Day Drinking Downtown St. Petersburg FL: Central Avenue
Here's the actual decision you're making: it's October 2026, the weather finally broke, you've got daylight hours to burn, and the group chat wants to start early. Day drinking downtown St. Petersburg FL really comes down to two different plans — the Saturday full send or the lazy weekday afternoon — and I've done both versions at Crafty Squirrel on Central Avenue enough times to tell you honestly how each one plays out. The short answer: the bar opens at noon on weekdays and 11AM on weekends, the kitchen is going from open, and the garage doors are usually up by early afternoon. Which plan you pick depends on your people and your pace.
DAY DRINKING DOWNTOWN ST. PETERSBURG FL: TWO VERY DIFFERENT PLANS
Plan one is the weekend version. You show up late morning, you commit to brunch, you let the day build into something louder. Plan two is the weekday version. You duck out of the sun midafternoon, post up near the open doors with a cold drink and a plate of something fried, and let happy hour find you. Same bar, same block, completely different energy. I'll walk through both so you can match the plan to the mood.
PLAN ONE: THE SATURDAY FULL SEND
This is the one most people picture when they say day drinking. Doors open at 11AM on Saturdays and Sundays, and the move is to get there on the earlier side, because the communal tables are first come, first served and they fill up faster than you'd think once the afternoon games kick off across those 16 TVs. Saturdays bring bottomless mimosas, Sundays bring brunch, and either way the kitchen is turning out tacos, wings, and loaded apps while you settle in. The thing that makes the full send work here is that you never have to relocate. A lot of day-drinking plans die in the gap between the brunch spot and the night spot — somebody peels off, momentum stalls. Here the DJ comes on, the dance floor fills, and the afternoon just rolls straight into the night without anyone having to make a decision. Check the events page before you go so you know what's lined up that day.
One honest warning about the full send: pace yourself. The bar is open until 3AM, which means a noon start gives you a fifteen-hour runway. Nobody needs the whole runway. Eat early, eat again later, and drink water like it's part of the plan, because it should be.
PLAN TWO: THE LAZY WEEKDAY AFTERNOON
This is the underrated version and, honestly, the one I'd steer most people toward if they've never done a daytime session downtown. Monday through Friday the doors open at noon, and the stretch between noon and about five is a completely different bar. The TVs are on, the music is going but you can still hold a conversation, and you can actually pick your seat instead of defending it. Happy hour runs 3PM to 7PM on weekdays — a genuinely long window — so if you time your arrival for midafternoon, you catch the quiet stretch and ride it straight into the deal pricing without moving.
The weekday version is the better plan for smaller groups, for catching up with someone you actually want to hear, or for anyone working a flexible schedule who'd rather drink in daylight and be home by ten. It's also the better plan for grazing the menu properly. When it's slammed on a Saturday you order whatever's fast; on a Tuesday afternoon you can work through the full menu — tacos, handhelds, wraps, wings — like a civilized person. And if your lazy afternoon happens to be a Tuesday, Taco Tuesday takes care of the food decision for you.
WHY THE GARAGE DOORS ON CENTRAL AVENUE MATTER
Both plans benefit from the same feature: the industrial garage doors that open the whole front of the bar onto the street. Daytime drinking indoors under fluorescent light feels like hiding. Daytime drinking with the doors up, breeze coming through, people walking past on the sidewalk — that feels like a day off. October is exactly the right month for it, too, since the summer heat has finally loosened its grip. If you want to scope out what else is happening around the neighborhood the same day, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater keeps a decent running calendar, but honestly the doors-up setup means the street comes to you.
WHAT ABOUT FOOD, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED FOOD
Every day-drinking plan lives or dies on food, and this is where a lot of daytime spots fall short — plenty of places pour all afternoon but make you leave to eat. The kitchen here runs alongside the bar, so tacos, wings, sandwiches, and loaded apps are available from open. On the drinks side, it's the full spread: cocktails, margaritas, pitchers, beers, seltzers, shots, and fishbowls if your table is feeling ambitious. The fishbowl is a full-send move; the pitcher is a lazy-afternoon move. Choose accordingly.
SO WHICH PLAN SHOULD YOU ACTUALLY PICK
Pick the Saturday full send if you've got a group of four or more, a reason to celebrate, or a game you care about. Pick the weekday afternoon if you want the long happy hour, an easy seat, and a session that ends at a reasonable hour. And if the full send is for a birthday, a bachelorette, or anything with a headcount, do yourself a favor and lock in a VIP booking ahead of time instead of gambling on open tables. Either way, the address is 259 Central Ave, and if you get turned around, call them at (727) 610-8077.
KEY TAKEAWAY: There are two real ways to drink through a downtown afternoon — the Saturday full send with bottomless mimosas and game-day energy, or the quiet weekday session that rolls into a 3PM-to-7PM happy hour — and Crafty Squirrel handles both without making you change venues.
Whichever plan sounds like yours, come get squirrely with us at Crafty Squirrel on Central Ave — the doors are up, the kitchen's on, and the afternoon is yours. Check the current deals on our specials page before you head out.
FAQ
Q: What time does Crafty Squirrel open for day drinking?
A: Doors open at noon Monday through Friday and 11AM on Saturday and Sunday, with the kitchen running from open. They're at 259 Central Ave in the heart of the downtown bar district, and the bar stays open until 3AM every night.
Q: When is happy hour at Crafty Squirrel?
A: Happy hour runs 3PM to 7PM Monday through Friday and 3PM to 6PM on Saturday and Sunday. Specials rotate, so check the live specials page before you go rather than counting on last month's deal.
Q: Can I watch sports during the day there?
A: Yes — there are 16 TVs throughout the bar showing live sports, which makes afternoon game days a big draw. Arrive before kickoff if you want a communal table with a good view, because seating goes fast once a game starts.
DAY DRINKING DOWNTOWN ST. PETERSBURG FL: TWO VERY DIFFERENT PLANS
Plan one is the weekend version. You show up late morning, you commit to brunch, you let the day build into something louder. Plan two is the weekday version. You duck out of the sun midafternoon, post up near the open doors with a cold drink and a plate of something fried, and let happy hour find you. Same bar, same block, completely different energy. I'll walk through both so you can match the plan to the mood.
PLAN ONE: THE SATURDAY FULL SEND
This is the one most people picture when they say day drinking. Doors open at 11AM on Saturdays and Sundays, and the move is to get there on the earlier side, because the communal tables are first come, first served and they fill up faster than you'd think once the afternoon games kick off across those 16 TVs. Saturdays bring bottomless mimosas, Sundays bring brunch, and either way the kitchen is turning out tacos, wings, and loaded apps while you settle in. The thing that makes the full send work here is that you never have to relocate. A lot of day-drinking plans die in the gap between the brunch spot and the night spot — somebody peels off, momentum stalls. Here the DJ comes on, the dance floor fills, and the afternoon just rolls straight into the night without anyone having to make a decision. Check the events page before you go so you know what's lined up that day.
One honest warning about the full send: pace yourself. The bar is open until 3AM, which means a noon start gives you a fifteen-hour runway. Nobody needs the whole runway. Eat early, eat again later, and drink water like it's part of the plan, because it should be.
PLAN TWO: THE LAZY WEEKDAY AFTERNOON
This is the underrated version and, honestly, the one I'd steer most people toward if they've never done a daytime session downtown. Monday through Friday the doors open at noon, and the stretch between noon and about five is a completely different bar. The TVs are on, the music is going but you can still hold a conversation, and you can actually pick your seat instead of defending it. Happy hour runs 3PM to 7PM on weekdays — a genuinely long window — so if you time your arrival for midafternoon, you catch the quiet stretch and ride it straight into the deal pricing without moving.
The weekday version is the better plan for smaller groups, for catching up with someone you actually want to hear, or for anyone working a flexible schedule who'd rather drink in daylight and be home by ten. It's also the better plan for grazing the menu properly. When it's slammed on a Saturday you order whatever's fast; on a Tuesday afternoon you can work through the full menu — tacos, handhelds, wraps, wings — like a civilized person. And if your lazy afternoon happens to be a Tuesday, Taco Tuesday takes care of the food decision for you.
WHY THE GARAGE DOORS ON CENTRAL AVENUE MATTER
Both plans benefit from the same feature: the industrial garage doors that open the whole front of the bar onto the street. Daytime drinking indoors under fluorescent light feels like hiding. Daytime drinking with the doors up, breeze coming through, people walking past on the sidewalk — that feels like a day off. October is exactly the right month for it, too, since the summer heat has finally loosened its grip. If you want to scope out what else is happening around the neighborhood the same day, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater keeps a decent running calendar, but honestly the doors-up setup means the street comes to you.
WHAT ABOUT FOOD, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED FOOD
Every day-drinking plan lives or dies on food, and this is where a lot of daytime spots fall short — plenty of places pour all afternoon but make you leave to eat. The kitchen here runs alongside the bar, so tacos, wings, sandwiches, and loaded apps are available from open. On the drinks side, it's the full spread: cocktails, margaritas, pitchers, beers, seltzers, shots, and fishbowls if your table is feeling ambitious. The fishbowl is a full-send move; the pitcher is a lazy-afternoon move. Choose accordingly.
SO WHICH PLAN SHOULD YOU ACTUALLY PICK
Pick the Saturday full send if you've got a group of four or more, a reason to celebrate, or a game you care about. Pick the weekday afternoon if you want the long happy hour, an easy seat, and a session that ends at a reasonable hour. And if the full send is for a birthday, a bachelorette, or anything with a headcount, do yourself a favor and lock in a VIP booking ahead of time instead of gambling on open tables. Either way, the address is 259 Central Ave, and if you get turned around, call them at (727) 610-8077.
KEY TAKEAWAY: There are two real ways to drink through a downtown afternoon — the Saturday full send with bottomless mimosas and game-day energy, or the quiet weekday session that rolls into a 3PM-to-7PM happy hour — and Crafty Squirrel handles both without making you change venues.
Whichever plan sounds like yours, come get squirrely with us at Crafty Squirrel on Central Ave — the doors are up, the kitchen's on, and the afternoon is yours. Check the current deals on our specials page before you head out.
FAQ
Q: What time does Crafty Squirrel open for day drinking?
A: Doors open at noon Monday through Friday and 11AM on Saturday and Sunday, with the kitchen running from open. They're at 259 Central Ave in the heart of the downtown bar district, and the bar stays open until 3AM every night.
Q: When is happy hour at Crafty Squirrel?
A: Happy hour runs 3PM to 7PM Monday through Friday and 3PM to 6PM on Saturday and Sunday. Specials rotate, so check the live specials page before you go rather than counting on last month's deal.
Q: Can I watch sports during the day there?
A: Yes — there are 16 TVs throughout the bar showing live sports, which makes afternoon game days a big draw. Arrive before kickoff if you want a communal table with a good view, because seating goes fast once a game starts.