I took a break from writing my typical what-to-do, informational, finger-wagging blogs to focus on something that hopefully benefits a wide range of mariners and readers. I am dedicating this article to all of us boaters that have from one time or another wanted to know where all the dock-and-dine experiences are located. My goal was to provide a comprehensive list of all dock-and-dine restaurants and bars in the Tampa Bay area that one could access by boat.
In my research, I discovered that the sources I reviewed lacked completeness. As I was reading and reviewing, the question I kept asking myself was “why did ‘this’ establishment make a list; but not ‘that’ one?” What I found was that there was not one single all-encompassing list of dock-and-dines in the Tampa Bay Area. Another interesting factoid: When I completed my list, I realized I had personally visited or frequented, by boat, nearly all the dock-and-dines on my list.
It is very plausible that I have missed some. If that’s the case, I would greatly appreciate some feedback. Also, there are some areas that I omitted. Those areas are north of Largo, Clearwater to Palm Harbor on the ICW and parts south of Anna Maria Island and Sarasota County.
I have been boating in the Tampa Bay area for a long time; however, from Largo to Palm Harbor is an area I have the least amount navigation time, with one exception; Clearwater Pass, and that’s because of Sheppard’s (Pre-COVID), but can you blame me?
As for Anna Maria Island and Sarasota, I am very familiar with those waters and the dock-and-dines. These omissions were limited by my choice in what I chose to use as my graphical presentation, a NOAA navigational chart. Since I write from the perspective of a mariner, I used an actual NOAA navigational chart, Chart: 11412. For those navigation nerds, the only official NOAA navigational chart that includes both Tampa Bay and Sarasota is Chart: 11006, which also covers the Gulf of Mexico and coastal Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. I also did not include establishments that did not have a dock in the immediate vicinity, except for Downtown St. Pete and Downtown Tampa. However (tip), if you find a public dock or city marina, you can always perform a Google or Yelp search for the immediate area. I do plan to complete these omissions and will update those establishments at a later date.
Last, I am a Captain, not a food critic, and do not I have any allegiance to any establishment, location, publication, website, or marketing engine that one tends to find with all those best dock-and-dine web-based articles. My goal was to provide an all-encompassing list. Additionally, this is simply a list and not meant to be a review. I’ll let others rate the establishments. Nevertheless, I did link each location to Google Maps (name is the link) and my favorite go-to source for restaurant review information, Yelp.
If anyone would like to know what I think of a dock-and-dine as it relates to navigation, I will be happy to share my two cents.
Tampa Bay Dock-and-Dine List
Each dock-and-dine listed corresponds to a icon on the navigational chart depicted as a red or yellow star; blue stars are downtown areas or public docking, and one green star is for a Publix that is accessible by boat.
The stared number on the navigational chart corresponds to the numbered dock-and-dine entries listed below.
Yellow stars are areas on the chart that I have not or could not determine safe navigation. There are a few red stars that are found on the margins of the chart. These dock-and-dine locations extend beyond the boundaries of the chart, but worth mentioning.
THIS IS A LARGE PDF FILE AND MAY TAKE A MINUTE OR TWO TO COMPLETELY DOWNLOAD. IT IS AN ACTUAL NOAA CHART WITH ALL THE DETAIL AND CAN BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. ONCE DOWNLOADED, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ZOOM IN FOR DETAILS.
16 Prime Waters Yelp
37 The Getaway Yelp
WJ Whiskey Joe's (Anchor Only) Yelp