Pickleball, cocktails, fine dining, and local art—the newest debutant in the Warehouse Arts District was tailor-made for St. Pete. The highly anticipated St. Pete Athletic opens to members this week and makes its full public debut beginning December 19.
The nearly 50,000-square-foot facility, located at 680 28th Street South, has it all. There are pickleball and padel courts, table tennis tables, and an exciting new restaurant and bar called Rose’s Dining & Drinks, as well as a pro shop featuring brands not available anywhere else in town.
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There are two key things to know about St. Pete Athletic for the general public. First, the majority of the property is open to anyone. You don’t have to be a member to play on the courts or visit Rose’s, and from the teases the team at St. Pete Athletic has shared, you’ll very much want to give the new concept a try. Those experiences are open to all.
It’s the luxurious clubhouse, with its wellness and social-focused amenities, that’s exclusive to members of St. Pete Athletic. The bad news is that membership is already full. The good news is that there’s a waiting list you can jump on now, and they do have plans to expand membership after the initial opening period. Full memberships are $250 per month.
For members and nonmembers alike, the courts and tables are open for reservations, and St. Pete Athletic also rents out all the gear needed if you don’t have your own. They also have staff on site to give lessons.
The project has been years in the making, and the result is truly stunning in person. The passion from the leadership team is evident, as is their connection to St. Pete. The group, made up of locals Reuben Pressman, Graham D’Amico, Jarrett Sabatini, and Nathan Stonecipher, brings decades of experience to the table in everything from pickleball and padel to restaurants and the arts.
St. Pete’s new must-try restaurant
While pickleball has become a nationwide sensation, it still isn’t quite as ubiquitous as eating. In that respect, St. Pete Athletic has more than delivered.
Rose’s Dining & Drinks is helmed by Chef Adam Beckett, who brings the experience of some of the region’s best restaurants to the project. His inclusion is proof of St. Pete Athletic’s assertion that food is a top priority, not an afterthought.
Rose’s will be an all-day experience, serving breakfast, coffee, dinner, and cocktails as the hours progress from morning to night. The menus are elevated twists on country club staples, and everything down to the ketchup is scratch-made in house.
By morning, the breakfast bar will offer locally roasted coffee and what Pressman promises is going to be the best breakfast sandwich in St. Pete. That’s a high bar, and we’re genuinely excited to try it out. They’ll also have New York bagels from Ess-a-Bagels, including traditional toppings such as whitefish.
By night, Rose’s will have a full cocktail bar and dinner service, as well as a members-only cocktail parlor. The dinner menu will feature fresh-caught grouper and other daily fresh fish, as well as burgers, a steak sandwich, beef tallow fries, and much more. The cocktail menu is inspired by sports, with offerings such as the Honeydew Deuce and the Florida Smash. And with Stonecipher’s ties, there will be several craft beer options made in St. Pete by Green Bench Brewing Co.
We’re already looking forward to Rose’s Tray for Two: a shareable salty meal of beef tallow fries, a house-made Caesar salad, and two dirty mini martinis.
You’ll want to give Rose’s a follow on instagram.
An arts hub inside a country club
Appropriately for both the city and the neighborhood, St. Pete Athletic is filled with incredible art. Walking through the gigantic facility is like exploring a gallery of local artists.
Elizabeth Bonert’s hanging roseate spoonbills, created in collaboration with USF, take flight indoors and have been lovingly dubbed the daughters of St. Pete Athletic’s mascot, Rose.
You can see spoonbills again just inside the front door in a painting by local legends the Vitale Bros, a creation inspired by the Highwaymen. Meanwhile, St. Pete star Chad Mize curated an incredible collection of hand-painted paddles displayed on a wall, all of which will be for sale upon opening.
Even the doors to St. Pete Athletic come with a local touch. Mark Aeling of St. Pete’s MGA Sculpture Studio created the breezeblock-shaped metal doors that welcome guests in from the Pinellas Trail.
Learn more about St. Pete Athletic here. The facility opens to the public on Friday, November 19.
