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Lighthouse Doughnuts
These folks get up EARLY every morning to begin making fresh, home-made
doughnuts. This family-owned cafe' is always happy to see you.
For people who work so darn hard, it's amazing that they always seem to have
smiles on their faces (and lines out the door.) Look closely as you
approach and you will see that they have a drive-through window, too!
All of their doughnuts are great -- GREAT!!! Their apple fritters,
however, are simply heavenly!!! Great doughnuts are complimented by a
broad range of designer coffees. They also serve lunch. Beware,
they are closed on Sundays! Lighthouse Doughnuts is located about two
miles north of Sea Gate.JD's Restaurant & Lounge
This is a good ole' family restaurant that serves up breakfast in
country-sized portions!!! And, at country-style prices!!!
It's located only two miles north of Sea Gate and is accessible by water,
too. Nothing fancy or flashy here -- just good, straight-forward cooking.
Enjoy.
Waffle House
What trip to "the South" would be complete without at least one breakfast at
a Waffle House? This southern chain of good ol' fashioned diners
serves up breakfast quick and hot! Non-nonsense is the name of the
game here. Bring cash, because they don't accept credit cards (I doubt
that they accept travelers' checks either.) The good news is that they
are open seven days a week, 24-hours per day and serve breakfast around the
clock. There are several Waffle Houses in the area. Probably the
"beachiest" are located about 10 miles north and south of Sea Gate.
(Treasure Island to the south and Clearwater Beach to the north.)
Krispy Kreme
With so many GREAT local restaurants and cafe's to choose from, this "hole"
in the beach hardly seems worth mentioning. Some folks have never
tasted these -- and others can't live without them. Our Krispy
Kreme is on Treasure Island.
Oystercatchers
This is the best (and maybe priciest) Sunday brunch in town. If you
are flying out on Sunday afternoon, then this is a great place to stop
enroute to the airport. This restaurant is at least a 30-45
minute drive from Sea Gate and can be a bit of a challenge to find (see
directions on the "activities" page of our site.) The view of Tampa
Bay, the food, and the service are all worth the drive and the price.
You deserve it -- treat yourself to one truly excellent breakfast during
your trip. The Pub
While not the quality and fine dining found at Oystercatchers, The Pub
offers brunch on the weekends. It's one of the few breakfast buffets
on the beach. It's a great way to get your day started -- watching the
weekend boaters cruise by along the ICW. This is also one of the few
places in the area with floating docks! Floating docks are rare in
saltwater environments. Floating docks are very boater-friendly and
easier for children and older captains to negotiate. |
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The first rule of lunch is to simply find
something convenient to your day of fun in the sun! Whether you
are on the beach, boating along the ICW, heading to Tarpon Springs or to
Venice to hunt for shark's teeth -- simply pop into any neighborhood joint.
Worth mentioning, however are: Grecko Grill
This small little family-owned grill at 13331 Gulf Blvd. in Madeira Beach
cooks up some GREAT food. They pitch themselves as a Greek,
eurocontinental, American cuisine, steak & seafood joint -- that's a
mouthful and you haven't even started eating yet. These folks
seem to ALWAYS have some sort of lunch special. One of their lunch
specialties is their luncheon 1/2-Poud Mega Grouper Sandwich special -- only
$7.95 (fried, blackened or grilled.) It includes two dishes and is
served seven days per week 11 - 4 (lunch only.) They frequently
offer "Buy 1 get 2nd Free" lunches, too: fish & chips, stuffed
cabbage, lamb or chicken, gyro sandwich; Grecko Burger or moussaka.
Their Baba Riblets appetizers are mouthwateringly magnificent. They
are sometimes offered as a dinner special.
Holiday Inn Sunshine Skyway
It has several pools, marina, restaurants, and piered lanai tiki hut bar
overlooking Tampa Bay. Limited poolside wait staff is available, but
you can bring your food and drinks from the bars and restaurants to the pool
area. It's a great family environment.
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As mentioned above, eating in Florida is more
about the menu choices, the atmosphere, and the views. Service is last
in the priority of things. Therefore, the establishments listed below
are here because they excel in one of the former -- and not the latter... 
Caddy's
We can't say enough great things about Caddy's on the beach. It's a
wonderful place form which to watch sunsets during/before dinner. It's
a must-visit family-friendly beach bar and restaurant with everything you
expect from such. They are located at 9000 W Gulf Beach (behind 7-11.)
See our other description of Caddy's on our activities page, too.
Holiday Inn Revolving Restaurant
This is the only revolving restaurant on Florida's Gulf coast and offers an
excellent elevated view of the sunsets. You not only receive a view of
the beach and gulf, but also an expansive bird's-eye-view of the
InterCoastal Waterway. We feature this restaurant and a virtual view
on our activities page, too. As noted there, the food is a bit
pricey for the quality, but the views more than make up
for it!!!
Frenchy's
Frenchy's Rockaway Grill & Beach Club is their full name, but Frenchy's on
the beach will do just fine. Locals prefer their fish tacos.
It's a great place to pick up a bar souvenir, too.
Don Cesar
The Don Cesar is the most historic resort on the
beach and offers a luxurious, old-Florida flavor and decor. Be
pampered by their spa and then catch dinner and a sunset.
Salt Rock Grill
This restaurant is only a stone's throw (or sand blow) away from Sea Gate.
Their address is 19325 Gulf Blvd. But, if you can't find this
place from Sea Gate, you're REALLY lost. Fine dining at it's best.
All of their meals are excellent. If you don't see a combination you
like, just ask. They will mix and match and do just about anything you
want with their grill. First-class, customer-focused. The local
newspaper said, "They try harder than they need to." With great food,
waterfront views and access to the ICW, their own fleet of fishing boats,
and probably the only wine cellar on Florida's gulf coast, the Salt Rock is
ready to exceed your expectations. Now, if we can only get them to
provide room service to Sea Gate...
ChaCha Coconuts
Located on the rooftop of The Pier in St. Petersburg, this beach
bar-in-the-sky offers wonderful views of the local St. Petersburg Airport,
the city marina, and Tampa Bay itself. The menu is typical beach-bar
fare. If there is an event occurring in the bay or at the airport,
this is your front-row, bird's-eye view. Wanna be a little closer to sea
level or man your fishing lines while you eat? Try Captain Al's on the
main deck below.
Columbia Restaurant
Cuban cuisine at it's finest!!! Columbia has three restaurants in the
area (The Pier, Ybor City, and Sand Key.) The Columbia at The Pier is
elegant and tasteful. This is the highest indoor restaurant at
The Pier which makes it an excellent place to watch Florida's daily
afternoon thunderstorms roll in. Their sangrias and mojitos are the
best in town.
Captain Al's
Captain Al's Waterfront Bar & Grill is located on the ground floor of The
Pier. It's a great place to have lunch or happy hour and
people-watch. There's almost always some sort of street performer,
live band or event occurring out back. Typical bar food and fare.
Very similar to ChaCha Coconuts on the roof -- just less altitude.
Gators
Cafe & Saloon
P-A-R-T-Y!!!! Gators is a waterfront sports bar in Treasure
Island on the south side of John's Pass. This restaurant and bar has
dining nooks and crannies around every corner. Typical Florida
beach-bar food. Gators isn't about the food, though, Gators is all
about the ACTION! From big screen TVs, to live bands and themed poker
runs for boaters & bikers --action,
action, ACTION! Even the helicopters find a spot to park to
visit Gators. It's also a great place to watch the dolphins hunting in
the pass.
Slammer's Crabhouse
These folks have as many varieties and cooking styles of crabs as
Bubba Gump has for shrimp including garlic crabs, dungeness crab, snow crabs, Alaskan King Crabs, blue crabs,
crab cakes, crabs over linguine, crab cake burger, crab balls...
Whew. Oh, and they have just about every other type of
shellfish, too. When they are in season, they offer fresh
Florida stone crab claws, too. Slammer's is located just north of Sea
Gate at 19703 Gulf Blvd. No special view, no special decor -- just
your friendly crustaceans.
The Cajun Cafe
The Cajun Cafe on the Bayou is about as close to da Nawlins' bayou as
you can get in this area. They are located a few miles inland at 8101
Park Blvd. (on the bayou naturally.) Crawfish, gator bites,
Po-Boys, catfish, cornbread, jambalaya, gumbo, etoufee', and whiskey bread
pudding -- all served up with Aunt Flossie's recipes and most with a little
HEAT! The outdoor dining area overhangs the bayou and kids love to
feed table scraps to the swarms of catfish below. The Cajun Cafe also
hosts an annual Crawfish Festival in early April every year with live Cajun
bands. AAIEEEEEE!
Cody's Roadhouse
Just Plain Good Food is their motto -- and that exactly what they give you.
The kids love the place because they offer unlimited peanuts and they can
throw their shells on the floor. The deal-of-the-week is
Buy-One-Get-One-Free fajitas every Wednesday. 2-4-1 happy hour 3:30 -
7 pm nightly. There are two locations (one north and one south)
depending on which way your plans take you. The north location is in
Belleair Bluffs at 2890 West Bay Dr. The south location is behind
Tyrone Mall at 7022 22nd Ave, N.
Worth the Extra Miles
Sharky's
Sharky's on the Pier is the official name. They are located at 1600
S. Harbor Drive in Venice, Florida. As you dine, look at all the
shark's jaws hanging on the walls. Then, realize that all of those
sharks have been caught at their pier over the years! Let's go
swimming after dinner! All their daiquiris are awesome (and they
provide little sipper samples -- just ask your waiter/waitress for a sample
of each type so you can make up your mind.) The food is great, too.
The Grouper Wrap was great at lunch. The fish spread is a favorite,
too! Get this, it's served with sliced apples instead of crackers--
D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!!!
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