Tampa Bay area recommendations (2021)

Notes:
1. The “Tampa Bay area” for this purpose broadly includes Tampa, St. Petersburg and around Clearwater. There is a separate thread for Orlando.
2. At least for a while, check breweries’ websites/social-media feeds for COVID-related hours, procedures.

VISITORS, this thread is a great start for planning a trip to the Tampa Bay area. It's not designed to answer every.single.question you have about every.single.thing going on around here. Most breweries now have at least decent internet and social-media presence (including Untappd); check them out for what is pouring at this exact moment, the beer in their to-go coolers or for upcoming events.
LOCALS, the point of the thread is this: There are now something close to 60 breweries in the greater Tampa Bay area. Which breweries would you want to hit up if you were here from out of town for a night or two? Listing every brewery is pointless.

At the same time (and this is important for locals and visitors alike), there are few local breweries making truly bad beer … no matter what Mr. TwoStyle HypeTrader would have you believe. We have many “A” breweries here so we are spoiled. To be clear, though, a brewery making “B” beer does NOT suck. So, if that brewery down the street from your ArirBnB isn’t on this list but you find yourself with 45 minutes to kill, walk on down. You might find a gem.

All that said, you’ll consistently find terrifically crafted beer at the following:
Cigar City Brewery (Tampa; brewpub) ** Coppertail Brewing (Tampa; brewpub) ** Angry Chair Brewing (Tampa) ** 7venth Sun Brewing (Dunedin and Tampa) ** Hidden Springs Ale Works (Tampa) ** Green Bench Brewing (St. Petersburg; also making cider and mead) ** Cycle Brewing (St. Petersburg) ** Arkane Aleworks (Largo) ** Magnanimous Brewing (Tampa) ** Woven Water (Tampa) ** BarrieHaus Brewery (Tampa) ** Bastet Brewing (Tampa) ** Garagiste Meadery (Tampa)

Notable Beer Bars
Willard's (Largo) ** The Independent (Tampa and St. Pete)

Notable Bottle Shops
Hawthorne Bottle Shop (St. Pete) ** Jug & Bottle Dept. (Tampa) ** Luekens (various locations) ** Total Wine (various locations)

(A Few) Beer-centric Restaurants
Stein & Vine (Brandon) ** Mr. Dunderbaks (Tampa; also making its own German-centric beers) ** Cajun Cafe on the Bayou (Pinellas Park) ** Datz (Tampa)

The Brewery Bay is a cool resource that allows users to sort breweries in creative ways (e.g., growlers, kid friendly, food).

 

Here are some further notes/answers:

1. It’s St. Pete. No one here says St. Petes.

2. If you’re traveling with a family or a mixed group (i.e., beer and non-beer people), the nicest brewery for an afternoon hang is Green Bench. The beer is first-rate and they have a legit (turfed and fenced) outdoor space. There are many beautiful breweries here but few have open space like this.

3. Visitors tend to ask where to get Cuban food and particularly the eponymous sandwich. Popular suggestions include La Teresita and West Tampa Sandwich Shop (Tampa) and Bodega (the OG in St. Pete > the Tampa one).
3a. Mazzaro’s. Just go. (Pro tip: Call in your sandwich order. Save your line-waiting for the bakery. Or the cheese section. Or coffee ...)
3b. There is a food hall (Armature Works) within walking distance of Hidden Springs // Garagiste // Magnanimous just north of downtown Tampa. Additionally, another (Sparkman’s Wharf) is in downtown’s Channelside district (between the Florida Aquarium and Amalie Arena). They are the current northern and southern ends, respectively, of the Tampa Riverwalk. The beer selection is far superior at Sparkman’s Wharf.

4. The Tampa Bay area is spread out and traffic often sucks. You'll leave more happy and less stressed if you package your stops in a smaller area (e.g., Tampa or Largo/Dunedin or downtown St. Petersburg) rather than try to hit everything in an afternoon.
4a. Uber and Lyft are things here ... as is an extensive law-enforcement presence. Use the former to avoid the latter.
4b. Viable public transportation is not a thing here; further, there is a dearth of parking at more than a few of the highly touted breweries.

6. I try to avoid "mission creep" in this thread. That said ...
6a. Calusa (Sarasota, about five minutes west of I-75) is killing it these days. I wouldn’t recommend it to a first-time Tampa visitor but it may make sense for old hands and those who are driving that way anyway.
6b. Corporate Ladder is between Tampa and Sarasota not far west of I-75.
6c. I know a lot of folks visit this area to see relatives who live NORTH of the Tampa Bay area. Pasco County (the next one up) has two good breweries: Escape (toward the Gulf) and Zephyrhills Brewing (on the east side). Marker 48 is a cool place to hang out in Hernando County (the one above Pasco) and it’s not far from the Suncoast Parkway.

 

This is kind of a crappy answer, I'm afraid, but it seems like "annual" has -- in these times -- kind of gone away. Traditionally, Tampa Bay Beer Week has been in March and all the breweries typically blow it out for that ... and then have been quiet in April as they recover.

The upside is that breweries seemingly now release things when they're ready. So, it's entirely possible there will be some good stuff available when you're here. Be sure to follow your favorites on social media to keep up with the latest.

PS -- Tampa might know a thing or two about cigars in addition to beer!

 

Post #2, Item 6c. Escape is the far-and-away pacesetter in that area. It is very good.

After that, Infusion Brewing, Liquid Garage, Dented Keg, Cotee River. Craft Street Kitchen is likely your best bet as a tap house where you can eat and try several beers from the greater Tampa Bay area. Enjoy your time here; safe travels!!

 

Bern’s Steak House
Rocca or Donatello (Italian)
Koya (luxe sushi)
Mise en Place

Location and cuisine would help refine the list. Those are Tampa spots above. @Lare453 likely can add STP spots if that’s your target.

This is a good, but tough, question because there are some places I like to go (eg, On Swann) that provide terrific food/service/experience but may be a step below classic “fine dining” and there are some in the area considered “fine dining” (mostly as defined by being haughty) where I’d never eat.

 

Rooster & The Till

Bern’s Steak House
Rocca or Donatello (Italian)
Koya (luxe sushi)
Mise en Place

I’ve no idea how Rooster slipped my mind. Maybe trying to “protect” it for locals ...

 

It's a good place to start/include, for sure. Quickly "Uber-able" around Angry Chair are: 7venth Sun, Jug & Bottle (bottle shop), King State (coffee//food//beer), Magnanimous Brewing, Hidden Springs and Garagiste.

A 15-minute ride to the southeast of you is Stein & Vine, which has terrific food and an equally impressive tap list. Cheers!