Live Music, Top Picks

974 58th St. N
St. Petersburg, FL 33710
(727) 343-0304
Bar Type: Rock

From the memorabilia and personal touches everywhere - Beatles pictures, Howling Wolf and Janis Joplin concert posters and a wall dedicated to boxing champions - there is feisty energy and rock 'n' roll all around you. Full liquor bar and clean taps; Bollocks, Guinness, Boddington's, Bass, Newcastle, Stella Artois, Harp, Miller Lite, John Courage Amber Ale, Warsteiner Pale Ale, McEwan's, Strongbow cider and Tucher are all on draft.

The spot: Abbey Road Pub is that rare exception, a pleasant hangout and haven for bands. Owner and charming British fellow Brian Winstanley has operated Northeast St. Pete pub Limey's. With loyal staff in tow, he opened his new bar in August 2005, colonizing a rocking new world in the middle of sleepy west-central St. Pete. From the memorabilia and personal touches everywhere - Beatles pictures, Howling Wolf and Janis Joplin concert posters and a wall dedicated to boxing champions - there is feisty energy and rock 'n' roll all around you. The medium-size bar's soothing blue walls, layout that's friendly to band watching and cleanliness may cause initial disbelief, but once inside, a good-natured vibe settles in, enhanced by an excellent sound system, friendly servers and great selection of beers, stouts and ales on tap. If you're not familiar with Tyrone Gardens shopping center, you might blink and miss the sign in the notch of the plaza. The bar is in the back corner of the center's apex, where a tiny atrium sits. Pool table, darts and a golf video game.

The word: Burly bouncer Mikey Fleury greets customers as the come in and regulates the scene without being jerky or obnoxious. One of the crossovers from Limey's, Fleury says he loves coming to work at Abbey Road and is not hesitant to eject drunks who try to cause a scene.

The juice: Full liquor bar and clean taps; Bollocks, Guinness,
Boddington's, Bass, Newcastle, Stella Artois, Harp, Miller Lite, John Courage Amber Ale, Warsteiner Pale Ale, McEwan's, Strongbow cider and Tucher are all on draft.

The grub: N/A

The selling point: The tunes, for sure. During the week, you can hear singer-songwriters perform more laid-back sets, and on Fridays and Saturdays, full bands play. Styles lean more toward the "adult alternative" end of the spectrum - traditional rock, hippie-jam and power-pop - nothing too brash or offensive, but energetic enough to appeal to the young 'uns. The jukebox is fancy and high-tech, featuring a high resolution color touch screen and the capability to play your song ahead of others for additional coinage. The selection is mostly classic rock - Beatles, of course, Led Zeppelin, Sly and the Family Stone and Santana. The selection process takes a little longer and can feel tedious when you're tipsy, but it's a sweet little machine. The bar also has digital radio programming, which features selection info on a big-screen TV over the bar. On our visit, it played Bruce Springsteen's Rosalita.