I like towns anchored by a fishing pier, like a rib cage that guards the heart of the community and tethers it to the sea. Somehow, it feeds the soul.

I like even better when I can feed my stomach on a fishing pier, sitting down to fresh seafood and drinking in views of fishermen, pelican squadrons, surfers, sails and sea. The morning slips by as I sip coffee, cooled by breeze and lulled by the rhythm of the breakers.

Like long banquet tables, Florida piers have come to mean eats for me, and I've sampled pier restaurants, cafés and food stands from Pensacola to Lake Worth, from rustic and simple to slick and top-shelf. So grab your fork and sunglasses (binoculars if you've got 'em) for this on-the-water dine-around.

THE GULF COAST

Pier food may be in shorter supply on ''the other coast,'' but long on flavor. Plus, there's the added bonus of sunset views.

ROD & REEL

Anna Maria Island

The pier: A privately owned wooden pier, bait shop, $2 fishing fee.

Restaurant: Rod & Reel Pier Restaurant

Atmosphere: At the pier's very end, shanty and water-surrounded with indoor and outdoor seating

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Best for: Breakfast

The menu: Inexpensive seafood and sandwiches; full bar

Don't miss: Seafood omelet ($8.25) and coconut milk-dipped French toast ($3.95)

What's fun: Hobnobbing with the local fishing folk

The 411: 941-778-1885

VENICE FISHING PIER

The pier: 740-foot old-fashioned wooden pier with bait shop, rod-and-reel rentals, showers, restrooms, free admission

Restaurant: Sharky's on the Pier

Atmosphere: Indoor seating in a nautical setting; outdoor seating around a tiki bar.

Meals: Lunch and dinner

Best for: Lunch or sunset dinner

The menu: Seafood salads, pasta-and-seafood dishes, wrap sandwiches, seafood dinners; full bar. Entrees, $13-$28

Don't miss: Seafood specialties such as seabass in sweet potato crusting ($24.95), homemade key lime pie ($4.95 a slice)

What's fun: Live entertainment outdoors on weekends; shark's teeth collecting on the beach

The 411: 941-488-1456, www.sharkysonthepier.com

ST. PETERSBURG PIER

The pier: A futuristic glass structure in the shape of an upside-down pyramid at the end of a long concrete wharf downtown on Tampa Bay; four floors of stores, restaurants, attractions, and catwalk fishing

Restaurants: Columbia Restaurant, ChaCha Coconuts, Captain Al's, Fresco's Waterfront Bistro, and a food court

Atmosphere: Overall festive and relaxed, with incomparable bay views

Meals: Lunch and dinner

Best for: Lunch

The menu: Find anything from New York pizza in the food court to Caribbean-style in ChaCha Coconuts, Spanish-Cuban in Columbia, American seafood at Captain Al's, and creative fare at Fresco's.

Don't miss: Voodoo ribs with guava barbecue sauce at ChaCha ($12.95 to $18.95))

What's fun: Surrey rentals and carriage hire for rides along the wharf; two museums at the landside end

The 411: 727-821-6443, www.stpete-pier.com

THE PANHANDLE

At most of the Panhandle's Gulf-reaching piers you can find at least snacks and beach food.

OKALOOSA ISLAND

at Fort Walton Beach

The pier: An elevated boardwalk connects to the 1,262-foot pier, complete with bait shop and equipment rentals; fishing admission is $7 for adults, $4 for kids, walk-ons pay $1. Shops, restaurants, and clubs huddle around the boardwalk.

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