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Local guide St. Petersburg

Best Restaurants in St. Pete: 10 Places for Your Next Meal

Ten St. Petersburg restaurants for Italian, sushi, Japanese, Cuban, seafood and a waterfront meal, with an interactive map and exact Wayfind place cards.

Illustrative photo. A Gulf Coast dining scene; no St. Petersburg restaurant named in this guide is pictured.
By Gabriel Pereira · Published 2026-09-23 · Updated 2026-09-23

One map shows which St. Pete restaurant to choose for downtown, Central Avenue, waterfront or casual food.

St. Pete is compact enough that one restaurant map can actually change the night. Downtown gives you several of the city’s current MICHELIN Guide restaurants within a tight radius, Central Avenue handles casual food and neighborhood energy, and the Pier gives you a waterfront finish. Use the filters to choose the version of St. Pete you want, then tap a pin for the exact Wayfind business card instead of hunting through a generic list.

In this guide 10 sections
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Saturday evening in St. Petersburg

51° after dark, and the late list is open. Ordered for right now.

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MICHELIN Guide5 picks
5 of 5
1
MICHELIN Guide
Elliott Aster
St. PetersburgDinner
✓ Insider tip
Elliott Aster is one of five St. Petersburg restaurants in the current MICHELIN Guide. Choose it when you want a downtown dinner where the kitchen is the reason for going, not just the address.
View details ↗
2
MICHELIN Guide
in between days
St. PetersburgDinner
✓ Insider tip
in between days is the current MICHELIN Guide pick for a Japanese contemporary and izakaya leaning night away from the waterfront. It is a strong choice when you want a smaller neighborhood feel.
View details ↗
3
MICHELIN Guide
Il Ritorno
St. PetersburgDinner
✓ Insider tip
Il Ritorno is the Italian MICHELIN Guide option in central St. Pete. Pick it when you want the evening to feel like a destination dinner without leaving downtown.
View details ↗
4
MICHELIN Guide
Sushi Sho Rexley
St. PetersburgDinner
✓ Insider tip
Sushi Sho Rexley is the guide’s sushi choice when you want the meal to be the entire plan. The current MICHELIN Guide includes it among St. Petersburg’s five listed restaurants.
View details ↗
5
MICHELIN Guide
Fortu
St. PetersburgDinner
✓ Insider tip
Fortu gives downtown St. Pete a current MICHELIN Guide Asian restaurant that works for a polished night out without needing a long drive. It is one of the easiest high intent dinners to pair with the rest of downtown.
View details ↗
Good to knowKeep the rest of the evening downtown so this stays an easy walkable plan.

Hours and menus can change. Open the place card before you go.

01
MICHELIN Guide

Elliott Aster

Elliott Aster is one of five St. Petersburg restaurants in the current MICHELIN Guide. Choose it when you want a downtown dinner where the kitchen is the reason for going, not just the address.

When
Dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Keep the rest of the evening downtown so this stays an easy walkable plan.

02
MICHELIN Guide

in between days

in between days is the current MICHELIN Guide pick for a Japanese contemporary and izakaya leaning night away from the waterfront. It is a strong choice when you want a smaller neighborhood feel.

When
Dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Use this for a focused dinner, then move toward Central Avenue only if you want a second stop.

03
MICHELIN Guide Italian

Il Ritorno

Il Ritorno is the Italian MICHELIN Guide option in central St. Pete. Pick it when you want the evening to feel like a destination dinner without leaving downtown.

When
Dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Reserve first, then choose drinks or dessert within the downtown core.

04
MICHELIN Guide sushi

Sushi Sho Rexley

Sushi Sho Rexley is the guide’s sushi choice when you want the meal to be the entire plan. The current MICHELIN Guide includes it among St. Petersburg’s five listed restaurants.

When
Dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Choose it for a sushi centered night rather than trying to squeeze it between other downtown stops.

05
MICHELIN Guide

Fortu

Fortu gives downtown St. Pete a current MICHELIN Guide Asian restaurant that works for a polished night out without needing a long drive. It is one of the easiest high intent dinners to pair with the rest of downtown.

When
Dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Keep the after dinner plan on foot and let the downtown location do the work.

06
Central Avenue

Wild Child

Wild Child is the flexible Central Avenue pick when the group wants a lively American restaurant without making the meal overly formal. It works well when you want food plus a neighborhood night.

When
Brunch or dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Use it as the anchor for the west side of Central Avenue rather than a prelude to the Pier.

07
Cuban on Central

Bodega on Central

Bodega is the casual Cuban stop when you want Central Avenue energy without a formal reservation. It is one of the easiest places on this list to fold into an afternoon that becomes an evening.

When
Lunch or dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Choose it when the plan needs to stay spontaneous.

08
Downtown American

Juno & The Peacock

Juno & The Peacock is a downtown American option for groups that want a central table and an easy transition into the rest of the city center. Choose it when logistics matter as much as the menu category.

When
Dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — This is a strong first stop for a downtown night because the next move can stay walkable.

09
Casual seafood

Mullet's Fish Camp

Mullet’s Fish Camp is the seafood move when you would rather have a relaxed local meal than a polished downtown room. It adds a south St. Pete option to a guide that could otherwise cluster too tightly in the center.

When
Lunch or dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — Pick it when casual seafood is the point and you do not need the Pier view.

10
St. Pete Pier

Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grille St Pete Pier

The lower-level patio at Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grille on the St. Petersburg Pier, at night.
Photo details

Resized, cropped for display and converted to WebP.

Doc Ford’s is the practical waterfront choice when the Pier is already part of your day. Choose it when you want the water, the skyline and the meal to happen without moving the car again.

When
Lunch or dinner
Where
St. Petersburg

Insider note — This is strongest as part of a full Pier visit, not as a stand alone drive across town.

Live right now in St. Petersburg

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Good to know

Which St. Pete restaurants are in the current MICHELIN Guide?

The current St. Petersburg selection lists Elliott Aster, in between days, Il Ritorno, Sushi Sho Rexley, and Fortu. All five are mapped in this Wayfind guide.

Where should I eat if I want to stay around Central Avenue?

Wild Child and Bodega on Central are the easiest casual anchors in this list. The map also shows which downtown restaurants are close enough to keep the night compact.

Which pick is easiest to combine with the St. Pete Pier?

Doc Ford’s at the Pier is the direct waterfront pairing. Several downtown restaurants are nearby, but they serve a different kind of dinner plan.

One clear next step
Directions to Elliott Aster
4.5★ · 316 Google reviews of Elliott Aster
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