St. Petersburg does not have a mac and cheese scene so much as a handful of kitchens that treat it as a side worth caring about. This list runs from Central Avenue lunch counters to the pier, sorted by who actually gets the dish right, not just who lists it.
№ 01
Bodega on Central
St. Petersburg $$
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Bodega on Central is a Cuban sandwich stop first, built around a pressed loaf loaded with ham, roast pork, and pickles, plus ropa vieja and black beans and rice on the steam line. Mac and cheese shows up as a side here, not the draw, but portions run large and prices stay low. Go for the Cuban, let the mac and cheese ride along.
What to orderCuban sandwich, ropa vieja, black beans and rice
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The Urban Stillhouse keeps its mac and cheese in the same lane as its burger and steak: straightforward, no fuss, built for a group that wants something to share without ordering off a tasting menu. It reads as a side dish done seriously rather than a centerpiece, which fits a room built for casual weeknight dinners more than special occasions.
What to orderburger, steak, mac and cheese
№ 03
Cassis Restaurant St. Pete
St. Petersburg $$
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Cassis runs its kitchen around weekend brunch, eggs benedict and burgers leading the ticket, with mac and cheese as a comfort option for the table that wants something heavier than eggs. Service handles large groups well on slow mornings. It is a brunch room that happens to do a solid mac and cheese, not a mac and cheese destination.
What to ordereggs benedict, burger, fish of the day
№ 04
COPA
St. Petersburg $$
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COPA leans Afro Latin Caribbean, conch and tostones and cocktails under a live DJ most nights, so mac and cheese here gets the Caribbean treatment rather than the diner version. It works as a side against a menu built for sharing and drinking, in a Downtown St. Petersburg room where the music is as much the point as the plate.
What to orderconch with conch and tostones, Tiki Taka, Good juju
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The Chattaway is a burger house with a shaded outdoor patio, and its mac and cheese plays the classic diner-side role next to a well built, well cooked burger. The room has run for decades on that combination: cold tea, a burger cooked right, sides that do not try to outshine it. Straightforward, no reinvention needed.
What to orderBurger, Tea, Fries
№ 06
Sunset Grille
St. Petersburg $
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Sunset Grille is a wings and craft beer bar first, blackened garlic sauce wings the thing people drive for, with mac and cheese sitting on the side menu for the table that wants something besides fried food. Hours have been inconsistent enough that calling ahead is worth doing before making the trip for it specifically.
What to orderwings, blackened garlic sauce wings, craft beer selection
№ 07
LALA St. Pete
St. Petersburg $$
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LALA pairs karaoke and cocktails with a kitchen that takes its comfort sides seriously, duck linguine and calamari the headline dishes but mac and cheese fitting the same register: rich, a step above bar food. Homemade ranch gets mentioned alongside the calamari. Priced fairly for a room built around a night out rather than a quiet dinner.
What to orderduck linguine, calamari, steak
№ 08
Kristina's Cafe
St. Petersburg $$
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Kristina's Cafe is a diner built on tuna salad plated with potato salad and cottage cheese, and meatloaf under brown gravy, the kind of menu where mac and cheese slots in as a reliable side rather than a showpiece. Portions run generous and prices stay diner-level. It is comfort food without ceremony, hit or miss depending on the day.
What to ordertuna salad, meatloaf, green beans
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Skyway Jack's is a breakfast institution built on Mexican omelettes, Hobo soup, and waffles piled with bananas and whipped cream, hearty portions at a low price. It is not a mac and cheese room by trade, but the same throwback diner instinct that makes the waffles work would carry a side of it. Go for breakfast, not dinner.
What to orderMexican omelette, Hobo soup, Waffles with whipped cream and bananas
№ 10
Oak & Stone
St. Petersburg $$
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Oak & Stone runs pizza and brunch for groups, with bottomless mimosas timed to a 45 minute pour and a happy hour built for a crowd trickling in over time. Mac and cheese fits the appetizer lineup here, a side to round out a table full of pizza rather than the reason to book it. Built for volume, not quiet.
What to orderPizza, Brunch, Appetizers
№ 11
Teak
St. Petersburg $$
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Teak sits at the end of the St. Petersburg pier with harbor views that do the heavy lifting, pan seared fish and grilled steak the entrees people order for the setting. Mac and cheese would be a side note against that view, not the reason to book a table. Worth it for date night, not for the comfort food.
What to orderpan-seared fish, grilled steak, seasonal vegetables
№ 12
LUMA at SkyBeach Resort
St. Petersburg
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LUMA operates inside a beach resort, coffee, cocktails, and lunch built around guests who never leave the property, which puts mac and cheese in the category of a resort menu side rather than a neighborhood kitchen's signature. The tiki bar and cabanas are the draw. Treat it as a stay-here convenience, not a trip across town for the dish.
What to ordercoffee, cocktails, lunch
Frequently asked
What is the best mac and cheese near me in St. Petersburg?
It depends which part of the city you are in. Central Avenue and Downtown have the highest concentration on this list, from Bodega on Central to COPA, while the pier and beach resorts cover the waterfront end. Each entry here was ranked by its Insider Score, and no restaurant paid to be included.
Is mac and cheese usually a main dish or a side in St. Petersburg restaurants?
Almost always a side. None of the rooms on this list build their identity around mac and cheese specifically. It shows up alongside burgers, wings, pizza, or brunch plates, which is why the list also tells you what each kitchen is actually known for.
Are these restaurants ranked by paid placement?
No. Ranking comes from each restaurant's Insider Score, a measure built from the public review record. No restaurant pays to appear on this list or to rank higher on it.
Which of these spots is best for a group?
Oak & Stone, COPA, and Cassis are built for groups, with happy hour pricing, live music, or brunch service designed to handle a table that fills in over time. The Urban Stillhouse also handles a crowd comfortably without needing a reservation.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Jenna Kalouris
Staff Writer · Top of Tampa
Staff Writer. Grew up bussing tables near the sponge docks and keeps score across the bridges: a room has to beat what is already on her side of the water to earn the drive. Leads with the practical fact.
