Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

I walked over to the bar to have a drink while I waited on a pizza I ordered from around the corner. The blonde, Amanda, gave me a weird look the second I walked in the door. The patrons were dressed nicely and I was in workout clothes after a long day at work. There is no doubt that I was being judged by my appearance.

Naturally, I had a few questions about beer on tap and wine by the glass. I bought a $13 glass of wine and tipped her $2.25 cash. The plan was to peruse the bottle section for something to take home to enjoy with my pizza. I asked Amanda if there was anything on sale and she rudely mocked me. “Have you ever been here before?” As if to say that I was wildly out of line for asking if there were items on sale. I have been here multiple times to buy some of my favorite, rare beers but clearly Amanda viewed me as an outsider not worthy of the fancy Hawthorne Bottle shop. I browsed the beer and wine section until I found a 4 pack of beer that said “$8 off”. I brought it to Amanda and made a joke that she didn’t tell me about the deal. I asked her if it was buy 3 get one free.

She said, “No, that’s supposed to say tax. It’s too small for me to read anyway.”

She said this to me in the most condescending tone.

She was rude for no reason other than that she was offended by the fact that I was looking for a deal. What can I say? I bought a drink, I tipped 20%, and I planned to tip again with the next purchase. I was a little uneasy about the way this woman was treating a paying customer but I paid anyway. I paid without even considering the price because I was confused and I really wanted to try the beer. I looked at my receipt and saw that it was actually $8 off from the total but by then I was not happy with my service and decided I did not want to spend $24 on a 4 pack of beer with an establishment that was treating me like I stole something. I reconsidered my purchase and I asked for a refund. Before I left,I asked her to please read the label. She refused and told me to leave. I left without arguing and I promised her a Google review in return.

A message to the owner: I want to personally thank you and your staff for showing me who you truly are as people. I have spent quite a bit of money in this place over the past 4 or 5 years. I’m glad to know that my money will be better spent with true locals who appreciate all paying customers. Amanda made me feel bad about myself for being on a budget during some of the most trying times in the history of humanity. I will never forget the way Amanda made me feel. Because Amanda tried and succeeded in making me feel inferior for being frugal with my hard earned money, I will never spend another dollar with you and I strongly encourage others to be more cautious of who they support with...

Food: The burgers are succulent, and can be ordered custom. I got a bubch of fried onions on mine and it was insanely good. The Tomorrowland open face sandwich has quality tuna, balsamic, microgreens, and brie. I get it on whole grain without the brie, and it is fantastic and healthy.

Service: Fantastic. Incredibly friendly and knowledgable staff. Jessa is a great bartender and is incredibly easy to talk to, as is everyone who works here.

Armosphere: They have bottle sharing days where you can try rare and crazy sours/stouts/saisons/etc. from the beer share cooler, and they have recently started Pitch-a-Friend, and also have Keith who plays music here and he sounds very very good.

Overall: I love this place, and they have an immense selection of rare and interesting beers, great food, events, music, staff,...

If you haven’t been to Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe on Central yet, you’re seriously missing out! It’s the ultimate spot for amazing food, drinks, and a chill vibe—perfect for catching up with friends or coworkers.

I tried their cheeseboard, which was loaded with creamy goat cheese, savory prosciutto, apricot preserves, honey, and more—each bite was a little piece of heaven.

And let me tell you about the Burning Man sandwich! It’s packed with layers of tender roast beef, crisp romaine, tangy pickled red onions, bold blue cheese crumbles, creamy horseradish, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, all hugged by perfectly hearty whole-grain bread. Absolute flavor explosion! 🔥

Highly recommend for anyone who loves great food and a...