A Beachside Legend
Palm Pavilion
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Noraa
Palm Pavilion’s slab of BBQ Smoked Ribs can also be ordered as half a slab.
170 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2017
CUAISRITNE
B ack in 1926, Palm Pavilion began as a
concession stand where beachgoers
could get refreshments and other
items needed for a day on the Gulf.
When the Hamilton family took it over in
1964, they began to expand the offerings,
and the Palm Pavilion began to morph into
the vibrant enterprise it is today. Open
every day of the year, there is live music
day and night with an active bar.
With its slogan, “There’s no place like
this place anywhere near this place, so
this must be the place,” it is the place to
be. The restaurant is constantly upgrading
its physical facility to enhance the perfect
sunset views of Clearwater Beach.
The Palm’s menu will delight any
foodie. There is a long list of appetizers
that ranges from Florida shrimp and crab
chowder, to wasabi scallops and gator
bites. There are six salads that can be
enhanced with chicken, steak, shrimp,
salmon or grouper. Next, there are burgers,
wraps and traditional sandwiches galore.
The Palm Shrimp Burger blew us away, as
it was whole shrimp that were seasoned
can be ordered plain or with an array of
toppings.
Desserts range from a Cheesecake of the
Moment to Key lime pie, but the one that
we chose was “DoNachos,” a pile of donut
holes, sprinkled with chocolate, caramel
and vanilla sauces, shaved coconut and
cinnamon brown sugar, topped with
whipped cream. To that, we added a scoop
of vanilla bean ice cream.
Service is fast, friendly and efficient,
even though this is a laid-back place that
is ideal for relaxing. Dining at the Palm
literally is a day at the beach, and who
wouldn't love that? It is a great place to
wind down and enjoy the Florida lifestyle
while Mother Nature entertains you with
her ability to create breathtaking views
that are ever changing. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Palm Pavilion
Beachside Grill and Bar is located at 10
Bay Esplanade on North Clearwater Beach,
(727) 446-2642. Call their party planner
for your own events at the Palm since it's
the perfect place to party.
and grilled together, and not made from
chopped up pieces as might be expected.
Their Big Baskets include fried clams, an
item that is hard to find anymore. You
might think that the menu stops here, but
there is still much more. You can have all
types of tacos from lobster to grouper.
For seafood lovers, the Palm Grouper is
a gourmet treatment of Florida’s top fish
with oven roasted red skin potatoes, green
beans and tomato salsa. Snow Crab legs are
1½-pound servings, or you can add a
pound of them to any dinner; and the
Potato Crusted Mahi Mahi with black
beans and yellow rice comes with
chimichurri sauce that is delicious. The
Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Angus Beef
Tenderloin is awesome, and the St. Louis,
BBQ Smoked Ribs were too much for
us to finish, so the remains went home
with us to enjoy the next day. There is
also marinated skirt steak and Honey
Grilled BBQ Chicken.
For those who continually look forward
to a hot dog at the Palm, you can still have
one. These ¼-pound all-beef Chicago dogs