Dr. BBQ
Dr. BBQ is a two-story barbecue restaurant and bar in St. Petersburg, designed around a raw, unapologetically American identity. The building's open steel frame makes the two-level program visible from the street: a semi-enclosed ground-floor dining room opens behind wood slat fencing and mature plantings, while an upper-level covered terrace holds a full bar accessed by an exterior stair, its string lights and teal stools spilling over the railing at dusk.
Inside, the material palette is built on contrast and character. Exposed ductwork runs overhead while reclaimed wood beams define the ceiling plane, and clusters of Edison bulb pendants — dozens suspended from a grid of rough-sawn timber — pool warm light over the bar and communal tables. The bar anchors the space: a long steel-topped counter fronted by a wall of bottles set into a timber-framed back bar, flanked by stacked cords of firewood and teal tufted banquette seating.
The design layers the brand's personality throughout — pop art cow paintings, neon beer signs, Americana memorabilia — treating the space as a stage for the full Dr. BBQ experience. Concrete floors and industrial metal stools give the room edge; the warmth of wood and the glow of exposed bulbs give it life.
