Bar scene: Yeoman's

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Even though it is on just the other side of downtown,  when you are on DI you feel like you are somewhere else and on vacation.  Outside of a chain sandwich shop, there aren't any chain restaurants or shops on the main drag, Davis Boulevard. There are some kitschy storefronts and some great home-grown places to eat. And then, there's the drinking. If you find yourself on Davis Islands, you have happened upon one of the best places in Tampa to get your drink on.  That's because Davis Islands is home to Yeoman's.

The Scene: Let's start by saying what Yeoman's is not. Yeoman's is not pretentious, but with one of the best selections of Belgian and imported beer in town, it has every right to be.  Yeoman's is not fancy. Like the rest of Davis Islands, it is comfortable and relaxed.  If you're in more than flip flops you're over-dressed. And Yeoman's does not disappoint, not in the least. The food rocks, the beer selection is both down and dirty and impressive, the place has just enough dank to give it character - yet it is unassuming, and the prices make for a great night out - even on a recession budget. And then, there's the music. What you won't find here are screamo loud bar bands that make up for lack of talent with loud and raucous. What you will find are the bands that are gems, you know the ones, the ones who are talented enough to have taken their musical careers as far as they wanted to, and they want to play right here on Davis Islands.

Drinks: So, when we found ourselves in Yeoman's, we realized we found a slice of British-pub style bar heaven. My food and booze buddy and I walked in, sat down and were greeted by Nikki the bartender. After we told her what we were looking for, she suggested for my bud a draft of Golden Draak, which is a dark brown Belgian triple ale, with a foamy head and an alcohol content of 10.5%. For me, she suggested a draft of Highland Gaelic Ale, and I wondered if the fact that I am a thirsty looking redhead makes what I am looking for in a beer that obvious. The Highland Gaelic was rich, malty, ice cold, and spot on delicious. A good choice among all the beer that's good in the world, including the Three Philosophers, German favorite Tucher, and St. Bernardus just to name a few. All the American standards are there too, including PBR, so if you go in a crowd your basic-beer buddies will find what they want too.

The beer may not come in the proper glass, but such delicious beer tastes just fine in a frosty pint glass.  So what if they don't have the right glass, they definitely have the beer you want. In fact if great beer's your deal and you're looking to accomplish something beer-related while expanding your palate, go to Yeoman's and try to get your name on the "Wall of Foam." What's the 'wall of foam' you ask? Well - if you can drink 90 different beers in 90 days, Yeoman's will give you a plank of wood to decorate with  your name on it, and you get a lifelong discount on your tab. It would be easy to do there with the 100 different beers from around the world and the 15 different drafts.

Food: Now, the food. We started by sharing a dozen of some of the fattest, juiciest naked wings to be had in the Bay area. Buffalonians would likely pass these with flying colors, as they were nice and crispy on the outside and hot and juicy on the inside. We asked for sauces on the side and tried the Spicy BBQ, Medium Sauce and Teriyaki Sauce. They were served with plenty of blue cheese and celery - my pal liked the Spicy BBQ and I preferred the Medium Sauce - both had plenty of heat, and the next time I go I'll ask for the Hot option and get them tossed in the sauce.  For $6.95 - trying all of them certainly won't break the bank, and their Butter Garlic wing sauce has quite a reputation too.

The wings might have done it for us - but there were so many things that looked good we decided to split one more thing. Among the many choices we could have gone with were Fish and Chips, a Macho Melt (a melted chicken salad sandwich with Mmmmm bacon), Burgers, Ruebens, and a Philly Steak that Nikki says is a favorite, but we opted for the Shepard's Pie.  And it was delicious-delicious, not just bar food good.  Seasoned ground beef and veggies in a light reddish brown sauce were topped with fluffy mashed potatoes and sprinkled with cheddar. It's served with either cole slaw or toast, we opted for toast, and it came surrounded by buttered toast points. Oh and did we mention it was only $7.95? After sharing it the two of us were satisfied and stuffed. 

Sounds: As we were wrapping up, a woman came to our table to ask how everything was.  Feeling the effects of great beer and food, we ended up chatting with co-owner Connie Bond, who feels that Yeoman's is actually more of a music bar, with great beer and food.  And she's not kidding, we'd argue that the food and beer would stand on their own.  But the fabulous music shows that the folks running Yeoman's are as serious about their music as they are about beer and food. Last month alone, Yeoman's played host to the folky funk style of ShakNasti, Acho Brother, Kozmic Pearl and local favorites Nervous Turkey. Local slide guitar legend Mike Tozier plays there pretty regularly, and we hear the open mike night is full of talented surprises. 

Insider tip: We noticed that like the rest of Davis Islands, Yeoman's outside seating is pooch friendly. You can sit out front, or in the alley next to the big red British phone booth. How'd they get that big red British phone booth? Connie tells us it was given to Yeoman's from 80's British-rocker favorites Def Leppard, who liked the pub so much after a Tampa gig back in the day that they gifted it to the owners.  And we agree with Def Leppard, we liked it so much that if we had a big red phone booth, we would have given it to them too.

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Yoeman's Road Pub
236 E. Davis Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606
813-251-2748

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