I have been to Bern’s several times - my comments.
Dress code:
In my observation, you can wear pretty much whatever you want there. I have never seen them turn someone away for dress code. It’s Tampa after all and I have a feeling they realize due to the high tourist nature of FL, they don’t want to position themselves as a pain in the ass place to get into. I have seen guys in jeans and a crappy t-shirt, their kids in flip-flops and shorts and baseball caps, etc. They are very accepting, although I’m positive they wish people wouldn’t do this… just my opinion of course. According to their dress policy, they will simply seat you in certain places in the restaurant.
http://www.bernssteakhouse.com/What-to-Expect/What-is-the-dress-code-at-Bern-s-Haven
Business casual or higher is all they ask, so if you feel like dressing up I’m sure they love it and appreciate the effort, but it’s not required. I have gone there in khakis and a nice polo shirt and felt welcome, so dress slacks and button down shirt is plenty and is usually what I do. Anything above that (jacket, tie, etc…) I’m positive they appreciate, and will possibly garner a more positive attitude from your server, as like I said, they get all kinds there. YMMV.
Fun fact:
Speaking of servers, if you’ve never asked a server about what it takes to become one there, I recommend asking them. The story is incredible in my opinion, and speaks to a culture there of providing people with a legitimate career path. Every server I’ve had there had an interesting story of their tenure and loved talking about it. My last server there had been there for 14 years and was working on finishing a PhD in law which the restaurant helped him attain.
Food:
The food has always been great as far as I’m concerned, including the steak options. I have zero complaints. But I am not that hard to please either. I think going there once and claiming their food sucks because you happened to have gotten a less desirable cut of the meat is probably not fair. Obviously a bummer, but that’s never happened to me and I’d day chances are other visits may be better. Their other options are awesome though… the sea scallops are top notch, etc.
Like others have said, a big reason to go there is the wine list. The selection is insane, and the prices are unheard of. They charge less of a restaurant markup than I’ve seen anywhere. However, if you can call in advance of your reservation and speak to a sommelier, do that. Since their wine list is only accessible on paper (a book really… a big, bound book) it’s always outdated and they are out of stuff all time. When I started going there the server mentions to pick 3 bottles from the list, then they’ll check availability. They often don’t have any of them, they have to go back to the cellar more than once, etc. Call ahead, tell a sommelier what you want (doesn’t matter your budget… they don’t care if you say your budget is $40, they will find you a deal) then you won’t have to do the dance of the outdated list when you get there.
Lastly, like someone else said, having dinner at the bar is a great experience. Highly recommend it.
The dessert room… it’s very cool in my opinion. Cramped, yes, but it’s unique and memorable.
