Three Birds Tavern — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

Motoring along the N4, or 4th Street North as locals would call it, there is a two story oasis comfortably cozy with grand oaks, brick and wrought iron fencing. Gaelic winds of whimsy waft skyward and interweave with Southern sultry breeze.

This Tavern of Isle temptation beckons weary and thirsty travelers off the bustling tarmac and into pub repose. A step off the Saint Pete pace.

Sauntering in with my lovely lass we found a nice niche on the outdoor porch. A great place to take in the charm and envision scenes of yesteryear for this old farmhouse.

The Food. My Fab One ordered the Chicken & Cheese Sandwich. Choosing the fried chicken breast with a layer of Cheddar, lettuce, onion and pickle gave her a two wings up combination. I'm always intrigued when my baby is satisfied, and I know that look....

For me, it was a VERY tough call... I tend to gauge pubs by that infamous dish, The Shepherd's Pie. When I noticed that Three Birds makes a 'true' pie which included lamb, that made it even more tempting! You see, lots of places tout their Shepherd's Pie, but do NOT include lamb. With only beef, the dish is actually a Cottage Pie. Kudos to any establishment that gets it right.

But, I was also titillated by the allure of The Lamb Burger! Nothing beats the sweet note of this 'other' meat treat!

Tormented I was! Like Edgar Allen Poe must've felt trying to come up with a title for 'The Pit and the, hmmmmmm, Clock? No...Second Hand? No...hmmmm.....Pendulum!!!

My Pit(ahem!) chose the Lamb Burger!!! A ground lamb seasoned with red wine, garlic & oregano, topped with Feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, red onion, greens & tomato burger. Raising this Three Birds medley to my mouth brought scintillating scents to my olfactory sense! A melting madness of herbal non-verbal discussion deftly danced atop my elated tastebuds... Oh! The Fantasy of Food!

The Staff. Tending the chores of this former farmhouse takes a team. Our team member was Kirstin. She handled our requests and our needs like a champ. We walked in as hungry strangers. We left as Pals O' the Pub!

The End... No! The beginning! And tell them John & Beth sent...

Three Birds Tavern isn’t just a restaurant—it’s an experience, a pilgrimage, a culinary fever dream that I never want to wake up from. I sat down, looked at this menu, and immediately started planning my second stomach implant surgery.

Let’s start with the appetizers. The Brauhuas Bavarian Pretzel is so good it deserves its own national holiday. It’s basically a warm hug dipped in beer cheese. The Buffalo Shrimp? I’m convinced they’re caught by mermaids because shrimp this perfect don’t just happen. And don’t even get me started on JoJo’s—they’re fries, but fancy. Like, “wear-a-suit-to-eat-them” fancy.

Then, we move to the entrees. The Blackened Grouper is market price, but let’s be honest: it’s worth selling your car for. The Shepherd’s Pie? It’s like being transported to a cozy Irish cottage, minus the confusing accents. But the real MVP here is the Citrus Chicken, which had me wondering if I could legally marry a poultry dish.

The Handhelds section? A handheld miracle. The Tavern Smash Burger made me believe in true love again. The Avocado, Bacon & Egg Burger? That’s brunch, lunch, and dinner wrapped in one majestic bun. Oh, and the Pressed Cuban—it’s so legit, I’m pretty sure it came with its own passport.

By the time I hit the Sweet Endings, I was 97% food, 3% regret. I ordered the Key Lime Pie, and let me tell you, it was like a Florida sunset on a plate. Perfectly tangy, not too sweet, and absolutely no filler (unlike my life).

Service? Incredible. The staff somehow balanced being attentive and letting me cry softly into my bread pudding.

If you’re in St. Pete and haven’t been to Three Birds Tavern, are you even living? Stop what you’re doing, come here, and thank me later. Pro tip: bring stretchy pants. You’re going...

Three Birds is terrible and is difficult to recommend to anybody. The atmosphere is well done and it has a good outdoor setup with solid lighting and spacious seating, this is where the positives end.

The service is consistently awful. After being seated prepare to wait at least 20 minutes before a waiter/waitress show up. It will be another hour before your food arrives. The server will never check in on you and when you’re prepared to leave, well be prepared to wait again.

The food and drinks are equally disappointing. Prepare yourself for GFS quality food that is either overcooked or served cold, then charged x3 what it costs them to make. The price to quality ratio has never been more absurd than it is here at 3 birds. Ordering $10 worth of pretzels as an appetizer will grant you 2 pathetic microwave pretzels with Fritos cheese dip, and this continues with the rest of their menu.

Equally terrible are the mixed drinks which are overpriced and are over-poured with the cheapest liquor you’ve ever tasted. Listen I love a strong martini, but the quality of liquor used to make these is insulting- and it’s completely overpowering anything else in the drink.

I don’t even know where to recommend improvements for this place, I’ve been here so many time because it’s a cute atmosphere and is walking distance to our home but have never left impressed with anything. I think some serious staff training is needed. I mean honestly, we’ve shown up several times when we’re one of only a handful of people in the restaurant, and the service is STILL terrible.

In addition some training in drink making and food preparation is needed. At the end of the day, I can’t recommend this place to anyone without some major...