It’s midnight, or later, and you’ve been drinking in Downtown St. Pete. It would be a shame to quell your late-night munchies with a value item from Taco Hell. Instead, try one of these wee-hour-friendly joints open until midnight or later.
ACROPOLIS GREEK TAVERNA 515 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-823-1010, acropolistaverna.com. The Acropolis kitchen is open weekends until 1 a.m. That means souvlaki platters, spanakopita, and dolmades need to be eaten.
THE AVENUE EAT/DRINK 330 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, 727-851-9531, theavenuedtsp.com. Take a bite out of the mac and cheesy burger, and your mouth will fill with cheesy pasta and burger goodness. Order the sweet potato fries, topped with honey and brown sugar. On Friday and Saturdays the kitchen stays open until roughly 12:30 a.m.
THE BURG BAR AND GRILL 1752 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-894-2874, theburgbar.com. Get the double grilled cheese bacon burger, where the two grilled bacon cheese sandwiches function as a bun for 8 ounces of Angus beef. Kitchen is open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
BURRITO BOARDER 17 Third St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-209-0202, burritoboarder.com. Nothing fancy here, just good ingredients and friendly staff. Just about everything here will satisfy your basic need for cheese, crunch, meat, guacamole and beans at 2 a.m. Open Friday and Saturday until 3:30 a.m.
CEVICHE 10 Beach Drive, St. Petersburg, 727-209-2299, ceviche.com. Fresh bread with olive oil dipping sauce is never a bad way to wind down the night. Choose from seafood, meat, and veggie tapas plates. Wash it all down with red or white sangria. The kitchen is open on Friday and Saturday until 2:15 a.m.
CENTRAL AVENUE OYSTER BAR 249 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-897-9728, centralaveoysterbar.com. If you’re a late-night shucker, the Oyster Bar has some seriously fresh mollusks. The kitchen is open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Can’t decide between fresh, fried or spicy? Get the oyster trio and pick three for snacking.
CROWLEY’S DOWNTOWN 269 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-821-1111, crowleysdowntown.com. Please order the pub fries and gravy, well done. Potatoes and gravy make a winning pair, but handheld fried potatoes and gravy — heaven. Looking to slip into a gentle slumber? Try the Irish Bangers with sausage, mashed potatoes, onions and brown gravy. The kitchen is open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
DÖÖNERS 21 Third St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-623-4848, doonersus.com. The German- and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine is perfect for post-drink rumbling tummies. The Döner sandwich comes with white and red cabbage, red pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, tzatziki sauce and choice of meat on freshly baked naan bread. Open Friday and Saturday until 3:30 a.m.
FIVE BUCKS DRINKERY 247 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-896-5118, fivebucks727.com. By 2 a.m., Five Bucks is usually the most crowded bar on Central. That’s probably because the menu is cheap and the food is deliciously greasy. Choose from a variety of specialty hot dogs, wings, nachos, and sandwiches. Open Friday and Saturday until 3 a.m.
THE GARDEN 217 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-896-3800, gardendtsp.com. The Garden offers a full menu until midnight on weekends, and a limited late-night menu is available until 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Order Tommy’s Tips, succulent tenderloin tips in garlic and olive oil. It is probably the best meal available past midnight downtown.
GEORGIE’S ALIBI 3100 Third Ave. N, St. Petersburg, 727-321-2112, georgiesalibi.com/stpete. After a long night of dancing to Britney Spears, you are bound to be hungry. Thankfully, Georgie’s offers a late-night menu from 11 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. Try the fried green beans, buffalo wings, or some crispy beer-battered onion rings.
JOEY BROOKLYN’S FAMOUS PIZZA KITCHEN 210 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg, 727-822-6757, joeybrooklynsfamouspizzakitchen.com. A few slices of Joey Brooklyn’s and you are certain to have a good night’s sleep. Try the five-cheese blend pizza with mozzarella, ricotta, baked gouda, feta and parmesan. Open every day until 3 a.m.
MIDTOWN SUNDRIES 200 First Ave S, St. Petersburg, 727-502-0222. Midtown makes some of the best wings available downtown. Each wing or drumstick is saucy, meaty and messy. The kitchen is open until 1 a.m. on the weekends.
QUEENS HEAD EUROBAR 2501 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-498-8584, thequeensheadbar.com. Queens Head’s kitchen is open until midnight on the weekends, so mosey down early. Lounge under the stars while noshing on crispy chickpeas dusted with paprika. Queens Head is truly a relaxing way to unwind after a downtown romp.
ROLLBOTTO 221 First St. NE, St. Petersburg, 727-487-2681, rollbottosushi.com. Rollbotto is the late-night new kid on the block, with a build-your-own approach to sushi that’s quickly becoming a favorite. Design your own roll with a slew of ingredients or choose from one of their sushi roll recipes. Prices are cheap, too, considering the quality. Sometimes they throw in a free draft beer on the weekends with a meal. Open Friday and Saturday until 2 a.m.
TACO BUS 2324 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-322-5000, taco-bus.com. The iconic yellow bus is open 24 hours Thursday-Sunday, and they do late-night meals especially well. Try the torta, an enormous circular bun that is filled with your choice of meat or veggies and cheese. It’s like the Big Mac, only it's bigger, fresher and doesn’t taste like vomit.
THREE BIRDS TAVERN 1492 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-895-2049, threebirdstavern.com. Try the Night Owl menu from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays. Order the home-style potato chips with cracked pepper and sea salt first, a giant bowl of warm and crispy potato slices. Then sink your teeth into the tavern sirloin burger with bacon onion jam and tomatoes.
WOOD FIRED PIZZA 344 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, 727-282-1888, wood-firedpizza.com. Handmade pizza crusts, topped with any number of meat and veggie options, this pizza is the real deal. You can even order it from your bar stool at the adjacent World of Beer. Get your artisanal wood fired pizza Thursday through Saturday until 2:15 a.m.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2012.