MacDinton’s This South Tampa Irish pub is a college student’s best friend on Friday nights, and its sprawling compound on Howard Avenue includes baby cave bars, a giant inside bar and stage, plus generous outside patio—all lined with TVs primarily for watching European football (but good for the NFL, too). 405 S Howard Ave., Tampa Credit: Photo via MacDinton's

MacDinton’s This South Tampa Irish pub is a college student’s best friend on Friday nights, and its sprawling compound on Howard Avenue includes baby cave bars, a giant inside bar and stage, plus generous outside patio—all lined with TVs primarily for watching European football (but good for the NFL, too). 405 S Howard Ave., Tampa Credit: Photo via MacDinton's

When St. Pete changed its drinking curfew to 3 a.m., the downtown area exploded with new bars. Instead of continuing to try luring drinkers from St. Pete over the bridge to Tampa, a few popular SoHo hangouts set up sister establishments in the ’Burg. In November of 2011, World of Beer and MacDinton’s opened their doors, catering to patrons who put a premium on drinking beer over mixed drinks, and who prefer to sing along to cover bands rather than dancing to DJs. MacDinton’s Jannus, 242 First Ave. N, St Petersburg, 727-565-0544, macdintons.com/Jannus-St-Petersburg; World of Beer. 100 Fourth St. S, St. Petersburg, 727-823-2337.

This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2012.