USA Today recently realized what thousands of loyal patrons and repeat visitors have known for three decades – Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill is the nation’s best neighborhood sports bar.
Owner Mark Ferguson said he “had no idea” that a panel of experts selected Ferg’s to compete with 20 other establishments in the publication’s annual 10Best series. “One day, we saw and started asking people to vote.”
And vote they did. The St. Petersburg staple never relinquished first place in the weeks preceding USA Today’s announcement Wednesday that Ferg’s is officially the “best local sports bar” in America.
“We were ecstatic – my wife wouldn’t stop crying,” Ferguson told the Catalyst. “Everybody was overwhelmed; they were so happy. I love it. This was a big team effort from all of my staff and all of our customers to make this happen.”
The national recognition could not have come at a more opportune time. Ferg’s is intrinsically intertwined with the Tampa Bay Rays, who have spent the 2025 season in Tampa due to ongoing hurricane repairs at Tropicana Field.
Ferguson had the foresight to acquire a small service station, a relic from St. Petersburg’s former Gas Plant District, in 1992. While the city had yet to secure a Major League Baseball team, it sat across 1st Avenue South from what was then the Florida Suncoast Dome.
The Dome became Tropicana Field in 1996, and the Devil Rays moved into the neighborhood two years later. Ferg’s became part of the game-day experience, with a tunnel under 1st Avenue connecting the sports bar and stadium.
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Ferg’s continuously expanded as the subsequent EDGE District took shape. Ferguson often used leftover materials from Trop renovations and discarded pieces of the city’s history to create a haven for sports – and beer and chicken wing – enthusiasts.
“Throughout the years, we tried to serve everybody,” Ferguson said. “Any age, all sports. And now we have a lot of music there. I think the music helped a lot, too.”
Ferg’s now encompasses nearly two city blocks, boasts over 70 TVs and offers golf simulators upstairs. Ferguson recently built an outdoor stage and venue that can accommodate roughly 2,500 people.
He and his son, Jake, began pushing more shows to compensate for the lack of revenue typically generated from Rays games. Ferguson said the recognition “really helps this year, because we are kind of in the summertime blues, waiting for football, and then all of a sudden, we see this award maybe coming our way.”
“I think it’s a combination of our location, the dog park, food, sports, music, axe throwing, pickleball – it’s everybody thrown in together,” he said of the support. “We try to make it so people can come here and do different things, and see different people. And we do a lot of fundraisers.”
Ferguson said he and his team care about the community and building relationships. He rarely, if ever, turns down a request for event space.
Ferg’s became a generator-powered refuge for storm victims and city officials, stationed a block away at the Emergency Operations Center, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The sense of community found at Ferg’s has fostered its staying power. Many newer establishments in the district have succumbed to soaring costs as downtown continues creeping further west down Central Avenue.
Jesse Diaz, a regular since 2005, has watched the sports bar’s evolution from “maybe a max capacity of 300 to 400 people” to “what has to be over 4,000.” He said he was not surprised that Ferg’s claimed the title of America’s best sports bar, having witnessed two decades of growth and camaraderie. “And the chicken wings – them some good chicken wings,” he added.
“I love going there because not only do you get to socialize with friends, but you meet so many new people with so many life experiences,” Diaz said. “All with the same vibe as you.”
Ferguson echoed that sentiment. He strives to operate a “very accepting,” “blue collar bar” that equally attracts celebrities, local leaders and, most importantly, the “everyday people who make it so special.”
Ferguson said people “remember the things you’ve done through the years” and return the support. St. Petersburg’s mayoral administration has already contacted him and will honor his achievement at an upcoming city council meeting.
“I think people from all over, if they’re coming to St. Pete, they’ll stop in to see what this is all about,” Ferguson said. “We’re always looking for something that makes us different.”
