Shephard's draws quite the flock
Tiki Bar and Wave Club at Shephard's Resort
619 S Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater; (800) 237-8477
Shephard's Tiki Bar, a bustling hangout of SPC students and middle-aged beach bums, does it up with beach-bar gusto: thatch hut lounge, cover bands and fruity cocktails galore. It's a setting you'll either a) regard as beach vacation heaven or b) declare a cultural disaster area, condemning Jimmy Buffett.
Regardless of where you reside on the beach bar spectrum, you can't deny Shephard's' friendly service, pretty view of the Intracoastal Waterway and refreshing gulf breeze.
The draft selection includes Yuengling, Foster's, Amstel, Heineken and Miller, and the cocktails are sweet in a 7-Eleven Slurpee way and are named after ships and beach nookie. The mixed drinks are the way to go, strong enough to make you forget you're singing along to Brown-Eyed Girl for the third time. Menu includes Floribbean favorites and traditional pub grub, like grouper nuggets, nachos and seafood sandwiches.
If you're not feeling the flip-flop vibe of the Tiki Bar, head inside to the resort's lost booty-shaking city of Atlantis - Shephard's Wave Club. It features chrome fixtures, a wicked light show, Top 40 tunes and hip-hop DJs, along with some bands. Contests with pretty beach bunnies and handsome studs provide voyeuristic frivolity without pesky one-on-one contact.
Come by land, or by sea - but make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen. You'll be there a while.
Undertow Beach Bar
3850 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach (727) 368-9000
A sprawling patio, tiki, and indoor and outdoor bars welcome folks seeking the ultimate Florida beach bar experience. It's where you can soak up a panorama as intoxicating as the bar's Rum Runner with a Bacardi 151 floater. Hippies, yuppies, sun worshipers, boaters, bikers and retirees frequent the place; there's more khaki and baseball caps than a Docker's ad. Shoot pool inside if you get bored. Video games are on the premises, too. The real draw is a decidedly more analog amusement on the patio that entails a string, a latch and a hook. Undertow's impressive draft selection includes Guinness, Yuengling, Sam Adams Winter Lager (or Summer ale, depending on the season), Blue Moon, Stella Artois, Bass, Dos Equis and Killian's. Parking gets tight, with the bar's 42-spot lot filling up quickly on weekends, so consider the public lot a few blocks down the beach or pay to park at a nearby hotel. The menu doesn't have any unique standouts, but 'Tow-heads make a great BLT sandwich and heap of peel-and-eat steamed shrimp.
Rattle Fish Raw Bar and Grill
5210 W Tyson Ave., Tampa; (813) 902-1071
The pristine restaurant/bar, tucked nearly out of sight on a side street off Westshore Boulevard features a large, sleekly decorated dining room with tall comfy booths and dark hardwood fixtures. A huge outdoor dining area overlooks the bay, with views of downtown St. Pete skyline (on a clear day) amid the plants and cranes of Port Tampa. A respectable tap selection pours a house lager that's like a Newcastle but milder, plus Guinness, Bass, Stella Artois, Miller Lite and Yuengling Lager. Specialty drinks are great here, too. Eats are better than average, but a bit overpriced. The only sandwich on the menu less than $10 is the create your own burger or chicken. A half-dozen of the establishment's fine oysters are $7.99.
Rick's on the River
2305 N Willow Ave., (813) 251-0369
The friendly, super-casual and crowded waterfront hangout by the Hillsborough River boasts multicolored umbrellas, female servers and an affordably decent surf and turf menu. Brews include Bud, Michelob, Miller, Coors Light, Amberbock and Killian's on tap. This is one of those rare places that you'll see some good ol' boy get relaxed enough to order a frozen cocktail or two and sneak one for the road on his Harley. As far as the food goes, it's gotten a lot better over recent years. So if you've had a bad experience in 2000, give it another chance. The menu ranges from greasy-good wings, stuffed potato skins and burgers to healthy-good salads with mixed greens and amazing fresh fruit concoctions, topped with grilled chicken or grouper. The smoked fish spread is highly recommended for snacking, and the grouper sandwich is fresh and filling. Plus, there's a tasty raw bar and uniquely entertaining cover bands. You can even get your hair cut there at a salon on the premises.
Palm Pavilion
10 Bay Esplanade St., Clearwater; (727) 446-2642
The PP is where folks go when the saturated Rockaway Grill won't squeeze in any other patrons. The spacious layout of the white wood-frame building and its swift servers accommodate large crowds comfortably and efficiently. Even at sunset, there's rarely a wait. While away on big wrap-around porch, enjoying stunning views of Clearwater Beach's shoreline and sugary white sand, or dine indoors in the cool A/C. Full liquor and beer are served, and the PP makes the best pina colada in the south. (See next page for more info on this signature drink.) The grub is better than average, too. Choose from grouper tacos, surf 'n' turf sandwiches and salads, jerk chicken and grilled portobello wraps. Rock, folk, reggae and jazz performers entertain day and night.
Gators Cafe and Saloon
12754 Kingfish Drive (mile marker 7.8), Treasure Island; (727) 367-8951, www.gatorscafe.com
Gators is a huge hot spot, packed to the gills on weekends. It's more than a bar devoted to University of Florida's football team; it's a multi-level watering hole-restaurant that's local-friendly rather than touristy, and claims to have the "world's longest waterfront bar." Owned by the Rice family, the Treasure Island mainstay combines casual beach bar trashiness and upscale sports bar preppiness to great effect. Live bands play every day. Six full-liquor bars on the premises serve the usual domestics, plus Killian's Irish Red, Blue Moon, Bass Ale, Guinness, Newcastle and Yuengling are on tap. Rum runners and mai tais are good and strong, or choose from a slew of specialty margaritas and tropical cocktails. On Friday and Saturday nights from 9 to close, the King Gator's Swamp gets its night club on with with DJs and dancing. Food is hit or miss, but when it hits it scores. The sandwiches are top notch.
Woody's Waterfront
7308 Sunset Way, St. Pete Beach; (727) 360-9165; www.woodyswaterfront.com
Established in 1945 as a bait house, the St. Pete Beach shanty has held strong on its tiny blind spot of a beach inlet and is always packed with locals and tourists. Inside, the small dining room accommodates regular and tall tables, TVs perch at every angle and wood planks predictably compose the walls. A U-shaped bar is almost invisible behind gray pony-tailed dudes and their beach bunny girlfriends, and photos and surf boards hang on the walls and from the ceiling. Outside, a modest concrete patio with counters and umbrella-topped tables gets you inches from the Gulf of Mexico, with tacky, wacky Christmas lights strung above like multicolored stars. Woody's still serves ginormous 16-ounce drafts for $2. No wonder the place is always packed. On draft are Miller Light, Rolling Rock, Icehouse, Killian's Red and Coors Lite. Order one of the prettiest drinks in a clear plastic cup, the Sangria 'Rita - a tequila-soaked cloud floating in a red pool. Better food for the buck than just about any beach bar in Pinellas.
