Over 50 St. Pete

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.

Beach Drive · italian, pizza

A St. Pete-born trattoria and the original of a small group that now has rooms in Tampa and Land O' Lakes. Its own site says it was inspired by a 2003 trip through Tuscany and opened in 2005. The same owners run Stillwaters Tavern on the same stretch of Beach Drive.

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.

Downtown · new american

Chef Jason Ruhe and Hope Montgomery, husband and wife, spent years catering and consulting before opening what they call 'a true brick and mortar' of their own on the 500 block. The couple went on to open Seaworthy Fish + Bar in Tierra Verde in 2020 and Pulpo Kitchen + Lounge on Central in late 2024. I Love the Burg's staff wrote in June 2026 that its burger is perhaps the best in the city.

Treasure Island · american, seafood

Caddy's calls this one 'The Original', the beach bar on Sunset Beach that the Madeira Beach and Indian Shores rooms grew from. Helene's surge in September 2024 buried it in sand and debris and Milton tore the roof days later; owner Marcus Winters told Tampa Bay 28 'It was like a warzone.' The building was gutted, lifted and rebuilt to current code while the bar ran out of a big tent under a Treasure Island emergency measure Winters credits with saving the business. It reopened in the rebuilt building with a ribbon cutting about 18 months after the storms, around 1 April 2026, with roughly 135 staff back at work.

Grand Central District · mexican, tacos

Don and Gwen opened Casita after bonding over travel and planning vacations around what each city had to eat, which is how they landed on Mexican food. Corn tortillas are made in-house and the meats are slow-braised. Nearly fifteen years on there are three St. Pete locations ... Central Ave, 4th Street and 66th Street.

4th Street North · burgers, american

El Cap is the 4th Street burger bar with the red neon baseball sign. St. Pete Catalyst traces it to 1958, when Louis Joseph Svabek opened it in a 1948 building as one of his 'Cap' beer joints; Steve and Rose Bonfili of Pennsylvania took it over in 1963, and their son Frank turned it into what many call the city's first sports bar. Johnny Johnson has hand-formed the patties since 1992 and once made 2,300 in a day. Mary Jean Bonfili left the place to two longtime servers when she died in 2019, and in January 2023 Seed & Feed Hospitality, run by St. Pete natives, bought half while Cindy Nally kept the other half. The order is the World Champ cheeseburger.

EDGE District · burgers

A small burger sports bar with a hockey theme on the corner of 1st Ave N and 9th St, open since September 2012. Owner Jason Esposito is the son of Tony Esposito and nephew of Phil Esposito, both Hockey Hall of Famers and founders of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The bar does not take reservations.

Gulfport · bbq, soul food, southern

Jesse Sapp is the pitmaster, and the name honors his late sister, Kimberley Sapp. The Tampa Bay Times reports he cooks over oak and sometimes pecan on a pit smoker more than 50 years old, at the site of the former Hogley Wogley BBQ, and quotes him: 'We take pride in how we clean our ribs.' Spare ribs, chicken, top sirloin and pork shoulder come with mustard-based sauce, hot or mild.

EDGE District · italian, fresh pasta

A counter-style pasta bar opened in 2026 by two Italians, Alessandro and Giangiacomo, who write that they 'grew up with flour on our hands'. Pasta is made fresh daily and served in bowls ... ragu, carbonara, cacio e pepe, pesto. The site's banner reads 'Ciao St. Pete ... Fusillo is now open'.

Downtown · italian

Owners Domenic D'Angelo and Tony Mangiafico met in 1992 at a restaurant in Punta Gorda. Domenic started at the old Gratzzi Ristorante in BayWalk in 2001, where Tony was executive chef. When that restaurant closed in 2009, the two reopened it in 2010 as Gratzzi Italian Grille on 2nd Street South.

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.

The Deuces · soul food, southern

Heavy's started as a soul food truck working festivals and added a takeout restaurant at 22nd Street and 9th Avenue South, a move I Love the Burg reported in February 2020 with Kendrick Scott, Robb Lancaster and Ken Rhodes behind it. The site calls the founders 'two men on a mission' to serve soul food at fair prices. The turkey wings are the dish with its name on them, beside fried pork chops, oxtails and meatloaf.

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.

Downtown · italian, modern italian, pasta

Owner and executive chef David Benstock grew up in St. Petersburg, cooked elsewhere, and came home to open this room ... the name means 'The Return' in Italian. Local press says he has led it from downtown for more than a decade. Sheridan Scott is chef de cuisine. The kitchen is open, and the Chef's Bar beside it serves 8 to 9 courses that are not on the dining room menu for $275 a person before drinks and tax. A private dining room seats up to 14 at one custom wooden table. MICHELIN's inspectors singled out the pastas, and the DMO quotes the guide praising its 'boldness and flavor in spades'.

Grand Central District · izakaya, sake, french-japanese small plates, oysters, sake bar, ramen, small plates

In Between Days opened in August 2021 in a 1925 Craftsman bungalow, the idea of Pinellas native Zach Ashton, a recording artist turned restaurateur. It is modeled on Tokyo's underground listening bars ... a pair of 1972 Klipsch Cornwall speakers behind the bar, two turntables, and records played a full side at a time under oil lanterns. The room is small on purpose: its own profile counts 7 tables and 6 bar stools. Beverage director Noah Sain leads a team of sake sommeliers over what local press calls Florida's largest sake collection, and chef Justin Shwetzer cooks a short rotating menu of gyoza, hamachi, oysters and a noodle dish. It joined the MICHELIN Guide Florida in 2026.

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

The Deuces · sandwiches, soul food, cuban sandwich

Melissa 'Melly' Gardner opened LOVE22 on Juneteenth 2026 in the building where Lorene's Fish House cooked for 32 years. She calls it a new-age bodega: a downstairs takeout counter with sandwiches, salads, juices and free coffee, a patio with a bar, and a lounge upstairs. The Cuban sandwich uses pork smoked daily, and Sundays are for soul food. Gardner told the Tampa Bay Times she wanted fresh food on a corridor with real health gaps, and that Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy, who own much of 22nd Street, mentored her.

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.

4th Street South · seafood, fish market

Brothers Josh and James McMullen run a fish house whose roots go back to 1981 on 5th Avenue South. They grew up fishing with their father and grandfather and sell locally caught mullet, grouper and other fish alongside live bait and tackle. I Love the Burg listed it in February 2025 as a fish market with a food truck, and the family says a neighborhood cafe is planned.

MLK Street North · indian street food, bengali, kati rolls

First-time restaurateur Amita Mukherjee opened this 540 square foot room in January 2025 in the former Chi-town Beefs and Dogs space. Her parents came from India more than 50 years ago and she was raised in St. Pete; she built the menu around the Kolkata street food she missed, kati rolls first. The name pairs Mowgli from The Jungle Book with 'tiffin', the Indian word for a lunchbox or light meal.

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.

Downtown · florida coastal, coffee

Opened in February 2025 at the foot of the Pier in the former Hops and Props space, which grew from 1,200 to more than 5,000 square feet with a wraparound porch. It is named for C. Perry Snell, the developer behind Snell Isle. Owner Ryan Griffin, a St. Pete native whose Seed & Feed Hospitality also runs Trophy Fish, Mandarin Hide and El Cap, called it his 'love letter to St. Pete' and trains staff as ambassadors for the city's history. Cocktails carry local names like the Pink Streets Margarita and the Jungle Prada.

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.

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.

Grand Central District · moroccan coffee, mint tea, wine

Owner Sarah Aitcadi, whose family is Moroccan, opened Ruya on 11 October 2025 after years of travel through Europe and the Middle East. The name plays on the Arabic word for vision or dream. It is a day-into-night cafe ... Moroccan spiced coffee from a French press, mint tea served to share, sangria and wine ... using beans from St. Pete roaster Look Alive Coffee. The 1,650 square foot room was the If I Brewed the World microbrewery, and there is a pergola-shaded courtyard out back.

Grand Central District · vietnamese coffee, matcha, pastries

Haley Huynh moved from Vietnam to Tampa Bay more than 15 years ago and also owns Sip Tea Boba in Pinellas Park. 'Say' means obsessed in Vietnamese ... 'you drink it so much that you're obsessed with it'. The coffee is slow-dripped through a phin using robusta beans she imports from Vietnam, and the house specialty is egg coffee. It took the former Crisp Waffle Company space in 2026.

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.

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.

Perry Bayview · breakfast, diner, southern

Jack Thomas started Skyway Jack's in 1976 as a shack at O'Neill's Marina feeding boaters and fishermen near the Skyway, and moved it up 34th Street South about two decades ago. You find it by the giant Humpty Dumpty and the rooster out front. Breakfast runs all day, and the Food Network once picked Jack's scrapple as Florida's best breakfast dish. I Love the Burg later reported a new owner, Darren Forte.

EDGE District · sourdough bakery, sandwiches

Ariana Duksa started baking sourdough as a cottage bakery in her Seminole home, and she and Ryan Duksa opened the storefront in 2023. It sells naturally fermented loaves, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, soups and wraps. In September 2026 the owners announced a move to the 1926 Union Trust bank building at 895 Central Avenue, 11,000 square feet over three levels, expected in early 2027.

Warehouse Arts District · $$$ · american, wood-fired grill, bourbon, new american

The flagship of Horse Soldier Bourbon's restaurant arm ... 16,000 square feet over two floors in the Warehouse Arts District and the original home of the brand's bourbon tasting experience. The kitchen is built around a wood-fired grill. A second Urban Stillhouse has since opened in Somerset, Kentucky, and the company calls St. Pete 'the standard against which every Urban Stillhouse is measured'. It hosts ticketed wine dinners and a Halloween party, Spirits After Dark, set for 30 October 2026.

MLK Street North · pizza

Dan and Brit, a husband and wife, started The Violet Stone as a food truck in 2022 and now run a pizzeria on MLK Street North. The dough is hand tossed after a long ferment and made from scratch each day. Their own line about the business is 'We have absolutely no idea what we are doing'. I Love the Burg reported in February 2025 that the shop was moving to a larger space at 2609 MLK, and a Tampa room on West Kennedy is listed as coming soon.

4th Street North · bbq

Mike Leander and Tina Vierus started Treehouse BBQ in 2021 as a mobile catering outfit after a restaurant plan stalled in the pandemic, and they toured the Carolinas, Tennessee, St. Louis, Kansas City and Texas before settling the menu. St. Pete Rising lists Texas-style brisket, Carolina-inspired pulled pork and St. Louis-style ribs. The 1,200 square foot room is mostly carry-out, first come first served until the meat sells out, and the site currently limits brisket to 2 pounds a customer. They still set up at the Kenwood Sunday Market at St. Petersburg High School.

MLK Street North · diner, breakfast, american

Trip's opened on 12 March 2012 and is named for the owners' triplets, Libby, Will and John. The owners call it a 'Not-too-Fancy neighborhood restaurant' and serve breakfast all day beside meatloaf, pasta and sandwiches. The St. Pete diner is the original; the Tampa room on North Florida Avenue came later.

Grand Central District · indian

Lokesh Vale launched Twisted Indian as a food truck in St. Petersburg in 2016 and built a following at the Saturday Morning Market. The brick-and-mortar on Central opened in May 2022, more than a year later than first planned. The venue describes itself as modern quick-service Indian, and says its aim is to make Indian food less intimidating.