Where to Eat, Drink Near Gasparilla Bowl 2017

In town for the Gasparilla Bowl between FIU and Temple? Here's where to eat and drink nearby the stadium in St. Petersburg.

The Gasparilla Bowl between FIU and Temple is at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, December 21. It ranked No. 34 on Eric Single's Entertainment Bowl Rankings. He wrote: “Another baseball stadium bowl venue, and this one (Tropicana Field) is barely accepted as a suitable place to play baseball. When Bad Boy Mowers famously signed on for the St. Petersburg Bowl’s flashy rebrand, it had to have been hoping for a little better luck than this. This game should at least shine some light on Butch Davis’s impressive one-year turnaround at FIU, which has been completely overshadowed by Lane Kiffin’s impressive one-year turnaround at FAU."

If you happen to be in town for this matchup and are looking for some places to eat, our friends at Yelp have some suggestions. 

Engine No. 9

56 Dr Martin Luther King Jr St N Saint Petersburg, FL 33705

Yelp Stars: 4 | Reviews: 738 | Miles from Tropicana Field: 0.5

Sample review (from Allan R.):"Great selection of burgers that are cooked properly. I had the black and blue burger which has three different kinds of blue cheese, a slice, crumble and sauce. It also has bacon and a spicy sauce. I ordered the french fries which were well-seasoned, but I would have liked them a little more crispy. It is also dark for a mid-week lunch. It is a casual spot and would be a good weekday lunch, but it should be brighter during the day."

The Burg Bar & Grill

1752 Central Ave Saint Petersburg, FL 33712

Yelp Stars: 4 | Reviews: 281 | Miles from Tropicana Field: 0.3

Sample review (from Bethany S.):"I really like this place. It's a nice surprise tucked right by the highway overpass. It's a place where locals both sneak out to for lunch, then come back later for a beer. It's a nice change of pace from the rest of central avenue."

Urban Brew & BBQ

1939 Central Ave St. Petersburg, FL 33713

Yelp Stars: 4 | Reviews: 496 | Miles from Tropicana Field: 0.4

Sample review (from Freddie B.): "I hope I don't die too soon, because I need to eat here a lot more! Excellent food as expected from the 'URBAN group, incredible BBQ, Mac and Cheese and craft beers. I enjoyed the half rack of ribs and a pile of macaroni and cheese with pulled pork and sauce...delicious! I tried all three of the barbecue sauces and found the spicy and the tangy to my liking. My friend Jose shared some of his cornbread, it was so good that dessert wasn't needed. Laura, our server was excellent! Made us feel like we belonged and would be missing out on the best BBQ on Central."