Swigwam Beach Bar on Corey

Love this place! Awesome bartenders! Awesome prices! Great local hangout for us locals! Lol. Open late too!

The place was great and beer prices you can’t beat. It’s strictly a watering hole no food but still a recommended stop with a great staff. If your looking for a home feeling beach bar this is the spot.

Had a few drinks with friends on a Friday night. Great prices and god service! I love a good ‘divey’ bar, and it was a favorite of my friends that are locals.

One of my fav spots. Cold beer, good service, nice bartenders. I love the back patio and will always be happy spending time here.

Went to the original back in the early 90s and it was always the place to be. The new one still has Rob tending bar, he’s still one of the best on the beach and with the same laid back attitude as always.
First time at the new place and I’m very impressed, it has the dive feel without the grime. Very clean, with just enough TVs to keep you up to date on scores. Pool and fooseball tables, cold beer and full liquor bar, can go wrong. Oh and AC on a August day isn’t bad either.

Great place always fun. Full of locals having fun no better way to spend a sunny day

Great bar in a hopefully up and coming location.
If you’ve been around St Pete Beach for a long time, you’ll remember Swigwam when it was located on the beach behind what is currently the Postcard Inn hotel. When PCI took over that property, Swigwam got the short end of the stick and had to move along. They ended up on Corey Ave in St Pete Beach’s ‘downtown’ area. There are big plans by the city to turn Corey into a gulf to bay corridor of businesses and hopefully those will come to fruition, rewarding the businesses who are there now working hard to make it happen.
In any case, Swigwam still has a few of the faces I remember from the beach version so it’s nice to drop in from time to time. They have several tv’s so it’s not a bad place to watch games. Some of the city’s higher ups and other businesses on Corey who feel ‘uncomfortable’ with Swigwam patrons drinking out front unfortunately were successful in killing that option, so booze cannot be enjoyed from the beach chairs any longer, even though patrons of Jackie’s right next door are allowed to booze it up outside; really low class move there St Pete Beach City Council. There’s a smoking area out back for those who like to get their tobacco fix. All in all it’s a clean place, cheap and strong drinks and friendly staff and patrons.
Inside, there’s a bar that seats probably about 15, a few high top tables, and a pool table with seating in a back room area.
One thing to note; they do not serve food. Fortunately there are food options on Corey, some which will even deliver to your bar stool at Swigwam, such as Jackie’s Bistro next door. Jackie’s has some incredibly good burgers so I’m completely fine with Swigwam not having food.

Cute local bar. Has that dive bar feel without all the disgustingness of an actual dive bar! Bartender was super friendly and prices were great.

This divey bar has everything you want in a divey bar: billiards, steel tip darts (nearly impossible to find in the Tampa Bay area), a great jukebox, friendly bartender, reasonably priced drinks, Tito’s vodka, mellow patrons… Perfect spot to watch a game. Calling it a «beach» bar is a bit of a stretch; it’s on Corey Avenue a few blocks off the water. Still, the vibe is beachy and relaxed. From what I saw, the crowd is mostly locals, mostly smiling. A gem.

I like this place! They did a good job expanding. I always get good service. My friends and I have a good time here.

Summary: not for anyone who is not a regular.
You know the old Swigwam’s? The one right on the beach? The one in the photos? The one with all the good reviews? That one sounds AWESOME!
Too bad I’ll never get to go to that one. Also too bad: that you and I aren’t welcome at the new one. Why? Cuz the NEW Swigwam’s isn’t meant for anyone but a tight circle of unfriendly regulars. You will feel welcome at Swigwams IF you are a: white, middle-​aged, casually-​dressed local… WITH A BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL OF AT LEAST .5. It was just a slurring wall of sound. That’s the profile. I mean, these folks were *remarkably *drunk. Also remarkable: I felt like I was in the St. Petersburg version of Jersey Shore, in that, as I watched these folks flirt in the local accent of indecipherable slurring, I got this eerie feeling each sexual escapade was a repeat performance.
The bartender, on the other hand, was fast, professional, and friendly.
So how did I end up at this high school reunion anyway? Finding myself stranded on Cory street after I took a wrong turn on a bike ride, I ended up on the wrong side of St. Pete’s (and in the wrong downtown). I had just come from a 40 mile bike ride, and had visited the beach. It was dark. I decided to to throw in the towel and call a friend for a ride. While waiting him to bail me out with his car, I decided to have a beer at the nearest bar.
Having just come from a long bike ride, I had a back-​pack on, and was wearing sandals. I didn’t look glamorous. But everyone else was casually dressed – all shorts and tee-​shirts. So I didn’t think much of it.
But as I walked in, a male patron said to me: «Are you here to sweep the floors, or to drink?»
As I drank my beer at the bar, little circles of patrons glanced at me repeatedly, looking me up and down, whispering amongst themselves.
After long trail rides, I usually stop in bars for drinks. I’ve done this all over the country. I did this the night before in Clearwater after a 40 mile bike ride, and had an awesome meal and some beers. I had been dressed the same. No one has ever looked twice at me, let alone been rude.
I’d never think of going into an upscale bar dressed in sporty gear. But that’s not what I did. I just went into a casual bar not being a middle-​aged local of that particular Jersey Shore. And at Swigwam’s, that’s not cool.

Still the best place on Corey Ave. for a drink. I had the chance to meet Rob, and we had a good chat reminiscing about the good old days St. Pete Beach (Colonial Inn, the original Silas Dents and the Gallery «of Love»).
It saddened me that the City of St. Pete Beach put the kibosh on drinking out front on the sidewalk (in the Island Time chairs). I did not think laws could single out a specific place, since other establishments on Corey are still allowed this practice. Oh well, that’s what happens when you have a biased city council.
Show Rob you care and go have a swig at the Wam!
PS. Full bar and great happy hour prices!

Everyone who loved the old Swigwam will love the NEW Swigwam even better! It’s at 336 Corey Ave. but for some reason I can’t edit the page to reflect that.: (
Come to the late-​night Corey Avenue wine tasting March 26^th! Swigwam is now located just a few blocks off the beach on Corey Avenue, but don’t let that deter you – you’ll need some time out of the sun and here, there’s no corporate attitude just a place you can chill out and hang with the locals if you like.
See you there!