On the first Friday of every month, downtown turns into a street party. Central Avenue fills with live music, vendors and crowds of locals and visitors, and the bars and restaurants nearby stay busy well into the night.
If you’re heading to First Friday St. Pete, it helps to plan your food around it.
Some folks eat early, before the crowds peak, and then wander the street with a drink or a dessert in hand. Others catch the music first and slip into a restaurant later, once the main stage winds down. Both work. Just pick one ahead of time.
Parking is the other thing to think about. Downtown garages fill up fast on First Friday, and street parking near Central disappears early. If you’re coming from the beaches or another neighborhood, a rideshare or the trolley can save you a headache.
For dinner, look for something within a few blocks of Central so you can walk over. Side streets like 1st Avenue North tend to be a little calmer than Central itself, while still being close to the action.
Bringing a group? Call ahead. First Friday St. Pete is one of the busiest nights of the month for downtown restaurants, and a quick call can save a long wait on the sidewalk.
Sushi Inc, a Japanese restaurant and bar at 270 1st Avenue North, sits just a block off Central Avenue, which makes it an easy stop before or after the First Friday St. Pete crowd. It serves hand-rolled sushi and cooked Japanese dishes until 10 p.m. on Fridays, and early arrivals can catch the weekday happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
