Anna Maria City Pier
I’ve been enjoying the Anna Maria City Pier since I was a kid in the early 1960′s. But even in those days the pier was something of a relic from another era. According to the Anna Maria Island Historical Society, the pier was originally a dock constructed in 1911 to attract wealthy people from Tampa and St. Petersburg. Steamers made daily stops to bring tourists to the sparsely settled barrier island.
Originally a 776 foot dock, this pier structure has attracted fishermen since 1911.
The wooden planks are splattered with fish blood, scales and pelican poop, baked to a mellow, but slightly stinky patina by decades of intense Florida sun.
During the 1920′s there was a personal residence and an icehouse built at the end of the pier, which later became a fish canning operation, then a rental house named Belle Haven. One night it fell into the bay, but the resident escaped and swam away.
Drinking, or fishing? Dog day afternoon on the City Pier.
In 1928 the City of Anna Maria acquired the pier. I set foot on it for the first time in the early 1960′s. I have wonderful memories of days spent fishing on this pier as do countless others from many generations of residents and visitors. The only real change I’ve seen, other than upgraded facilities and the addition of a real restaurant, is that summers are no longer as quiet on the pier. We have more visitors year-round now. That’s true for most of central and south Florida.
At the end of the pier is a nice surprise: a full-service restaurant with food that is a cut or two above typical pier food.
After a relaxing swim in the Gulf, I'm cooling off in the pier restaurant, waiting for our peel-and-eat shrimp.
The view from inside the restaurant is--dare I say--better than that from the Columbia Restaurant at the St. Petersburg Pier.
Our appetizer arrived on slightly wilted salad greens, but the shrimp was some of the best peel-and-eat shrimp I've ever had, though perhaps slightly over-cooked. The cocktail sauce was the hottest I've had and shot straight up into the sinuses. Wow.
The grilled mahi sandwich was excellent, and very reasonably priced. Another nice feature: side dishes were $1.25 extra. I don't generally need side dishes so I was glad to opt out and save the money for Key lime pie.
We really enjoyed our lunch on the pier and I can definitely see us coming back here more often. Their lunch menu is very reasonable. The dinner menu is a bit more pricey, with entrees in the $18 to $30 range. It’s the best water view in town, with the nearest competition about half-a-mile away at the Rod & Reel Pier. I enjoyed a fine grouper sandwich at the Rod & Reel Pier a couple of days ago.
A bit north of the City Pier is the privately owned competition: the Rod & Reel Pier.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the post,my husband and I stayed our 1st time at the Rod & Reel and loved it,we walked to Bean Point,took lots of pics and ate at a place across from the Anna Maria Pier,it was ok..next time we’ll try the pier food
We wanted to go to a public beach but wasnt sure where to go,we ate at Sandbar also but this was in January and it was so cold so trying to find public parking wasnt on our list. Can you please tell me where public parking is for that beach,the one near the Sandbar? We want to go again soon but not sure where to park. Thanks 
Alice, the closest parking to the Sandbar’s beach is a shell lot on the northwest corner of Gulf Drive and Magnolia, across from Ginnie’s and Janie’s at the Old IGA. From there it’s a short walk down to the beach. There is also a city parking lot one block north of Magnolia that would be good for weekend parking. For parking and beach access info for other beaches on Anna Maria and other islands from Dunedin to Marco Island, my book is very helpful: http://www.beachhunter.net/book.htm
The printed book is $17 plus $5 shipping. The ebook version is only $8.67.
While I love Anna Maria Island, as a fifth-generation Bradentonian, I do beg to differ with your description of the view. The view from “our Pier” in St. Petersburg from the Columbia Restaurant is awesome! We can see the skyway, downtown Tampa, the Port, and dolphins swimming around in Tampa Bay, or a sailboat regatta on many weekends. White tablecloth service and incredible 1905 salad is hard to beat, too. But, the beaches of Anna Maria Island are pristine and FABULOUS!
Hi Susan, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I guess it just depends on what a person likes to look at. I’ve had lunch and dinner at the Columbia on the St. Pete Pier many times (I worked in downtown St. Pete for almost 10 years), and the view is fabulous. The reason I like the view from the Anna Maria Pier better is that I don’t have to look at the Tampa skyline or the port. I’m also much closer to the water, to the fishermen, and to the manatees and dolphins.
But I can see how, to some people, the view from the Columbia may be more appealing. And it certainly is a more refined dining experience.
Comparing beaches, piers, and food is a matter of taste. Thanks for sharing yours!
Ah nice piece on the pier. So many good memories.I learned to castnet on the Anna Maria pier
Thank you so very much. I had plans this weekend for Sanibel and wanted to make a stop back to AMI but I became I’ll with a chest cold, anyway the water is so clear at AMI so we want to go there for the blue ocean water and Sanibel for the shells. I had no clue where to park, I even called a few places to eat asking for help but nodda, that didn’t work out. I would love to buy your book but will have to wait till next weekend. Your website is our go to for beach info on ALL beaches in our area. We loved Bean Point, that was amazing but ofcourse didn’t swim due to the water currents but I did take about 300 photos on AMI. Again, thank you so much
Enjoyed your thoughts on the City Pier. It is one of my favorite places to eat on the island. AMI is a great place to spend a day … or week … or longer if we can. Meems
I used to fish off the pier many years ago. Back in the day when Fast Eddies was out there. Their landside restaurant was always great-which isn`t there anymore. Now there are shops. The hump back bridge going to Rod & Reel was another good fishing spot. Fish the channel off of the rocks.
Mike, I’d forgotten all about Fast Eddies, thanks for the reminder. “Warm beer, lousy food.” Wasn’t that their tag line?
I’ll be visiting Anna Marie Island in another month coming from frigid Michigan. I want to do some fishing on the City Pier. Do I need to get a FL Fishing License to fish from the pier ?
Thanks
Ken: Directly from the pier’s Facebook page: No fishing license needed.
Bait Shop Hrs:
Sun-Thurs 7am-9pm
Fri-Sat 7am-10pm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Maria-City-Pier/131516579663
Fishing piers in Florida usually buy a pier license that covers anyone fishing from the pier.