Pinellas Ale Works Brewery — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

I recently visited Pinellas Ale Works (PAWS) brewery in St. Pete with my husband while scouting locations for an employee appreciation event for my job. Although PAWS is renowned as the most dog-friendly brewery, our experience revealed they are definitely not customer-friendly.

The trouble started when I went up to order our first round of drinks, which didn’t turn out great. On our second trip to the bar, I asked for two samples. The friendly bartender happily obliged, letting us try before we ordered. However, on our third order, when we asked for one more sample each, things took a turn for the worse.

As I walked back to my table to give my husband his sample, I overheard a man scolding our bartender for giving us too many samples. This man, who turned out to be Travis, the manager, noticed me standing there and, instead of defusing the situation, he defensively snapped, “What’s up?” as if I was the one at fault. The original friendly bartender stepped in, sensing my irritation, and took my order.

Later, I asked our bartender for the name of the man who had been so rude, and that’s when I learned it was Travis, the manager for the day. It was incredibly disappointing to find out that the person exhibiting the most unprofessional behavior was actually in charge.

To add insult to injury, as we were finishing our beers, Travis came over to our table and attempted a half-hearted apology. He said he was sorry if he came off rude, but quickly added that we had too many samples. This non-apology only served to highlight his lack of customer service skills. If you’re going to apologize, don’t justify your poor behavior.

Sadly, this experience means that PAWS is off the list for our work event, and I won’t be recommending or returning to this brewery. While they may be dog-friendly, there are plenty of other breweries in the neighborhood that are both dog-friendly and staffed with genuinely friendly people.

The one star is for the friendly bartender I interacted with...

Pinellas Ale Works (PAW) is hands down one of the best craft breweries in St. Pete! 🍺🐶 Located in the heart of the Grand Central District, this dog-friendly brewery has an awesome atmosphere with a spacious air-conditioned taproom and a shaded outdoor beer garden—perfect for enjoying a cold beer with friends (furry ones included!).

The beer selection is incredible—over 38 rotating taps and special releases with something for everyone. Standouts include the (Milk Bone) Nitro Sweet Stout, packed with chocolate and coffee notes, and the Harolds, a crisp, easy-drinking classic with slight herbal note. Their award-winning brews are a must-try! 🍻

Beyond great beer, PAW is a fun community hangout, offering trivia nights, board games, darts, and live music. They also have food trucks, so you can grab a bite while sipping your brew. The service is top-notch, with friendly bartenders who know their stuff and help you find the perfect beer.

The entire place is clean, inviting, and has great parking, making it an easy stop for both locals and visitors. If you're in St. Pete and love craft beer, PAW is a must-visit!...

Solid beer selection with a perfect niche. It turns out 90% of the time people who love dogs also love beer. And they capitalized on it with a fun dog theme to their brewery… - This place is dog friendly AND cat friendly I have it on good authority that anything but snakes and spiders is generally welcome…

I had the puppy breath IPA and it’s great it’s their hazy ipa with nice fruit notes not too bitter and still a 7%abv not bad…

They have ample seating, indoor and outdoor and OK amount of TVs but you’d probably be more focused on your dog when you’re here they have a small stage outdoors for performances and it looked like they had a separate indoor venue. I got there late and couldn’t exactly explore, but it did have a sign that said event so maybe it’s for reservations or Other events.

Overall this place is great. Staff is friendly. Beers are tasty. They have two old-school dart boards with the metal tips and boardgames which if you know me is a key component and they’re also off the beaten path so there’s not as much drunk and madness if you were to come on a weekend.

Overall definitely...