Food is a big component to trip planning. I don’t want to eat food that I can otherwise eat here at home. And, I don’t want commercialized restaurants, like a chain. I want unique, chef prepared, and ideally independently owned dining establishments. The food is just better, fresher, and ‘considerate’, meaning someone actually thought through the entree…from how the fish was cooked to the sauce and the accompanying flavors. These types of restaurants are usually more expensive, so we plan for it. I want to experience everything our travel destination has to offer…. and that includes eating what the locals eat! This belief system shared by me and my husband has served us well. There’s nothing he won’t try and I really LOVE that about him 🙂
We recently went to Florida and had the opportunity to try a handful of restaurants in various seaside towns. My mission was to eat gator and shark. You don’t get food like that in Illinois. I did a lot of research and made reservations at the following places. For those looking for delicious Florida dining, I hope this list is a push in the right direction!
New Smyrna Beach
Norwoods Eatery and Treehouse was a unique restaurant that we had to try. It is open to the Florida breeze on the first floor and up in the treehouse dining area, which sounded wonderful to me. They had a delectable menu of creole inspired dishes…including my favorite: Shrimp and Grits. It had a brown spicy gravy with savory bits of bacon rinds, topped with fried okra. I ate every bite. And some of my husband’s, too… The Chef’s menu includes dishes like Blistered Shishito, Grouper Ratatouille, and Ribeye Gorgonzola. #GoHere
Click here to view their website, and check out the menu! And make reservations… we made ours for the Tree Trop dining area.
Another great must try?? For a quick seaside lunch, Izzy’s Island Tacos & Ice Cream was perrrrfect. We all did the three tacos of your choice with Mexican street corn as a side. There are lots of taco shacks like this around, try a few!
Concerned about the delicious calories you’ll be taking in on a foodie trip like this? Burn it off with some bike riding…we certainly did!
Cocoa Beach
There are a lot of seaside towns that seem to have the same blueprint…lots of touristy places to eat and lots of touristy things to do. Cocoa Beach reminded me a lot of Myrtle Beach, Daytona Beach, and Virginia Beach. If you are looking for a quick dinner of fish and chips, fish tacos, or even a burger or basket of chicken tenders, there are no shortage of places in Cocoa Beach. I wanted a more diverse culinary experience 🙂 Cocoa Beach was just a few miles away from Cape Canaveral where we had spent the entire day. I searched and searched for a place that featured a fresh seafood menu, a good wine list and more creative entrees…. finally, I stumbled upon Florida Fresh Grille. And I’m so happy we did! The food and the presentation was everything I was looking for. An exceptional dining experience, and one that I would highly recommend! If you are in the area watching a SpaceX launch (we saw one, it was amazing!!) or spending the day at the Kennedy Space Center, this seafood restaurant is worth a stop. Try the Corvina, it is very similar to Halibut. Delicious 😊
Port Orange
When I searched for a local favorite type of restaurant, my search turned up Aunt Catfish, which is located in Port Orange. It was about 20 minutes away from us. One look at their menu and I was making reservations within seconds. Their menu boasts “Down South River Cookin'”…sign me up! They had all the things…shark, catfish, gator…and homemade cinnamon rolls??? Yep. It was a fascinating food combination we couldn’t say no to. It is a cute place right on the water… there is indoor and outdoor seating with LIVE entertainment.
Good restaurants are hard to find. I actually think we got pretty lucky… what you read online isn’t always what you get. If you love seafood prepared in interesting ways, and unusual things (like delicious gator!), the above restaurants did not disappoint!
#GoEat and #GoAdventure!
Welcome to our Book of Adventures 