St. Petersburg eats outside for most of the year, and its Italian kitchens have leaned into it, with sidewalk patios on Central Avenue, umbrella-shaded tables on Beach Drive, and a covered grill patio out west. These are the outdoor Italian restaurants in St. Petersburg worth a table in the open air, from a wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria to a white-tablecloth grille with a cheese-wheel pasta cart. Six spots, each one verified open, genuinely Italian, and with a patio that’s actually pleasant to sit on. Hours, the neighborhood, price, and what to order are all below.
| Restaurant | Neighborhood | The outdoor setup | Price | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BellaBrava | Beach Drive | Umbrella-shaded patio facing the museum | $$ | Mon-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat to 11pm |
| Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana | Central Avenue | Sidewalk tables on Central | $$ | Sun-Thu 12pm-9pm, Fri-Sat to 10pm |
| Gratzzi Italian Grille | Downtown (2nd St S) | Expansive umbrella sidewalk patio | $$$ | Sun-Thu 5pm-9pm, Fri-Sat to 10pm |
| Taverna Costale | Downtown (Central Ave) | Breezy street-facing patio | $$$ | Mon-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat later |
| Bonu’ Taverna Italiana | EDGE District | Patio on the 600 block of Central | $$ | Sun-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat to 10:30pm |
| CD Roma | 66th Street North | Covered patio, open-fire grill | $$ | Mon-Wed 11am-9pm, Thu-Sat to 10pm |
Outdoor Italian Restaurants in St. Petersburg
BellaBrava
BellaBrava has the patio everyone pictures when they think about eating outside downtown: umbrella-shaded tables right on Beach Drive, looking across at the Museum of Fine Arts and the park beyond. It bills itself as a New World trattoria, so the menu runs to handmade pasta and stone-fired pizza, with the pork milanese a reliable order. The shade holds through the hottest part of the afternoon, which makes it a fine spot to nurse a glass of wine before dinner crowds in, and the foot traffic out front never really lets up.
Bavaro's Pizza Napoletana and Pastaria
Bavaro’s fires true Neapolitan pizza in a wood oven that runs north of 900 degrees, and the sidewalk tables out on Central are the spot to eat one while it’s still blistered and bubbling. The pies follow century-old family recipes, and the pasta side of the menu holds its own, with a vodka sauce regulars come back for. It’s loud, busy, and a little theatrical when the oven gets going, which is half the fun of grabbing a table outside on a warm night.
Gratzzi Italian Grille
Gratzzi is the dressed-up pick, a family-run downtown grille with a wide umbrella patio that spills along 2nd Street South. This is classic Italian done with a little flourish: veal, chicken, and seafood plates, plus the Bada Bing, a pasta finished tableside in a hollowed wheel of cheese. It’s dinner only, so plan an evening of it, and book ahead on a weekend when the patio tables go first. Mind that the sidewalk seating sits right on the walk, so there’s some foot and bike traffic with your dinner.
Taverna Costale
Taverna Costale, the Fabio Viviani concept on the 200 block of Central, sets its tables right along the sidewalk and keeps them busy from lunch through a late dinner. The kitchen turns out scratch-made pasta and wood-fired pizza, with dry-aged steaks for anyone in the mood to go bigger, but on a mild evening the street-side seats are the reason to come. Service has one foot in a polished trattoria and the other in a neighborhood tavern, so a quick plate of pasta outside and a long, loud night both land here.
Bonu' Taverna Italiana
Bonu’ brings a Sicilian streak to the EDGE District, an upbeat little bistro at the 600 block of Central with patio tables that watch the avenue go by. The kitchen runs through wood-fired pizza, fresh pasta, and Mediterranean-leaning small plates, and the arancini make a good start. It’s the unfussy end of this list: a few outdoor tables, a glass of Nero d’Avola, and a pizza, with the young EDGE crowd filling in the noise around you.
CD Roma
CD Roma is the option out west on 66th Street, well clear of the downtown crowds, and its patio is the one with a roof over it. An open-fire grill anchors the kitchen, which turns out hand-tossed pizza, baked pastas, and a rotating handful of local craft beers. Because the patio is covered, it’s the pick when the forecast looks iffy: a passing afternoon shower rolls through and you keep eating without moving a plate.
Best for…
Best for a Beach Drive evening
BellaBrava is the one for a classic downtown night outside, with its umbrella tables right across from the Museum of Fine Arts and the waterfront park a block on. Settle in for the pork milanese and a glass of wine, and let the steady parade of Beach Drive walkers do the entertaining. It’s the prettiest patio on this list and the easiest to talk anyone into.
Best for pizza outdoors
For a real pie in the open air, Bavaro’s fires Neapolitan pizza in a 900-degree wood oven and seats you on the Central Avenue sidewalk to eat it. CD Roma hand-tosses its pizzas over an open-fire grill on a covered patio out on 66th Street, which is the move when downtown parking sounds like too much. Both keep things casual, so they’re the easy weeknight answer.
Best for a dressed-up dinner
Gratzzi is the splurge, a downtown grille with a wide umbrella patio and the tableside Bada Bing pasta finished in a wheel of cheese. It’s dinner only and fills up, so reserve a patio table on a weekend. Taverna Costale is the livelier runner-up if you’d rather a tavern buzz than a hushed room, with dry-aged steaks and wood-fired pizza alongside the pasta.
Frequently asked questions
Which outdoor Italian restaurant in St. Petersburg has the best patio?
For pure setting, BellaBrava on Beach Drive is hard to beat, with umbrella-shaded tables looking across at the Museum of Fine Arts and the waterfront park. Gratzzi runs a bigger, more expansive umbrella patio a few blocks south on 2nd Street if you want a dressed-up dinner. Both put you right in the thick of downtown, so you get the city buzz with your pasta.
Do these St. Petersburg Italian restaurants need a reservation for the patio?
For Gratzzi, yes; it’s dinner only and the umbrella tables go first on a weekend, so book ahead. Taverna Costale and BellaBrava both take reservations and have larger patios, so a quick call on a Friday or Saturday is smart. Bavaro’s, Bonu’, and CD Roma run more on walk-ins, so you can usually just show up and grab an outdoor table.
Which St. Petersburg neighborhoods have outdoor Italian dining?
Most cluster downtown along Central Avenue and Beach Drive: BellaBrava (Beach Drive), Taverna Costale and Bavaro’s (Central), Gratzzi (2nd Street South), and Bonu’ (the EDGE District) are all within a short walk of each other. CD Roma is the outlier, out west on 66th Street North, which makes it the handy one if you’re not headed downtown.
Are these patios open year-round?
Mostly, yes. St. Pete’s mild winters keep patios in play almost all year, and the umbrella-shaded tables at BellaBrava and Gratzzi handle the summer sun well. CD Roma’s patio is covered, so it’s the safest bet when a quick afternoon shower rolls through. In the peak of August, aim for an evening table once the heat lets off.
Which outdoor Italian spot in St. Petersburg is best for pizza?
Bavaro’s is the pick for Neapolitan pizza, blistered in a wood oven that runs past 900 degrees and best eaten right away at a sidewalk table on Central. CD Roma hand-tosses a more classic American-Italian pie over its open-fire grill, served on a covered patio out west. Bonu’ fires Sicilian-leaning pizzas in the EDGE District if you want a third option downtown.
More outdoor dining in St. Petersburg
Headed across the bay? See our guide to outdoor Italian restaurants in Tampa for the patios on the other side of the water. For more local guides, start at the Restaurants1 home page.
Hungry for more than Italian? See our full guide to outdoor restaurants in St. Petersburg.
Last updated: May 2026