The Antiwarpt festival is taking place in downtown St. Petersburg, starting at 3 p.m. and ending at 3 a.m. Somewhere in those 12 hours, you are going to need some grub. This guide lists all the eatieries in the area, most are reachable by foot.
ACROPOLIS GREEK TAVERNA 515 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-823-1010, acropolistaverna.com. The Acropolis kitchen is open weekends until 1 a.m., which means souvlaki platters, spanakopita and dolmades are available to be eaten late.
THE AVENUE 330 First Ave. S, 727-851-9531, theavenuedtsp.com. A wide array of specialty burgers, sandwiches and snacks.
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, 727-209-0202, burritoboarder.com. Fresh-Mex done well. They are open until 3:30 a.m. and have a plethora of great festival fare. Load up on veggie nachos or an enormous burrito with all the fixings.
CENTRAL AVENUE OYSTER BAR 249 Central Ave., 727-897-9728, centralaveoysterbar.com. A welcoming, dependable destination for seafood and steaks, and, of course, freshly shucked oysters.
CENTRAL CAFE & ORGANICS 243 Central Ave., 727-824-0881, centralcafeandorganics.com. Healthy, organic, veg-friendly dishes made from scratch. Looking for a healthy lunch to power you through the rest of the day? Central Cafe has everything vegan, veggie, and ultra-healthy to keep your body rocking all night.
CEVICHE 10 Beach Drive, 727-209-2302, cevichetapas.com. Excellent small plates of Spanish food, plus a deep red dance club downstairs. Cool down from head-banging at the festival with a big glass of iced sangria and some tapas.
CROWLEY’S DOWNTOWN 269 Central Ave., 727-821-1111, crowleysdowntown.com. British/Irish pub and eatery with classic pub fare (and a Best of the Bay-winning veggie burger).
DOONERS 21 Third St. N, St. Pete, 727-623-4848, doonersus.com. Located in the spot formerly occupied by Athenian Garden in Downtown St. Pete, Dooners is an interesting mix of cuisines, serving fresh, made-to-order German- and Mediterranean-inspired salads and sandwiches with plenty of veg-friendly options. Great prices for fresh and healthy fare.
FORTUNATO’S 259 Central Ave., St. Pete, 727-898-4888. Pizza and simple Italian dishes served cafeteria-style. Great for pre- or post-bar crawl fare and it’ll only set you back a few bucks.
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.
THE KING & I THAI 445 Central Ave., 727-898-8056, thekingandithairestaurant.com. A Thai eatery, yes, but it’s also a great sushi spot. King and I’s Pad Thai is the perfect summer lunch or dinner meal, filling but not too heavy.
LUCKY DILL DELI 277 Central Ave., 727-895-5859, luckydillofstpete.com. Dagwood-sized sandwiches and hot pastrami on rye.
MEZE 119 119 Second St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-498-8627, meze119.com. Meze may be the funkiest vegetarian-friendly restaurant you've ever been to. Think Middle Eastern food with lots of fake meat, but really good fake meat. Try the Cyprus B.L.T., or the curried chik'n salad sandwich. There is even a fake-steak called "stak" for those craving a heartier protein source.
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.
ST. PETE BRASSERIE 539 Central Ave., 727-823-3700, stpetebrasserie.com. An accomplished and affordable French brasserie. Get there between 5:30-7:30 p.m. for $5 appetizers and drink specials.
TACO BUS #2 2324 Central Ave., St. Pete, tampatacobus.com. The sister to the original bus-turned-kitchen in Seminole Heights, serving freshly prepared, authentic Mexican fare — tacos, burritos, tamales, etc. Do yourself a favor, skip Taco Hell and head over here instead.
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.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2012.