The Independent

One of the best bars if not the best. I moved to St Pete in 2006 and this was the first bar my new roommate took me. Not having a lot of "foreign" beer experience except for experimenting on my own, this place was truly unique. When you first walk in, it instantly reminds you of a bar you'd find tucked away in Europe somewhere. The few things that make it awesome are the low-light atmosphere, the good tunes, and the super-friendly staff, not to mention the ever-revolving beer selection. There's many beers to choose from, mostly of a Northern and Central European variety. Yes, it's not the cheapest place in town, but expect to pay these prices for good beer at any bar. And no, they do not serve crappy domestics like Bud Light and Miller. When it's not super crowded, there's comfy seats with pillows to chill out on. I don't know about the few people who have given it a bad review on here, but being homophobic and experiencing an accident on a tab have nothing to do with this place. Highly recommended for people who enjoy tasting their beer.…

Beware-Will Over-Charge you. This was our first time to this bar. I ordered two beers and gave the bartender my Bank Card to hold open a tab. My friend and I finished the beers and went to close the tab out. The Bartender charged me $24.00 for two beers! I asked him to correct this error and he charged me another $12.00 without crediting my card for the $24.00. So in all, he charged me $36.00 for two beers!! I didn't realize this until I looked at my banking activity. We will never return to this bar again and recommend that others not leave a tab open using your credit card. Shady!…

Yay beer.. True, this bar is frequently out of stock of many of their menu items, and true there are not descriptions about every single beer on the menu (if that were to happen the menu would be 20 pages long!), but there is a great description of all the draft beers. The bartenders, for the most part, are the most friendly in downtown, and are the most knowledgeable about beer, for sure. I'm not sure why the last person to leave a comment made mention of the homosexuals that go to the Independent, but I am guessing they are just a hateful person. The crowd is as diverse as they come at this bar, young/old, black/white, gay or straight. Overpriced? Sure, somethings are. Packed on weekends, I suggest going on tuesday or a wednesday, good crowd plus you can sit down. Overall, great place that all should visit if in downtown St Pete!…

Gathering Hub. The Independent is an overpriced pub with an elaborate beer menu, however many menu items are frequently not in stock. Furthermore the menu items have no description which forces you to engage a busy inattentive bartender who is unfamiliar with menu items. The bar backs can also be remiss and let dirty glasses accumulate on tables while eavesdropping on personal conversations. The Independent also serves as the premiere gathering hub for homosexuals in the St. Petersburg community.…