St. Petersburg eats outside nearly year-round, and its Mexican kitchens have built for it, with a downtown courtyard full of fountains, a Tulum-style patio strung with lights, and shaded tables up and down Central Avenue. These are the outdoor Mexican restaurants in St. Petersburg worth a table in the open air, from a moody margarita garden to an all-day taco patio with a roof for the rain. Six spots, each one verified open, genuinely Mexican, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Mesa Cantina | Downtown | Courtyard with fountains and an outdoor bar | $$$ | Tue-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat to 11pm |
| Red Mesa Mercado | Edge District | Gated picnic-style front patio | $$ | Sun-Thu 9am-9pm, Fri-Sat to 10pm |
| Nueva Cantina | 4th Street S | Tulum-style patio, outdoor bars | $$ | Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat to 10pm |
| Casita Taqueria | Grand Central | Side patio, counter service | $$ | Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, closed Sun |
| Pepe’s Cantina | Grand Central | Outdoor patio, happy hour | $$ | Mon-Thu 11:30am-9pm, Fri-Sat to 10pm |
| Grumpy Gringo | 22nd Avenue N | Covered patio, rain backup | $$ | Mon-Fri 7:30am-9pm, Sat to 9pm |
Outdoor Mexican Restaurants in St. Petersburg
Red Mesa Cantina
The downtown courtyard is the whole reason to come outside here: fountains, a little brick bridge over a koi pond, colorful mariachi sculptures, and a full outdoor bar that runs live music on Friday and Saturday nights. The kitchen leans Latin and modern Mexican, with a tequila and mezcal list as deep as any in the South, so order a flight and a round of street tacos and settle in under the string lights. It’s the rare patio that works for a sunny weekend brunch and a moody late dinner both. Closed Mondays, so plan around it.
Red Mesa Mercado
The Edge District sibling to the downtown cantina trades the white tablecloths for a sunny counter and a gated front patio that feels like a picnic area, all wrought iron and shade. The cooking is loose Cali-Mex: street tacos, quesadillas, and fat burritos. It opens at 9am, so a breakfast burrito and an agua fresca out on the patio is fair game before the day heats up. Order at the window, claim a table behind the iron, and let the avenue roll by. This is the casual, in-and-out end of the downtown patios.
Nueva Cantina
Nueva goes full Tulum out back, a shaded patio thick with plants and string lights, plus a couple of outdoor bars built for working through the fresh-squeezed margaritas. It’s the spot on this list most clearly designed for a long evening outside, with murals, low lighting, and a menu of street tacos and bigger plates that holds its own. Sitting on 4th Street South, it’s an easy landing after a downtown loop. Come at golden hour, grab a patio table, and don’t rush the second round.
Casita Taqueria
Casita is the from-scratch taqueria on Central, pressing its own corn tortillas and stewing the meats low and slow, and its side patio is the easy weeknight answer when you want a real taco in the open air. Order at the counter, carry it out, and eat under the Grand Central sun with a horchata. Get the al pastor. It’s quick and cheap, the kind of patio you hit without a plan, and it lands on the short list of St. Pete Mexican spots that actually do outdoor seating right.
Pepe's Cantina
Pepe’s, the newer cantina a few blocks off Central on 3rd Avenue North, fills its outdoor tables fast once the happy-hour crowd lands. The kitchen’s calling card is birria, slow-braised beef tacos that come with a cup of consomme for dipping, and the patio is where you want to be for it: a basket of tacos, the dunk, and a margarita as the light drops. The happy hour is one of the better deals in this stretch of Grand Central. Show up early to land an outdoor seat.
Grumpy Gringo
Grumpy Gringo up on 22nd Avenue North is the all-day pick, open at 7:30am on weekdays for breakfast tacos and running straight through dinner. Its patio is covered and the bar runs half inside, half out, which makes it the safe bet when the forecast turns: a quick St. Pete shower blows through and you keep eating without moving a plate. Go for the birria or the cochinita pibil. It’s a neighborhood joint rather than a scene, and that’s exactly the appeal.
Best for…
Best for a long night with margaritas
Nueva Cantina is built for it, a Tulum-style patio with string lights, plants, and a pair of outdoor bars pouring fresh-squeezed margaritas. Red Mesa Cantina’s downtown courtyard is the dressier runner-up, with a deep mezcal list and live music at the outdoor bar on Friday and Saturday nights. Either one rewards lingering, so settle in and order slow.
Best for a quick taco run
Casita Taqueria is the fast-casual answer, with house-pressed tortillas and a side patio you can be in and out of in twenty minutes. Red Mesa Mercado works the same way over in the Edge District, a counter and a gated patio where street tacos and a breakfast burrito both make sense. Order at the window, grab a shaded table, done.
Best for an iffy forecast
St. Pete afternoons can turn fast, so when rain’s in the picture, head to Grumpy Gringo on 22nd Avenue North. Its patio is covered and the bar runs half outside, so a passing shower won’t chase you indoors. Pepe’s covered tables off Central are the downtown-adjacent backup, and a basket of birria with consomme makes the wait for the sky to clear an easy one.
Frequently asked questions
Which outdoor Mexican restaurant in St. Petersburg has the best patio?
For pure setting, Red Mesa Cantina’s downtown courtyard is hard to beat, with fountains, a little bridge over a koi pond, and an outdoor bar that runs live music on weekend nights. Nueva Cantina’s Tulum-style patio on 4th Street South is the close second if you want plants, string lights, and a steady supply of fresh margaritas. Both are built for lingering outside.
Are these St. Petersburg patios open year-round?
Mostly, yes. St. Pete’s mild winters keep patios in play almost all year, and the shaded tables at Nueva Cantina and Red Mesa Cantina handle the summer sun. Grumpy Gringo’s patio is covered, so it’s the safe bet when an afternoon shower rolls through. In the peak of August, aim for an evening table once the heat lets off.
Which of these outdoor Mexican spots is best for margaritas?
Nueva Cantina pours fresh-squeezed margaritas from two outdoor bars, which makes its patio the natural choice for a slow round or three. Red Mesa Cantina counters with one of the deepest tequila and mezcal lists in the South, best sipped in the courtyard. Pepe’s Cantina is the budget pick, with a happy hour that’s one of the better deals around Grand Central.
Do these St. Petersburg Mexican restaurants take reservations for the patio?
Some do. Red Mesa Cantina and Nueva Cantina both take reservations and have larger patios, so a call ahead on a Friday or Saturday is smart. Casita Taqueria, Red Mesa Mercado, and Grumpy Gringo run more on walk-ins and counter service, so you can usually just show up and grab an outdoor table. Pepe’s fills fast at happy hour, so go early.
Which St. Petersburg neighborhoods have the most outdoor Mexican dining?
Most cluster around downtown and Grand Central. Red Mesa Cantina sits downtown on 3rd Street South, Red Mesa Mercado anchors the Edge District, and Casita Taqueria and Pepe’s Cantina are both in the Grand Central pocket along Central Avenue. Nueva Cantina is just south on 4th Street, and Grumpy Gringo is the outlier up on 22nd Avenue North.
More outdoor dining in St. Petersburg
- Outdoor Italian restaurants in St. Petersburg
- Where to find outdoor seafood restaurants in St. Petersburg
Headed across the bay? See our guide to outdoor Mexican restaurants in Tampa for the patios on the other side of the water. For more local guides, start at the Restaurants1 home page.
Want every cuisine on a patio? Here is our guide to outdoor restaurants in St. Petersburg.
Last updated: May 2026