Cheeky's Fish & Raw Bar — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

“Cheeky’s St. Pete: Come for the oysters, stay because your pants won’t let you leave.”

If Jimmy Buffett opened a seafood joint with a dash of sass, a splash of garlic mayo, and an unhealthy obsession with martinis, it would be Cheeky’s. This place is like the lovechild of a beach bar, a raw bar, and your drunk uncle’s backyard grill—and I mean that in the best possible way.

Let’s start with the Happy Hour. It runs from 3–6pm, but spiritually, it lasts forever. You walk in and instantly feel like you’ve entered a Jimmy Buffett song where everyone is drinking out of a tiki glass and someone in the corner is whispering sweet nothings to a seafood tower.

And OH LORD, THE SEAFOOD TOWERS. We went with the High Tide, because we’re not cowards. This bad boy came stacked like Poseidon's brunch buffet—12 oysters, 12 shrimp, crudo, fish dip, and the haunting realization you’re going to need a bib and a nap. I made eye contact with a Sicilian Crudo so beautiful I proposed to it. My date said no. The crudo said yes.

French Fries? Garlic mayo magic. Fried Grouper Cheek Sliders? Banged harder than my ex's mixtape. Fried Oyster Sliders? Let’s just say if I could legally marry a mollusk, I would’ve had a Vegas wedding that night.

And don’t sleep on the Bar Cheese & Crackers. It’s just fried Ritz crackers and Vermont cheddar, but somehow it tasted like my childhood and a Super Bowl party had a baby.

Now, cocktails: The Spiked Sangria had me slurring “this is the best sangreeeeeea” after three sips. The You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat? Accurate. I needed a bigger liver. And the Cheek Clapper shot? It’s exactly what it sounds like. If your soul doesn't leave your body for a brief moment, you did it wrong.

By the time dessert rolled around, I was a broken man. But I saw Key Lime Pie on the menu and blacked out like a Floridian vampire seeing the sunrise. I woke up holding a fork and whispering, “worth it.”

Service? They’re fast, friendly, and just the right amount of cheeky (duh). My server gave oyster pairing advice like she moonlights as Poseidon’s sommelier.

Pro tip: Come hungry. Leave happy. Possibly bloated....

I arranged for a late birthday lunch for my friend @ Cheeky’s, for a party of 7. We were there when the doors opened @ 3 & from start to finish the staff was welcoming. The decor is in line with the theme you would find @ a coastal, casual, seafood restaurant.We didn’t realize that it was an open air restaurant, maybe I missed that memo somewhere on their website before making the reservation? 🤔 but there are plenty of large ceiling fans & cross ventilation from all the opened windows, but with a group of women of a certain age who have their own random tropical summers someone is bound to be hot @ any given moment…if you know what I mean; so bring a handheld fan & wear something cool if this applies to you!

The drinks are cold, service is great & the food is good. Hope was our waitress, she was friendly, knowledgeable about the menu & took good care of us. Only the Happy Hour menu was available during the time we visited but we plan to return to check out their dinner menu which starts @ 5pm. We had wings, which had a great sauce; just spicy enough, grouper sliders, fries & the lobster roll…no one complained about the food! 😋 There was a minor mixup, no pun intended, with our drinks, but when bought to the bartender’s attention he made it right. All in all good food, great service, good drinks, reasonable prices, nice environment. Grab your friends, wear something that will keep you cool or bring a handheld fan & go have yourself a good...

Went to Cheeky’s on a Saturday at 5pm. We were met by the hostess, and seated with the necessary high chair for my grandchild. The airiness of the restaurant was nice. It felt like both an inside / outside experience. The waitstaff was accommodating and helpful with our choice of drinks. It felt active and fun. The vibe was inviting.

We chose the red snapper sandwich which was very thick and tasty. The fries were excellent. They weren’t greasy but instead crispy and tasty. The kids had a guava jelly with the hush puppies and it was also quite enjoyable. I ordered cole slaw as a side; it wasn’t bad but there definitely is room for improvement. Maybe a small cup of a better cole slaw to round out the fish and chips would be good. I didn’t need as much as the side but it usually is nice way to complement the delicious fish and fries.

The baseball game was on the TV ‘s over the bar and could be seen throughout the restaurant. I liked that it didn’t dominate the experience but allowed us to check on the game.

Overall, I was impressed by Cheeky’s. I’d definitely go back when I pass through again. Since it just opened, I think they are observing and changing as they see their needs in a clearer light. Go...