This fall, several new restaurants and bistros are reinventing casual chic dining from downtown St. Petersburg to the Gulf beaches. Even Michelin is paying attention to our culinary coast. Pinellas County is no longer just Cuban sandwiches and grouper.

The culinary evolution is evident everywhere — from intimate bistros in Gulfport and Belleair to the 13th annual Savor St. Pete festival on Nov. 1-2, which celebrates this gastronomic transformation with Food Network’s Brian Malarkey and dozens of talented chefs at downtown’s Vinoy Park.

Small plates are having a moment, as are wine bars — Savoir on Central, Exquisite Bistro, Lolita’s, Try Wine — and coffeehouses. Elevating the scene are downtown restaurants such as Parkshore, Olivia, Cognac, Wild Child, Juno & Peacock, Blu Halo and Il Ritorno; hotel restaurants including Fenway, Sandpearl, Opal Sands & Opal Sol, Vista at the Top, Sky Beach Resort and Elliott Aster at The Vinoy; and steakhouses the Rat Pack would love, including St. Pete Beach’s Adrian’s Prime & Wine and Malio’s Beach House and downtown’s Rococo Steak.

Leading this charge are newcomers like Mademoiselle and The Belleair Hideaway, where conversation and craft cocktails are as important as the food. The best introduction to this culinary moment? The region’s premier food festival.

SAVOR ST. PETE

Named Best Food Festival 2025 in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay, this highly anticipated event returns Nov. 1-2 to Vinoy Park.

Tammy Gail is the founder and visionary behind Savor St. Pete, a premier culinary festival that brings together world-class chefs, local artisans and food lovers for a one-of-a-kind experience. With an extensive background in media, she is passionate about highlighting both the flavors and the stories behind each chef. Local and national beverages, from California wine to craft brews such as 3 Daughters Brewing, whet the appetite.

The VIP experience offers elevated culinary tastings at the premier food and wine festival. Sustainable products are part of Savor to reduce the event’s carbon footprint and showcase the importance of this trend in the hospitality industry. Come hungry, leave happy — both VIP and general admission tickets are available at savortheburg.com.

Joining the party this year is Food Network’s Brian Malarkey, host of “Cutthroat Kitchen” and founder of Chefs Life, a rapidly growing culinary lifestyle brand offering premium cooking oils and products now available in more than 4,000 grocery stores nationwide. He and other national and local chefs will showcase new trends through food and spirit tastings, and more than 130 vendors will share recipes, demonstrations and tastings.

Malarkey opened Herb & Wood to instant acclaim in San Diego, where the restaurant has become an icon and helped propel San Diego’s culinary reputation to new heights. By focusing on rustic, wood-fired dishes, Malarkey’s menu elevates humble ingredients such as carrots, beets and chicken, incorporating Mediterranean flavors and a California ethos of seasonality and sustainability.

The Savor Chef Showdown marks the festival’s first live culinary competition. Eight judges will vote as eight chefs compete for the top spot, showcasing seasonal, international flavors and trends. Gail says this year’s trend is all about unique seafood dishes for both restaurant chefs and home cooks.

Competitors include Michelin-starred chef Lee Wolen of Elliott Aster at The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, which opened in May; Chef Lee Aquino of Birch & Vine; Chef David Asher of Taverna Costale; Chef David Smith of The Blu Halo; Chef Jessica Darnel of Tryst; and Chef Israel Hernandez of Doc Ford’s. Demonstrations from Chef Joshua Carter and Executive Sous Chef Marco Grajeda of Vinoy Restaurants and Chef Valdes, who has appeared on Food Network and represents Florida Dairy Farmers, will also take place.

BELLEAIR HIDEAWAY

If you love the roasted chicken, gourmet meals to go, craft beers, cheeses and boutique wines at the Belleair Market and breakfast or lunch at the Belleair Café, you’ll love Belleair Hideaway next door in what was the Astoria Pastry Shop. Owner Chris Scott and partner/catering manager Julie Champion created an adult haven for those who love good wine and small plates. It opened Oct. 16.

“We wanted to have a slightly upscale, intimate bistro with elevated dishes and small plates, something with a relaxed vibe and comfortable setting for friends to have a glass of wine and enjoy good food,” says Scott, who opened the market 12 years ago and the café five years ago. “I’ve been in the wine industry for 29 years, so I see the trends. Right now, people are into more boutique-style wines that pair well with good food. But what really makes someone remember the best wine they ever had? It was sipped in the right place, with the right service, with their friends. That’s what makes a wine great, and that’s the atmosphere we’re looking to create here.”

The interior décor was an adventure for Champion, who found all the treasures on Facebook Marketplace — the lamps and décor, the elegant drawing room couches and bar chairs, chic tables and more. “It was all her vision,” Scott says.

Enhancing the ambiance are the tapas and small plates designed by Chef Kelly Maxwell, who moved back here from Europe after cooking in Belgium and Spain, including catering for NATO.

The intimate outdoor patio features acoustic music and jazz Thursday through Saturday, and the restaurant is open Thursday through Monday from 5 to 11 p.m. There are 28 seats at tables and 10 at the bar. No reservations. Available for events Tuesday and Wednesday. Located at 560 Indian Rocks Road N., Belleair Bluffs. 727-459-0397. belleairmarket.dudaone.com.

MADEMOISELLE PARIS

New to Pinellas County but not to Southwest Florida, this chic café in Gulfport’s Peninsula Hotel serves up music, wine dinners, wine tastings and Chef Arnaud Wallet’s ooh-la-la French modern cuisine. Mademoiselle Paris is a French restaurant and bakery open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and available for catering.

The wraparound veranda is charming, like sitting in a village bistro and watching the action on a Paris street, as is the courtyard, perfect for sipping and savoring. There’s live music daily, and local favorite French chanteuse Fiona Frensche sings Wednesdays starting at 6 p.m.

With three award-winning locations in Bradenton and Sarasota, owner Veronique hosted her first elegant wine and bites tasting in October in the hotel’s garden, and the next one is a Côtes du Rhône affair Nov. 22. Experience Paris l’amour style at breakfast with sweet or savory crepes, a smoked salmon, caper and pesto croissant sandwich, or eggs Benedict with an Aperol Spritz. The full menu will debut soon, but you’ll feel satisfied by the onion soup, classic French snails in rich garlic herb butter, foie gras, creamy lobster bisque, beef bourguignon, mussels simmered in white wine or grilled salmon with lemon hollandaise.

Mademoiselle Paris is located at 2937 Beach Blvd. S. in Gulfport. 727-547-0367. facebook.com/lovemademoiselleparis.