643 Best Restaurants in Florida, USA

Here you'll find small cups of mac 'n' cheese with or without pulled pork on top. Those looking for a true culinary adventure can try the pulled-pork jelly doughnut sandwich.

This is the place to dine—alfresco or in the dining room—on refined Cuban classics. Begin with a megasize mojito while you browse the expansive menu offering tostones rellenos (green plantains with different traditional fillings), ceviche, and more. Choose from Cuban specialties such as roasted pork in a cumin mojo sauce and ropa vieja (shredded beef).

To the northwest of Coral Gables proper, this small but boisterous indoor-outdoor market is one of the easiest and truest ways to see Miami's local Latin life in action. Besides the rows of fresh, tropical fruits and vegetables—and the shakes you can get with any of them—Miami's original food hall has numerous counters where you can order a wide variety of Latin American food, from pan con lechón (roast pork on Cuban bread) to fried pork rinds.

At this family-style restaurant, the dining room bustles, the food is traditional cubano, the prices are reasonable, and the sangria is muy buena. There are well-seasoned black beans, a memorable paella, traditional ropa vieja, and local seafood served grilled, stuffed, or breaded.

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.

The whole family will love sharing a funnel cake with strawberry or cookies 'n' cream topping. Root beer floats come traditionally or with Stoli Vanil Vodka.

Named after Jimmy Buffett's beloved yacht, the Euphoria Fish House is just off of the lobby of the Margaritaville Resort Orlando. It's open for breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner, when featured dishes range from lobster rolls to pan-seared Chilean sea bass served with citrus-marinated bok choy. Be sure to ask your server about the margarita of the day—after all, you are in Margaritaville!

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.

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.

Unusual waffle bowls may not sound very California, but these tasty entrées can be a delicious meal or split as a snack for the whole group. The two soba noodle bowls are chock-full of veggies and give a welcome respite to the fried foods so often found in theme parks, while the Korean barbecue pork belly bowl is a delight. Kids will love the specialty drink with boba pearls.

Taking up the local-food mantle, the menu here includes inventive dishes following the seasons using locally sourced meats, seafood, and vegetables. Whenever possible, the foods are organic or sustainable. Bison meat loaf, a Buddha bowl, and "spasta" (pasta made from squash) with chicken meatballs are some of the popular entrées. Dishes such as the chicken chop tagine or za'atar-spiced salmon are preparations that let foods work with flavors rather than be disguised by them. Vegan and vegetarian dishes, including juices, "mocktails," and desserts, are on the menu, and dietary requests are accommodated with the same creativity. The wine list includes many organic and sustainable varietals. Mixologists apply the same philosophy of fresh, local foods to their craft cocktails.

This quaint eatery is inside the farmers' market on the edge of town, and it's big on serving fresh vegetables and seafood. A family of anglers runs the place, so fish and shellfish are only hours from the ocean. Catering to farmers, the restaurant opens at 5:30 am serving fluffy pancakes and omelets with home fries or grits in a pleasant dining room. For lunch and dinner, you can choose from fried shrimp or conch, seafood pasta, country-fried steak, and roast turkey, as well as salads, burgers, and sandwiches.

With its bright, airy atmosphere and seafood-heavy menu, Felix's brings New Orleans directly to Pensacola Beach. A large covered patio overlooks the Santa Rosa Sound. 

You'll get authentic, critically acclaimed, unpretentious Cuban specialties at this simple storefront café a few miles inland. Stick to the basics, like the lemony lechon asado (slow-roasted pork basted with garlic) or ropa vieja (shreds of flank steak simmered in tomato sauce with heaps of peppers and onions). Prices are good, considering that one entrée is enough for dinner and lunch the next day and that it comes with salads, big slabs of toasted garlic bread, and two sides. The bar is wine-and-beer only; the mojitos are faux-jitos but still pretty tasty.

This Irish pub would look just right in lower Manhattan during the Ellis Island era. The menu offers classic Irish comfort food like shepherd's pie, corned beef and cabbage, bangers and mash, and fish-and-chips, plus a healthy assortment of wines, cocktails, and beers, including Guinness on tap and a five-beer sampler. If shepherd's pie isn't your thing, opt instead for a steak, burger, entrée salad, or sandwich. Irish folk music, sometimes live, completes the theme in this beautiful, atmospheric place.

There's a strong hint of the Old Keys at this oceanside marina restaurant, where local fishermen stop for breakfast before heading out to catch the big one, and everyone shows up on Sunday for the barbecue from 4 to 9. "On the backside of paradise," as the sign says, its tiki structures overlook quiet mangroves at an RV park marina. Locals usually outnumber tourists. The all-day menu spans an ambitious array of sandwiches, tacos, and seafood.

If you want fresh fish, this is the place. Owners Bill and Ann Pinner have lots of local street cred, and there are plenty of offerings for meat lovers in the family, too. Options include perfectly blended crab cakes, oh-so-lightly fried Mayport shrimp (never a heavy batter that might cover up the flavor), seafood salads, and delicious sides.

Come one, come all, come hungry, and come at 11 am to witness the calm before the lunch storm. The wide-ranging menu of fish dishes is the bait, and each can be served in a variety of ways—ginger-crusted, grilled, blackened, pecan-crusted, or Pacific-grilled, which puts any dish over the top. Sushi also is on the menu, and be sure to save room for their selection of homemade desserts.

Restaurants not on the water have to produce the highest-quality food to survive in the Keys. Try fish Matecumbe style—baked with tomatoes, capers, olive oil, and lemon juice—or the buttery pan-sautéed preparation. The side dishes can be bland: boiled red potatoes, a hunk of corn on the cob, or black beans and rice.

This no-frills, roadside eatery has a loyal local following, an unfussy ambience, a couple of outside picnic tables, and friendly service. Signature dishes include snapper on grilled rye with coleslaw and melted Muenster cheese, a fried-fish burrito, George's crab cake, and tomato-based conch chowder. Landlubbers can choose everything from burgers and dogs to meat loaf and Cuban pork. Plan to dine early; it's only open until 6:30, but the hours depend on the season.

This quick-service eatery is one of the park's relatively undiscovered gems; there's nothing fancy here, but you can dig into ribs, chicken, and pulled-pork sandwiches. Tables beneath intricately carved wood pavilions make great spots for a picnic, and they're not usually crowded.

Celebrated Miami chef Douglas Rodriguez has brought his globally inspired flair to historic Ybor City as part of the gorgeous new Hotel Haya. Whether you’re grabbing a drink and a bite at the wraparound bar or luxuriating over a meal in the dining room, this swanky restaurant is rich with an atmosphere that’s upscale and cozy all at once. Rodriguez’s Nuevo Latino-menu features wood-grilled coastal cuisine, an imaginative selection of ceviches, and a range of rum-soaked cocktails.

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.

No matter the hour at this classic 24-hour diner, you can order no-nonsense breakfast favorites like oversize omelets with biscuits, toast, or English muffins. Good hangover eats abound, but don't expect anything exceptional besides the location and the low prices.

The wide and peaceful sound-side spreads out before you at this casual restaurant where, armed with a fruity libation, you're all set for a night of "floundering" at its best. Funkiness comes courtesy of an eclectic collection of objets d'art; tastiness is served in specialties such as seafood nachos and the shrimp-boat platter.

One of Disney World's finest restaurants—a high-ticket night out that's worth the price—has a menu heavy on seasonal seafood as well as steaks. Options include filet mignon, red snapper, and sea bass, as well as exotic fare like Verlasso salmon. Those looking for an extravagant meal can try the shrimp trofie pasta with shrimp, lobster, scallops, clams, and mussels. Special chef's table menus are available by reservation. The sparkling dining room is decorated with schools of glass fish flying overhead and gold highlights everywhere. Free self-parking is available; inform the entry booth that you are dining.

Inspired by an Ernest Hemingway photograph of a family fishing trip in Key West, this oceanfront spot pays homage to pristine seafood that's served alongside views that will make you feel like you're on a luxury liner. While the indoor dining room has a bright and airy feel with nautical decor, the outdoor patio is the spot to reserve, a fitting backdrop to dishes of wood-roasted oysters with smoky lemon, Key West pink shrimp, or grits and vegetable island curry. Don't skip the key lime pie for dessert; this one stands out from the pack.

Quebec native Mike "Frenchy" Preston runs several eateries in the area, including the fabulous Rockaway Grill. Visitors and locals alike keep coming back for the grouper sandwiches, which are moist and not battered beyond recognition. (It's also real grouper, something that's not a given these days.) Frenchy also gets a big thumbs-up for the she-crab soup, and, on the march-to-a-different-drummer front, the grouper egg rolls. In mild weather, eat on the deck, and stay for sunset if you can.

Under the watchful eye of celebrity chef Rick Bayless, Frontera brings a sophisticated yet casual approach to classic Mexican food. Look for genuine dishes from Oaxaca and Mexico City like house-made guacamole and short-rib tacos, as well as exquisite pan-roasted Florida shrimp. The bar is a popular hangout for its craft cocktails, beers, and wines as well as daily drink specials like Margarita Mondays and Tequila Tuesdays