks were great !

Everything was great but the service was slow. Good time for all though, food is always good and awesome show.

The show was supposed to start at 10:00 p.m.; we were not seated until 10:50 p.m. The staff did not communicate the reason for the delay to guests who had been waiting in their hot bar area since 9:00 p.m. When guests became angry and started seating themselves a staff member stated screaming at everyone waiting. Two staff members started yelling at each other. No one apologized to guests for the inconvenience.

My experience at the Improv is usually pleasant. However after tonight, I have a different opinion on the customer service and professionalism of the staff. Our group of 3 came out to celebrate a birthday and support the divas comedy night. Unfortunately our waiter was the biggest diva of them all. Chene was the server for our area and after repeatedly bypassing our table to serve others that were seated after us, we asked if he could take our order. He said he'd be right back. When he came back he continued to take the orders of everyone around us (even though they were seated after us and we had been seated for approx. 20 mins with no service at that point). We informed another member of the staff about the lack of service and requested a new server. This should have been the end of things but unfortunately it wasn't. The former server, Chene finally walks over to take our order and we inform him that we asked for another server. He mumbles something and walks away. A few minutes later as I was talking to a lady seated at the table next to me about the drinks Chene walked up to the table and told the lady not to listen to me. The lady responds by saying how sweet I was (Keep in mind we were talking about drinks). He then responds by saying "she's trash, they all are." This comment was completely uncalled for. As I proceeded to calm my group down afer his insulting remark, he continued to make insulting comments about our group as he chatted to a table of young ladies seated next to us. These ladies later shared he stated that we called him a derogatory name. This never happened! At this point it was clear he was trying to save face given everything that had transpired. Again, attempting to just enjoy the show and not make a fuss, he continued to make comments to those around us. As we were leaving one of the ladies at the table next to us, began chatting about an unrelated topic and once again Chene interjected himself into the conversation by telling her not to listen to me and after we continued, he proceeded to get on the microphone and over talk us until we simply walked away. His actions tonight were extremely unprofessional and discriminatory. Lastly, big thanks to our new server Jeff. Your service was appreciated.

One of my favorite places to go. They always have great comedians coming in! Service is also fantastic!

Great club been a few times. Saw John Lovitz funny funny man.

Bic dibidetto brought down the house
What a great venue as it was my first time there. We all loved it and the service and food were great. Best comedy club and food combination to date. I would visit again. Top notch

Website had Godfrey down for dates in January. Flew into Tampa and they changed the schedule. BS!

The person we went to see was hilarious. However the venue was in uncomfortably crowded. Social distancing and face mask was not enforced. However people were eating. In which, the food was good. If you should attend here just be prepared, were your mask when you are eating.

The comedians there are great even the lesser known ones make me laugh. I go back and forth on it being 21+. I have a lot of friends who enjoy stand up yet can not see comedians because of their age. But at the end of the day I can't blame them since it makes serving alcohol much easier. The food and drinks are actually really good a bit expensive but good. My only real problem with the improv is the chairs! The backs of the chairs are so low that I either have to lean forward agains the small table or feel like my kidneys are about to pop if I lean back. And I an average guy at 5'10" 175 pounds.

Drinks are decent but they don't bring water during the show.

Great venue. Most seats in the house are great seats. They have crammed to many tables downstairs which can be uncomfortable for plus size attendees like myself. Customer service could use some work.

Ive seen so many of my favorite comics here.(for free) follow their Facebook page and get free tickets.

First time attending the Improv and it will surely be my last. The show itself was great but the service and food was terrible. "Fast service" should not be used to describe the service here unless it's opposite day. Took about an hour and a half for us to get our drinks AFTER being seated and the show had already started; one person in our party got their food long before we did but then waited 25 minutes to be able to eat because utensils aren't brought out with your meal and servers here aren't diligent enough to ensure you have what you need. The rest of our party's food wasn't brought out until 10 minutes before the end of the show and to add insult to injury, all the food was cold, inedible and a complete waste of money. Never again.

Such a good time. Drinks are good and strong. Foods decent.

Always a fun spot to enjoy great comedians. The staff is great and the prices are just right

First time was a good time, didn't like how they packed us in , had to be some kind of safety violation

It was a great experience, nice facility, great crowd, great food and awesome laughs. Parking is not near the facility, but plenty to do and eat in the area.

Great place for comedy/improv shows but could have bigger tables for more comfortable seating to watch to the show. Food was fairly priced

Waited in line outside for over an hour to attend a 10pm show. No one bothered to update us. People walked up and cut the others waiting patiently. I have always enjoyed my outings at the Improv. Not sure I will be back.

Service and the show were absolutely great! Went Saturday 12/14 and saw TJ Miller....he was hilarious! What a great show and the tickets weren't even expensive. Don't let Covid stop you folks from going to the Improv and enjoying a good laugh cuz we all need it right now! Social distancing and masks were enforced for those too scared to leave home still

Went to see Rob Schneider. He brought it on! Service was a little slow and tip is already on tab. They do work hard and friendly, but ...we try to eat before we get there.

My first time and it was fun!! Great comedians and fries were delish

I laughed maybe twice, the comedians were terrible. The food was expensive as expected but then it wasn't even good. I might try one of their weekend shows but so far would not recommend it.

I had so much fun the comedian had us dying laughing. also it a good place to hang out with friends or get some good food drinks and laughed on. Yes so be ready to get your laugh on and little drinks on it wil be so good.

I've been here a few times and it's the bomb ! Literally every time you go, you get free tickets. What more could you ask for !

An awesome spot nice people and great drinks. whoop whoop my new lil spot!!!!!!

Went to a show at the Tampa Improv last night to see Cocoa Brown and enjoyed the show. We tried to order our tickets online thru the Imrpov website and was unsuccessful and kept getting an error that said that we had already purchased tickets. We finally gave up and just purchased the tickets at the window when we arrived at the show. There was a 7:30 and 10 pm show and we went to the 7 pm show. The headliner was awesome along with the opening act. This is the largest comedy club that I have ever been in and all of the seats provide a good view of the stage. It was a nice date night with the wife. We both enjoyed the show. We ordered a tender basket, cheesecake, and a couple of drinks. The wife enjoyed the cheesecake. The other food items were ok. The service was decent. It was a large crowd and it took a while to finally get a server to assist us. Expect to be seated with others that you may not know which was cool and worked out fine. Overall, I recommend this venue for a good time for good laughs.

Attentive wait staff, beautiful venue! Tampa Staple

Love coming here to see comedian's...drinks are good food is ok . Sometimes the service is slow . But I always have a good time .

Saw the Hannibal Burress special. Absolutely didn't disappoint. Love Ybor and love this venue. 5/5

Nice atmosphere, great drinks, food and definitely amazing funny comedians. Loved the show!

You will really enjoy this place. Jeff who is the MC does a fantastic job and open mic night is always a little sketchy, there are some that are funny and some of that or not but you can't beat the price of the food and drinks and it's conveniently located. I would recommend the Improv very highly

Food ok but can t laugh loud unless you in the front by stage where the comedian at, sercurity standing by us so we couldn t take pictures workers coming to our table bothering usjust was not a good experience for me I need to be at a bigger Gallery soo 2thumbs down for me

DOES ANYBODY GO ALONE??? I LOVE GOING IVE BEEN THREE TIMES THIS YEAR AND TO THE ONE IN DENVER WHEN I WAS OUT THERE SMOKING LEGALLY I SAW PABLO FRANCISCO AND LOCALLY ARIES SPEARS AND MICHAEL BLACKSON WAS DEFINITELY UPSET THAT A CERTAIN COMEDIAN NO SHOWED YOU GUYS

The show was great but service sucks.... Gratuity included

Beautiful layout, fantastic staff, and good features and shows. Some high balcony seating for those seeking a more private space. Great location in Ybor City too (right by the Centro Ybor plaza, close to several parking areas), so you may go for some pre-show drinks and food at a variety of restaurants if you're not that into the type of bar food or drinks that the improv club offers (full menu can be found on their website).

We still got one drink during our show and were surprised at the quality of liquor and price, even with the 18% gratuity (less than $7 total for Captain rum and coke!).

We'll be back!

The show I went to was great, and the venue is beautiful.

Evan was our server a few days ago. Amazing service, very attentive, quick, and made us feel at home at a place we ve never been to before.

So much fun! Great service. Strong drinks. Great comics. Perfect night!

The show was good. The first Comedian Michael was amazing excellent service.

Awesome comedy club! Even on slow days, I'm not disappointed.

I love the Improv however my experience last night was HORRIBLE due to bad service. If you go, be sure you DO NOT sit in KC's section if you want food or more than 2 drinks during your 3 hour visit. It took 30 minutes to get a drink each time (after the first 30 minute wait I asked to go ahead and get another drink order in since she blamed the bar...and still was 30 minutes) then she was MIA after bringing it. I had to get up twice to go to the bar myself (bartenders were amazing at least). The male server near our section seemed to be on the ball since I saw him 8 times to the 1 time our server came to us. When it was time to cash out she came and collected our card to never return. I had to go wait at the bar after the show was over and still never saw her. The manager had to go get the card from her. They do mandatory % for gratuity so she knew she was going to get a decent tip regardless of her service. I will return but I will be sure I am not put in her section!

Enjoyable entertaining evening out. Headliner comedians... Mo'Nique.and several others seen this year. Popular tasty hot snacks and cold beverages were enjoyed in a friendly adult atmosphere. If you love to laugh you must go and for a fun evening out.

I recently bought tickets to see DeRay Davis. I received a call with voicemail day before the show to tell me the show was canceled. I was at work (frontline nurse), so I missed the call. The voicemail stated that Rickey Smiley was coming instead and if I wanted to see him call them back. Not even 10 minutes had passed, I called back to let me know I wanted to see Rickey and she then tells me the night I originally reserved to see DeRay was sold out. Just didn't make sense to me to not have first choice at tickets especially since I had plans of attending anyways.I was hot, my weekend was ruined! They issued me a refund... still was upset because I love them both!

Great acts. The venue was a tad bit rough around the edges but was no great concern.

Though I enjoyed the show, and the theater itself is very nice, the waiting area needs some work. The tickets stated to show up at 945 for a 1030 show, which we showed up at 9 for. A small line had already started to form, so we decided to join the line. The staging area for the show was between the bar and tables, which seemed ok, until it started getting crowded. Many people started coming in and using the bar as a way to cut in line. Before we entered the theater, 8 people cut the line. The person in front of me addressed it, and nothing was done. I think the theater should consider reorganizing this process to limit or restrict line cutting. Also the space became very warm will waiting, so be warned. The drink specials were very watered down, but the wait staff was great.

Came here with my boss and coworker not long ago. I had a great time. I love that there is upper level seating for a better view. The opening act, was hilarious! Seriously, very funny guy...and actually, to me, much funnier than the main act. I would love to come back here again with some friends. What a nice evening out. The location was great, too. I really enjoyed walking the brick street, admiring the street art, and the man playing the bingo on the corner. It made me feel like I was right back home in NY. I look forward to returning. Only down side I can think of was that the drinks were pricey and the bathroom wasn't very sanitary. Everything else was great.

Visited to have a nice dinner date with my wife. While the show was good, the server left much to be desired. Only came to our table once during the start of the show then only showed up after the show was over to deliver our bill for "endless refills". When I tried to have the bill changed to single drinks since our server never came back, the server cussed at me and stormed off. When I finally got a manager to come down and speak to me, he promised ticket replacements for a different show. Now I can't get the manager Christopher Guerrero on the phone and he wont return my calls. Poor service all around.

Great place to see some of the world's best comics. Drinks and food are both reasonably priced also. The tickets are a fair price, and it's always a blast when we go here.

We have been to the Tampa Improv and both times thoroughly amused. Great comedians. Only reason for 4/5 stars... food was mediocre and over priced.

The service at the bar was not good, the mood isn't conducive to enjoying comedy...go to Sidesplitters instead the atmosphere is way better there!

Brought my Nana to see Monique she was AMAZING such a WOMAN. My nana had a great time.