Willy’s Burgers & Booze

Affordable prices, great hostess and DELICIOUS food, the atmosphere very casual, the service from out waitress was lacking but would definitely come back for the food!

GREAT PLACE! it’s small but so cozy. We are ate the bar bc it was packed. Everything was amazing from the food to the staff. Locals come here often. Had the cheese burger and tots, lobster bites and we had to try the scallops after seeing someone else get them.
Loved it!

This is NOT a review about the food, it’s a review about the service, especially the host/​manager — (I believe the name may be Al?)
Be warned: If you are a party of 4 Asian females, you may be skipped in line because you do not know the host.
My friends and I had been waiting in line for about 15min, right outside of the entrance by the bush. A party of 5 mid age Caucasian women walked in, the host greeted and chatted with them, clearly they have known each other for a while.
Since I was standing by the bush, I could hear the host tell the 5 Caucasian women «there is a party before you», however, after a short «silence», he sat them to a table, leaving us waiting outside!
I went in and asked him, «how come they came after us and you sat them before us?» His answer was «I didn’t see you»
I said” We were standing right there outside by the entrance“
Host: «I’m not gonna go to the parking lot looking for you»
We were literally outside the entrance by the bush! Otherwise how could I have heard their conversation? Not only that, my friends were right by the entrance, clearly visible!
He then said «You’ll be the very next table»
Seriously? I don’t care how good the food might be at this place, in no way should anyone be treated differently just because, or for any other reasons. If I could give them a negative review, I totally would.

The lobster bites were ok. Quality was questionable but predictable since it was so cheap. We LOVED the Gooey Burger. It was awesome and perfectly cooked. The tots were very greasy but good. Great prices and ambiance!

To start off, we pulled up to the location as directed by GPS and couldn’t see the establishment. Signage was nonexistent and there was no clear parking as for other restaurants next door. Plenty of street parking, though, so it was fine once we knew where we were going. I think there may have been a sign buried under some foliage but it wasn’t visible to passers by.
We came in and the lack of greeting was the same type of service we got throughout the night. Wait staff was not around often so drinks went unfilled and check uncollected for quite some time.
The bar boasted a sign, good food isn’t fast… Fast food isn’t good. I didn’t find the wait a problem– typical of most beach bars.
When the food arrived I was taken aback at having my salad served in a mixing bowl with the scallops on the side. I’m not sure why I needed a giant metal mixing bowl to eat out of but that’s what I got. The salad was meant to be Caesar but had iceberg lettuce and carrots with a whole lot of Cesar dressing. The scallops were under seasoned and not consistently cooked. Some were overdone and others underdone.
The reason I give two stars is that my friends enjoyed their food. One ordered a fish sandwich and ate nearly the whole thing and the other gobbled up his burger almost immediately. I tried the baked beans my friend had and they were delicious.
I did find a hair in my water glass after drinking from the styrofoam cup but tend to allow for little mistakes but I am just not sure here. I think the place has potential to be great but just falls short.
My concern is that the restaurant doesn’t know what it is. It could be a sports bar but the tvs were not really viasable from most any of the outdoor tables and there wasn’t audio or more than the one Ray’s game playing, although there were plenty of tvs plastered across the establishment. It could have been a great chill joint but the rock music from next door was blaring across the place. It could have been a beach bar but instead it’s a weird hodgepodge that I’m not likely to frequent again.

So we ended up at Willy’s on a tip from Kelly (Kelley?) at Simply Perfect where my wife bought a number of things including some jewelry. We used to live nearby and never knew of Willy’s. It’s a six table place with a pretty good mix on their menu including seafood dishes (I had the scallops which were excellent). However, my wife ordered the Big Gooey, a sirloin burger with melted cheese. I had to taste her burger, it now ranks as #1 along with a couple of other burger joints in LA. It’s primarily known to locals. The only way you find Willy’s is by looking for it. The seating area is covered but it’s open air so you get a nice breeze from the ocean. The perfect dive with people that really care about preparing great food with fresh ingredients and topped off by great friendly service. You won’t be sorry!

We have become «regulars» at this place even though we live 50 minutes away in Brandon! This place is so good. Everytime we are near by we make sure to stop by. Cannot go wrong with the snapper! And under $ 10 is a steal! The chicken parm is also amazing.

I had heard about Willy’s a year or so ago from a friend and bookmarked it. We were in the Tyrone area around midnight and looking for food. We searched restaurants that were open still and ended up at Willy’s. They serve food until 2am! Score!
Unfortunately, you run into the normal expected issues with eating out after midnight. A very drunk and annoying crowd. Crappy service. Whatever. Just something to keep in mind. We went with the flow and it didn’t bother us too much.
Some oddities you need to know about:
-$ 3 charge to split food (probably because the burgers are HUGE)
–NO TAKE-​OUT (that’s a first for me…)
They also have some pretty good specials on the back of their menu. I forgot to take a picture this time, but I will get one next time.
The menu ranged from fish and chips to burgers to country fried steak. Everyone seems to order burgers, so we did too. We both ordered the standard cheeseburger: the Big Gooey. The price was around $ 7. The burger was HUGE. It came on a fresh bun packed with fresh onions, lettuce and tomatoes and tater tots on the side. It was also extremely tasty.
We ordered a beer (no craft beer here… mostly domestics) and a ginger ale and rum with a double shot for our drinks. With the 2 HUGE burgers that had tater tots and our 2 alcoholic drinks, our tab was $ 24 and change. What? Super cheap!
Overall, the atmosphere was interesting. The service was awful, but they were busy and it was 12:30am-ish. The food was surprisingly good and CHEAP. We will return for late night eats.

Willy’s is a small place on St. Pete Beach that guarantees a great time/​experience. From the staff to the food to the drinks I have absolutely no complaints. Shout out to Anna, Bernie and Michelle aka Kitty! The three of you made our multiple trips to Willy’s an absolute BLAST!
Also!!! Willy’s does a «breakfast club» from 8am-​11am Monday-​Saturday. What this entails is «BYOF» (bring your own food) and Willy’s will serve you $ 1.95 bloody Mary’s, well drinks and beer. Yes, you read that correctly. Can’t beat it!
Willy’s is top notch and a perfect beachside hideaway. I suggest you try it!

Great joint for burgers, seafood, snacks! Open late and one of the best burgers I’ve ever had! Cooked a true «med rare» great flavor and bun that handled a great juicy patty. Wife had the fish sandwich it was perfect too!
Great laid back beach place vibe…
Go!

All I have to say is wow. On vacation from Oklahoma and seriously the best burger I have ever had! Go with the big and gooey.

Great no frills bar where you can chill with the locals. Prices can’t be beat for a ton of good food. I got the wicked willy burger with Jalapeños and ghost pepper cheese and it was excellent. I was a little nervous it’d be unbearably hot but it was perfect with great flavor from the ghost peppers. Definitely upgrade to the tots for $ 0.75 and make your liquor a double for $ 2 more :) Husband had blackened scallops and was very happy with the seasoning and cook. Rice pilaf wasn’t very good. Would definitely return!

I’ve visited Willys on a handful of occasions, and most of them were unpleasant due to lack of service. Usually dining there goes pretty smoothly, but my most recent visit sent me over the edge, causing me to write this review. I will admit, they DO have good food. However, their customer service is by far the worst I have ever experienced. I called one evening about a month ago to place a to go order. The woman I spoke with said they «do not do» to go orders during a certain window block in the evenings (I can’t remember the hours but it was a 4 hour window). As someone who is currently a bartender and has been in the hospitality industry for 6+ years this really bothered me. Then, this past Monday night, I called at least 5 times around 11:30 pm to order to go food, and the line was disconnected. I got desperate and eventually drove to Willys, sat at the bar and waited 10 minutes before I was finally served (it was not busy; there were a total of 6 people at the entire bar). I looked up at the wall and noticed the phone was hanging off the hook. I’m sure the bartenders do this often because I’ve called for food in the past and have struggled to get through to someone on the other end.
If you are looking to order to go food on the beach, don’t bother dealing with this place.

I’ve been going to this establishment for a year and a half and tonight I go because I was bored and restless. I walk in take a seat at the bar and wait about five minutes while watching one of the two bartenders struggling at the point of sale screen. She then walks straight towards me and I politely say «excuse me» she hooks a right not even acknowledging me. Btw I’m sitting right in the pathway to at the bar where the bartenders walk in and out of. She takes someone else’s order then walks my way again. I say «pardon me may I…» she with red glazed over eyes walks past me again to struggle with the point of sale screen once again. Its been ten minutes of me second guessing myself wondering if I’m invisible when the other bartender walks my direction and I once again state «pardon me. she acknowledges me and takes my order promptly followed by asking me how I“ve been.
I sit alone drinking my my beer when a a group of three women walk in, on of which I recognized as a bartender from another establishment. This is common on the beach, the hospitality staff from different locations tend to congregate and blow off some steam at a the few locations open after 1am. I having finished my beer in the 20 or so minutes ive been sitting chat with the ladies who have then sat next to me. I try catching the bartender, who like a zombie walks once again right past me, hands [a couple who’ve just walked in a couple menus and takes their order. I sit pondering to myself «why wasn’t I offered a menu as well» thinking tha the kitchen must have been closed. She crosses my path ONCE AGAIN completely ignoring me as I very audibly and visually attempt to gain her attention. She finds her usual station struggling at the pont of sale screen squinting as if the words infront of her face where avaiding her. She then walking back ONCE AGAIN! into the bar area ignores me and approaches the women sitting next to me. This is wher things got quite bad.
The bartender looks at them for a moment before asking them all for their identification. Not one of them offering any protest handing over their drivers licenses. The bartender singles out one of the women stating «wow I didn’t think you where my age» the women in question looks puzzled and asks her meaning. Now have you I already know this persons age as she and I have met a few times with her tending bar at a location I enjoyed attending. The bartender the inaccurately states the womans year of birth, When the woman corrected her the bartender became more abrasive insinuating that the identification was fake. The woman now frustrated asks for her ID back stating that she’d rather leave was ignrored as the bartender holds the ID above her head just out of the womans reach. Her group of friends now insulted by the events demand the ID back and to talk to the manager. This leads to the two bartenders joining together proudly displaying the small stitched names on their shirts stating there is no manager. At this point I speak up stating «hey this womans a bartender right down the road» at which point the bartender states back «well good for her» then taking a menu, opening it and pushing int into her face followed by calling her a bitch. The group now fired up shocked at the blatant display of disrespect rise frome their seats. The bartender in her stuper with her red galzed over eyes and slurring words points at all of the from right to left and them me «you, you, you, you AND you can get the fuck out of here» followed by more name calling and profanity.
I must add that before this I had asked politely for another beer at what point I was ignored and given a bill instead. The women have all walked out including myself. I decide to walk back in seeing as the issue of service was not solved nor was the bill. I walk into the bar as a menu is flung from behind the bar striking me in my face in the doorway. Furious I ask the meaning of the action at what point the other bartender plainly states «I didn’t see anything» I was looking the bartender in the eyes as I walked in! She then accuses me of being drunk. Yes drink… Off of my one beer. The beer that took ten minutes to get at an empty bar, followed by the remainder of my evening being ignored only to be struck in the face by a thrown object. Both of the bartenders where seemingly under the influence. One of which there was no doubt. I ended up calling the police, filing a report as well as the women giving their statement.
Once again, I’ve been going to this bar for a year and a half. I’ve never had an issue with the male bartenders. But it seems each time I’ve had female staff they’ve been intoxicated. This isn’t an opinion. I’ve watched a particular bartender have more drinks In three hours than I had myself. I am a Thiry something black man and I’m not completely sure that my complection had no effect on my treatment tonight to be honest. I get ignored all night and asked to leave for something I had NOTHING to do with.

Great local small feel. The staff was so naturally friendly. Our food was very tasty and the price was very good.

I took a few family members to Willy’s after having a really good experience in the past.
I’m sorry to say that the experience last night was not nearly as good.
We got the Big Gooey per my suggestion to split, as last time they were extremely large. They have since shrank and the price went up as well. Linda seemed to be a bit snippy with an attitude and did not listen to our requests for the burgers. We requested to leave the lettuce and whatnot with the burger, but specifically requested it on the side. Not only was it on the burger, but it was not what we asked for. My sister wanted lettuce, wasn’t included and had to be requested to a much friendlier server. The food took much longer (20+ minutes) than last time and was good, but not Willy’s good.
I do enjoy this location, but I agree with other reviews that it depends entirely on when you go for how good your experience will be.

Owner Mike never bothered to touch base to hear concerns and evidently the disaster of a watress, Becka, is still there wearing her « Unilocal this» shirt. Extra Large obviously.

Out riding the bicycle on the beach and needed a good place to re fuel. It’s a bit of a dive and kind of hard to see from the street, but that’s what makes it cool.
The bottled beers are nice and cold, and the bartender was friendly enough. What blew me away was how great the Ahi Tuna with Seaweed salad was. I ordered it medium rare and it came out perfect, with a nice side of wasabi sauce to dip in. Plus it was just under $ 10, what a deal !

Ambience is great — small bar that resembles a Key West type of place. Great servers; very fast and friendly. However, the food didn’t do it for me. I ordered their Chicken Parmesan (which I heard was amazing) and it simply was far from amazing. But it does have potential.
I say that because the chicken is very good. It was perfectly breaded and baked. Not one piece of fat or gristle. But the accompaniments destroyed the chicken. The sauce — probably one of the worst I’ve ever had. Watery, oniony, just plain gross. The spaghetti was just cheap and ill-​prepared, plain and simple.
It also came with «garlic» bread, but there wasn’t a hint of garlic. It was like stale bread that they threw in a toaster oven. If it wasn’t for the chicken, the service and the very casual and cool atmosphere, this would’ve been a very easy one star review. Get new sauce and Barilla pasta!

Willy’s is a casual burger joint on St Pete Beach that has three things going for it: 1) Fantastic burgers, 2) Liquor bar, 3) Great prices and specials.
The only real complaint is that in the summer it can get pretty warm as there’s really no ‘inside’ area. There is of course an inside, but it only seats about five at tables and another five at the bar; the majority of the seating is outside with room for probably about 25 to 30 at tables and another eight to ten at the bar. The bar is open to the outside and the door to the outside is always open, so even with a/​c it’s warm. Outside there are numerous fans to keep the air moving but if it’s high 80’s or above, it’s going to be uncomfortable for some.
A minor issue, which you’ll want to be wary of, is if you order a salad, they have a bad habit of bringing it out with the meal, so if you want your appetizer as an appetizer, especially if it’s a salad, make it very clear you expect it to be brought out first.
They are pet friendly, so there are often dogs on the patio.
Now, onto the food. For the burgers, there’s basically three of them. Regular, with cheese or with blue cheese. You won’t find the huge variety of exotic options and toppings like Engine #9 for example, but then again, they’re not trying to do that; keep it simple and ensure what you offer is excellent. Their burger patties are thick and juicy. The fact that they’re thick, and the ingredients super fresh and high quality, allows them to let you order all the way down to rare temperature, which is very uncommon these days. Every time I’ve been, the temperature ordered has been the temperature delivered to the table. My wife orders rare and loves it.
If you like a good wedge salad, theirs is decent; I wouldn’t call it excellent as the blue cheese dressing tastes like bottled with smaller chunks, but it’s still decent, especially for the low price.
On weekends their drink prices are a little higher to rope in the tourist dollars, but not excessive like some beach restaurants. They have a full liquor bar so if you like liquor drinks, you’re in luck. They do not have any beers on draft; only cans and bottles. During the week, their prices are much better and they have a great happy hour. You’ll find a lot of locals here at pretty much any given time. They’re not on the water, but it’s a block away. Next door is Crab Daddy’s which has live entertainment on many weekends, which you’ll be able to easily hear from Willy’s outside patio. All in all, great local burger joint.
If you really want a great deal, go on a week day. They have specials each week day. You especially have to try Mondays (super cheap well drinks) and I think Thursdays when they have a $ 7 chicken parm that is good and huge; I could be wrong on the day so best to call.