7 Reasons to Experience Peabody’s Bar in Tampa

I was invited to hang out with some blogger friends in Tampa and they were shocked that such a huge foodie (me) had no idea where Peabody’s was. I’ve been in the Tampa Bay area for 15 years now, so I was taken aback that everyone knew about this place. Well, I now realize I have an excuse. Not only was I not born and raised in Tampa, but I also didn’t go to USF. Peabody’s is a known college hangout for the University of South Florida crowd. It’s tucked away in a strip mall right outside of Tampa Palms off of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. I have friends in the area, but I live on the complete opposite side of this New Tampa neighborhood. So, people living around USF and the New Tampa area have been frequenting this bar for years. However, it’s not just a bar. It’s so much more. Now that I’ve given my excuse for never patronizing this wonderful place, let me tell you the reasons why you must visit Peabody’s when in Tampa.

REASON #1: A Tampa Institution

Peabody’s has been around since 1998. It has been the college hot spot ever since. Tampanians who went to USF have not stopped enjoying Peabody’s even after graduation. If you haven’t gone to this enormous bar, you’ll see why Peabody’s has coined itself an “entertainment complex.” Gary, a USF grad and Tampa Bay Food Blogger reminisced about his college days, “On Wednesday’s, the extended Peabody’s section would open as a bar & club with a DJ. The $1.25 well drink deal was a nice incentive to come party at Peabody’s. Definitely one of my favorite memories while I attended USF!”

REASON #2: Entertainment

Walk into Peabody’s and you’ll be astounded at how huge this place is. It’s 15,000 square feet. There is something fun for everyone at Peabody’s. First off you’ll notice the music that will inflict the impression you’re walking into a nightclub. Yes, I’m a dancer, so I can’t help but do a little jig, even if in my seat. Not much of a dancer? That’s okay as there are over 70 TVs broadcasting every sports game you can think of. There are games galore. Billiards, foosball, darts, and even arcades my friend. There really is something for every taste here including a liquor store on site called “The Falls Liquor.” Not to mention the bar is enormous!

REASON #3: The Actual Bar

Okay, I’m no bar fly which is why I am so impressed with how much I love Peabody’s. I’m a lightweight when it comes to beer, liquor, you name it. However, Peabody’s has it all. Every type of beer you can think of is available in cans, glass, pitchers, and bottles. What they may be known best for by the college crowd are the well drinks that come in Fishbowls. The fishbowls are huge and inexpensive and might I say delicious!

REASON #4: Specials

Why confine yourself to a happy hour when you can be happy all day? Peabody’s has happy hour pricing all day every day, so there isn’t a set happy hour. What you will notice is that there’s a different special every day of the week.

MONDAY:

• 1/2 OFF APPS

• $7 Fishbowls (wells)

• $5 Skrewball & PB&J Shots

• $2.50 Domestic Drafts

• Free hour of Pool with a College ID

TUESDAY:

• $5 Altos Margaritas

• $2 OFF any craft beer

WEDNESDAY:

• $2 Pizza Slices (add. toppings only .50 cents more)
• $4 Tullamore Dew Pickle back Shots
• $2 Draft & Wells
• $1.25 Vodka (wells)

THURSDAY (Ladies Night):

• $3 Wines
• $5 Kettle 1 Martinis
• 1 Hour of free pool play
• ALL DAY Liquor Pitchers start @ $10

FRIDAY:

• $9 Domestic Pitchers
• $5 Fireball Shots
• $5 Blue LIIT drinks
• 50% OFF Appetizers & Pool w/purchase
• Between 4:30 to 8:30 pm $13.99 All you can Drink Calls and Select Beer

SATURDAY:

• $5 Absolut Vodka
• $5 Jameson Irish Whiskey
• $5 Captain Morgan Spiced & White Rum
• $12 Bud & Bud Lt Buckets

SUNDAY (Industry Night):

• BOGO Wells
• $3 Mimosas
• Hospitality Employees night at 7 pm. 50% off full-price drinks with a pay stub

Check out Peabody’s Specials

REASON #5 The Food

If you are a lightweight like me don’t feel you can’t hang with the drinking buddies because you can come for the food! So, the main reason I can feel right at home at Peabody’s even as a light drinker is the fabulous fare. Ask any USF student and they will tell you that Peabody’s has the best wings in Tampa. Don’t stop at wings as they have a full menu. They offer NYC style pizza, garlic knots, quesadillas, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, tons of appetizers and even salads. They even offer three types of french fry cuts; house cut, crinkle or curly. Everything is made fresh to order inhouse. This includes all of the sauces and dressings. As a serious foodie I appreciate this. There is nothing worse than dipping a perfectly good chicken wing in bottled blue cheese or ranch to ruin the flavor of beautifully sauced wings. I’m not big on creamy dressings and I absolutely will not eat ranch out of a bottle, period. The reason I know about the housemade dressing is that I specifically ask if there is a house dressing at every restaurant I go to. When I was told that all the dressings are made in house I was highly impressed and ready to dip. It’s also good to note that their wing sauces are so good that you can buy a bottle to take home with you. The sauce is really that good.

REASON #6: Groups & Events

So, my small group of bloggers had our own area to sit in and we were catered to all night by the servers. Those who had fishbowls, of course, didn’t need much more than the one drink, but no one was ever thirsty. We ordered a smorgasbord of items to try. Peabody’s actually customizes service based on your event or occasion. This is unheard of in most bars. The establishment is large so you don’t have to worry about your group not having its own space or getting lost in the bar crowd…unless they want to of course. ff you don’t have a crew or anything special to celebrate Peabody’s hosts its own events as well. Weekly, they have foosball tournaments that start at 8:00 pm. and Thursday night at 7:00 pm is trivia night, which is a big deal and a lot of fun. You can imagine it gets crazy fun in Peabody’s on game days and they are well equipped to cater to the sports bar crowd. Peabody’s hosted events can be found on their Facebook Page.

REASON #7: Service

I am a sucker for great service. In a place that caters to a young college crowd and sports fanatics, you would expect the service to be mediocre, but that is not the case at Peabody’s. There are patrons of all ages including children that come into Peabody’s on a regular basis. I believe it’s because the Peabody’s (yes, the owners are actually named Peabody) are locals and they understand that you can’t be a Tampa staple without delivering service with the heart that Tampa is known for. The college kids come back when they alumni for a reason. In the years I’ve lived in Tampa I’ve seen restaurants come and go. Even restaurants with excellent food have a hard time making it. Peabody’s has been around for over 20 years and I can’t see it going anywhere any time soon.