Pete & Shorty’s Tavern

Go here often with family
service and food is great
Cost is also very reasonable. Especially like the tots and sliders!

I went to this restaurant because of the ad I saw today showing a nice platter of fish and chips. My whole family is from Iowa and we thought it would be fun to go to a restaurant that boasts about Iowa and it’s great home type atmosphere.
We walked in to see a pleasant enough looking dining area but noticed the booth seats were uncomfortable varnished plywood and the table top had a similar look with grooves in the material that lended themselves to collect old food particles and were quite dirty looking. My 88 year old mother unwrapped a napkin and made it her tablecloth in front of her space.
We ordered one Pete’s burger, one fish fry dinner, and one meatloaf dinner. We all had water with our meals. My mother’s burger was good, my brother’s meatloaf dinner was good but very small portioned. I ordered the fish dinner and my concern was whether it was cooked enough. The two pieces were very uncrispy on the edge of raw. The fish were very mushy and just seemed like I was going to have raw fish in my mouth any second. I wanted vinegar with my fish but the waitress disappeared as fast as she delivered the food. By the time I saw her again I was already eating the mushy fish with the tarter sauce.
Growing up in Iowa and still living there six months out of the year, I can tell you that you rarely leave any restaurant and not feel full. Pete and Shorty’s restaurant left a lot to be desired. They need to go back and revisit their roots and revamp their portions on the plate.
The advertisement for the fish fry clearly shows three pieces of fish, my plate had two. It mentions a heaping pile of fries, didn’t happen, and it mentioned little space left on the plate, I wish I would have taken a picture.
Overall grade for decorations. C. Everything looked greasy.
Food. D. Very small amount
Service. B. She was nice
Recommendation. Won’t go back, I was embarrassed that it was my idea to go. I hope they go back to Iowa and see what real hometown hospitality and large portions of well cooked food is all about.

Great burgers, super cold Stella on tap, great service and close to one of our favorite venues for music and shows (Ruth Eckerd Hall), what’s not to like!

Nice experience, tater tots with chili, delish, bleu burger scrumptious, and GREAT service.

Love the shorty burgers! Get ‘em «double stacked with cheese, all-​the-​way»! Beer and cocktails are priced well. Chili covered fritos are great drinking food. Bar staff has always been friendly.

I’ve been here a few times last year. At that time they had music on the patio on Sundays

New brunch menu at PETE & Shorty’s! They have everything a Halloween hangover needs! Great food & people. Not to mention Hooters is real close for all the NFL games!

Omgoodness the pork shank here was amazing fall off the bone and into some good gravy will be back. For sure service was fast courteous

Thank goodness for these little burger joints that feed my soul.
I was in the area on a Saturday night and was dying for a juicy hamburger. So I opened up my Unilocal app and the reviews (thank-​you, Unilocalers) led me here. My friend and I sat outside on their patio which has a few high tables and a small stage for live bands to play. The band that was performing so happened to be covering the Eagles which only made my meal better!
I skimmed the menu and saw a variety of tasty bites I would have loved to indulge in but I was there for a burger so to the burger section I came to. I ended up with the Big Pete’s Burger with Onion Straws and Shoe-​string Fries to share. What a delicious and satisfying plate of carbs, fats and oils. It was so much food I had to (with much mockery from my friend) take off my hamburger bun so I would have enough room for the fries and onion straws. My burger was cooked rare to my request and was very juicy and tasty. The fries and onion straws were fried to perfection and I believe not a crumb was left.
To be honest the service was slow but the food makes up for it. You get a lot for your money’s worth at Pete’s!

Stopped in for dinner Friday. After seating ourselves, per their policy, we waited several minutes for a server to come by to tell us she «didn’t know where Jessica was, she was either outside smoking or wherever, but I can get you drinks.» We ordered drinks with her and received the correct beverages, then waited for our server to come by to take our food order. A waitress came by and asked «you ready?» We were, and placed our food order. Another server brought the food. We ate mediocre sliders and decent tater tots. 10 minutes after our empty drinks were placed on the edge of the table the waitress who took our food order dropped off a check. It was incorrect, she blamed another server. It was corrected and we paid, never to return again.

After a long day this is whas a treat. Verry good food, especially the fish fry and not pricy for the amount you are served. I would absolutely come back again.

Full Review at:
This week Burger Aficionado’s plan were halted due to heavy rain and flooding thanks to Tropical Storm Erika, the former hurricane posed no danger to the Tampa Bay area, save the massive rain and flooding. Because of this I was forced to change the burger spot I was planning to review this week. Therefore, I visited Pete and Shorty’s Tavern in Clearwater, Florida. I had all intentions on visiting Pete and Shorty’s in the future; however, they have been bumped up on the list; mainly due to the fact that their streets are not flooded. Located on 2820 Gulf to Bay Blvd, Pete & Shorty’s is an Iowa Bistro, specializing in bringing food from the heartland into the Florida coast.
The Big Pete Burger is a traditional tavern burger; no frills, no fancy «tostones» or special sauce. Classic lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pickles; this of course means the burger beef must be spectacular. Imagine my disappointment upon my first bite. Over cooked and under seasoned, the burger beef was a massive disappointment. The burger attempted to mask its lack of flavor with the massive amount of mustard and ketchup. The onions and pickles were nice and crispy, so there is a positive part of the Big Pete Burger. The bun was toasted and did not fall apart; however, this was not a juicy burger that pushed the boundaries of the bun. This is just me trying to find something positive to say about the Big Pete Burger. The hamburger was underwhelming and lacked effort on all fronts.

Good, but nothing special. I do like that the menu has some very non-​Florida foods that we are inundated with as Florida residents, so a fried pork tenderloin sandwich is a welcomed item.
The sandwich was cooked very well as it was crispy and juicy, but it was very bland. I didn’t taste any seasoning at all, although the mustard and pickles helped.
This inside is a bit dingier than I expected, considering the outside looks pretty nice. Inside is like a dive bar, which I like, but it wasn’t expected.
I’m sure I’ll come back again because the prices were right and the beer was cold.

I visited Pete & Shorty’s with a group of friends after a long morning of bridesmaid dress fittings across the street. The bride and her mother are from the midwest, which is why they chose Pete & Shorty’s for our meal. The restaurant is dubbed an «Iowa Bistro,» and they had said that the pork sandwich was their favorite. Despite their rave reviews, I went with the Reel Good Fish Sandwich. I opted for grilled fish and added American cheese. It was nothing spectacular and honestly it was rather bland. I suppose I should’ve gone with a more «homestyle» menu item, but they have a fish fry special on Fridays so I assumed their fish must be good. Fried also would’ve been a better choice.
There is a kitschy painting in the ladies’ restroom where you can peek under David’s fig leaf. I chose not to, but our waitress told us that you get a button if you do. The place is decent-​sized and there’s a nice outdoor patio with extra seating. I did also notice that they have excellent happy hour deals. I drive by the tavern quite a bit, so I’d be willing to give it another shot to impress me.

After a night of drinking beers at a local brewery, we were heading back, and I was craving a burger. Having never been here, we decided to give it a go. We parked in the back, and had to walk past the dumpster to go inside, the smell of the dumpster made me almost not want a burger any longer. I’m going to have to ask you to think about proper dumpster placement.
Once inside, we moseyed up to the bar. We ordered a couple drinks while me looked at the menu. I went with the Big Peter Burger, medium rare, with cheese, all the way. I also had fries for my side, when I saw that they offered gravy for $ 0.40 more to go with the fries, I thought that it was a novel idea. The bartender then asked me «Beef or turkey gravy?» wow, not only do they offer gravy with the fries, but you get a choice? I went with the beef gravy.
The burger came out a perfect medium rare, with the right amount of grease. I enjoyed it immensely, and I also enjoyed my gravy fries. The drinks were strong, and the bartender was attentive. They serve up a solid burger here, and I would recommend giving them a try if you find yourself needing a late night snack.

Did an internet search for the best hamburgers in clearwater and it came back with Pete & Shorty’s, which happens to be less than a mile from my house. I have passed the place a million times, but never noticed it as it doesn’t look like much from the outside.
Don’t let the outer appearance fool you, this place is a gem. I had the best burger I have had in years and the onion straws are very addicting. I have already gone back twice in the last two weeks. I have found my new favorite neighborhood place to eat.

Yeah, it’s bar food… but really good bar food! My soccer team and I frequent here quite a bit after games and can’t say we’ve ever had a bad experience. prices are low… just as the chances of getting bad service. The staff has always been friendly. We usually have a big group, so we’re definitely not the easiest to deal with. Having said that, our orders have never been messed up and we’ve never complained about the rate that we received our drinks or food. Make sure you try the loaded tots!

The environment is good as far as a bar goes. The drink menu was creative. The service was OK. But beware of the food. Canned, frozen, bland and low grade. Good for the drunken crowd, but I honestly could have gone to steak n shake and gotten a more flavorful burger. Hubby ordered shepherd pie. The corn kernels had freezer urn marks on them and the gravy was gross. Low grade meat was used on both our dishes.

A friend recommended this place for the sliders but my husband was drawn to the pork tenderloin. Both turned out to positively amazing.
Our server was so friendly and professional. The food arrived at our table piping hot. We chose double sliders, pork tenderloin, shoestring fries and onion straws. Everything was delicious. Juicy hamburgers, perfectly cooked fried and onion straws that were addicting. Even their well rum was decent.
I will definitely miss these sliders when I return to Chicago but this will give me a reason to return. So, if you live close by or want a vacation treat, stop in and have a very nice dining experience.

Loved the food and service, new favorite spot in Clearwater.
Our friends came on vacation and wanted to find as many local places to check out, eat, and shop at and this ended up being one of our first. The place is decently sized, when you first walk In is more of a family or group place to eat. The back. The restaurant towards the bar is more relaxed, unless the World Cup is on. Lol.
Our waitress was very nice and friendly and greeted us immediately when we sat down. The food was great, through all of us we had the giant burgers, the loaded tatter tots, fish dinner, and Reuben sandwich. Not one complaint from any of us !
Quick food, fantastic service, and you wouldn’t expect that from a bar setting which we thought it was.
Thanks for the service.