Cafes and bars in Downtown St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg's coffee is spread along the grid rather than packed into one block, so this is a short-drive neighbourhood more than a walking one. A brick-street cafe in the Old Northeast keeps a piano in the corner and a back room full of laptops, a roaster near the waterfront serves brunch in an art-deco room, and a naturally lit single-origin shop on Central Avenue pulls a very good flat white. North of Central Avenue on MLK Street, an owner-run shop that looks like nothing from outside serves a brown-sugar cortado made with beans from Yunnan, China, and is the other Steep Pick here. A second Black Crow in the Grand Central District, an artsy room with seats indoors and out, sits a few minutes from the Central Avenue shop. Along the same stretch, an alcohol-free kava cafe with funky decor, strong wifi and seats of every kind, from sofas to a canopied patio, works as well for a laptop session as for a book. Next door, a new wellness cafe hangs surfboards on the walls and pours matcha, espresso and protein drinks. At the west end of the strip a Vietnamese coffee house pours phin coffee in a roomy, seat-filled room, and a little further west a spacious, minimalist cafe opens at 7am for espresso and a full breakfast menu, then pours wine and cocktails, with a queue even on weekdays. Just along from it sits the one to plan around: a working roastery that ages its beans in spirit barrels and pours little more than pour overs and a barrel-aged cold brew, on limited hours, and the highest-scored room in the neighbourhood. Out along Central Avenue in the EDGE District, a high-ceilinged coffee shop that turns into a cocktail bar after dark sits a minute from a polished hotel coffee bar with a terrace and seats to spare, both better for a long sit than a quick cup. Come back to the first one in the evening for its coffee cocktails, a Steep Pick, and walk to the hotel lobby bar next door to the coffee bar, a posh, lively room that pours Spanish Albariño. South of Central Avenue in the Warehouse Arts District, a coffee bar inside a concrete design studio fills a spacious, funky room with art, a backyard patio and a rotating car display, and pours a latte worth the walk. In the Innovation District south of downtown, a bright, busy crepe cafe on the ground floor of a tech building pours a properly pulled cappuccino and serves sweet and savory crepes in portions big enough to share. Up MLK Street North, a locally owned roaster-cafe has strong free wifi, long communal tables and homemade sandwiches, and suits a laptop session better than a quick cup. A few blocks east on First Avenue South, a dark, posh coffee bar on the first floor of the Station House has sofas, quiet music and staff happy to talk about the beans, and is a Steep Pick for a flat white and a long sit. In the Grand Central District, a no-frills roaster with a record player pulls a berry-forward Ethiopian cortado and a peach and black tea cold brew, and is another Steep Pick. Every room here is worth its own stop. For an early start, the walking route begins with a short drive south to a quirky patio cafe on 6th Street South that opens at 6am.
22 venues reviewed.
- Bad Mother Steep PickDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.9/10
A dark, posh coffee bar inside the Station House, with a balanced, chocolate-and-berry flat white and staff who will talk about the beans.
- Daycation Coffee Steep PickDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.8/10
A tiny owner-run shop just north of Central Avenue that looks like nothing from the street, where the owner and staff talk you through how to drink the house specialties.
- Coffee Concrete Steep PickDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.7/10
A big, funky coffee bar inside a concrete design studio in the Warehouse Arts District, with a backyard patio and a latte worth the trip.
- Hogg Batch Coffee Roastery Steep PickDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.7/10
A working roastery on Central Avenue that ages its beans in spirit barrels, pours only pour overs and cold brew, and does it better than anyone else in a city built on syrup lattes.
- Sun Bear Steep PickDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.6/10
A no-frills roaster in the Grand Central District with a berry-forward Ethiopian cortado, a peach and black tea cold brew, and a barista who will talk beans as long as you like.
- Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails Steep PickDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.6/10
The same high-ceilinged Central Avenue room after dark, with a cocktail list that treats coffee as an ingredient and a Cafe Mexicana worth crossing town for.
- Intermezzo Coffee & CocktailsDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.4/10
A high-ceilinged Central Avenue cafe that turns into a cocktail bar after dark, with a terrace out front and a room built for settling in with a laptop or a book.
- Black Crow Coffee Co.Downtown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.4/10
A funky, art-filled neighborhood cafe in Old Northeast with a piano in the corner and a crowd that actually talks to each other.
- Bandit Coffee Co. Steep PickDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.4/10
A spacious, minimalist Central Avenue cafe that opens at 7am for espresso and a full breakfast menu, then pours wine, cocktails and beer.
- Gypsy Souls Coffeehouse St. PeteDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.3/10
A locally owned roaster-cafe on MLK Street North with strong free wifi, long communal tables, a homemade chicken sandwich and an overnight cold brew worth ordering.
- Point Chaud Café & CrêpesDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.3/10
A clean, lively crepe cafe south of downtown where the cappuccino is pulled right and the savory crepe is enormous.
- Bar MoxyDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.3/10
A posh, vibrant lobby bar in the Moxy hotel on Central Avenue, with friendly staff and an Albariño worth ordering, let down by a dirty glass.
- Paradeco Coffee RoastersDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.1/10
An art-deco cafe near the St. Pete Pier with a relaxed, eclectic crowd and real workspace appeal, let down only by a coffee that fell flat on the day.
- Bean Wandering CoffeeDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.0/10
A downtown coffee shop tucked inside an office building, easy to walk past, with friendly staff, a very good quiche and a cortado that did not measure up.
- The Muddy Root Kava CafeDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.0/10
An alcohol-free kava cafe on Central Avenue with strong wifi, a funky room and enough seats to stay all day.
- The Under Grounds Coffee CoDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 8.0/10
A single-origin espresso shop on Central Avenue with a bright, naturally lit room, a well-pulled flat white and a muffin that earns its own mention.
- Balance House CafeDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 7.9/10
A new wellness cafe on Central Avenue with surfboards on the walls, a long menu of matcha, espresso and protein drinks, and a warm crew, though our pumpkin spice latte lost the coffee entirely.
- Kahwa CoffeeDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 7.9/10
The original downtown shop of a Gulf Coast roaster, with sunny indoor seating, sidewalk tables and courteous staff, serving a decent flat white and an ok waffle.
- Rose's Coffee BarDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 7.9/10
A polished, spacious coffee bar on the ground floor of the Moxy hotel on Central Avenue, with seats to spare and a terrace outside.
- Black Crow Coffee Co. Grand Central DistDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 7.8/10
The second Black Crow has the same artsy streak, plenty of seats indoors and out, and friendly staff, but the cortado we ordered did not keep up.
- Say Coffee HouseDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 7.6/10
A Vietnamese coffee house on Central Avenue with phin coffee, matcha and a spacious room, though the Biscoff Latte we tried came out too sweet to taste the coffee.
- RuyaDowntown St. Petersburg · Steep Index 7.4/10
A warm, Moroccan-leaning coffee and wine lounge with a big shaded backyard patio and friendly staff, though the cold brew was bitter and the mousse too dense.