Bars 72-73 Flagler Beach

These french fries are perfect! And I should know, I'm a french fry connoisseur ! -Sarah

Bar 72: Golden Lion Cafe

We have been anticipating this bar for a while and are so glad we finally made it out there. We drove over for the night to eat dinner at Golden Lion and while we were expecting it to be good, we never could have imagined! This has been consistently in the top 10 bars since the inception of floridabeachbar.com and now we know why. The staff is really friendly and the atmosphere is laid back. 

We sat on the top deck and got there just in time before the sun went down. The set up is really nice, the upper deck, tiki bar, dance floor below and a cabana where live bands play. 

The menu sporting Pinkie and the FBB logo!

The Golden Lion has a distinctly Caribbean feel, which is no mistake. After talking with Tony, one of the owners, we learned that he and his wife lived in the Caribbean for several years before coming to Florida. They bought this place when it was an old sub shop and turned it in to one of the best beach bars in the state of Florida!

Ryan had the Golden Lion Rum Runner and Sarah had the Suntanned Surfer Girl (Coconut Rum, Pineapple Juice and Coke) AMAZING! We will definitely be making the Suntanned Surfer Girl at home. 

Dinner here was delicious. Sarah had the fish and chips, which has won best fish and chips in the area for the last 20 years. You can definitely see why- the beer batter was thin and flaky, not too heavy. And the french fries were cooked to perfection! Ryan had the lime salmon with rice and vegetables. The fish wasn't overdone and the sauce was really good. (Seriously... cannot say enough good things about the french fries and food!)

We are so glad we made the trip, wish we could be there next Friday when they are awarded their Top 10 Florida Beach Bar trophy for 2013! It's sure to be a party!

Bar 73: Finn's Beachside Pub

This is a couple blocks down from Golden Lion. They too have an upper deck where we sat at the bar. The views are awesome and it's nice to have a drink and be able to hear the ocean. 

They had a DJ playing some awesome throw-back hits! It was fun to listen to the music while sipping our drinks. 

Sarah had a Cucumber Smash (mint, cucumber, fresh lime juice, Bombay Sapphire and ginger ale) Ryan had an Absolute Wild Palmer (Absolute Wild Tea, lemonade and tea)

As we were leaving I noticed the graffiti on the bar that said I love Ryan so I of course had to get a picture by it... cause I do... so I added "me too!"

It was a really fun evening!  

Bars 67-71 Lido Key, Siesta Key, Tampa

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age. The ending of an era and the turning of a page. Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here, Lord have mercy on my next thirty years. Oh my next thirty years, I'm gonna watch my weight, eat a few more salads and not stay up so late. Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers, maybe I'll remember my next thirty years - Tim McGraw

Bar 67: Lido Key Tiki Bar- Ritz Beach Club

Sarah turned 30 on July 19th and we just knew we had to celebrate at a beach bar, or a couple beach bars! We love the Siesta Key area and had heard really good things about this bar so we knew it had to be one of the stops.

We both were feeling the affects of Sarah's surprise party the night before so we split a Key West lemonade (probably not what Tim McGraw was suggesting in the song). 

This bar really is off the beaten path, you have to know that it is there and search for it, which means it wasn't crowded! The bartenders are really personable, and make it so you could stay for a while. 

Another perk is that it is on the beach! You may not think that is 

hard to find in Florida but it is. 

Overall we enjoyed it and thought it was worth the adventure of finding it! 

 Bar 68: Lido Beach Resort Tiki Bar
The tiki bar at Lido Beach Resort isn't too far from our first stop. We ordered the sangria and it was really good. The bartenders were really friendly and we enjoyed our drinks. We also had the tempura chicken fingers which were yummy! 

Bar 69: Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB)

The next day a few of our friends joined us for a day at the beach and some beach bar hopping at night. SKOB has been a long favorite of us and we had been waiting for a fun occasion to officially mark it off the list. We couldn't think of a better group of people to spend the evening with and starting at SKOB was perfect! 

Sarah ordered an Oberon and Ryan had a Mango Tango. We sat on the patio while we waited for our table and our friends to get showered after a day at the beach. 

We are firm believers that you can tell a bar based on what they have on draft. Any place that has Oberon, Harpoon IPA and ANY type of Kona on draft ranks pretty high on our list.

One of our favorite things about SKOB and Siesta Key in general is that pretty much anything goes. You see all types of people and how people dress varies across the board. Beach bars make anyone feel at home... even this guy, our good friend Anthony who, along with his girlfriend Jaclyn, decided at the last minute to stay that night instead of driving back to Orlando. We are certainly glad they did! 

 

Here is Sarah and our friend Ketan sharing some oysters. 

SKOB has thousands of dollar bills hanging all over their walls. We all signed one in honor of Sarah's 30th birthday and to remember our beach bar trip. 

Jaclyn, Anthony, Ketan, Sarah, Amy, Ryan and Brett at SKOB

Daiquiri Deck and Blu

Yes, we already hit these bars but there is nothing in the challenge rules that says you can't go to a bar more than once. Daiquiri Deck is another favorite of us, the atmosphere, the drinks- we've never had a bad time there. 

 Relaxing in a quite corner of Blu, this bar is a great place to relax and recharge. We definitely needed it before hitting up Beach Club!

Bar 70: Beach Club

Now, going in to this bar you have to realize it is not your typical beach bar. It's a Club where locals go to dance and have a good time. Sarah had a Corona, Ryan had a whiskey on the rocks. I'll let the next few photos speak for themselves. 

I honestly couldn't have imagined spending my birthday with a better group of people. Thank you to everyone that celebrated with us! 

Bar 71: Ricks on the River

On the way back from Siesta Key we stopped at Ricks on the River in Tampa. It is more of a restaurant on the water but we enjoyed eating lunch there and the views were great. 

We split a Rum Runner and it was decent. After a while all of the rum based drinks start to blend together. Nothing really unique stood out about this one but it was good.