The Ultimate Clearwater, FL Dining Guide
Clearwater’s restaurant scene has views and flavors competing in a battle to charm the senses. Known as a hub for seafood and rum, Clearwater often surprises diners with its secretly eclectic lineup of restaurants. Of course, anyone seeking a seafood basket paired with some live music on the coast won’t be disappointed. Check out our list with 8 of the best restaurants in Clearwater, FL.
The Salty Crab Bar & Grill
462 Mandalay Avenue, Clearwater Beach, FL
(727) 330-1750
Your mood definitely won’t be salty after a night out at The Salty Crab Bar & Grill. This popular restaurant stands out on a crowded street full of “happening” restaurants. For those showing up with drinks in mind, the rum bucket is a must-try favorite. Our table loved splitting the creamy crab & spinach dip, coconut shrimp bites, and boom boom shrimp from the appetizer menu. A dinner of stuffed grouper with house-made creamy crab was a dream! The food here is cooked and seasoned to perfection.
Sandbar
430 South Gulfview Boulevard, Clearwater, FL
(727) 450-0380
Sandbar is the ultimate spot for enjoying handcrafted cocktails on Clearwater Bay! Sandbar definitely has a high romance factor for those looking for a great date spot in Clearwater. Try things like their fish tacos, calamari, and crab BLT while enjoying the beautiful view of the water. If you look closely, you might even see some dolphins swimming around!
Matjoa Korean BBQ
3580 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater, FL
(727) 220-0100
The amazing smells of Matjoa Korean BBQ hit us the moment we walked through the door! The hardest part about dining here was narrowing down our selection to just a few items. Ultimately, we chose the spicy chicken fried rice, beef bulgogi, and jumbo Korean-style corn dog. Everything was so crisp and flavorful. We also appreciated that this is a roomy restaurant with ample seating. That’s worth mentioning because our experience was that this restaurant can get a little smoky when big batches of barbeque are cooking on a crowded night.
Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill
7 Rockaway Street, Clearwater Beach, FL
(727) 446-4844
Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill came highly recommended by locals. This popular restaurant offers open-air beachfront dining directly on the Gulf of Mexico. During a dining experience that was timed just perfectly to watch a sunset view, our group enjoyed a feast of crab soup, grouper nuggets, fresh oysters, sesame tuna, and smoked spear fish. We also had an opportunity to try the famed Frenchy’s Rum Runner from the menu of frozen cocktails!
Crabby’s Dockside
37 Causeway Boulevard, Clearwater Beach, FL
(727) 210-1313
It was a pleasure to enjoy lunch under a red umbrella on the famous Crabby’s patio. This three-story restaurant is known for its rum buckets, peel-and-eat shrimp, and fun ambiance. It’s a top pick if you love a fried seafood platter. We were smitten with the killer conch fritters, Crabby’s calamari, and grouper basket from the appetizer menu. A meal of stuffed flounder that was followed up by a slice of key lime pie was truly the perfect dinner.
Kpicu
1443 South Belcher Road, Clearwater, FL
(727) 601-4816
Kpicu is definitely one of Clearwater’s hidden gems. This restaurant makes up for everything it lacks in hype with flavor. Offering yummy Caribbean dishes, Kpicu wows diners with bold-meets-sweet flavor infusions. The risotto and papaya shrimp plate was amazing! The snapper served with coconut rice was another crowd favorite at our table. Of course, we are happy to pass on the advice to never skip the bread pudding when visiting Kpicu.
Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza
1101 South Fort Harrison Avenue, Clearwater, FL
(727) 443-4900
Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza is proof that Clearwater isn’t all about rum buckets and crab legs. The deep Italian roots at this popular eatery are evident in every hint of basil that hits your taste buds while tearing into signature coal-oven pizza. Our table enjoyed every bite of ricotta, mozzarella, and fresh basil baked into our bianca pizza. The caprese salad featuring homemade mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil, and coal-roasted peppers was beyond refreshing! Of course, we couldn’t walk out the door without trying the award-winning gelato.
Lenny’s Restaurant
21220 US Highway 19, Clearwater, FL
(727) 799-0402
Lenny’s is generally regarded as the best spot for breakfast and brunch in Clearwater. We were impressed by the Danish basket, redneck Benedict, duck bacon, and self-proclaimed “outrageous” omelettes menu. A dish of breakfast potatoes with onions definitely reinforces why locals keep coming back. Of course, the best part of all was the promptness of those coffee refills! Lenny’s also has plenty of lunch and dinner favorites for later in the day.
For more recommendations on where to eat and drink in the city, check out our Tampa page, here!
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