From Gas Station to Tampa Landmark: The Story of Tiny Tap Tavern

A Tampa Original That Refuses to Fade

On South Howard Avenue, surrounded by sleek clubs and bustling bars, sits a place that feels untouched by time.

The Tiny Tap Tavern is not the kind of spot you stumble into by accident. You go there because you’ve heard about it — the stories, the regulars, the history — and once you step inside, you realize it’s exactly what a dive bar should be.

Tiny Tap is often called one of the best dive bars in Tampa, a place where cold beer comes cheap, the pool tables eat quarters, and conversation flows as easily as the pours. But behind this Tampa landmark is a man who never set out to be a bar owner.

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Casey Powell, who spent more than two decades as a deputy sheriff, inherited not just a family business but a slice of Tampa’s identity. His story — and the story of Tiny Tap — is about holding on to character in a city that seems to reinvent itself every few years.

From Gas Station to the Best Dive Bar in Tampa

Tiny Tap’s history stretches back to 1952, when a gas station on Howard Avenue was converted into a bar.

Step inside Tiny Tap Tavern and you’ll see why it’s called the best dive bar in Tampa. From neon signs to worn-down floors, the place wears its history proudly — and regulars wouldn’t have it any other way.

The office of that old station — not much bigger than a living room — became the original Tiny Tap. By 1975, Powell’s father had purchased the bar, and the name stuck.

Casey remembers the line in the concrete floor that still marks where the original wall once stood. Back then, it really was tiny — just a handful of stools, a piano in the corner, and a steady flow of regulars who gave the place its soul.

As Tampa grew around it — downtown sprouting towers, Channelside reinventing itself, SoHo becoming a nightlife hub — Tiny Tap didn’t change much. It didn’t have to.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Powell says. That philosophy has carried the tavern through decades of shifting trends in Tampa nightlife.

Keeping Bar Alive Through Change

But being a dive bar in Tampa has not been without its challenges.

In 2019, Powell came close to selling. A strong offer was on the table, and after 24 years in law enforcement, he was tempted by the idea of retirement. Yet something gnawed at him. He couldn’t sleep at night. The more he thought about the potential new owners, the less confident he felt they understood what Tiny Tap meant to Tampa.

Then there were the everyday hurdles of running a business. Inflation that raised the price of pool tables by a quarter resulted in a certain outcome. The Bud Light boycott resulted in a cut in orders from 15 cases a week to just a handful. The shift from smoking to non-smoking was a decision that risked alienating loyal customers but instead drew in new ones.

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And of course, the endless challenge of running a small, no-frills bar when polished rooftops, craft cocktail lounges, and trendy breweries dominate the conversation about bars in Tampa. Tiny Tap couldn’t compete on flash. It had to win on feel.

Keeping Tradition Alive

Powell didn’t sell. He doubled down instead. He listened to his bartenders and his regulars. He added picnic tables and a shaded area for smokers outside. He gave the taco truck out front — a local favorite that once operated in downtown Tampa — a permanent home.

He kept prices reasonable while still offering craft beers from Tampa staples like Cigar City and BarrieHaus alongside the tallboy PBRs that never seem to go out of style.

Most importantly, he leaned into what made Tiny Tap different. It’s not a pick-up bar. It’s not a nightclub. It’s not pretending to be anything other than what it has always been: a neighborhood dive where anyone can feel comfortable.

That character has attracted not only loyal locals but also some famous faces. Tampa Bay Lightning players have dropped in with the Stanley Cup. Former Rays manager Joe Maddon once held staff meetings there, swapping a jersey for a Tiny Tap T-shirt that still hangs on the wall.

Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper with the Stanley Cup at Tiny Tap Tavern.

Wade Boggs, a Tampa native, added a signed rookie-year headshot to the décor. Stories like these, along with the rumors of Jerry Lee Lewis once playing piano in the corner, give the Tiny Tap its mythology — half legend, half truth, and fully part of Tampa’s lore.

And for the regulars, Tiny Tap became more than a bar. Some loyal customers had their ashes spread inside the tavern, a final toast in the place they considered home. Others are remembered by the bottles still sitting on the shelf, favorite beers that remain untouched but never forgotten.

These small rituals, unspoken but deeply felt, are part of what makes the Tiny Tap more than just another stop on South Howard Avenue.

The Takeaway

What makes Tiny Tap Tavern matter in today’s Tampa is not nostalgia for its past but its stubborn relevance in the present. In a nightlife district often defined by what’s new, Tiny Tap proves there’s value in what stays the same.

The bar’s legacy isn’t just the worn-down linoleum or the cigarette machine that now doubles as a TV stand. It’s the connections made between strangers who leave as friends, the wedding receptions held over a pool table covered with food, and the customers who return decades later to find the place almost unchanged.

For Powell, the biggest lesson has been simple: know who you are, and don’t try to be something else. That advice resonates far beyond the world of dive bars. In a city like Tampa — booming with growth, constantly shifting — authenticity is still the thing people crave most.

Why Tiny Tap’s Story Matters

The story of Tiny Tap is really the story of Tampa. It’s about survival, adaptation, and identity in a city where neighborhoods change quickly. While high-rises climb in downtown and Water Street brings polished restaurants to the waterfront, there’s still a place for the dive bars of Tampa that hold their ground on streets like South Howard Avenue.

When you walk into Tiny Tap, you’re stepping into a slice of South Tampa history that refuses to be erased. And as Powell puts it, the biggest threat isn’t competition or trends — it’s forgetting who you are.

Experience Tiny Tap for Yourself

If you’re looking for the best dive bar in Tampa, you’ll find it in Tiny Tap. Whether you want to shoot pool for fifty cents, grab tacos from the food truck out front, or enjoy a cold beer in a bar where stories hang heavier than the décor, this is one of the best bars in Tampa to do it.

Next time you’re exploring things to do in Tampa, skip the polished rooftop for a night and wander into Tiny Tap Tavern. You might leave with your clothes smelling like history instead of smoke, and maybe, just maybe, with a new story to tell.