St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin

Great food, service and just a cool place. A few of us stopped in for lunch last week and everybody was happy with their choices. The fried pickles were so yummy. Spears and the crust was perfection. We had fish and chips, chicken sandwich and a yummy marinated chicken salad with Greek yogurt vinaigrette dressing. Very tasty! The waitress was so friendly and seemed to love her job!
Love the dancing marlin in my water glass.

Bartender there, can’t remember his name. Greeeeeeat guy! Recommend this place! the White Russians and Chin Chin’s chicken sandwich are amazinggggg. Worth it. Always coming back for those two. I also love the Lee Harvey Oswald bobble head they have above the mirror!

First, I’ve always wanted to give St. Pete’s a try & today was the day! I’m so glad we did! We were welcomed & greeted right off the bat from the friendly bartender & wait staff and were told to sit wherever we’d like. I love the dark old creaky wood floors & cool bar! The walls are filled with all kinds of old fishing pictures, fish/​animal mounts & tons of pictures of people who have dined at St. Pete’s & personally know Pete.

It was around 1:45 on a Monday & the lunch crowd was starting to clear out. We picked out our cozy little table & were immediately approached by our friendly waiter, Drew. He’s very helpful and accommodating. He immediately brought us over our own pitcher of Pete’s special blend of Apricot Tea… man, how I wish I could get a gallon to go! I love it!
We first ordered the mushrooms w/​warm marinara sauce & a side of ranch dressing. The mushrooms were perfectly battered… probably the best I’ve ever eaten.
I ordered the Fried Shrimp with some really delicious tarter sauce, for my entrée. I enjoyed the shrimp but, I like a little lighter batter. Hubby ordered a cup of Chili & the Grilled Chicken Salad. He loves Chili & said it was loaded with beef. He also said it was some of the Best Chili he’d ever eaten! WOW, that’s a large compliment!
We ordered a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup to-​go for dinner. It is sooooo good! I’m looking forward to my next visit to St. Pete’s & trying something different each & every time. Two guys at the bar ordered a heapin’ plate of «Wahoo Wings «& «Angel Wings»…we will be sharing a plate of those bad boys for starters next time! They looked YummOla! The Tuna is a must try!
Every person at St. Pete’s was laughing & enjoying some great conversation & terrific music! It’s a super comfortable «Cheers» kind of place. Lots of folks coming in asking to visit with the infamous Mr. Pete. No Pete sighting this time. He was on a catering adventure.
‘Till next time, Pete!

The food was sub par. No descriptions on the menu. Service was ok. Waitress dropped my lime on the table and picked it up and put it in my beer! A bit gross. Won’t be back.

I’ve been here twice. This last time my fiancé and I agreed it’s going on our «boycott» list. The major problem is that our food was so bland. I can’t describe how bland it was, but I’ll try. I started with a caeser salad, he started with a cup of chili. Caeser dressing incredibly bland, croutons incredibly bland. There was not a shred of evidence sardines were used, it was so bland I couldn’t tell you what the dressing was concocted of, there was no note of any flavor for me to even start a guess. Which I was fine with, Caesar salad can go either way depending on the place so no biggy. My fiancé liked his chili but I didn’t get a bite of it so it must have been good. I ordered the fried catfish with veggies, he ordered the fried chicken sandwich with fries. The corn meal on my catfish didn’t have a single ounce of salt, it «tasted» like paper. Seriously, no flavor. I had my fiancé try it and he said «that’s super weird, it’s texture with no flavor». I could tell he was not digging his sandwich cause he ate half of it and stopped, which is weird enough for me to notice. He had the same problem, no flavor. He had zero desire to eat, that never happens. I didn’t try his fries but my veggies were swimming in oil, swimming. They were decent, not the worst, not the best. They definitely had more flavor than my fried catfish. I love food and I have a top five. Fried catfish is on my top five, I was so excited to have this meal and incredibly let down. The lack of flavor blew my mind because my taste buds are really sensitive to salt. I never salt food; in fact Typically restaurant food is too salty for me. The only thing that had flavor on my plate was my lemon wedge which I squeezed all over my second filet. We did get a piece of sheet cake. For those of you that don’t know what it is seek it out and have a piece. I’m not much of a cake eater but I love chocolate sheet cake. It was decent. It was warm on the outside but had a cool center, I guess they just didn’t heat it long enough. The only upside was the service. Our waitress was great and very attentive. Four thumbs up to her, four thumbs down to the cook.

I was meeting up with my boss and my boss’ boss, both of whom were flying from out of state. I was looking for a nice but casual place in Deep Ellum I hadn’t been to before. The reviews below swayed me to try out St Pete’s and I must say they were very accurate.
As you walk in, they have a large bar on your left and plenty of seating to your front and right. They also have a very large patio but that seems unused during weekday lunches. Anyways, the bartender told me to seat myself. The dining area is a little dim but it compliments the seaside shanty feel to the place. Until you notice that the giant mounted marlins on the wall are accompanied by a slew of other mounted trophies, primarily deer, and a bunch of other various sport signage. All that of course comes second to the two most important things: food and service.
The service was friendly and pretty attentive. The menu has a good selection with a few price points. Most entrees start around $ 10 and cap around $ 30. I was going to get the tuna steak entrée but steak fingers caught my eye at the last moment. They were ok– the breading came off to easily and the ends got a bit rubbery BUT the delicious gravy makes the dish.

NOM!
Have you ever had a place on your to-​go list for so long that you completely forget about it? That is St. Pete’s for me. I’ve seen this place for years upon years but I am not sure how I’ve never bothered. Maybe because I thought it would be more expensive. Well, that was illusion number 1. This place is so reasonably priced. I ordered the Zorba’s Greek Salad and I cannot express to you how HUGE it was, and it only cost $ 11.95. The salad was crisp and loaded to the gills (no pun intended) with fresh veggies, olives, feta cheese, carrots, and bell peppers. I was so happy with this salad. Also, the house Greek dressing is not to be missed.
I will say thought that the salad totally started intimidating me. I swear that it just kept growing and growing. Thankfully, I was starved and I also did not order chicken with it, so that was a win-​win. The only down side I found to the menu was the abundance of fried options. I really would have preferred more grilled foods, but that is my only complaint.
As many Unilocalers know, my big peeve is bad customer service. Let me tell you that you don’t have that problem here. The patio waitress we had was great. I wish I could remember her name. She had the cutest fro, well done cat-​eyes, and a seriously warm smile. She wasn’t pushy and was super laid back while being unobtrusive yet very attentive. That is my type of service. I will definitely be back, especially if I can sit in her section.

I love the burger here. I dream about it. Pete is always on top of everything when I sit at the bar. Great selection of food and drinks. Locals are always hanging out, which is a good sign. It is reasonably priced. I feel like I can have a nice meal here, or just keep it casual with a sandwich or burger. I always send people visiting from out of town here. Amazing atmosphere.

Our go-​to Deep Ellum restaurant, with top-​notch service and reliable food. Typically, I get the clam pizza and Cesar salad to split with the fam. It’s delicious as is the fish and chips. Has a nice patio and they’ll supply water for your fur babies. Interfering art work on the inside.

Mamas baked garlic is a great appetizer. Anyone who I have brought to eat it loves it! Pete Z. Has a gray staff and regular client list.

I give this restaurant two stars just based off the service. Our waitress looked annoyed when we walked in, and I had to wait FOREVER a water refill. She also spilled a drink down a customers back and then ran away. She seems so busy, but no one is being served in a timely manner.

I’ve been off and on with St. Pete’s over the years, but I can honestly say they have been consistently good.
The real reason I go here? Paul. The bartender. That classy gentleman will mix you the DRYEST of dry martinis if you ask. He is a gentleman and a scholar – knows his craft well. Tall guy, always with a crisp white apron on – like what you’d expect in some film noir or a detective movie from the 30s-​50s. Also there’s a nice long bar.
Food-​wise – alright they’re somewhat famous for the tuna steak sandwich. That does not float my boat in general. It isn’t St. Pete’s specifically – I just don’t dig that sandwich.
What IS good? For my tastes, they will definitely oblige you if you request extra extra crazy insane hot on both the wings (which are really good) and the Diablo pasta. Good lord they should bring you a towel with both of those.
Cool place. Creaky wood floors that I like. Nice covered patio that is very friendly to dog owners (bleh).
Make a day of it on a weekend by hitting the Commerce Street lineup: St. Pete’s, Angry Dog, Freeman, Adair’s. If on Sunday, go say hi to Derrick at Adair’s.

Nope! No thank you!
We came to St. Pete’s before a Dallas Summer Musicals show, mainly because it was the only thing nearby and open (RIP Meridian Room). Man, nothing on the menu was really appealing to me. Lots of fried seafood and then some more expensive grilled or blackened entrees, but I’m not trying to spend $ 25 on a pre-​show dinner.
I got the fried catfish platter, and when it came out there was a LOT of fish on that plate. However, the breading had a really weird, thick texture that I didn’t love. I probably only ate about half of it. I also had the chowder which was OK.
I will say the server was very nice, but I asked if I could substitute soup for the french fries on my platter, and he said no problem. Once we got the bill, I found that he had charged me full price for the soup. Sneaky sneaky!
Next time I’ll eat across the street at Buzzbrews.

I never wanted to come here because I’m a judgmental little girl that thought St. Pete’s was another generic seafood shack that fries the crap out of everything. It was the only restaurant open one day and I found myself stepping onto their creaky wooden floors, right into a place where time doesn’t seem to have any meaning.
I felt like I was in some kind of restaurant situated in a small town where everyone knows everyone. The dark interior, deep colored wood and random memorabilia along the walls made me feel as if this was a secret spot in the city that only few know about. There was something cozy about it and «real», like every splinter on the wall had its own story and every seat against the bar housed wonderful times.
The menu consists of enormously portioned pastas, sandwiches, pizzas and salads. I’ve had my share of traditional American food at plenty of franchises, how could this be any different?
Their Dancing Tuna Steak is what’s different.
I ordered it from their specials section which allows a choice of pasta and sauce. Penne and quattro formaggi, a creamy sauce with a blend of cheeses, went perfectly with the tart marinaded tuna steak. The pasta took up over half of the plate, but was still portioned correctly with my thick medium-​rare tuna steak. It was hot on the outside and slightly cool in the middle. I have only either had raw tuna or tuna from a can before, so the steak was really stupendous. I can’t pinpoint what made it taste so good. Let’s just call it, magic.

By far my favorite bar in Dallas, and the world. I have enjoyed coming here for years. The drinks are great and the food is amazing. Anything from pizzas, to wings to Dancing Tuna sandwich or dinner. WOW! Always a fun vibe. The bartenders (Paul, Rex and Pete himself) are worth the trip alone. Pete’s will always be my Cheers!

We love St Pete’s. We love St Pete’s so much we drive 40 minutes to get there. Last night was another awesome visit. I got my favorite, the dancing tuna sandwich. As always, it was perfect: thick, delicious steak on a simple bun. The ribeye he got was incredibly good (and we are steak snobs).
The service was impeccable, the atmosphere perfect for a «get me away from Christmas» date night.
Everything on the menu is delicious.
Every server is knowledgeable and helpful and kind.
Every order flew out of the kitchen quickly.
Love this place.

Where do I begin. I haven’t had lunch at St. Pete’s in ages and I’m really not sure why. This place has so much character and personality. It was a very relaxed and laid back atmosphere. It was after 2pm. so you expect the place to be empty. But there were a few people sitting on the patio enjoying the sun & a several people sitting at the bar. So worked my way towards the end of the bar.
There are a couple large flat screen Tv’s on each end of the bar. Since I came here during the world cup, they were showing a couple of the matches on them.
So skip forward to my lunch. I ordered the fried catfish with a pasta salad. It didn’t take more than a few minutes and I’m telling you it was more catfish than I expected. You can’t tell from my picture, but the order came with 2 large pieces.
I usually put a bit of hot sauce or Tabasco on my catfish, but this time I decided that I would just go with out. I have no complaints about that choice. The cocktail sauce that comes with it is a bit spicy and that worked just fine for my tastes. The fish was lightly battered and not the thick heavy batter that some places hit you with.
Service was prompt, friendly and social.
I have to admit that for $ 11-​, it was worth my money. As I said previously, I’m not sure why I haven’t come here more often, but I’m about to put St. Pete’s on my lunch list again.

We had a work lunch here today, for my maiden voyage at St. Pete’s, and it rocked:
Ambiance: huge long bar vibe (42′ bar), and hundreds of suspended marlins dangling about
Service: first class, fun (we met Pete himself within 3 minutes of sitting down), attentive. Connor was our waitress, 3^rd day on this job, and flawless service.
Food: big and fresh, everything from seared tuna salad to roasted garlic to fried stuff. Pappadeaux portions and quality for a fraction of the price.
St. Pete’s I’ll be back soon– promise!

The Best Seared Ahi Tuna Steak Caesar Salad served by some of the friendliest industry folk on the scene. This makes the place. Every visit here is consistent. My Go to place when I want to feel like a guest not a meal ticket.
one of a kind
neighborhood feel
50 bottled beers 15 on tap
Big humble servings
get your Ass here and share your fishing stories

The service at St. Pete’s is amazing. So much better than other restaurants/​bars in Deep Ellum, and in my opinion, theirs even rivals the fancy-​pants $$$$ dinner spots in uptown.
Pair the impeccable service with a nice interior space (lots of wood — big bar area), a huge covered patio for those who like to dine al fresco with dogs and smokers, and seriously delicious food, and you end up with a wonderful spot to waste away an afternoon or have a cozy dinner date.
Their salads are always crisp and fresh, and the house vinaigrette (greek whipped with feta) is so good I dream about it on those nights that my thoughts aren’t subsumed by the lemon vinaigrette from Twin Peaks (don’t judge — it’s freaking fantastic). The tuna is always cooked just right. The drinks are strong and served in proper glassware (though not cheap). They even have cloth napkins and real silverware.
It’s hard to not feel like you get what you pay for here, and that’s seeming more and more rare these days. If you’re hungry, and tired of the shitty service at Tanoshii, waddle down the block to St. Pete’s where you will be treated like both your business and happiness are important.