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Restaurant suggests in St. Pete Beach and Sarasota ares

Jwerking

Jwerking

TUG Member
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Messages
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Location
Virginia Beach VA
Resorts Owned
Marriott Barony Beach Club, Marriott Summit Watch, Port of Call (HHI), Mayan Palace
Will be at Longboat Key for the week prior to Xmas and at St. Pete Beach during Xmas week. Would appreciate some restaurant suggestions!

For the Longboat Key week - just my adult daughter and I and we love any type of food. Cuban, greek, and seafood would top my list. Would prefer moderately priced. We will likely go out at lunch - as my daughter will be teleworking for a CA firm - so can break for lunch but likely not for dinner. We love ethnic buffets just for variety of choice and having the ability to try diff dishes - so let us know if there are any great ones around - thai, indian, etc.

Would also appreciate suggestions for St. Pete!

Thank you

Joyce
 
If there's a Colombia Restaurant near you, try that. It's a local chain, and some may say the Tampa location is the best, but the Cuban food is good with a nice atmosphere.
 
Joyce,

We like Leverock's in Pasadena. (Used to be a large chain,, but now just this one is left.) Early bird's until 5:30 pm. Also some at John's Pass; Friendly Fisherman, and Scully's one on boardwalk. Plus there is a Bubba Gumps and Hooters. We like Habana Cafe in Gulfport for Cuban food. At St. Pete Beach are several restaurants.

Nancy

ps. There is a Columbia restaurant almost to Clearwater Beach at Sand Key. Let me know if you need any more info on this area.

pss. Should have looked up names before posting.

Okay editing again. See you are staying at Sand Pebbles. It's not really in St. Pete, but Treasure Island. From resort you can walk to John's Pass.
 
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Nancy said:
Joyce,

We like Leverock's in Pasadena. (Used to be a large chain,, but now just this one is left.) Early bird's until 5:30 pm. Also some at John's Pass; Friendly Fisherman, and Scully's one on boardwalk. Plus there is a Bubba Gumps and Hooters. We like Habana Cafe in Gulfport for Cuban food. At St. Pete Beach are several restaurants.

Nancy

ps. There is a Columbia restaurant almost to Clearwater Beach at Sand Key. Let me know if you need any more info on this area.

pss. Should have looked up names before posting.

Okay editing again. See you are staying at Sand Pebbles. It's not really in St. Pete, but Treasure Island. From resort you can walk to John's Pass.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Nancy. So Friendly Fisherman, and Scully's at John's Pass - is that correct? We stayed at Sand Pebbles about 15 yrs ago when my kids were young - oh, my gosh, can't believe it has been that long ago - since they are both in their mid to late 20s now.

Is there a Hurricane Rest - is that still good? How about the pink hotel - something Cesar?? Would that be someplace special for a Xmas dinner? Or any other suggestions for a great Xmas brunch somewhere??

thank you

JOyce
 
The Pink Hotel is Don Cesar at St. Pete Beach. It is still there and still very nice. Not sure what they have/do for Christmas lunch, but it would be an option if they are open. Only saying that because one year we flew into Tampa on Christmas Day and there weren't many restaurants open that day. The other one you mentioned I don't know about but will research.

Nancy

ps. Any other questions about this area, please ask. I live here part-time.
 
Hurricane Restaurant

Okay, now I know where it is. It still is there, but I have not eaten there. It is at Passa-Grille Beach with is the southern most tip of St. Pete Beach.

Nancy
 
Thank you, Jim and Nancy, you both have been a great help with restaurant suggestions and I pretty much have at least some ideas of place we may want to go.

Upon leaving TPA about 1 pm - I think that we will stop for lunch at the Columbia Rest. in Tampa for some Cuban food enroute to our first week's timeshare at White Sands of Longboat Key. I am so excited that both of my adult daughter's are going to join me here for the first week - first time in many years that the girls and I will spend a whole week together without my hubby or son-in-law. We can do whatever we want - just like the good old days.

I had to pay almost $700 to change my daughter's airline ticket from Korea to TPA to a week earlier - ouch - but it is worth it to see her for two whole weeks.

Have some good suggestions for local places in the Longboat Key area. My older daughter will be telecommuting - so will have to work evenings EST - so we cannot go out to dinner. Maybe we can go out to lunch a few days - but hate to give up my "sun time" to go eat lunch esp. when winter days are short. Plus, the following Xmas week on Treasure Island when the hubbies are there may not result in as much "sun time" because neither one of them love the beach like the girls and I.

Joyce
 
I asked some friends about Christmas Dinner and they agreed with me that finding anyplace open would be the problem. Good luck.

Nancy
 
My $0.02 worth...

Jwerking said:
Will be at Longboat Key for the week prior to Xmas and at St. Pete Beach during Xmas week. Would appreciate some restaurant suggestions!
Click to expand...

While not actually in St. Pete Beach itself, it's worth the drive (north on Gulf Boulevard the whole time) to go to Guppy's in Indian Rocks Beach. It's my favorite restaurant in that entire area, by far. Excellent food (including all of their seafood), excellent service. Not cheap, but not exorbitant (like the seriously overrated Salt Rock Grille in nearby Indian Shores).

There was a funky little Cuban place within St. Pete Beach that we liked, situated right on the east side of Gulf Blvd. I can't recall the exact name, but it may have been Cafe Habana, or something like that (Havana was definitely in the name). Unpretentious place, not fancy (to say the least) and good, authentic Cuban food. Cheap but weak Margueritas --- if you like these drinks pay the extra freight to "double up" on the Tequila (if you are not the one in your group doing the driving, that is...). ;)
 
Nancy said:
I asked some friends about Christmas Dinner and they agreed with me that finding anyplace open would be the problem. Good luck.

Nancy
Click to expand...

Oh well - maybe I will have to cook - LOL!

My oldest daughter and son-in-law want to go to Universal to go see the Harry Potter attraction. I told them that Xmas day has the least crowds - otherwise, it is going to be a mob scene as this week is one of the busiest during the entire yr along with Easter week. So I think that is what they are doing on Xmas anyway.

I really dont' think I am going - not my thing as I don't like amusement parks because I get sick on the rides. So why should I spend my Xmas day driving 6 hrs RT to Orlando and paying probably about $90 for admission for something I have no desire to do. So my hubby and I will probably be by ourselves on Xmas anyway - or I will be by myself, if he chooses to go. And probably with no car since the kids will have it. Ah well, we can always just grill a few steaks - easy enough.
 
Two good St Pete Beach options

Jwerking said:
Would also appreciate suggestions for St. Pete!
Click to expand...

It's been a few years since I've been there, but two fun family restaurants I remember visiting (must be good if I remember 4 years later) were Crabby Bill's (www.crabbybills.com/SPB.html) and Philthy Phils. Neither was fancy, but both were fun.

Both restaurants are in nice waterfront settings right in St Pete Beach.
 
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Once you get there, I'd check which restaurants within walking distance might be open. Usually one (or maybe two and split the day) will be open in a touristy area.

Nancy
 
Some of the places you are metnioning are pretty far up Gulf Blvd from St. Pete Beach.

Anything north of Treasure Island is just to far to drive for a restaurant dinner in my opinion. Too many good ones closer.

Of the ones mentioned so far I would go with Sloppy Joes at the Bilmar in Treasure island. My thoughts on some others are:

Leverock's is good.

Guppy's is waaaaaaaay overated. Most people go once and don't go back.

Everyone likes the Columbia.

Never been to Friendly Fisherman at Johns Pass but Bubba Gumps is strictly a tourist place. You go once and dont bother again.

Maritana Grill is the place at the Don Cesar. Never been but friends tell me they liked it. I think they have a nice Sunday brunch.

Silas Dents is popular.

The Frog Pond is great and you will not leave hungry.

Crabby Bills is not the original. The original is in Indian Rocks but this one is similiar and very beachy.

Ted Peters is similiar to Crabby Bills. It's the place if you want really good smoked fish like mullet. Eat in or take out.

The Hurricane is right on Pass A Grille and is very popular.

If you do decide to leave the St. Pete Beach area here are a few more.

Tsunami's is not far away in the Tyrone area of St. Pete and is an excellant Japanese steakhouse.

Osaka's in Madeira Beach is the best sushi place on the beach.

If you want to take a drive up Gulf Blvd and take in the beach sites head all the way up to Clearwater Beach/Sand Key. Just before you go over the Causeway from Sand Key to Clearwater Beach you will see the Sand Key Marriott on the right. Inside is Watercolours restaurant. Very nice and can guarantee it will be open on Christmas and they are usually on restaurant.com.

Me? I'll probably be home with the family doing a smoked turkey with Citrus wood and calling my friends up north rubbing it in.
 
Restaurant

If you want to try something an little more upscale-try The Black Palm on 8th St. in Passe a Grille. It has entertainment on the week ends and has a Latin flare-not open for lunch!!
 
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