As we continue highlighting business on our beloved beaches, one of our favorites is a true standout, and absolute paradise for seafood lovers: Snappers Sea Grill. A star on St. Pete Beach for more than 30 years, the award-winning fresh-seafood hotspot is beloved for its exquisite surf, turf, and charm alike.
Located at 5895 Gulf Blvd, Snappers has been a go-to for locals and tourists alike since opening all the way back in the 1990s. As the streets and beaches around Snappers have changed and grown, the upscale grill has retained the same character and high standards that have made it so popular. Most importantly, the celebrated restaurant serves fresh-caught seafood and in-house aged prime steak every day, the stars behind their meticulously crafted menu.
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St. Pete Beach’s best happy hour
Of course, it’s not only the great fish and steak. Snappers also has what may well be the best early-bird happy hour special anywhere in Tampa Bay, let alone St. Pete Beach. In fact, they’ve been voted back-to-back finalists for Best Early Bird Dinner by the Tampa Bay Times’ Best of the Best. (Not to mention also being back-to-back finalists for Best Beach Restaurant and Best Seafood Restaurant.)
Whether it’s a late lunch, an early dinner, or just some snacks and drinks, the early-bird happy hour at Snappers is can’t-miss. The special runs from 4-5 pm every day, and it may just be the best deal on the beaches.
Get a plate of jumbo Caribbean coconut shrimp for $9.95 if you just need a snack. Want a full meal? Any of their entrees are served with salad or coleslaw and a slice of key lime pie, with options such as the coconut cashew mahi-mahi served with mango chutney, grilled banana, and potato in puff pastry for $18.95.
You can get a full broiled and glazed salmon dinner for $16.95, or go for a massive plate of blackened chicken alfredo linguine for $16.95. A full Caribbean lobster tail dinner can be had for $25.95, while a supremely satisfying plate of pub-style fish and chips will only run you $14.95 during Early Bird.
Snappers Sea Grill is a foodie paradise
The sister restaurant of 1200 Chophouse, Snappers combines modern takes on seafood classics with a “Big City atmosphere,” creating a casual elegance in a can’t-miss dining experience. Owned by a local fisherman, fresh seafood is, of course, the biggest highlight of the menu at Snappers. However, their in-house aged prime steaks have some serious star power on their own, and their delectable house-made desserts are downright unskippable.
Pair any of it with a glass of wine, and you’re in seaside heaven.
Of course, if you’d like to combine it all, our favorite treat is the surf and turf, featuring filet and twin lobster tails. Perhaps no entree on the beaches will leave you happier, though we do recommend saving at least a little bit of room for dessert.
While the surf and turf is a go-to for us at I Love the Burg, the Wasabi Crusted Tuna is the most popular dish on the menu, and it has been a favorite among loyal patrons for years. The dish stars a wasabi-soy marinated and panko-crusted tuna over a Citrus Buerre Blanc with a potato puff pastry and stir-fry vegetables, served rare – medium rare. Yum!
Other favorites include the fiery Fra Diavolo lobster pasta, blue crab-stuffed portobellos, stuffed Gulf grouper, and of course, a massive plate of coconut curry snapper with mango salsa. Plus – and perhaps this is the best part – Snappers is incredibly affordable fine dining in this time of rising prices. Coconut shrimp ($12.95) and blue tuna ($16.95) make for excellent starters, while the mahi mahi ($29.95) and orange-glazed salmon ($29.95) round out the long and excellent seafood menu.
As the beaches continue to display their resiliency and welcome back guests, Snappers Sea Grill remains a St. Pete Beach favorite, and it’s with good reason that this local gem is going stronger than ever. See the full menu here, and stop by seven days a week beginning at 4 pm. You don’t even need a reservation.
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