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Mexico City natives chef Nora De La Vega and her brother, Mano, run this casual-elegant restaurant serving Latin fusion tapas. Some of chef Nora's creations---such as the banderillas (chicken or cheese skewers with zucchini and roasted peppers and mango vinaigrette)---look almost too good to eat. The menu emphasizes healthy, fresh ingredients, with numerous vegan and vegetarian options, including hibiscus tacos, one of the most popular items. Located in the heart of downtown, the restaurant has outdoor seating with two rows of tables on the sidewalk. Inside, the restaurant has a serene ambience, with dark wood tables and dramatic art on the walls. Brunch (weekends) includes unlimited tapas and sangria, and creative egg dishes such as huevos con nopal (freshly grilled cactus, fried egg, refried black beans and pepper sauce). It's served with tropical granola and the best avocado toast you've ever had.
128 N. Woodland Blvd., Florida, 32720, USA
Known For
- Hibiscus tacos
- Alfresco dining
- Weekend brunch with unlimited tapas and sangria
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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This sprawling restaurant is always crowded and festive, but it's not just the rustic setting that draws the throngs—it's the seafood. The specialty is rock shrimp, which are served fried, broiled, or steamed. Diners with a hearty appetite can opt for the Dixie Spectacular, featuring rock shrimp, scallops, crab legs, and lobster, or, if seafood isn't your choice, the menu offers steaks, chicken, and ribs. You might have to wait (up to 90 minutes) for a table, but if you don't have time to wait, you can order takeout or use the call-ahead seating option. A word to the wise: when that basket of corn fritters dusted with powdered sugar appears like magic on your table, try not to fill up on them.
1475 Garden St., Titusville, Florida, 32796, USA
Known For
- Locally caught rock shrimp
- Corn fritters dusted with powdered sugar
- Long waits for tables at peak hours
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Relaxed, affordable Ellen's, an area institution for more than 50 years, serves breakfast and lunch daily to families and other beachgoers. Come hungry, and be sure to try the Hippie featuring two poached eggs served on an English muffin with toppings.
241 3rd St., Neptune Beach, Florida, 32266, USA
Known For
- Early-bird specials
- Friendly staff
- Grilled biscuits
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner, Reservations not accepted
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Wicker baskets and lofty shelves brimming with European confections and groceries fill practically every inch of space not occupied by tables at this café (one of three branches), which is known by locals as "E Street." The menu is similarly overloaded, with nearly 100 deli sandwiches and salads, including raspberry-almond chicken salad and the Blue Max, with pastrami, corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, hot mustard, and blue-cheese dressing. Like its other locations—1704 San Marco Boulevard and 992 Beach Boulevard—the café also offers live music and trivia several nights a week.
2753 Park St., Jacksonville, Florida, 32205, USA
Known For
- "world famous" beer cheese soup
- Wide selection of beers on tap and in bottles
- Outdoor seating and live-music or trivia nights
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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This colorful, quirky, beer hall–inspired, family-owned eatery is part of a local chain and has an ambitious menu of sandwiches, salads, and soups. There's also an overflowing gourmet-food section; a mind-boggling beer list; cookies big enough to knock someone unconscious; and a range of other generous desserts. Thirsty locals belly up to the impressive, hand-carved bar for monthly beer tastings and daily happy hour (2–7 pm). More mature crowds prefer to sip their Zinfandel in the bustling dining room.
992 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, Florida, 32250, USA
Known For
- Generous sandwiches
- Extensive beer list
- Giant cookies
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Despite its strip-mall location, Florida's Fresh Grill is a welcome change from the more casual places that dominate the local dining scene. No swimwear or sandy flip-flops here; instead, count on an upscale experience, with a tasteful ambience, prompt service, and perfectly prepared seafood and steaks. Fresh seafood is the star. The colorful avocado crab tower appetizer is so lovely you feel a little guilty (only a little) toppling it. The sea-to-table fish comes with a choice of sauces, such as jalapeño bacon cream, which is lighter than it sounds and goes perfectly with the line-caught swordfish. The steaks, made from special reserve certified angus beef, are a hit as well. Favorite desserts include the carrot cake and Key lime pie, which many claim is the best they've ever had.
2039 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, Florida, 32931, USA
Known For
- Creatively prepared fresh fish
- Excellent service
- Angus beef steaks
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A local date-night destination for decades, this restaurant has a menu featuring German favorites—from sauerbraten served with potato dumplings and red cabbage to beef Stroganoff and spaetzle. All the soups and desserts are homemade. Be sure to try the Viennese-style apple strudel and the rum-zapped almond-cream tortes. A pianist serenades patrons at dinner, and the adjacent jazz club features live music Wednesday through Sunday.
7 N. Orlando Ave., Cocoa Beach, Florida, 32931, USA
Known For
- Classic Wiener schnitzel
- Delicious apple strudel
- Live music Wednesday through Sunday
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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This chophouse provides an upscale alternative to Daytona's more prevalent shorts-and-flip-flop joints. Steaks, especially the cuts named after race-car drivers, and mouthwatering sides (don't miss the potatoes Gruyère gratin) are the main attractions. The 22-ounce bone-in rib eye named after Tony Stewart is, appropriately, among the thickest, showing that these guys know their NASCAR. The popular Steak Earnhardt is a filet mignon over bordelaise crowned with lobster, Béarnaise (yes, it has two sauces), asparagus, and sliced mushroom. The lively dining room—done in dark wood with soft lighting and splashes of colorful artwork—is complemented by dramatic ocean views. An expansive wine list includes over 40 options by the glass. And don't let this restaurant chain's Ohio roots fool you—the Key lime pie is absolutely Florida-worthy.
100 N. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach, Florida, 32118, USA
Known For
- Ocean views
- Expansive wine list
- Weekday happy hours
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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Better known simply as J.B.'s, this local landmark is on the eastern shore of the Indian River (i.e., the middle of nowhere). Crowds gather around the picnic-style tables (inside and out) or belly up to the bar to dine on mounds of spicy seafood, Cajun alligator, J.B.'s famous crab cakes, and rock shrimp by the dozen. It's a great place to catch the sunset, and there's live music on weekend afternoons. Five bucks says at least one person at your table says their hush puppies are the best they've ever eaten.
859 Pompano Ave., New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 32169, USA
Known For
- Spicy steamed rock shrimp
- Fresh fish and crab-cake sandwiches
- Delicious hush puppies
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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The word rustic doesn't even begin to describe this down-home, no-nonsense fish camp restaurant (translation: you eat off paper plates with plastic forks) housed in a weathered, old, clapboard shack along with a bait shop and airboat-tour company. Set your calorie counter on stun as you peruse the plates of fried fish, frogs' legs, and alligator (as well as burgers and hot dogs). Dine inside or out on the deck overlooking the St. Johns River with live music every Sunday. Who knows, you might even see your dinner swimming by.
8199 Rte. 520, Cocoa, Florida, 32926, USA
Known For
- Fried catfish
- Frogs' legs and gator
- Airboat rides
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Steaks and coastal Spanish–inspired cuisine are the specialty here, highlighted by dishes such as goat cheese terrine layered with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and pesto. Large plates include braised short ribs and the chef's daily fresh catch preparation. The rustic, dimly lit dining room can get loud on busy weekend nights, as patrons—often celebrating special occasions—linger over their tapas and Spanish wines. There's a charming, more sedate courtyard for outdoor dining.
25 Cuna St., St. Augustine, Florida, 32084, USA
Known For
- Variety of steaks
- Fresh seafood
- Large selection of Spanish wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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This unassuming eatery across from the beach had a loyal following long before Food Network's Guy Fieri declared its signature appetizer, BBQ-smoked alligator ribs, "probably the best way I've ever had gator." Ocean-to-table seafood is the star here, and popular appetizers include local fish collars and seasonal fish cakes, though you'll want to save room for mains such as the filet-and-shrimp fondue. For dessert, Berries Biscuits-N-Bourbon combine seasonal berries with a bourbon glaze and homemade sweet-biscuit crumble.
3218 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, 32118, USA
Known For
- Fresh seafood
- Barbecue-smoked alligator ribs
- Creative sides and desserts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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True barbecue aficionados know that the country's divided into four territories: North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City, and Texas, each renowned for its own barbecue style. Mojo's, as the locals call it, honors all four traditions—and throws in some Deep South sides, like garlic cheddar grits and black-eyed peas, as well as sweet tea and banana pudding. The whiskey menu is as impressive as the food. There's also good recorded blues playing at all times, and on occasion, some great live blues, too.
1500 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, Florida, 32250, USA
Known For
- Large whiskey menu
- Homemade sides
- Burnt ends
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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$ | Riverside |
Locals and visitors congregate at this popular, Southwest-inspired Riverside eatery, where dinner entrées range from fish tacos and crab-cake salad to green-chili soup and ancho honey-glazed salmon. The dimly lit upstairs lounge has a coffeehouse vibe—with a handful of cozy booths and leather couches—and a tequila bar.
1537 Margaret St., Jacksonville, Florida, 32204, USA
Known For
- Popular happy hour
- Big burritos
- No reservations, but you can call to get on the waiting list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon, Reservations not accepted
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Fresh local fish and shrimp are the specialties at this bustling New Smyrna Beach landmark, open since 1946. Built as a gas station, the building later served as a general store and piggy-bank factory, but the remodeled interior belies this backstory; the place is replete with wood, from the chairs and booths to the walls and rafters. Order steak, pasta, or innovative seafood dishes such as blackened swordfish topped with yuzu kosho aioli and served over a Yukon Gold potato cake (yeah, it's as good as it sounds). Prices are reasonable, and more than 3,000 bottles of wine are on hand. Don't be fooled by the fancy wine list and linen tablecloths; you can still wear shorts (business casual, however, is the norm). A more casual, way-cool tree-house bar (yes, it's in a tree) serves tasty cocktails and a limited food menu.
400 2nd Ave., New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 32169, USA
Known For
- Fresh, creatively prepared seafood
- Vast wine selection
- Unique tree-house bar
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
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Across the Bridge of Lions from downtown, this hole-in-the-wall restaurant is recognizable for the line of customers who wait patiently for fried shrimp (the specialty), seafood, and fried chicken. Needless to say, it's been a popular local eatery for generations. On the menu are oysters, scallops, hush puppies, broiled seafood, coleslaw, biscuits and cornbread with gravy, and banana cream pie. Bring cash; credit cards are not accepted.
205 Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine, Florida, 32080, USA
Known For
- Fried shrimp with hush puppies
- Pies (particularly banana cream)
- Cash only
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Reservations not accepted
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In the circa-1791 General Worth house across from the marina, this bustling little spot has a homey feel with a balanced clientele of locals, students, and visitors. Favorites include coconut shrimp, blue-crab cakes, and fresh local grouper. Beef lovers may want to try the filet mignon or the New York strip. From upstairs, you have a great marina view; in the courtyard, you might enjoy the perfume of blooming jasmine. Call ahead for "preferred seating."
118 Ave. Menendez, St. Augustine, Florida, 32084, USA
Known For
- Steamed shrimp
- Blue-crab cakes
- Shrimp and grits
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues., Reservations not accepted
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Robonaut Red Ale and Pleasure Chest IPA are just two of the beers created inside this sprawling, renovated former lumberyard. The beers are complemented by not-so-diet-friendly pub fare including corned-beef poutine, flatbreads, and what some have labeled the best burgers in town. Sunday brunch features mimosa flights and a breakfast flatbread, and dogs are welcome in the outdoor beer garden. The brewery has a smaller location serving the same delicious beer and a less expansive food menu in a former hardware store in downtown Titusville.
5220 S. Washington Ave., Titusville, Florida, 32780, USA
Known For
- Dog-friendly beer garden
- Burger of the week
- Sunday brunch with mimosa flights
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Award-winning chef Tom Gray's menu of contemporary Italian dishes changes with the seasons at this local foodie hot spot. Share a Roman-style pizza at the chef's table or at the outdoor seating area beside the lake, or head upstairs to the bar for artisanal cocktails.
4972 Big Island Dr., Jacksonville, Florida, 32246, USA
Known For
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Freshly made pasta
- Extensive wine list and well-crafted cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch, Reservations essential
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A New Orleans theme prevails at this lively venue, a longtime favorite with locals and visitors alike. The crowd ranges in age from twentysomething to midlife-crisis, and everyone comes to sample the craft beer and eat the seafood-based fare, including Ragtime shrimp po'boy sandwiches, grilled fish, and shrimp and grits.
207 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach, Florida, 32233, USA
Known For
- Shrimp po'boys
- Large craft beer selection
- Popular happy hour spot