St. Pete literally has a new underground sensation. The Winfield, a swanky cocktail bar by Hi Hospitality Group, is now open in the basement of the sprawling, multi-concept Central Park St. Pete building at 551 Central Avenue.
We got our first experience over the weekend, and one thing is clear after the visit: these are going to be 22 of the most desirable seats in St. Pete for quite some time. Reservations are now available through Resy, though they certainly aren’t required.
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In fact, with a group of three, we managed to snag a table early on a Saturday evening over the weekend. We went downstairs and put our name on the waitlist, being told it was roughly an hour-and-a-half wait. To pass the time, we popped up upstairs to the main bar and had a couple drinks while watching the World Cup. Before we finished our second drink, our time had come. It was an excellent way to experience the entire food hall concept without needing a reservation or even a real plan. Highly recommend, and you’re welcome to bring your drink down from upstairs if your name is called sooner than expected.
As for the bar itself, we were thoroughly impressed by the experience at The Winfield. It’s no surprise, given Hi Hospitality’s sterling reputation in Sarasota, but it still managed to surpass what we expected walking down into the bowels of St. Pete below Central Avenue.
The dimly lit and supremely comfortable room manages to be cosy and lively at the same time, packing a lot into a small space without feeling crowded. It’s easy to chat with the next table over if you like, and just as easy to live in your own little world without feeling eavesdropped on.
The cocktails are obviously the stars, and the team behind the bar has created a genuinely impressive list. I had the Ay, Chihuahua, made with sotol, sweet potato, guajilo chile, lemon, nuts, and salsa macha. They didn’t just throw a tajin rim on a margarita and call it craft. These are creative offerings. There is also a lengthy wine list, as well as mocktails and beers.
Our crew was pleasantly surprised by the food. Again, not that expectations were low, but you don’t go to what amounts to a speakeasy with food at the top of your mind. Perhaps, in this case, you should. The Winfield has a dozen shareable dishes, with a mixture of chilled items and warm plates. We went for one of each, trying the Shrimp Coctel Tostadas and the Crispy Pork Rinds served with avocado cruda. The tostadas in particular were incredible, delivering a cool and sweet heat with the perfect wonton crunch to give it a satisfying finish.
As much as we enjoyed both, I’m eager to try more. A few more items caught my eye for next time: the Japanese Sea Bream Crudo, the Coconut Ceviche Crisp, the Broiled Oysters with Vietnamese chile butter, and the Torched Wagyu Carpaccio, made with Australian ribeye and topped with gochujang, Korean pear, and jidori egg yolk then served with sushi rice and nori and shiso handrolls. Yum.
The Winfield is the latest debutant among the near dozen concepts either open or opening soon at Central Park. The Winfield is the second of four planned bars to open in the building, and seven food concepts are currently available in the main food hall.
Here’s what all you can try at Central Park:
Constellation Burger – craft burgers
Palm Avenue Deli – A New York-style deli
Strawberry Fields – Health-focused meals and bowls
Don Ricardo’s Taqueria – Tacos
Kojo Wok – Asian street food
Park Pie Pizza – NY slices and Roman pizza
Speaks Pasta – Casual Italian
Central Bar – Cocktails, beer, wine, NA options
