Undertow Beach Bar

Great if you’re a member, but still great area for accessing the beach. Owner Pete is cool and laid back. A beautiful spot, with great energy, a fun crowd, and even for families. I could live and hang out here for the rest of my life 😏

No food which kind of sucks. Drinks are really expensive BUT it has a great atmosphere, right on white sand, some beach games and the bartenders…friendly, on it and easy on the eyes. 4 starts solely for price of drinks - can easily find cheaper drinks in St Pete on the beach elsewhere. Video of bartender was taken with her permission as she performed this upside down shot service.

Giving y’all a 4 because I love coming there but my friends and I don’t come often because there’s no parking anywhere. Not everyone can afford to always uber and some people like driving. Please allow more public parking near by I promise it would bring in more customers! Beautiful bar and beach though. :)

We found this beauty on a Google search so drove the one and a half hours to get to it. We had no idea we couldn’t park there so parked up the road. Upon arriving, we couldn’t have been made to feel more welcome by Cara. She is the daughter of the owner and they built the bar many years ago. It’s the coolest bar. Full of character and water running through the counter! You can play games or sit outside on the most BEAUTIFUL beach in the world and watch the dolphins in the water, followed by a breath taking sunset. They have another bar next to it which is an outside beach bar. We had a day on the beach and loved it so much, we booked 3 local suites and stayed the night. We were back at the bar today and the staff were equally as attentive. The bar doesn’t serve food but they are happy for you to order in and eat there. Thank you so much for making a travelling family from the UK feel so welcome. P.S - Picture attached of Cara’s party trick! Haha.

This place gives your liver a workout! Great vibe. Watching the sunset is spectacular.

Extremely Disrespectful Bartender Experience – 9/4/25 Night Shift We visited this bar on the night of September 4th, 2025, to celebrate my friend’s birthday with a group of about 10 people. We spent well over $1,800 throughout the night, tipping 20% or more on every single tab. We came to have fun, spend money, and support the bar — but one bartender completely disrespected us and ruined the experience. At one point, we asked the female bartender working that night to slap my friend and hang from the bar pole — just something fun for his birthday. She did say there would be a charge, but never told us how much until after she did it. Then suddenly, we’re hit with a $100 charge, which is absolutely excessive and ridiculous for something like that. To make matters worse, she entered that $100 as a tip on the receipt — not as a service or fee — but a gratuity, which is misleading. Naturally, when we saw a $100 tip already added, we didn’t leave anything extra. And because of that, she complained — and then refused to serve us for the rest of the night, accusing us of not tipping. That’s outrageous, considering we had already left generous 20%+ tips on every previous order. We even asked her to pull the receipts, and they all clearly showed our tips. We know how this industry works, and we always tip properly. She flat-out decided we weren’t worth her time anymore, and when the other male bartender was busy getting beer or ice, she stood there doing nothing, completely ignoring us, even though she knew we were waiting. Her attitude was unacceptable — cold, entitled, and unprofessional. We couldn’t help but feel like we were being profiled, Why else would we be treated so differently after spending over $1,800 and tipping well all night? Thankfully, the male bartender working with her was the complete opposite — professional, kind, and attentive, even while juggling restocking duties. He did a great job and deserves recognition. If it weren’t for him, we probably would have walked out a lot sooner. And here’s the real issue: this kind of behavior is financially damaging to your business. We were a group ready to come back every Thursday — we loved the music, the vibe, the atmosphere. But you think we’re going to return with that type of employee behind the bar? No chance. One person like that can drive away loyal, high-spending customers and ruin your reputation. Unless that woman is the owner herself (which would explain the arrogant attitude and poor judgment), it’s hard to understand how she feels entitled to treat customers that way. And if she isn’t the owner, then whoever is should really think twice about the type of people they’re trusting to represent their brand — because she’s not only hurting your customers, she’s hurting your bottom line. She is costing the business money, profits, or future income

Just a great beach bar. Everyone in bathing suits including the bartenders enjoying Good Friday afternoon. Walked up from Pass-A-Grill

Stopped by here on a recommendation from friends. The beach is gorgeous. The service is great. The people are friendly. Couldn’t ask for more. They don’t have food on site but you can order Uber eats from just about anywhere. We ordered Uber eats from Hungry Howies. The food was really really good. If you’re looking for a place to spend an afternoon at a great bar with great scenery totally recommend that you stop here.

Undertow is a hidden gem. We came here to enjoy some drinks while watching the sunset. The staff was welcoming and friendly. We got freshly made pina coladas, they were so good. The bar was fairly busy, but had plenty of room for us to sit and enjoy the beautiful views. They have a lot of fun games you can play too. The prices can't be beat! The bathrooms were nice and clean too. We will definitely be back. I'm not sure about the food, I didn't see a kitchen or food menu, but we just came for drinks! @living.with.reg

This bar has the potential to be an awesome spot. Unfortunately, the bartenders are extremely rude. We had a large group come in for a family reunion pub crawl. Some of us are sober, pregnant, or can't drink for medical reasons. When my husband and I ordered a Diet Coke and water from the bar, the bartender was extremely rude and made a rude gesture towards me and my husband. We still tipped $5 on a $1 tab, because people in the service industry deserve respect. Unfortunately, this visit earned this review since I want everyone to be well aware of the type of service you can expect here.

Staff is extremely hostile off the bat. They block off the entire beach in front so patrons can't spread out and set up. If you have a backpack or chairs (which most people do when the go to the beach) an angry man with white hair who is obviously miserable with his own life, is waiting at the front of the parking lot to accost you and say you're not allowed in. The bartenders aren't the friendliest either. They don't seem to understand that by not letting people set up in the beach in front of their bar, they're really alienating customers. None of the other beach bars that don't offer private cabanas behave this way. They could be making a ton of money being one of the few beach bars that's open since the hurricanes but they're really shooting themselves in the foot here. People go to the beach for a laidback vibe and this place is anything but. I was just there for 4th of July weekend which should've been busy for them but it was dead due to their militant and unfriendly policies. Yikes.

I used to really like this place, gorgeous setting on the beach. But recently the prices have gone up quite a bit. I ordered a small glass, maybe 3 ounces of house Chardonnay and it was 8.50. Too rich for me.

Great beach bar, right on the beach. Fast and friendly service at the bar, and full liquor so grab a shot and a beer then hit the amazing beach after!!

I was apart of a large group that called ahead of time that arranged a 5k tab. upon arrival they denied entry to all of us despite everyone being 21+ we drove 3 1/2 hours to spend the day here. Terrible service, it was gross the way they treated us. Cursing, shouting, and telling us to leave after being there for under 5 minutes. I wouldn't recommend anyone going here.

I went to meet my friends on the public beach near The Undertow Bar with my professionally trained service dog. Although we did not step foot near their bar, an older male staff member approached me inappropriately and accused me of not having a real service dog. From the very beginning, I calmly stated that I would leave, which I did, but the situation escalated unnecessarily. (I was there for about 10 minutes in total) He asked me a series of inappropriate questions about my dog and my disability. Despite not being legally required to answer, I complied--I explained the specific task my dog is trained for, my disability, and confirmed I have proper documentation. Even after this, he continued to press me, treating me in a demeaning and disrespectful manner and forcing me to leave. As I walked to grab my purse, he went to block me as if thinking I were going to walk into the facility to leave. Which I never did, never was, and never will - I was just grabbing my bag on the beach to leave. The laws protecting service animals and people with disabilities exist for a reason, and this behavior was both unacceptable and against the law. Given this experience, my family and friends--who witnessed the discrimination firsthand--will not be visiting this establishment in the future. My deep disturbance reflecting the disrespect of all service animals warrants at least this review. I do not support businesses that fail to treat individuals with disabilities and their service animals with the respect and dignity they deserve. I hope this facility educates their staff on ADA compliances and the importance of treating all individuals with basic respect and humanity moving forward.

I started going to the Undertow in the 1980's. My family has and still has 4 weeks of timeshare per year around 200 yards down the beach from this place and it has been my daily hangout while on vacation for decades. I have seen this bar change a lot over the years. It used to be one of the coolest places to be on the beach and had a great vibe. This is no exaggeration when I say I literally spent 5-6 hours every day there 2 weeks in May, 2 weeks in August every year. I don't leave the beach once I'm there for vacations. No amusement parks or attractions. Just hanging out doing nothing is my kind of time so the bar daily became part of my routine, and I enjoyed the heck out of the Undertow for years and years. It's a family business and I know 3 generations of the family by name and have called them all friend before. I don't go there anymore. The list of reasons is long and has built my disdain for the place over the years slowly but surely as each thing/new rule came up. Rude barmaids/staff that act like you are an obstacle instead of a customer. Fenced off the beach Took out the jukebox because snowflake barmaids got triggered over some songs that international tourists played. Now the barmaids play their own playlists off their phones so the music is not for anyone over 25. (This is one of the big ones to me personally) High prices (nowadays) Smiley's is gone so no great food anymore Did I mention rude barmaids? Customers are 90% local rednecks/fishermen and are easily offended. Tourists don't seem welcome anymore like they used to be. It seems more like a private club. Don't go at night. The locals got annoyed by a tourist one night and he was found on the beach later beat to death. Oh yeah, RUDE barmaids need to be mentioned.

Great place to go if you are into the bar scene. There is actual beach access affording tables to watch nature and the white sands of St Pete Beach in Florida. Drinks are a little pricy but no unaffordable!

Do NOT recommend. Walked here to grab a drink. The bartenders, which i would not label them as bartenders since their qualifications are "opening a beer top", were rude and just stared. When i asked what the favorite frozen drink was to make she replied with "NO". How embarrassing for them and the establishment. That is not bartending. You are basically a beer girl with zero bartending skills. We are visiting from a city who has exceptional cocktail bars and amazing service. Not this . I did get a pina colada if you want to call the grocery store liquor and pre made mix with ice. Surprised she was willing to do that. Don't call yourself a bartender. It's an insult to actual bartenders who know how and want to make mixed cocktails. Avoid. Listen to the reviews. They are legit.

Went in a couple days, looked nice. But the water downed drinks were terribly over priced. Would not recommend.

Great place. I guess we hit their happy hour. Drinks were extremely reasonable contrary to what I'd heard in the past. Good TVs for sports etc. Beach right out the back. What could be bad? Recommend for a great afternoon out.

I brought my service animal in, the manager came with a sign yelling that he was a pet not a service animal. I offered to show him paperwork (which I don't have to do). By law- you are allowed to ask if they are a service animal and what services they provide. He continued yelling at me and I told please call the police if there's any issue. The police came and they told me he wanted to trespass me. i told the police he is a service animal and the service he is trained to provide. I was sitting with my boyfriend on our first drink causing no issue. When we were walking out he yelled "anything to get entitled people out. Owners are allowed to kick anyone out." He was clearing kicking me out because of my service animal and even said it was because I was "entitled". I would love not to have my issues that cause me to have a service animal, apparently that makes me entitled!? 100% complete disregard for service animals and those with disabilities. DO NOT go there.

I love coming here specifically to see Emily and Izzy they're my two favorite hottest bartender. they provide excellent customer service hottest beach bartenders come here for them

No, just no. Save yourself and someone you love. I walked in off the beach. Easy money, right? Yeah, easy money that just walked out the door never to return. PLEASE CALL JOHN TAFFER!!!!! You can't serve $7 drinks and charge $12 After asking for a top shelf drink, I got a sub-well watered down version. The exact same drink we bought earlier at Crabby Bills was tons better than this swill. Listen to the reviews. The five star reviews are fake, created to lure you into the spiders web. Seriously, when you are actually a bar tender, you don't have to wear a bikini for tips. Bartending is an art. Why wasn't the man pretending to be a bartender wearing a bikini? I might have given him a better tip!

kept the barbecue guy outside is amazing. His food is to die for.! Isabel does shots hanging upside down from the ceiling. It's a must.

Hello, Thanks for checking out my review. Food is my favorite hobby, I do not cook at all, so I'm constantly on the hunt for something amazing to eat and writing about it is my second favorite hobby... I hope it helps you as you find your next meal. Enjoy and good eating!! I always rate a place by 5 categories ranging from 1 - 5 stars and why. (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Price & Overall Experience). Atmosphere: 5 You couldn't get a better beach bar! It's on the water parking right up front, multiple bars and an upstairs bar too. Lots of Adirondack chairs, out door showers to rinse off the sand, outdoor games. The bars have a little moat with a current in it and little floaty toys to play with your other bar friends and the staff is all in bathing suits. Service: 5 There are several staff members all around taking drinks checking on you and again all in bathing suits. Food: While the don't have a kitchen there they do have lots of menus for places that will deliver there. Thought that was pretty cool and convenient. Price: 4 We had 6 cocktails for $40.00 bucks before tip. It's not bad and especially for the touristy spot your in I would have expected them to be more. Overall Experience: 4 This is a great place to spend the day or evening at with lots of options of things to do. It would be great if they did have a kitchen but again we saw people ordering from the pile of deliverly menus they had there.

Tried to come here but parking lot said "members only" when trying to enter from gulf blvd. Had to back up into traffic . Yet it say it has parking???

A quintessential Florida beach bar, located on St Pete Beach. A great place to spend an afternoon if you need a break from the sun. The drinks are cold, the atmosphere is laid back. If you decide you want to crank it up a notch then order an upside down shot from one of the bartenders. It will most definitely spice up your day.

My fav beach bar in all of Tampa Bay. Service is always on point and Em and Victoria are the best.

Great beach bar with great service. Emily is so friendly and such an efficient bartender. Go for happy hour or sunset views.

STAY AWAY!!! Surveys put other guest tab on my tab and was overcharged $100.00. The bartender lied and said we knew the people, totally not true. Very rude staff and management. Lots of crime so they have to close at 10:00 pm. Be Careful!!!

Exactly what you want a beach bar to be. Not much more I need to say. I do wish the parking situation was a little better.

The ultimate Florida dive bar on the beach. Cheap drinks. Great music. Nice beach out back. A little lazy river sits in the middle of the bar and you can watch the mini rubber ducks float by while you're enjoying a cheap beer and watching the bartenders give shots to college kids who act like it's their first drink ever. (Photo below)

Well , loved to watch the football games and decided to go somewhere different. The first set of skinny margaritas were subpar and virtually no tequila we also mentioned this to the waitress and she didn't offer a credit or another drink. Be careful when ordering drinks because our bill ended up being $250. The shots were $14.72 each. And I mean a shot ! Went to Hurricanes and O Maddie's and maybe $ 9:00 at the most. Mind you 250 no food , you go up and order because the waitress is impossible to get . Honestly Never complain , if I go back , No mixed drinks .. beer only .

They have no food. "No working kitchen". So don't believe they menu. There is n parking. Took sun runner to go there. Walked a couple blocks.

The staff is extremely rude. Save your time, money and experience. Walk to the next beach bar....

Bar is great no doubt. Until they Held my Credit card hostage during a storm and their system went down. lol. I offered to pay cash then they just kicked out our whole group. Still no idea how that unfolded, but I did like the place lol.

On the beach but not a beach bar. They have two full bars, billiards, games and cute girls in bikinis. The inside bar has a unique moat flowing through it. The back doors open up for scenic views of the sunset over the water. The sand is right outside. I enjoyed my first visit until I went out back and saw the patio. It looked like a compound! Locked gates with a door bell, rules signs plastered all over the inside and outside of an ugly fence. It was such a buzzkill. Before I could kick back and admire the beach with my cold cider, I was faced with; "Patrons only" "Private property" "Private beach" "No alcohol" I wasn't allowed to drink on their private beach property, which didn't make sense for a beach bar. Seems like they want you to look but not touch the beach. So many rules were against bringing beach items. No backpacks, beach bags, knapsacks, thermoses, containers or coolers. Do they honestly expect customers to carry handbags while wearing a bathing suit? I had a backpack with me, which I used to carry the clothes I took off. Call me crazy but I drove there fully clothed. The rule "management has the right to search any and all bags," seemed a bit invasive coming from a place that demanded such privacy. No fighting or gambling rules made sense but "no angry or racist music" and "management has the right to skip songs without refund," seemed unnecessary. Perhaps they should axe the jukebox full of offensive music options. How they lack control over their own music selection in 2017 is beyond me. Then the rules got personal... "No sagging pants or hats worn sideways." That doesn't seem racist at all. Oh, and "men must wear shirts after sunset." That doesn't seem sexist at all. I guess they're okay with women being topless as long as their hats are facing the right direction. The funniest rule besides "no foul language," is "no attitude." You are forbidden to have a stance of any kind. Ha!!! Just take it to Yelp, my friends. In reality this business contradicts the image they portray online with promo photos. Facebook page shows beach volley ball court and girls having fun in the sand with liquor bottles, beers, ice buckets, and beach umbrellas. Three stars for a really nice day despite the jail vibe and sign pollution. The bartender was a sweetheart and made my friends and I great drinks. Most of the reviews this year are 1 star and pretty appalling. The owner should seriously reconsider what he/she really wants. There are smarter and sexier ways to be exclusive.

Great bar, fast service, low prices, gorgeous beach. Parking lot is members only, but you can park in the public parking down the road.

There are much better bars in the area. Most likely the few good reviews were paid for or posted by employees and mgmt. Avoid!

I would give less then a star if I could. The bartenders where great! When we where leaving the owner almost ran us over trying to get into his very exclusive parking lot. We were standing on the corner waiting for our Uber to pick us up. He made a right turn into the parking lot jumping the curb and sidewalk, and pinned me against the light pole. I did all I could not to get my feet run over by him, Including slapping the side of his truck. He jumped out and accosted my friend and I and waved down a sheriff deputy. Then put a trespassing order against us because he almost hit me while I was standing in the trees on the side walk. As a local tour guide and a captain In the community I will not recommend this place to any of my passengers or anyone I come across.

Well everything on web site states they have a full menu. But they have no working kitchen. Disappointing. Plus drinks are super over priced. But if you are a man and want to see bartenders in thongs. Well this is your place to go. Gross!

This place has a fabulous location. It's got a smoker right out front with what looked like great BBQ. It only has access from the back in and out (bouncer serviced) if you have a wristband (with an open bar tab) and parking out front is rough with an attendant. Aside from all that, they've got beach volleyball open to anyone, they have pool tables, a basketball throwing game, foosball, lots of outdoor seating and another building with a bar with a river in the counter. Ordered one drink from not the friendliest bartender, then headed out. Fun place but quite the meat market. And not a pretty one. But if you're interested in playing some games and just having a fun time off the sand or out of the sun, this is a good spot.

Extremely rude workers that have a complex. Would not recommend try bongo's or jimmy bs instead.

Great bar. Drinks are cheap and the girl serving is extremely nice and kind. I love the environment and I would definitely come back.

Horrible service, no parking. Don't waste your time. We walked in and sat the bar and were ignored by the bar staff. Never going back.

The worst bat and dirty. Ex bartender sat on bar where they served food. A woman asked her to get bad and the girl started to yell at her. I was there, the woman asked nicely. Several barracks, the girls friend , and the manager all said,"It's ok. She used to work here." And left her sitting on top of the bar. The owner dragged her off the and carried her away. The owner gave the woman an excuse that no COVID violations were broken bc of the girl sitting on the boy and she had some emotional issues from a recent break up. So ladies... next time you have a boyfriend problem go to The Undertow and sit in the bar with your bathing bottom that you been sweating in for 8 plus hours with dirty feet and dirty sandy shoes. Maybe you will feel better. Only one star.. would give no stars but you have to enter something

Use to love this place and visited every time I was in St. Pete. Tried to stop by today, but apparently you can't park in their parking lot unless you are a member of some parking club? Sign actually says to Uber or walk there?!?! Sadly went somewhere else.

There was no beverage or food menu. The vibes were pretty good. The bartenders were very nice. They did not garish the drinks which is a key. If there was parking and a food menu we would've stayed longer.

Been one of my favorite stops on SPB for many years. I was ready to go five stars, but this lack of a kitchen bums me out. I was told hopefully by the end of this month, but without the kitchen, it's not a compete package. Oh sure there was a guy selling slices of pizza, and a BBQ stand was there too. But I was looking forward to some wings. Also, and I'm sure it's all timing, but it seemed a tad rowdier. No big deal, but the vibe has changed a bit. Still it's a very solid beach bar option in my book. Parking is still a pain, though lucky for me I either walk, ride, or get a lift here. PS. I did learn later that it's possible to order some food from Smiley's Snack Shack (http://www.yelp.com/biz/smileys-snack-shack-st-pete-beach) down the road, but that seems like a pain to me.

We went her on a sunny, beautiful Sunday afternoon in February. We arrived about 2pm. No parking anywhere. We found a spot and headed in. There was a good crowd. But we got stopped immediately because we had a beach bag. We had cover ups and towels in the bag. We were told we can keep it. But it was really frowned upon. The fence and the signs at the tip of the bar are hideous. Really takes away from what we are there to do. Uptight bartenders not friendly at all. No food , but yeah there are signs everywhere to order food and they will bring it. Bathrooms kinda dirty. The beach is amazing. The view is spectacular. I heard this place used to be much better. I hope they Re think their hospitality. I'll go back. It was still good.

Really amazing Pina coladas! Cute beach vibe. We walked down the beach from our hotel and stopped by. Great find!

I live in St Pete. I've been to many beach restaurants/bars. This is literally the worst beach bar I have ever been to. Very dirty and slow service. No food and frankly wouldn't order food if they had it. So gross. So many other amazing beach bars.

Came here lastnight, met the most friendly and attentive bartender I know there named Kayla. My drink was perfectly strong and delicious. I had strawberry pina colada? I'm pretty sure she mixed it up for me, loved it! They have a cute small bar on the beach and a small parking lot. Had no issue parking though, and didn't have to pay for it. Drinks are reasonably priced, and they have bars on the roof where people can be upside taking "upside shots"?! They have breakfast, lunch/dinner! Super cute place. Would go back!

My fiancé and I have joked about visiting undertow since last year when our trip to st Pete was cancelled. Now we are here and decided to venture to undertow beach bar after talking about it for months. We saw the reviews and knew it would be a chance we were taking. We went (along with my parents) around 7/7:30 so it wasn't busy. But to our surprise the location was absolutely stunning. The beach area at undertow was 10 times better than our sand at tradewinds, with beautiful palm trees and many places to sit on the beach. We played corn hole and beer pong that was offered there and had a couple drinks. Before we knew it it was 9:30/10. The drinks were good, the bartenders were friendly and accommodating. I did not feel as if they treated be differently than the locals that were sitting at the bar. My (adult) family will not hesitate to go back. If you're okay with bartenders in barely-anything bikinis than undertow is a good stop!

Drove over from Tampa to grab some drinks and couldn't get in the empty "members only parking lot" pretty disappointed, used to be a cool place. Hope they one day decide to change this horrible idea.

Me and my friends love the undertow as it sits right on the beach and you're able to get your drinks and get back to the water very quickly. Yay! I am a bit disappointed that they changed the drink that I daydreamed about at this bar - the rum runner. Ugh. It was traditionally brown and slushy and this time I got it and it was a bright red (?) and it didn't taste good at all. The server was a bit curt and rude when I asked her about the change and tried to insist to me that is the way it's always been. Noooo! Also - they do not serve food there. They give you a menu of another local eatery to call and have them deliver and they also have a man there selling pizza he keeps warm in a little oven. This little spot would be so much more awesome if they had a kitchen and served some food. Ah well. When you've got the beach just steps away, you can do whatever you wish, I suppose.

Love friendly people here. Delicious tropical ice drinks on patio outside. Beachfront. Recommend this bar for a nice time and drink. Had frozen watermelon ice rum drink. Yummy.