2026 may well be the best summer of sports we’ve seen in some time between NBA and NHL Finals, MLB regular season, PGA Tour events, FIFA World Cup, and of course, our local Tampa Bay Rowdies leading the league. If ever there were a time to visit sports bars, this is it, and according to a new study, the best sports in Florida is right down the road.
Yelp just released a ranking of the top 100 sports bars in America (based on their somewhat vague internal analytics) and South Pasadena’s The Horse & Jockey British Pub came in at No. 39 overall, making it the highest-ranked sports bar in the entire state of Florida. The only other Florida bar to make the list was the Pinellas-adjacent Wild Rover Brewing Company, which also happens to be a British pub.
Photo via Horse & Jockey
The Horse & Jockey has been a local favorite for years, even with its literal rise from the ashes after a massive fire closed the pub down for a while. Any place that comes back strong after that has earned its place in local lore, and it’s a spot that’s heavy in my personal rotation. Their Cornish pasty is one of the best I’ve ever had, and their burgers will leave you breathless, if for no other reason than the fact that they’re so big that you can’t get a breath in when taking a bite.
The pub really does have an underrated kitchen, cranking out English standards and American pub favorites with a British twist. Add in a full bar, proper pints of Guinness, and a beautiful shaded patio, and it’s easy to see why Horse & Jockey is a local favorite, and highly-rated on Yelp, at that. For easy access from St. Pete, there’s a SunRunner stop just a block away. And there’s not a spot inside or our where you don’t have a good view of a TV.
The Yelp rankings came in honor of the upcoming World Cup, and while it wasn’t explicitly stated, they seemed geared toward British pubs. That’s more than acceptable in our book, and we’d put Horse & Jockey up against anyone when it comes to feeling like you’ve been transported to a local pub in the outskirts of London. Although, with the beach just down the road, it feels more like Brighton & Hove than London – an appropriate feeling for St. Petians.
Horse & Jockey will undoubtedly be one of the area’s most popular World Cup gathering spaces this June and July, and it promises to be an amazing summer of soccer ahead. For those who really want to get into the fun with a massive crowd, I highly recommend the Team USA Watch Parties in Downtown St. Pete. I attended them the last time around in 2022, and it’s the closest you’ll come to feeling like you’re in the stadium with the team.
As you’re planning your summer of soccer, there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Mix in a beach day with the World Cup at Horse & Jockey. Want to make it a night out in the city? Mary Margaret’s Olde Irish Tavern is Downtown St. Pete’s home for every World Cup match this year. You can also check out this guide from last fall on soccer bars around Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.
We would also be remiss not to mention that, according to a USA Today poll, St. Pete’s Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill is the best sports bar in America. Who’s really No. 1? That answer, as always, is in the eye of the beer holder.