St Pete Beach Bars and Restaurants

Published on 05/07/21: Post 2 of 3 on beautiful St. Pete Beach, focusing on some of our favorite ‘toes in the sand’ beach bars & restaurants. All of this along TripAdvisors #1 beach in the U.S. Please add your SPB favorites in the comments! I’ll wrap up this #LovingStPeteBeachTowns series with a final post on each of the 10 local beach towns, focusing on YOUR favorites.

One of our favorite SPB activities is a late afternoon beach ‘stroll’ with friends (I’m old, #BarCrawl sounds too ‘crazy’). Grabbing a beverage or appetizer from eight or so beach bars/restaurants. And then finishing up at Jimmy B’s Beach Bar & Bistro with their band and dance floor. This is our go-to ‘game plan’ for SPB, four years running now, and I can’t recommend it enough. Doesn’t matter what you eat or drink, alcohol or no alcohol. The objective is to soak in the beach vibes, sand, sunset and atmosphere. We’re talking guitarists strumming tropical tunes at most of the places below and occasional firepits to set the tone.

My Recommended Two-Mile Beach Crawl on St Pete Beach

To begin, grab a table in the sand at Bongos Beach Bar – directly behind the Bellwether Beach Resort.

From here, head north 50 yards to the Sirata Beach Resort which includes Rum Runners Bar & Grille as well as Harry’s Beach Bar.

As the sun fades away, pause to toast the incredible sunset and then continue north to TradeWinds Island Resorts. Here you’ll find Salty’s Tiki Bar, Flying Bridge, SandBar Beach Bar, and RumFish Beach Resort (formerly ‘Guy Harvey Outpost’).

At this point continue north, skipping Jimmy B’s *momentarily* to visit Postcard Inn on the Beach’s beach bar! While at PCI, make sure to stroll through their property. You’ll find lights strung through the trees and games such as cornhole, ping pong, Connect Four. We love the feel of PCI’s property as it reminds us of a beach retreat. A bit weathered, yet radiates a fun, casual, beach vacation – with focus on the simple things in life.

Once you wrap up at PCI, head back next door to Jimmy B’s at the Beachcomber Beach Resort Hotel and settle in for the rest of the evening. Spread out on their huge, multi-level patio overlooking the Gulf and enjoy the array of food options, multiple bars and most likely a fun band playing tunes you know.

This 2-mile stroll feels much shorter, given the eight stops and the sights/sounds along the walk. However, if you grow tired, use the Free Island Hopper! This taxicab operates between PAG and 150th Ave in Madeira Beach. Tip well, drivers depend on it! Phone # is 727-217-6935. Note: If you do as we do and take of your shoes off for this stroll, don’t forget them at the prior place!

Keep an eye open for wedding receptions

Lastly: Adding to the entertainment, are the occasional wedding receptions you’ll pass on the weekends. Don’t pull a #WeddingCrashers, as it’s easy to simply enjoy the scene respectfully from the sand, often with 80’s and 90’s dance jams playing. Couple weekends ago we passed two in 10 minutes, plus a birthday party with fun DJ. We can confirm it’s easy to dance like no one’s watching when you’re on the beach in the dark! Enjoy!

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