There are so many great places to eat in downtown St. Pete. I love the variety of restaurants that have opened up in the past 3 years and I’ve been meaning to tell you about 4 of them. Sorry for being such a slacker. Rather than making you wait even longer for 4 separate posts, I’m going to do 4 shorter write-ups in this one post. However, I almost always tweet when dining out. So you’ll see exactly what I think of a place while I’m there, the good, the bad and the ugly. You can follow me @JennLikesIt. I also recommend you follow these local foodies @CarlosEats, @TracyGuida, @JeffHouck, @EatLocalTampa, @Lizz_Angello and @DineTampaBay.

Here’s what I loved and didn’t love about Red Mesa Cantina, Ricky P’s New Orleans Bistro, The Spot Bar & Grill and Wood Fired Pizza. There’s no particular order or ranking here. If you’ve been to any of these restaurants or if you want to recommend another, please share in a comment below.

Red Mesa Cantina: 128 3rd Street South  www.redmesacantina.com

For more photos of Red Mesa Cantina go to my FB page. For a video review check out my YouTube channel.

What I love about about this place:

1. The food is awesome and the prices are affordable! So far I love the Shrimp & Grits (special), Duck Quesadillas, Bambas and I could eat a million servings of the Mofongo!
2. The atmosphere is wonderful. The brick patio feels very private, even though it’s right off 3rd Street. The waterfall and fountains add a nice touch. I also dig the old brick building with modern decor inside. Great place for a lunch date.
3. The staff is great. I’ve been 3 times now and each time my server has been friendly, quick and ready to answer all of my questions. The owner, Pete, was kind enough to talk to me for about 20 minutes about his restaurant. The management is very friendly too.

Ricky P’s New Orleans Bistro: 1113 Central Avenue (Where Savannah’s used to be)  http://www.rickyps.com

For more photos of Ricky P’s New Orleans Bistro go to my FB page.

What I love about this place:

1. One of my oldest friends, Rodney (pictured above) is a bartender there. He’s a super nice guy with a lot of passion for everything he does. He’ll take good care of you, especially if you tell him I sent you.
2. I love NOLA cuisine and they have it. I had the Cochon de lait (slow roasted pork, in a delicious marinade, piled high and then dressed with tangy Creole slaw) and it was pretty tasty.
3. Parking is free! This place isn’t too far down Central Ave., so there aren’t any meters and you don’t have to circle the block a bunch of times to find a space.

The Spot Bar & Grill: 1437 Central Avenue www.facebook.com/TheSpotStPete

For more photos of The Spot Bar & Grill go to my FB page.

What I love about this place:

1. The owner, Willy, is very nice and goes out of his way to serve his customers. He went to another restaurant just to borrow a highchair for Wesley!
2. The burgers are big, juicy and full of flavor. The meat itself is well seasoned and the toppings are creative. I had the Surf n Turf Burger (pepper jack cheese, crispy shrimp and spicy mayo) and LOVED it! Dan’s J Spot Burger (Angus beef, cheddar, bacon, peppers, onions, guacamole and chipotle mayo) was very good too. I can’t wait to try another one.
3. Another place with free and easy parking!

Wood Fired Pizza: 344 1st Avenue South  http://wood-firedpizza.com

Find more photos of Wood Fired Pizza on my FB page.

What I love about this place:

1. There’s a custom wood fire pizza oven in the kitchen that was imported from Italy. It gets up to 850 degrees and bakes a pizza in 2 minutes!
2. The pizzas are very flavorful and many offer interesting toppings. My favorite was the Palombino Pie (Brussels Sprouts, Fresh Mozzarella, Garlic, Olive Oil, Prosciutto, Pecorino Romano, Organic Herbs).
3. Dan loved that it shares a patio with World of Beer. Customers can sit there and order from both places. I don’t like beer, but I know many of you will see this as a major bonus.

What I don’t love: The prices. YIKES! We picked up the tab for lunch with my parents and brother-in-law. We had an appetizer pizza, 3 regular pizzas (pretty small) and a few drinks and our bill came to over $120!!! We can’t afford to go here often as a family, maybe as a date. But I’d rather go to Tour de Pizza for big pizzas with unique toppings.

I’d recommend any of these 4 great places to eat in downtown St. Pete, but I’ve already been to the Cantina 3 times since December and I can’t wait to go back to The Spot try some more of Willie’s burgers. There are still a few others I’d like to check out and report back to you on, like Z Grille and Park Shore Grill. Where’s your favorite place to eat downtown?