eating in St Pete Beach, Fl
 

Would someone please advise some "dining" places for dinner in St. Pete Beach or environs. Also cheap eats for lunch. Thanks.
P.S. We ate dinner at Hurricanes - ok. Lunch at Leverocks - very good. Lunch at PJs=ok.

Popular veteran <b>Gigi's</b> has locations in Pasadena and St. Pete Beach. Great pizza and other traditional Italian dishes.

For breakfast, the venerable <b>Seahorse</b> in the heart of Pass-a-Grille.

(Alas, Robby's Pancake House has closed to make way for a steak restaurant.)

We liked Heilman's Beachcomber - we had lunch there.

Some of our favorite places:
1.Backfin Blue cafe in Gulport (wonderful!)It's in a converted house and a little pricey but worth it.
2. Billy's in Tierra Verde for stone crabs. They even give free water taxi rides.http://www.billysstonecrab.com/
3.Mid Pennisula Seafood. You can buy fresh seafood here and take it home for cooking or they have a restaurant and it's fresh, fresh, fresh! This would be great for lunch.
4. Cajun Grill on The Bayou in St Petersburg Also a great place for lunch.

topping for OP

Mid-Peninsula Seafood must be good. I was checking out Chowhound, and it was mentioned.
Any thoughts on Sea Critters or Skidders, or Habana Cafe?
Gigi's sounds promising, and it's nearby.
Thanks so much.

wopel
Mid Peninsula is good. We had a condo and bought fresh fish from them a couple of times that was very good. Joan is a poster here and she and her husband own it. He makes a wonderful spread for crackers that we could not get enought of.
We did like Sea Critters. We ate outside and enjoyed it.

Thanks, will give them a try. After all, ths is vacation!

Hey wopel, be sure and say hi to Don or Joan! Thanks for the thoughts, cd. It sure has been fun over the years meeting chowhounds and fodorites.

Wopel, I like Skidders - I read Wayne's post about it, and it has somewhat of a Greek diner feel, but solid food. I had an unusual gyro there, served open faced, but I really liked it.

Sea Critters is good especially for sitting outside. President Clinton ate there, if that means anything. For Cuban sandwiches, be sure to try the Floridian on 107th Ave on Treasure Island, it is across the street from the Pearl, the new place I mentioned to you on Chowhounds.

The Seahorse in Pass A Grille is the real deal. They only put A/C in a year ago. You can watch the boats at the Merry pier if you get a seat by the window. They're open for breakfast too (so is Le Croisette - mmmm). If you want Italian, IMHO skip Gigi's and check out either Vito and Michael's (on Blind Pass Rd) for pizza type place, or Alfredino's (Gulf Blvd) for authentic hand-kissing heavy duty romantic Italian.

We love the Wharf on Pass-a-Grill. It's not fancy, but the food is good and so is the view. Try the blackened Mahi-Mahi!

I dined at Alfredino's last week and was very unimpressed -- overpriced for the mediocre food.

We ate at Billy's Stone Crabs and Steak last night. Excellent waiter, Rich, and the best drink prices EVER! The food was good. Their house salad is excellent. I believe it's in Tiera Verde.
Any thoughts on Habana Cafe? We ate at &quot;the&quot; Columbia restaurant in Tampa last year. It would be hard to beat, but we love Cuban food and don't want to drive too far.
Again, thanks for all pointers.

I haven't eaten at the Habana in a few months, but I have always enjoyed it. The food has been consistently good over a period of several years, which doesn't happen in this area unless the restaurant is good.

I'll also re-endorse Skidders. Never saw anyone go away unhappy with the food or service. They don't take reservations, but they seem to be able to accommodate most people within a few mintues of their arrival--a feat that some restaurants can't accomplish even with reservations!!

Good basic family dining on Gulf Blvd can also be had at Crabby Bill's if you want seafood. The food isn't fancy, but it's fresh and well served.

However, I must tell everyone about a lovely restaurant that I fail to mention every time I post about St Pete Beach. This time, I remember: It's called Mangia, and it's located right on the main street (Corey Avenue) of the village of St Pete Beach. It's right across from the old-fashioned movie theater, which has some great movies that you might have missed. Mangia is family owned and operated, and Maria (the owner) along with her daughter Jill are wonderful people who have a nice moderately priced menu with most of the typical choices, plus a tapas menu that is very good. Mangia is especially good for a nice lunch if you want something more than a burger, and their dinners always feature something special. I would rank Mangia right along with Skidders as the two best places in St Pete Beach to eat, whether it's lunch or dinner.

Gekko, Alfredino's is disappointing, isn't it? Looks like it might be good, but noooooo. Your best Italian in SP now is Bella Brava downtown -- but it's a little pretentious and glitzy. Another spot that's only take out in SP Beach is Alberico's Pizza and Pasta on Blind Pass Road. Excellent but no dining room. Traditional with a touch of new age.

Honestly you'll do better driving into Tampa, a city with longtime Italian roots. Two really great spots in Tampa are Spartaco and Vino Y Pasta. Very very Italian. And if you like homemade pasta, the Ravioli Company makes it fresh all day long. Take out or make it yourself at home. All these are in South Tampa.

One more question. We have a birthday to celebrate, and the out of town folks are thinking of going in to St. Petersburg for dinner at Marchand's Grill. What are your thoughts? Can one have a &quot;special&quot; dinner at the Don Cesar?
That may have been more than one question!
Thanks,
Wendy

I had a &quot;special&quot; dinner at the Don. They have a wonderful dining room. It is also tres cher, quite pricey.

I don't know Marchands but it sounds vaguely familiar. Where is it? What are you looking for? If it's steaks, then you should go to Berns in Tampa for worldclass dining.

But if you want to stay on your side of the Howard Franklin Bridge then I'd suggest a short drive to the Island Way Grill in Clearwater. For a special dinner south of Clearwater, I'd go to the Lobster Pot in Redington. Or the Don. Both are very nice. The Don is wonderfully elegant.

I believe Marchands is in the Vinoy Resort. We may check out the DC as it is so close. Also the Lobster Pot. Close is nice for dinner.
Thanks again.

I've enjoyed my meals at the Vinoy but not because they were fabulous. The building is beyond fabulous, the food never quite excels. But I would not say don't go there. Just go expecting it to be good, the service is good, the food never seems to reach the heights of the surroundings. Maybe it is an impossible task though.

I know what you mean about close. Be sure to go to Groupers for lunch or dinner. It's a small place with very good very fresh food.

Thanks. The problem is I'm a Libra, so I'll never be able to decide, and will go to all! I'll be in touch with reports!

I'm back with reports! Ate dinner at the Lobster Pot - very good - ain't cheap!. Had lunch at Habanas - good and reasonable.
Since parking is $10 (for 1 minute or 1 hour) at the Don Cesar, I haven't gotten in to check on things. The chef's table sounds interesting, except that it's $140 each. Yikes!
Any thoughts on the Island Way Grill in Clearwater? Is it touristy?
Will be around the &quot;pier&quot; in St. P this weekend. May try the Columbia.
Thanks again for all your pointers.

Island Way is expensive but excellent. You'll have a good mix of locals there as it's one of the best restaurants at the beaches, an area with a lot of mediocre dining otherwise.

Chefs tables are normally fantastic, and always expensive. You can eat at the Don for far less than that...just not in the kitchen and Chef won't be preparing and discussing the dishes with you personally. :) My husband has done the Chef's table there and he was <u>mightily</u> impressed!

Island Way is wonderful. I heard the same people own the Beach Bistro which looks to be cheaper. But I like the view at Island Way.

Downtown the happening spot now is Bella Brava but frankly I think it's not that great. I ate there last wknd. I think Cafe Alma is better but not that good either. Downtown SP really needs something great, reasonable, etc. Moon Over Water is very reasonable and I've had good meals there. Pacific Wave and Redwoods are supposed to be very good but very pricey. For lunch be sure to go to the Chattaway in downtown SP, a CHEAP outdoor hamburger joint that's an institution. Get directions from someone else, I'm unreliable.

You're right about mediocre dining. I'm from Maryland, and we have wonderful restaurants. Down here seems to be a lot of the same. However, we'll keep eating!
My husband will be thrilled to go to the Chattaway - hamburgers are his favorite!

wopel, the problem is St. Pete. You can have your choice of wonderful restaurants, cheap eats, upscale nirvana, ethnic and cultural variety if you would only cross the bridge :o)

I disown that clown face. How did that happen!

Unless it's been sold since we lived there (moved in '05), the same people own Island Way as own Salt Rock Grill.

By the bridge - do you mean to Tampa? We stayed in Sarasota last year, and food was more upscale - more adventerous. Not fried grouper - although I like fried grouper.
we went to Billys Stone Crabs and Steaks - $2.50 for a martini before 7 - what a deal, but the food really isn't worth the drive.
We ate at the Columbia at the Pier in St. P yesterday - food and view great.
Another week, more restaurants!
Thanks to all, keep the info coming!

Mangia's is wonderful. Corey Ave in St. Pete Beach. Finally a good dinner - not fried food. Excellent choices. Tapas or a full entre. All choices were good.

Another vote for the Salt Rock Grill, not cheap, but very,very good. It's in Indian Rocks/Shores, about a 15-20 minute drive up Gulf Blvd from St. Pete Beach. Make reservations, though.

Update: We went to Skidders last night - it was great. Food and service were wonderful. Although it was very busy, things went smoothly.

wopel, you've got to try Crazy Conch Cafe on Tierra Verde (by Fort DeSoto). Went there again last night. Food and service was fabulous! Not stuffy at all, nice at sunset time too. You can sit outside also.

We are going to try Sea Critters on Saturday. Should we opt for Crazy Conch instead? We have 2 younger people with us!

Wopel, if they're younger - as in kids - then take them to Sea Critters so they can feed the catfish. If they're young as in - would they enjoy homemade potato chips with Maytag blue cheese, tuna tartare and the best gumbo this side of Nola....take them to Crazy Conch!

Have fun whatever you decide!

I ate last wknd. in Indian Rocks at Cafe du France (I hope I got that name right). It was pricey but not as pricey as I would have thought considering how terrific it was. The fixed-price (5 courses) was $37. The chef has a long lineage and the staff is great. Only problem is that it's tiny and you have to get a reservation. But great! I will be back!

I've not been to Mangia but it's supposed to be good. Joan, I finally made it to Billy's and I was very disappointed /:-) I was counting on your expertise! It just didn't do a thing for me. We passed the Crazy Conch -- guess I'll have to try that next to see if you can be redeemed.

BTW, there is a place in SPB under the bridge to Pasadena called the Blue Parrot. It has a sign that says it has the best food on the beach -- and when I was talking to a local they told me that was true!

Another place for reasonable food, with all you can eat specials and lots of local vibe is the R-Bar in downtown TI. You will probably turn around and leave the first time you go in (I did) but I'm glad I went back. It's a rather interesting spot, live music.

Good place for breakfast is Foxy's in downtown TI. I had some wings there recently and they were excellent but something else was mediocre, can't recall what but the wings were meaty and good sauce.

Why blame me TGirl? I did not mention Billy's here...I rarely do, except for stone crabs. A tourist trap (but sometimes they have their uses - as in sunset watching and free ride to Shell Island).

As for Foxy's, now you're the one who's got some redeeming to do. You gotta be joking!

Mangia is good, isn't it? But even better is The Pearl (across from Foxy's on Treasure Island 107th Ave).

Ahhh, the stone-crabs. OK, you're off the hook. I didn't get the stone crabs. And I think you also liked their sunset cruise which we missed.

If you've not had the wings at Foxy's, Joan, then you probably don't like wings. Yeah, yeah, the rest of it probably isn't worth eating but the wings were good.

We passed on The Pearl but only because we Tampans are tapas-ed out. But it is getting great reviews.

Off topic to TGirl: You are being paged over at Chowhounds. Scroll down to the thread called &quot;The show is back etc&quot;. What a popular gal!