Warehouse Arts District

Leigh and Mike Harting opened the brewery in December 2013 with head brewer Ty Weaver ... the name comes from the question of how to put their three daughters through college. It started in a 1,600 square foot tasting room and now fills a large warehouse the brewery says serves over 250,000 guests a year. I Love the Burg calls it the biggest brewery in St. Pete, with more than 40 taps of beer, cider, hard seltzer and sangria. This is the original location; a Clearwater Beach taproom and an airport bar came in 2022.

Live music some nights. Go before the band starts if you want to talk.

Allelo

Beach Drive · mediterranean, aegean, small plates

A Mediterranean and Aegean small-plates room that calls itself 'your neighborhood spot for small plates, good times and lots of wine'. Husband-and-wife owners Shawn and Jeanna Damkoehler opened it first, then opened Juno & the Peacock a block north in 2024. I Love the Burg's staff singled out its brunch in June 2026.

Bacchus Wine Bistro

Beach Drive · french bistro, charcuterie, french

A French wine bistro a block off Beach Drive with a menu that changes by season, from French onion soup and foie gras torchon to tuna carpaccio and beef tartare. It pours nearly 100 wines chosen by sommeliers and builds charcuterie boards to order.

Bandit Coffee Co.

Grand Central District · coffee, pastries

A locally owned roaster and cafe on Central Avenue since 2016. It runs a full espresso bar and a kitchen all day, bakes its bread and pastries in-house, and also sells natural wine by the bottle and beer. There is no WiFi, by design, and a dog-friendly walk-up window handles online order pickup. Coffee is roasted every Tuesday and shipped every Wednesday.

BellyUp St. Pete / Over 50

Over 50 St. Pete

Nobody publishes the noise level, and it is the thing that decides the night.

Good places to eat and drink in St. Pete, minus the nightclubs. When a spot gets loud later or draws a lot of kids, the card tells you.

What these spots are known for

The same over 50 spots, sorted by the reasons people actually pick them.

Origin Stories Who built this and why? Rooftops and Patios Can we sit outside? Seafood and Oysters Who is getting good product in? Brunch Where is brunch worth the wait? Live Music Where can I eat and hear a real band? Private Dining and Buyouts Can we take a room? Neighborhood Institutions What has been here forever? Vegan and Plant-Based Where can I eat with no asterisks?

More ways to find a table

9 spots

Bodega on Central

EDGE District · latin street food, cuban, juice bar

Debbie and George Sayegh came from Brooklyn, where they ran restaurants including a Cuban coffee shop that used the same Cuban sandwich recipe Bodega serves today. George trained partly in Miami and fell for Latin food; the couple say they built Bodega for themselves because they were hungry for something different. It is a walk-up window with all outdoor seating and a juice bar next door, and the Cuban sandwich and lechon platter are the dishes the venue ties its name to. The same couple opened Baba in Grand Central in 2019 and closed it on 3 July 2026.

HaleLife Bakery & Bistro

Gateway · bakery, american, vegan bakery, gluten free bakery

HaleLife opened in 2017 as a dedicated kitchen that bakes without the top eight allergens: no gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts other than coconut, or shellfish, checked 'down to the manufacturer'. Everything is vegan and gluten free. The bakery says it has had no reported reactions since opening and that USA Today named it a top gluten free bakery in 2023, 2024 and 2025. It also has rooms in Tampa and Dunedin, and I Love the Burg reported a HaleLife Bistro at 2450 5th Ave S in the Warehouse Arts District.

House of Vegano

Grand Central District · vegan sushi, ramen, asian fusion

Thalia Tatham was diagnosed with lupus at 23 and went vegan in 2020 to take control of it; she told FOX 13 she was in remission within six months. She would not give up sushi, so she started making plant-based rolls for her family, then sold them at pop-ups and a weekly drop at Black Radish Vegan Grocer. Her first brick-and-mortar opened on 21 March 2022 inside Body Electric at 655 31st St S, and the restaurant has since moved to 1990 Central.

Mary Margaret's Olde Irish Tavern

Downtown · irish

Founded by Pete, Kat, Aaron and Ian and named for Pete's grandmother, whose beauty salon once filled this same storefront. Fish and chips and shepherd's pie come with vegan versions, and bands play Irish rebel music. I Love the Burg calls it downtown's number one spot for Premier League and big soccer matches ... it showed all 104 World Cup games with the sound on in 2026 and opens early for Celtic F.C.

Go early. It turns into a late-night spot later in the evening.

Nah Dogs

Grand Central District · vegan hot dogs

Jenny and Jeff Howe started Nah Dogs in 2019 as a roaming vegan hot dog cart at markets and festivals around Tampa Bay. In 2026 they moved into a small storefront that shares a courtyard with Black Crow Coffee and Tombolo Books. St. Pete Rising lists the Yo Soy Dog (nacho cheese, street corn salsa, pickled jalapenos, garlic mayo, tortilla chips) and The Captain (chili, cheese, fried onions, spicy mustard). The Tampa Bay Times reviewed the new room on 14 August 2026.

Pete's Bagels

Grand Central District · bagels, breakfast sandwiches

Steven Peterman started Pete's Bagels in 2019 in Historic Uptown. On 6 October 2026 the Grand Central shop moved four blocks from 2361 1st Ave S into the 4,200 square foot Quonset hut at 1900 1st Ave S, the former Good Intentions space, growing from 42 seats to about 100. Bagels are boiled and baked fresh, with house-made cream cheeses and breakfast sandwiches. Weekend brunch, evening beer, wine and cocktails and more vegan options are planned for the new room.

Plant Love Ice Cream

EDGE District · ice cream, dairy-free ice cream

The Matchin family opened Plant Love here in spring 2019. Mama Jo develops the recipes and her son Jordan handles expansion. The shop makes its dairy-free ice cream in house, more than 50 rotating flavors, and the own site now says it has added Hershey's dairy ice cream in 12 flavors at both shops. That means the counter that was fully vegan is no longer fully vegan.

Shiso Crispy

EDGE District · $$ · gyoza, asian fusion, bao

Chef Ronicca Whaley started Shiso Crispy as a food truck in Pinellas Park, hand-folding gyoza. The site says Tampa Bay Times readers voted it 'Best of the Best' in 2020 and 2021 and that she has appeared six times on Guy's Grocery Games. The Central Ave room is the original storefront and what the group calls its flagship; there is now a second St. Pete kitchen on the Jannus Block and one in downtown Tampa.

Shiso Crispy

Downtown · asian fusion, gyoza, bao

A food truck that grew into restaurants. The site says its hand-folded gyoza, dirty rice bowls and bao have been made from scratch 'since the food truck days', and I Love the Burg counted the downtown room, with a full kitchen and cocktail bar, among the best openings of 2025. It also has a Central Avenue shop at 1431 Central and one in Tampa. The downtown room stays open until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Open late. Go earlier if you want a calmer room.

Community Quotes

Recommendations from real St. Pete locals, always attributed to whoever wrote them.

Nobody’s shared a over 50 recommendation yet. Be the first.

Submit a Spot

Run one of these rooms?

Every St. Petersburg spot here already has a free profile going, put together from what you publish publicly. If we have you filed wrong, or we are missing what you most want to be known for, tell us.

Claim your profile St. Petersburg Discovery Report