You didn’t think the Oscars were the end of awards season, did you? The most prestigious awards in Pinellas County are back for 2026 with the return of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater’s Best of St. Pete-Clearwater Awards. Voting is open through May 10, and you can peruse all finalists and categories here.
Visit SPC’s awards are incredibly in-depth, with 38 categories to choose from. It encompasses just about everything in the area, from best beach bars and best pizza to best live music venue, best dog hangout, and even best local influencer. We won’t list them all here, but we do want to highlight some of the more intriguing categories and their finalists.
The categories are divided into four tiers, which you can vote through individually: Best Sips; Best Bites; Best Things To Do; and Stay and Play. You can vote by category here, though I always find it fun to take my time after the work day is over to go through them all at once. My other tip: use the voting as a guide to find places to add to your list. Whether it’s somewhere new or a longtime star you’ve just never made it to, you’re bound to find some inspiration.
As a reminder: write-ins are an option in all categories. Don’t see your favorite listed? Write them in – it wouldn’t be the first time a write-in candidate took home the title! Just make sure to get votes in ahead of the deadline at midnight on May 10.
Here are the finalists in some of the most intriguing categories:
Best Beach Bars
- Shephard’s Tiki Beach Bar
- Crabby’s Beachside Pavilion
- Caddy’s Treasure Island
- Sloppy Joe’s
- Jimmy B’s
- Coconut Charlie’s
- Ka’Tiki
Best Coffee Shop
- Bandit Coffee Co.
- Black Crow Coffee Co.
- Cafe Vino Tinto
- Indian Shores Coffee Co.
- Craft Kafe
- Grove Surf + Coffee
- Pistil House
- Paradeco Coffee Roasters
- Sugar Baby Cafe
Best Craft Cocktails
- Bar Mezzo
- Pluma Lounge
- Gigglewaters
- Slim Charmer
- Sonder Social Club
- The Urban Stillhouse
- Mandarin Hide
- Heilman’s Beachcomber Restaurant
Best Fine Dining
- 1200 Chophouse
- Calida Kitchen & Wine
- Sushi Sho Rexley
- Fortu
- The Restorative
- The Black Pearl Allelo
- Il Ritorno
- Elliott Aster
Best Pizza
- Cristino’s Coal Oven Pizza
- Jack Pallino’s
- Gianni’s NY Pizza
- Madison Ave Pizza
- Jay Luigi
- Pajano’s Pizza & Subs
- Nona Slice House
- Pizza Box
- Toby’s Original Little Italy
- The Violet Stone
Best Grouper
- Caretta on the Gulf
- Guppy’s on the Beach
- The Boardwalk Grill
- Hog Island Fish Camp
- Keegan’s Seafood Grille
- Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill
- Original Crabby Bill’s
- Mullet’s Fish Camp
- Salt Rock Grill
- Crabby’s Beachside Pavillion
Best Museum
- The Florida Holocaust Museum
- The Chihuly Collection
- Dunedin Fine Art Center
- FloridaRAMA
- Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
- Imagine Museum
- The Dali Museum
- Museum of Fine Arts
- The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art
- Museum of American Arts & Crafts
- The Woodson African-American Museum
Best Festival
- Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival
- Clearwater Jazz Holiday
- Localtopia St. Pete
- Dunedin Highland Games
- Geckofest
- John’s Pass Seafood & Music Festival
- Reggae Rise Up
- St. Pete Country Fest
- Savor Food + Wine Festival
- St. Pete Pride
- Tarpon Springs Epiphany
- Sanding Ovations
Best Beach
- Caladesi Island/Honeymoon Island State Park
- Indian Rocks Beach/Indian Shores
- St. Pete Beach/Pass-a-Grille Beach
- The Redingtons
- Clearwater Beach/Sand Key
- Fort DeSoto Park
- Madeira Beach
- Treasure Island/Sunset Beach
Best Dog-Centric Hangout
- Dog Bar
- Fort DeSoto Dog Beach
- Barks & Brews Taphouse
- Pinellas Ale Works (PAW)
- Honeymoon Island Pet Beach
- Mutts & Martinis
- Skip’s Bar
Check out all 38 categories and cast your vote here. Voting closes at midnight on May 10.
