{"id":293608,"date":"2026-06-02T21:40:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/293608\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T21:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:40:09","slug":"this-local-star-was-named-the-best-sports-bar-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/293608\/","title":{"rendered":"This local star was named the best sports bar in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

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2026 may well be the best summer of sports we\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

Yelp just released a ranking<\/a> of the top 100 sports bars in America (based on their somewhat vague internal analytics) and South Pasadena\u2019s 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<\/a>, which also happens to be a British pub. <\/p>\n

\"exterior\"exteriorPhoto via Horse & Jockey<\/p>\n

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\u2019s a spot that\u2019s heavy in my personal rotation. Their Cornish pasty is one of the best I\u2019ve ever had, and their burgers will leave you breathless, if for no other reason than the fact that they\u2019re so big that you can\u2019t get a breath in when taking a bite. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s easy to see why Horse & Jockey is a local favorite, and highly-rated on Yelp, at that. For easy access from St. Pete, there\u2019s a SunRunner stop just a block away. And there\u2019s not a spot inside or our where you don\u2019t have a good view of a TV.<\/p>\n

The Yelp rankings came in honor of the upcoming World Cup, and while it wasn\u2019t explicitly stated, they seemed geared toward British pubs. That\u2019s more than acceptable in our book, and we\u2019d put Horse & Jockey up against anyone when it comes to feeling like you\u2019ve 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 \u2013 an appropriate feeling for St. Petians.<\/a><\/p>\n

Horse & Jockey will undoubtedly be one of the area\u2019s 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<\/a>. I attended them the last time around in 2022, and it\u2019s the closest you\u2019ll come to feeling like you\u2019re in the stadium with the team.<\/p>\n

As you\u2019re planning your summer of soccer, there\u2019s 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\u2019s Olde Irish Tavern is Downtown St. Pete\u2019s home for every World Cup match this year. You can also check out this guide<\/a> from last fall on soccer bars around Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.<\/p>\n

We would also be remiss not to mention that, according to a USA Today poll, St. Pete\u2019s Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar & Grill is the best sports bar in America<\/a>. Who\u2019s really No. 1? That answer, as always, is in the eye of the beer holder.<\/p>\n