One of Sarasota and Bradenton’s most popular waterfront restaurants showcases its newly renovated patio, bar and happy hour food and drink specials.
Like most people in Sarasota and Bradenton, I enjoy eating by the water and am happy to find a good deal—especially a tasty discount on food and drinks.
For many years, Pier 22 has been one of the best waterfront restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties, especially during happy hour. This locally owned restaurant with nearly a century of history is located in downtown Bradenton on the Manatee River, where you can often see dolphins playing and the sun setting on Tampa Bay. And now it just got even better.
On Friday afternoon, August 16, Pier 22 opened its newly renovated patio and open-air bar, as well as a brand new happy hour menu full of food and drink deals.
As your dedicated food writer, I made sure to order all eight small plates, which still cost me less than many entrees at a typical waterfront spot. To be sure, I even returned to Pier 22 later that evening to enjoy a drink at the new bar overlooking the water. Here’s what you need to know about Pier 22’s new patio, bar and happy hour menu—and what to look forward to at the restaurant in the near future.
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Pier 22 in Bradenton unveils new waterfront patio, bar and happy hour menu
Sometimes you just get lucky, that’s pretty much the story of my life, and it happened again on Friday around 4:30 p.m. when I visited Pier 22 to check out their newly announced happy hour menu. As it turned out, they were also quietly unveiling their new patio and bar ahead of an official email that wouldn’t be sent out until the next day. Everyone was there: owner Hugh Miller, executive chef and operations manager Greg Campbell, and various members of the executive team, including those who oversee Pier 22’s sister restaurant, Grove, in Lakewood Ranch, which offers its own, similar happy hour menu.
The first thing I checked out was the new patio, complete with new tables and a larger bar, all with postcard views of the mile-wide Manatee River. While I liked the old Florida feel of the previous patio and bar, which had a vague tiki theme and an old roof that would have soaked you in one of our famous Florida downpours if it leaked, the new setup is definitely better.
The entire patio and bar area, both with additional seating, now exudes a modern, coastal-chic vibe that should impress guests of all ages, including the younger crowd that frequents the establishment. Other highlights that caught my attention were the huge shelf of premium liquor and the flat-screen TVs, which will come in handy when my beloved Philadelphia Eagles (I was born and raised in Hershey, Pennsylvania) are broadcast this season. I also appreciated the new sound system and cleverly chosen background music, which was just the right amount of modernity and volume when we returned to the bar around 9 p.m.
Before actually ordering at the new outdoor bar, which was already full before 5pm, we found a seat in the indoor bar area, which had also been recently renovated and was ideal for these dog day afternoons, and proceeded to order every single item on the happy hour menu.
Pier 22’s New Happy Hour Food and Drink Menu: What You Need to Know and Order
Pier 22 serves happy hour every day of the week from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the restaurant, which includes the more upscale indoor dining and bar area as well as the new patio and bar area. The new happy hour menu consists of eight small plates priced at just $6 each, plus $2 off large appetizers and flatbreads. Drink specials include $2 off draft beer, including Yuengling and Bud Light ($4 per pint during happy hour), $6 house wine, $6 liquor, $8 classic cocktails and $9 martinis and specialty cocktails.
Perhaps the most impressive dish on the new happy hour menu—or at least the one I’m most excited about—are the jalapeños stuffed with pimento cheese, wrapped in crispy bacon, and drizzled with barbecue sauce. Some of the jalapeños are spicier than others, making each bite a fun game of foodie Russian roulette, with even the spiciest bites easily balanced out by the combination of pimento, bacon, and barbecue sauce—and maybe a deep, long swig of ice-cold draft beer.
Do you love pimento cheese as much as I do? Then be sure to pair your four-piece order of bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeños with four deviled eggs with pimento and bacon. Want to make a meal out of the happy hour dishes? Top off your appetizer selection with a plate of two meatballs served with a nice dollop of ricotta.
Pier 22’s happy hour menu also includes three different flavors of chicken wings, which have been sadly missing from the menu in recent years. You can’t go wrong with Annalida’s Buffalo-style hot wings, served with crumbled blue cheese and scallions. My new favorites, however, are the wings coated in a delicious Caribbean jerk sauce that’s simultaneously sweet and spicy, with a nice spiciness in the finish that will once again make you appreciate an American draft beer served just a few degrees above freezing.
But what about all my old favorites for happy hour at Pier 22?
Fear not, Pier 22 happy hour regulars. They’re still serving poutine with exceptional house fries, house-made balsamic chips, and all your other happy hour favorites from back in the day—including braised short ribs with molasses coffee barbecue sauce, calamari with soy mustard sauce, and Annalida’s chicken tenders with a bowl of melted gorgonzola for dipping. Yes, these and more are still available in the appetizer section of the dinner menu, and they’re $2 off during happy hour, meaning the large portion of poutine, perfect for sharing, is just $7 from 3 to 6 p.m.
Plus, don’t forget the $2 happy hour discount on flatbreads, including the popular barbecue chicken from the old happy hour menu and perhaps the best flatbread of all: the verde, which is topped with goat cheese, artichokes, pesto, spinach, mozzarella and basil. Yes, there are plenty of reasons to visit the new and improved Pier 22 these days. An entirely new lunch and dinner menu is also slated to debut in the near future, I was told between bites of one of the eight appetizers I enjoyed on Friday, along with maybe a beer or two.
When you go
Pier 22 is located at 1200 First Ave. W., Bradenton and happy hour is 3-6 p.m. daily. For more information, call 941-748-8087 or visit pier22.com.
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Wade Tatangelo is ticket editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida regional dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on ÞjórsárdenFacebook and Instagram. Email him at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.
