My husband and I will be travelling to Siesta Key and St Augustine in the next couple of weeks. We are from the UK and are looking to relax and enjoy some great seafood. We are casual travellers and are hoping for some recommendations for informal bars and restaurants that serve good food.
All recommendations gratefully received.

There are more good places to eat in St. Augustine than there is room to write. But, one place I will tell you to avoid is "Mi Casa Cafe" on historic St. George St. in St. Augustine's resorted area...that's the only restaurant that I ever contacted the local Health Department about.

We took some friends from the UK to Saltwater Cowboys in St. Augustine and they loved it!

On Siesta Key the Daiquiri Deck and Siesta Key Oyster Bar are *extremely* casual places that none-the-less serve up very good fish sandwiches and the like. According to Marcella Hazan, the DD has the best burgers in Sarasota.

Believe it or not we had a great breakfast in a Greek place called Athena right in the center of St Augustine. It was highly recomended by the concierge of our hotel. The restaurant in our hotel(Casa Monica) was very good, but a bit high end.

From a previous post of mine:

Here are my restaurant recommendations, based solely on my personal preferences... and 17 years of enjoying their cuisine:

Old City House http://www.oldcityhouse.com/
Outstanding breakfasts and dinners. Located just steps away from the Casa Monica.

The Raintree http://www.raintreerestaurant.com/

The Reef <http://www.thereefstaugustine.com/index.html?
The food is very good, particularly the seafood, and the ocean views are even better. Be sure to arrive before sunset (or for Sunday brunch) for best views. Request a window table when making your reservation.

Saltwater Cowboys
(My personal favorite for ambiance and value combined)
<http://www.saltwatercowboys.com/>

Gypsy Cab Co. <http://www.gypsycab.com/>

Creekside Dinery http://www.creeksidedinery.com/rest.html

Le Pavillion <http://www.lepav.com/>

Honorable mention

O'Steens
(Perhaps the best shrimp in town. ZERO ambiance, no reservations, reasonable prices)

http://tinyurl.com/2qtxgd

Barnacle Bill's
(Very good shrimp, reasonable prices, family atmosphere)
http://www.barnaclebillsonline.com/

You'll notice that I did not mention the Columbia restaurant. IMO, their food is good, but not as good as any of the other restaurants I have mentioned.

Also, it is somewhat of a tourist trap and one of about 6-8 other Columbia's around the state. This may qualify them as a chain restaurant. I know a lot of people eat there, but the other restaurants I have given you are all better.

For Lunch: Café Alcazar (25 Granada St, Saint Augustine, FL 32084-4387) is a true hidden gem…and is definitely off the main tourist path. It is a small restaurant located in what was once the deep end of the world's largest indoor swimming pool, now the Lightener Museum building. The food is quite good (I love their curried chicken salad.) and the atmosphere is absolutely unique and very conducive to conversation. They don't take reservations and only serve lunch. If you have trouble finding them, you can phone them at 904-824-7813. Check out their Trip Advisor reviews: <http://tinyurl.com/5qlvrq>.

After you finish your meal, be sure to walk across the street and visit Old St. Augustine Village <http://www.old-staug-village.com/>.

It's not seafood, but during my last trip, we ended up at the Broken Egg in Siesta Key twice...once for breakfast and then for lunch on the day we left. It's very casual, great food, and the only problem is that you might have to wait a bit. In Sarasota, we always try to have dinner at Cafe Epicure (again, not seafood!).