St. Pete's Beach / Clearwater / Indian Rocks Beach recs

I am looking for inexpensive to moderately priced, good food near the Tampa area beaches. Does anyone have any recommendations? I will be at Indian Rocks Beach, St. Pete Beach, and Clearwater Beach.

Has anyone been to Kooky Coconut for their sandwiches?

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=18603&hilit=tampa

Mega thread. Check it.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12760&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit

Be sure to report back, preferably on that thread so it's in one place and ez to find

PS, the most "LTH" place in the area is Keegan's. http://www.keegansseafood.com/ It has been "discovered" on Diners Drive In's and whatever, but they keep it real. Salt Rock Grill is a "fancy" place by beach standards with good steaks and a decent wine list. I find it irritating personally; the place strives for an air of exclusivity that doesn't jibe with the workingman's beach town atmosphere that makes that area so good. But if someone wants to go "nice" without leaving the beach, it's the obvious option.

Ted Peter's and Skyway Jack's should be on the list too.

Crabby Bills has a few locations around the area.
Had some great Grouper, frog legs and crab there years back.
http://www.crabbybills.com/

had a nice lunch here last June, great views of the gulf, grouper po'boys, bisque, fresh shrimp.

The Hurricane
807 Gulfway
St. Pete Beach, FL.

http://www.thehurricane.com

I enjoyed the grouper at Frenchys in Clearwater Beach ..and believe it or not there is a displaced Chicagoan making very good thin crust pizza in Clearwater as well..not sure if he is there anymore..he was north on Mandalay..think it was called Angelos if Im not mistaken

http://frenchysonline.com/

Thanks a lot for the info. I had created a new thread since I was not sure questions about restaurants outside of Tampa belonged in a Tampa thread. I'll update the Tampa thread after getting back. I plan to try Keegan, Kooky Coconut, Dockside Dave's, Arcos Iris, possibly Columbia, + ?.

Where ever ya go make sure to have some stone crab claws

The (other) Bay Area is treated pretty much like other contiguous population centers by those who live/travel there. Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater (sometimes Sarasota) share media outlets, sports teams etc.

Frenchy's is a favorite of mine too, though Clearwater can be a long drive in beach traffic from where you will be. Make sure you go to the original on the beach. They are Pasadita-like in that several are located within a short walk of each other.

Not as much a fan of the Crabby Bill's chain. Hurricane has been awful on my limited visits, but others have had good food. It's definitely a tourist place and definitely has great views. Keegan's and Rusty Bellies (see Tarpon Springs in the thread) are the best of class in my opinion among casual waterside grouper shacks, based on the chef and the day boat fleet, respectively. The other beach places mentioned (except Kooky Crab, never been) are solid IME.

Tropicana and Carmine's in Ybor are additional good breakfast/lunch options. Teresita for late night. Bern's for wine/steak. Always take suggestions about stuff outside the core foods (Cuban, southern, fish) with skepticism. No matter how good the Thai or Indian place is supposed to be, it probably isn't what you'd get here or another more cosmopolitan city.

Market on 7th/Demmis is a bar that has very solid NY pizza.

the org. crabby's bill's is in indianrocks beach,fl. is not part of chain ? or it was 'nt . i do like that one . but won't go to the other one's.

for the best grouper sandwich in that area is

DOCKSIDE DAVE'S
13203 gulf blvd
maderia beach,fl.


also
PHILTHY PHIL'S
ON THE WATER FRONT
great bar
st. pete beach,fl.

philw wrote:the org. crabby's bill's is in indianrocks beach,fl. is not part of chain ? or it was 'nt . i do like that one . but won't go to the other one's.

for the best grouper sandwich in that area is

DOCKSIDE DAVE'S
13203 gulf blvd
maderia beach,fl.


also
PHILTHY PHIL'S
ON THE WATER FRONT
great bar
st. pete beach,fl.

What is good at Crabby Bill's (Indian Rocks Beach location)? The condo I am staying at will be on Indian Rocks Beach.

There's a great East Coast/New York pizzeria in John's Pass (Madeira Beach) called DeLosa's.
The pictures and video on their site look kind of tacky, but it was tasty.

DeLosa's Pizzeria
12800 Village Blvd
Madeira Beach FL 33708
727-398-4657
http://delosaspizza.com/

shorty wrote:

philw wrote:the org. crabby's bill's is in indianrocks beach,fl. is not part of chain ? or it was 'nt . i do like that one . but won't go to the other one's.

for the best grouper sandwich in that area is

DOCKSIDE DAVE'S
13203 gulf blvd
maderia beach,fl.


also
PHILTHY PHIL'S
ON THE WATER FRONT
great bar
st. pete beach,fl.

What is good at Crabby Bill's (Indian Rocks Beach location)? The condo I am staying at will be on Indian Rocks Beach.

yes , it is right on gulf blvd also .
cut off's & t shirt place , picinic tables inside & you can staple a dollar to the wall and put your name on the bill, fun place.

dockside dave's is down the road just south .
there also a good place in john's pass shopping center just down gulf blvd.& boat ride's ect, all the fun stuff.
have fun

Hey,

I'm here right now. I'll be posting about this trip in the mega thread linked to above in the next day or two. I tried a couple of new and worthy places along with some old favorites on this trip. Stay tuned. Details coming.

philw wrote:the org. crabby's bill's is in indianrocks beach,fl. is not part of chain ? or it was 'nt . i do like that one . but won't go to the other one's.

There are at least 8 listed on the web site. Indian Rocks is the original. Like I said, there are plenty of good grouper places on the beach. Very nearby, Keegan's is exceptional.

JeffB wrote:Like I said, there are plenty of good grouper places on the beach. Very nearby, Keegan's is exceptional.

Although I rarely dissagree with JeffB's take on things, in this case recent experience has shown Dockside Dave's to have the superiar grouper sandwich.

Sorry if I wasn't completely clear. Dockside Dave's is good in my experience (I meant to include it in my "solid" catchall). While the Hurricane and the original Crabby Bills can be good, I've had some less good food there, particularly at the Hurricane (though still very much worth a visit for the view alone). I've only had great stuff at Keegan's, where I was a semi-regular long ago. Keegan's has a quite varied and original menu compared to similar spots as well. I'd hate to think there's been a down-hill movement there in the wake of DD&D exposure, but it's been some time since my last visit. Looking forward to Steve's current report!

If I am looking for a good Cuban sandwich and want quality over quantity, is Columbia the best place to go?

Don't miss the Don Cesar in St Pete

Depends on your definition of quality. The way some here prefer a "30's Style Burger," a Schoop's or an In-n-Out over a dry-aged organic whatever on fancy bread in a steakhouse or gastro-pub, I prefer a well-pressed Cuban in a cafeteria or diner at 2 am. But I think I know what you mean. Columbia recently made a serious effort to get back to its roots and recreate the real Cuban with top-notch ingredients. This is recent; after Steve's prior report. Try it and let us know. It's a sandwich, not a huge investment by any standard.

More of a sure bet, which I should have mentioned before, is Brocato's. It's kind of in a nowhere neighborhood, but it is very good. http://tampabay.citysearch.com/profile/ ... _shop.html Brocato's is often singled out for having better quality ingredients than other shops.

Alessi is another place that has very good "quality" Cubans. It is an Italian (Sicilian really) bakery originally, which has turned into an importing powerhouse over the years. Alessi products show up in grocery stores all over the place, including Jewel. They also own the Spanish-goods importer, Vigo, I believe. The Alessis are also great boxing promoters. http://www.alessicatering.com/ Alessi is one of the last places in Tampa making schiacciatta (spelled in Tampa as the Anglicized "scachatta"), which is bakery sheet pizza similar to that found here and in NYC. Good Italian pastry too.

Alessi is a good place to get a feel for old Tampa's unique confluence of Spanish, Cuban, and Italian cultures.

While they don't have the very best Cubans, I still really love both Tropicana and Carmines, both on 7th in Ybor, for breakfast and lunch based on atmosphere. Carmines is more Italian. If I had to choose one, it would be Tropicana. The scene is basically Manny's: locals, politicians, lawyers, city workers, and few tourists, despite being in a touristy area. You must get cafe con leche, a devil crab, and Spanish Bean Soup at Tropicana. Get the Cuban pressed, without lettuce and tomato (a now long-established and disturbing trend in Tampa and Miami is to offer lettuce and tomato). Tropicana is open for breakfast and lunch only, closed Sunday.

I've just posted about my trip to the Tampa Bay area over in the main thread.

stevez wrote:I've just posted about my trip to the Tampa Bay area over in the main thread.

I enjoyed your trip report. I am looking forward to trying out some of the places which you mentioned in your report.

The wife and I took a trip to Maderia beach last Aug and even though it took a few days found plenty of good eats.

Top 2 that I would make regular spots if I lived in the area were Keegans which many have talked about and Wahoo's Dockside Pub.

Keegans was a very good time. Fresh fish, big menu full of choices with something for everyone.

Wahoo's was however our sleeper. It looks like a dive bar in a small strip mall from the road and inside looks even more like a dive but it was amazing.

More bar than restaurant they have an open kitchen and a blackboard menu to order from. Our first visit we each had a blackened grouper sandwich and a few beers and everything could not have been better. We returned the next day for lunch and the bartender ended up talking me into the daily special which was a smothered pork schnitzle with a bell pepper gravy and garlic mashed potatoes. Now this was not what I was expecting on a hot August day to be served or to enjoy but it truly went down as one of the 5 best things I ate all of 2009.

Also great Beer Cheese soup with crab.

Regards,

Bourbon

Bourbon wrote:The wife and I took a trip to Maderia beach last Aug and even though it took a few days found plenty of good eats.

Top 2 that I would make regular spots if I lived in the area were Keegans which many have talked about and Wahoo's Dockside Pub.

Thanks for the info. I am not sure how good the seafood will be in June given the oil leak situation.

shorty wrote:

Bourbon wrote:The wife and I took a trip to Maderia beach last Aug and even though it took a few days found plenty of good eats.

Top 2 that I would make regular spots if I lived in the area were Keegans which many have talked about and Wahoo's Dockside Pub.

Thanks for the info. I am not sure how good the seafood will be in June given the oil leak situation.

There's no oil within hundreds of miles of there. Hopefully, it will stay that way.