BarBouni at Baba is A Modern Ouzerie Oasis in St. Petersburg

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BarBouni at Baba is A Modern Ouzerie Oasis in St. Petersburg

BarBouni at Baba is a charming Ouzerie that is redefining the local dining experience in St. Petersburg one seafood delight at a time. Baba, the Greek restaurant here, has held a special place in my heart for a while and now BarBouni brings something new and exciting to the table: conservas (canned fish) and an array of other seafood delicacies that’ll transport you to coastal culinary heaven. They have it all from fresh seafood, a raw bar, unique craft cocktails, and Mediterranean wines. Grab your appetite and sense of adventure, because BarBouni is a Greek ouzeri that needs to be on your list of restaurants to visit if you haven’t already.

Barbouni at Baba
Barbouni at Baba

It’s only right to start strong with a refreshing cocktail. They have a great menu of craft cocktails, wine, Greek liquors and more.

Barbouni Cocktails
Barbouni Cocktails

I took advantage of their happy hour with some bubbles, are we surprised?

BarBouni’s happy hour is Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 5pm-7pm with half off sparkling wines and $2 oysters.

BarBouni Bubbles
BarBouni Bubbles

If there’s oysters on the menu, I’m ordering them. Here we have two LoCos (from Lost Coast Oyster Company of Tampa Bay) and two T.N.A (from Cape Cod). They come with bagnarotte and mignonette. The LoCos oysters, as some of you hopefully know, are crisp with a briny taste. Similarly, the T.N.A oysters are clean, briny, with a mildly sweet flavor. Both are really high quality and delicious. The acidity of the bagnarotte adds a tangy kick that enhances the flavors of the oysters. The mignonette offers a traditional contrast to the taste. Overall, if you’re not sure where to start with the menu at Barbouni, I would suggest ordering some oysters while you ask the server more questions on the conservas section of the menu.

Oysters Barbouni
Oysters Barbouni

It was my first time trying anchovies. I ordered the Cantabrian Anchovies and they were good although I have nothing to compare them to. They had a nice contrast of flavors and textures and it was both salty and fatty. I expected them to be way more fishy, and they certainly were fishy, but not as strong as I was expecting which I was very glad about. The butter and sumac flavors were a nice addition to the richness of the anchovies. This dish is served with toast where you can savor all the flavors in one bite.

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BarBouni Cantabrian Anchovies
BarBouni Cantabrian Anchovies

The Lump Crab Salad was great. It’s served chilled with succulent pieces of crab and a delicious French remoulade sort of sauce. The seaweed has a nice oceanic essence. The phone did not eat first. I couldn’t resist diving into this dish before snapping a photo. Just know that the portion size was generous and when it arrived the sauce was beautifully presented, without a messy splatter in sight. BarBouni Lump Crab SaladBarBouni Lump Crab Salad

This was my first experience trying conservas and I found it to be a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to try them. The menu of conservas at BarBouni is broken down into sections of anchovies, sardines, shells, fish, specialties and vegetarian.

I accepted the bartenders recommendation to try the Iasa Branzino Grigliato del mediterranero in olio di oliva and I’m so glad we did. This grilled branzino is doused in delicious olive oil. Iasa is an Italian brand known for its premium seafood products. Branzino is one of my favorite fish, also known as European sea bass and is a really popular fish in Mediterranean cuisine. Each tinned can comes with toast, butter, sumac, onions, shut, lemon, Maldon salt and parsley. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the blend of savory flavors and delicate texture of the grilled branzino. I look forward to trying more of their offerings.

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Iasa Branzino Barbouni
Iasa Branzino Barbouni

I would say that a lot of them are from Spain and Portugal so I’ll be sure to order one of those next time.

Conservas Iasa Branzino Barbouni at Baba
Conservas Iasa Branzino Barbouni at Baba

If you’re looking for some extra flavor, order the Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp from Fishwife. This was my absolute favorite thing from this review. The ooh’s and ahh’s came out. The salmon was sweet, savory and had a nice kick to it. The most perfect bite ever includes all of the ingredients on the plate, don’t forget any of them. Trust me, it was so good.

From Fishwife’s website to describe it: Brined in salt, garlic salt, and brown sugar then hand-packed into cans with Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp, the first & only 100% all-natural Sichuan chili sauce, proudly crafted in Chengdu. Our salmon is sourced directly from Kvarøy Arctic, the first finfish farm to carry the Fair Trade USA seal, and BAP, ASC and Global G.A.P. certification

BarBouni Smoked Salmon Conservas
BarBouni Smoked Salmon Conservas
BarBouni Fishwife Tinned Can
BarBouni Fishwife Tinned Can

The Shrimp Crudo with roasted shells, almonds, lemon and mint was unique and zesty. I will say, the texture was hard to overcome but the taste really wowed me. In all, it was vibrant and refreshing.

Shrimp Crudo Barbouni
Shrimp Crudo Barbouni

Just when I didn’t think my experience couldn’t get any better, they brought out the dessert menu and the Peach Bread Pudding instantly drew my attention with garum caramel, lime labneh and marcona almonds. What a luscious treat with chunks of soft bread that are soaked in the peach and caramel flavors. It was a serious delight of coziness. They also had baklava and an ice cream trio on the dessert menu.

Peach Bread Pudding Barbouni
Peach Bread Pudding Barbouni

Cheers to stone crab season. BarBouni is offering freshly crafted stone crabs which were tempting and tantalizing right before my eyes but I had already had enough on this visit. I’ll be back.

BarBouni Stone Crab
BarBouni Stone Crab

If you’re ready to try conservas and other seafood items, BarBouni welcomes all with a cool and romantic atmosphere. The knowledgeable bartenders helped guide me through the experience and I’m looking forward to going back for more.

Barbouni Conservas
Barbouni Conservas
Barbouni Interior
Barbouni Interior
BarBouni at Baba
  • Readers Rating
  • Rated 4.8 stars
    4.8 / 5 (19 )
$$-$$$
  • Your Rating


  • BarBouni at Baba
  • (727) 954-3406
  • Conservas, Canned Fish, Seafood
    • Wed - Sun 5:00pm - 10:00pm
  • View menu
  • 2701 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33713, US

A modern Ouzerie located inside of Baba On Central. The menu features over 50 tinned fish from around the world, fresh seafood, a raw bar, craft cocktails and Mediterranean wines.

DISCLAIMER: Kevin, Lori, Abby, Haley, Lindsey & Mahika do not dine anonymously (this would be impossible) and we sometimes get free food (though never expected). However, we dine with the locals and we support our own. You will always get honesty in a respectful manner. We do not include any large national or regional chains in our ratings and reviews. We focus on independent locally owned eateries exclusively.

PLEASE NOTE: Reviews reflect a certain moment in time. Some restaurants stay extremely consistent over many years, and some change for the better or worse. Some things that may change are: chefs, recipes, food suppliers, ingredients, philosophies, ownership, etc. We always hope that you have the same good, or great experience we had.
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