Fresco's Waterfront Bistro — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

This is a very pricey restaurant that does not offer any complimentary items or even a salad with your meal. The food was amazing. There was not an issue with that. However, management could make a lot of changes to level up the customer experience. Employees should be in uniform. Some of the employees were wearing jeans with holes in the knees, and all of the female waitresses were wearing tight, low-cut tank tops. It is completely unacceptable when this is a family atmosphere plus being right in front of the pier where mainly families with young children visit. Plus, some females were wearing buttcheek tight shorts. Some of the male servers were unshaven, unkempt, or wearing shorts. The music was not appropriate for the restaurant. Could be a variety of music that would be fine or soft contemporary music. The server we had, I will not share her name it's not about pointing an individual out, but it should be part of serving to offer and or suggest the obvious such as, I asked for to go boxes, our meals were a little saucy I had to ask for some paper to cover the bottom of the box. Side note, the boxes suck the most useless to go containers I've ever experienced. Then, once I filled the boxes myself, which she should have offered then I had to ask for a bag. We also had to ask to have our coffee and water to be refilled. Where is common curiosity, I arrived with a member in a wheelchair and when we left, it was not offered to hold the door. The prices... good lord, $75 for one person's meal come on. I know prices have gone up but not like that. It's $9.00 jusy for a salad....yes, you read that right a salad. The restaurant as a whole is not wheelchair friendly. The restroom was not big enough to take a wheelchair in nor have a handicap stall. Lastly, where was the manager? With the price of the meals, the manager should be going around to the tables and spot checking their kitchen staff on how the food was plated and taste and the temperature plus how the service had been. I still would recommend a ONE time visit as the food was delicious. Just be prepared to spend upwards of $125 to...

Fresco’s Waterfront Grill: A Downtown St. Pete Staple Great Food and Atmosphere Await

Tampa Bay Food Tours loves visiting Fresco's St. Pete Beach Drive Food Tour. Located right on the downtown St. Pete marina, Fresco’s boasts a spacious outdoor patio with beautiful waterfront views and a relaxed coastal vibe. It’s the perfect spot to unwind while enjoying fantastic food and drinks.

What We Tried The menu is diverse and crowd-pleasing, offering everything from seafood classics to customizable pasta bowls. Highlights from our visit included:

Blackened Chicken Carbonara – Hearty, creamy, and packed with flavor.

Shrimp Scampi – Fresh and garlicky with perfectly cooked shrimp.

Lobster Roll – Loaded with sweet lobster meat, just the way it should be.

Fish Tacos – Light, fresh, and flavorful.

Grouper Sandwich – A must-try in St. Pete, and this one checks all the boxes.

Side Dishes – Far from an afterthought — generous portions with a variety of tasty options.

We also appreciated the Build-Your-Own Pasta Bowl feature, allowing for a personalized meal with multiple protein and sauce combinations.

Family-Friendly & Full Bar Traveling with grandkids? Fresco’s delivers with a solid kids menu including mac and cheese, chicken fingers, burgers, pizza, and fried shrimp.

For the adults, there are two full-service bars (indoor and outdoor) offering cocktails, local beer, and wine — the perfect pairing with the marina views and sea breeze.

Details 📍 300 2nd Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, FL 📞 (727) 894-4429 🕒 Open 7 Days a Week 🥂 Brunch – Saturday & Sunday 🍹 Happy Hour – Monday through Friday, 3:00–7:00 PM Enjoy ½ off single well drinks, domestic beers, and house wines during Happy Hour.

Whether you're a local or just visiting downtown St. Pete, Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro offers the kind of memorable dining experience that makes you want to come back...

Great place by the pier, just stopped in to get a beverage and a quick bite with my wife. Bar was a bit full and only had one stool left to sit… so we sat at a table and ordered drinks from the bar. I asked the bartender Faith if I could order an appetizer from her, the manager (Adam W.) personally stated to me that “he would prefer if I ordered from a server because we were sitting at a table that requires a server”. (Crazy!!) The only reason we had to sit at a table rather than the bar was because he was sitting in one of the only 2 stools left!! (Mind you the entire dining room was available at this time) Not a single table was occupied at this time until our arrival and we were left with no other option but to seat ourselves at this point except to be self appointed to a table.) There are 3 types of managers in the world, bad, good and great. Adam W. is absolutely #1 (BAD) Epitome of a narcissist leader! … please get him some training on how to treat people, start with teaching him how to treat his Team first, as well as public etiquette. Faith (bar tender) & Kiki (server) were absolutely amazing in spite of not having a leader that is authentic and truly cares about his team, guests and the establishment he represents. Long rant… great place, great people, great atmosphere… bad experience with ONE “manger” BE BETTER ADAM W!!!! Best regards…Put your personal “Game Day” perspective aside and tender to your customers needs first! There is a time and place for your personal agenda, on the job is not...