{"id":383961,"date":"2026-08-28T22:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T22:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/383961\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T22:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T22:20:17","slug":"winners-unveiled-for-best-restaurants-bars-experiences-and-more-in-st-pete-clearwater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/383961\/","title":{"rendered":"Winners unveiled for best restaurants, bars, experiences and more in St. Pete-Clearwater"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Winners in 38 hospitality-related categories were crowned as best in Pinellas County as part of the Visit St. Pete-Clearwater Besties Awards, presented by Envisionit & Miles Partnership. The well-earned honorees were announced in a swanky celebration at the St. Petersburg Coliseum in downtown St. Pete on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

All told, this year\u2019s edition included 337 nominees \u2013 the most ever \u2013 as residents and visitors voted on their favorites in categories ranging from Best Foodie Hotspot and Best Beach Bar to Best Local Shop and even Best Influencer (shoutout to I Love the Burg contributor, Britt Addis, for her nomination there and our Account Manager, Alexa, who presented during the ceremonies!).<\/p>\n

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The list of finalists in each category, along with a wealth of information about the beautiful St. Pete-Clearwater destination, can be found in the newest edition of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater\u2019s award-winning\u00a0Gulf to Bay Destination Magazine. The go-to source for all the amazing activities and experiences that await visitors is now available to\u00a0view on VisitSPC.com<\/a>\u00a0or can be\u00a0ordered for free<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With thousands upon thousands casting votes every year, The Besties are among the most prized awards by local businesses and organizations, knowing it\u2019s their neighbors and visitors who are propelling them to success. So many of our area favorites took home awards, and it was a joy to celebrate with all the nominees at the party. St. Pete-Clearwater has some of the world\u2019s best people, experiences, and food and drink. Having a night to lift up that world of local hospitality was meaningful for all involved.<\/p>\n

2026 Besties Award Winners:<\/p>\n

Best Beach: Clearwater Beach\/Sand Key <\/p>\n

Best Inn & Cottage: Gulfside Resorts<\/p>\n

Best Beach Bar: Frenchy\u2019s Rockaway Grill <\/p>\n

Best Late Night Spot: Mahuffer\u2019s<\/p>\n

Best Beach Resort: The Don CeSar <\/p>\n

Best Live Music Venue: The BayCare Sound<\/p>\n

Best Boat Experience: Hubbard\u2019s Marina <\/p>\n

Best Local Beer: Beach Blonde Ale, 3 Daughters Brewing <\/p>\n

Best Boutique Hotel: Fenway Hotel <\/p>\n

Best Local Shop: Mazzaro\u2019s Italian Market<\/p>\n

Best Brunch: The Wild Iris Cafe <\/p>\n

Best Casual Eats: Clear Sky Beachside Cafe <\/p>\n

Best Market: Saturday Morning Market<\/p>\n

Best Coffee Shop: Paradeco Coffee Roasters <\/p>\n

Best Mural: Tarpon Springs Post Card Mural by Jeff \/ Sun Signs<\/p>\n

Best Craft Cocktails: Gigglewaters Social Club & Screening Room<\/p>\n

Best Museum: The Dal\u00ed Museum<\/p>\n

Best Dog-Centric Hangout: Fort De Soto Dog Beach <\/p>\n

Best Pizza: Pajano\u2019s Pizza & Subs<\/p>\n

Best Downtown Hotel: The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club<\/p>\n

Best Rooftop Bar: Jimmy\u2019s Crow\u2019s Nest<\/p>\n

Best Family Fun: Clearwater Marine Aquarium<\/p>\n

Best 727 Influencer: Alexia Gonzalez, @thegalalife<\/p>\n

Best Festival: Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival <\/p>\n

Best Sporting Event: Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n

Best Fine Dining: The Black Pearl <\/p>\n

Best Sports Bar: Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar & Grill<\/p>\n

Best Foodie Hotspot: Pia\u2019s Trattoria <\/p>\n

Best Tour: Silent Slayer Ghost Tours<\/p>\n

Best Vacation Rentals: iTrip Vacation Rentals<\/p>\n

Best Golf Course: Innisbrook Golf Resort <\/p>\n

Best Water Adventure: ECOmersion Kayak & SUP Rentals<\/p>\n

Best Grouper: Frenchy\u2019s Rockaway Grill <\/p>\n

Best Waterfront Restaurant: Jimmy\u2019s Fish House & Iguana Bar<\/p>\n

Best Happy Hour: Noble Crust <\/p>\n

Best Way to Get Around: Jolley Trolley<\/p>\n

Best Hotel Spa: Vinoy Spa at The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club<\/p>\n

No matter what your tastes and interests, there\u2019s something for everyone in this list of winners. And even for us, whose job it is to find all the best things in the area, there are still a few spots left to check off our list.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Besties Awards at The St. Petersburg Coliseum was an unforgettable evening spotlighting the incredible talent, hospitality, and hard work across Pinellas County\u2019s tourism and hospitality industry,\u201d said Visit St. Pete-Clearwater President\/CEO Brian Lowack. \u201cNot only did we celebrate the winners, we were able to say thank you to all the businesses that play a vital role in making our community extraordinary and deliver the BEACH. CULTURE. that can only be experienced in St. Pete-Clearwater.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Winners in 38 hospitality-related categories were crowned as best in Pinellas County as part of the Visit St.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-383961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}