Undoubtedly, there is a local feel to The Burg. Owner Bill Georgiou can be seen welcoming old and new customers, making people feel at home.
The Burg is a small local bar at 1752 Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg which offers a variety of craft beers, a unique blend of Greek and bar food, along with a special atmosphere that customers find comfortable and pleasant.
Georgiou, 40, opened up The Burg in 2011. He wanted to take a chance at a new business venture and decided to go with his gut feeling. Since then the bar has grown into that successful business he envisioned just three years ago.
Georgiou credits the good fortune to a combination of a Greek style family restaurant in the form of a bar.
“My mom makes the soups, desserts, hummus, and most of the Greek food,” he said.
The menu’s variety spans from chicken and waffles to gyros. The menu’s got something for everyone, but the chicken lemon soup is a must try. There have healthy salads and lean beef for all the health nuts out there that avoid bar food. It’s hard to go wrong when ordering.
“My favorite thing to eat here are the burgers with a healthy plate (vegetable sides),” Georgiou said.
This is not a place that will kill your wallet. The Burg offers food specials between Monday and Thursday, including 50 cent wings on Tuesday and $5 burgers on Monday. The highest price of a meal is $10.99, and the portions are large, so be prepared to take home a doggy bag.
The craft beers are reasonably priced, ranging from $2 and up. With more than 50 beers to choose from you’re likely to find what you’re looking for as far as selection. The drink specials are half off selected bottles on Wednesdays and Fridays. The exception to this is “Ladies’ Night” on Thursdays, featuring half-off selected wines and appetizers.
Customers like J.D. Haley, 43, are drawn to The Burg for more than just the food or beer. Haley says he prefers the atmosphere to other generic bars or restaurants.
“I love the specials, the menu, and of course the Belgian beer selection, but what really keeps me coming back are the people,” Haley said. “I always end up meeting someone new and find myself enjoying their company and conversation. It’s not the kind of bar that you walk into and everyone keeps to themselves.”
The Burg is the kind of bar that makes being stuck inside during a rainy Florida afternoon fun. Casey Petaruskas, 26, who works at The Burg as a bartender, describes the chemistry between her and her customers quite fondly.
“It’s very friendly, family, and local. All around good vibes,” Petaruskas said. “When Billy is here, he treats everyone like he’s known them for 20 years. We also get a lot seasonal workers from Tropicana field during baseball season. Our customers are family here.”
When asked what she liked most about bartending at The Burg, Petaruskas said, “I love the people. The staff’s easy going. People that tend to come here seem naturally cool. Laid back.”
The Burg is centrally located in downtown so bar hopping to other establishments without the drive is a convenience.
But there’s more than food, beer, and people. The Burg participates in a number of downtown events, including a Halloween Pub Crawl and fundraisers. The Burg hasn’t left out the local churches or residents. A recent charity event involved donating 15 cases of potatoes to St. Stefanos, a Greek orthodox church in St. Petersburg.
They also do book drives for schools that can’t afford books for their students. The last drive raised $1,500 dollars for a school in St. Lucia, an island located in the Caribbean Sea.
“We had a ton of books and it was a success,” Petaruskas said. “We were able to help build this school a library and ship books to fill their shelves.”
If you can find a seat, The Burg is a great place to go for the first time. After that, you’ll be hooked.
Looking to go? The Burg is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, but closes at 9 p.m. on Sunday. Friday through Saturday, the bar stays open until 1 a.m. Learn more at www.theburgbar.com
