Top 11 Restaurants in St. Augustine

St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S, a little-known fact that you may not realize before visiting.

You can relegate your time to equal parts history tour and relaxing beach vacation in this iconic tropical gem of a town.

History buffs will love exploring the ruins of the original 16th-century Spanish colony at Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.

Another popular historical attraction is the 17th-century fortress, the Castillo de San Marcos.

After a morning stroll through history, you can then spend a lazy afternoon swimming in the deep blue Atlantic Ocean and sunbathing on white sandy beaches.

St. Augustine Beach and Crescent Beach are the premier beaches for fun in the sun.

Of course, you’ll need to fuel your day with hearty breakfasts, fresh lunches, and luxurious dinners.

St. Augustine has a diverse restaurant scene to fulfill your cravings with a slew of different dining accommodations.

Whether you want a rowdy barbecue joint, a family-friendly diner, or a fine-dining bistro, you’ll find the best restaurants in St. Augustine in my list below.

Catch 27

40 Charlotte St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-217-3542
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Located a block from the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Catch 27 is an upscale yet homey Southern-style seafood eatery, using the freshest catches off the Florida coast for all their menu items.

Its delectable menu has won accolades from Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Southern Living, and the Chicago Tribune, to name a few.

The menu has a heavy southern influence but also features flavors from around the globe.

I started with the deviled egg BLT with southern-fried cornmeal-crusted oysters, housemade tomato-bacon jam, and local microgreens.

The crabcake sandwich with field greens, tomato, onion, and housemade remoulade sauce was delicious for lunch.

Ice Plant Bar

110 Riberia St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-829-6553
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Located inside an old 1920s ice plant building in the heart of St. Augustine Historic District, Ice Plant Bar is a fashionable cocktail bar and farm-to-table traditional American restaurant.

The owners pay homage to the building’s original role by placing a 300-pound block of ice as the bar area centerpiece.

The incredible atmosphere and stunning cocktails have won accolades from Thrillist, Eater, USA Today, and Imbibe, to name a few.

The creative dinner menu features modern takes on traditional Southern dishes.

I loved the house-made pimento cheese with guava-datil jelly and garlic toast.

I haven’t tasted a lovelier skillet fried chicken, which came with hoecakes, collard greens, sawmill gravy, and apricot butter.

Collage

60 Hypolita St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-829-0055
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Collage is a fine-dining restaurant in a charming, stucco bungalow with a rustic-chic interior in St. Augustine’s Historic District.

Owners Mike Hyatt and Cindy Stangby created an eclectic menu of globally sourced wines and globally inspired dishes, using locally sourced seafood and red meat.

Collage received OpenTable and TripAdvisor’s vote for 100 Restaurants in America.

You can start your culinary experience in France with escargot sauteed in a brandy cream sauce and then head over to Italy with a decadent plate of lobster ravioli with pesto cream sauce and an additional Maine lobster tail on top.

Save room for their espresso-soaked Belgium chocolate cake with cappuccino mousse, salted dulce de leche, and vanilla ice cream.

Llama Restaurant

415 Anastasia Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080
Phone: 904-819-1760
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Owned and operated by Executive Chef and Peruvian Marcel Vizcarra, Llama Restaurant is a contemporary, fine-dining Peruvian restaurant in an intimate, rustic-chic space in Anastasia.

Chef Vizcarra applies his Japanese training and French culinary education to create aesthetically stunning displays of traditional Peruvian fare.

Peruvian food is known for its ceviche, and Llama Restaurant has numerous colorful and fresh varieties, including vegetarian mango ceviche and Japanese salmon ceviche with quail eggs, avocado, and Ponzu.

My favorite dish at Llama is the Andean-style roasted rack of lamb smothered in a garlic double cream and huacatay salsa verde and served with golden potatoes, Cusco corn, and onion salad.

Harry’s Seafood, Bar & Grille

46 Avenida Menendez, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-824-7765
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Founded in 1987 in Jacksonville by Louisiana natives Louis and Greg Saig, Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille is a festive, jazzy, New Orleans-style restaurant and lounge that has since expanded to include 6 locations.

The charming St. Augustine location is in a historic red brick plantation house along the Matanzas River in St. Augustine’s Historic District.

You can expect a night of live music, dangerously strong NOLA cocktails, and authentic New Orleans cuisine at Harry’s.

Whether you want shrimp and grits, crawfish etouffee, or jambalaya, Harry’s menu offers all the most decadent, perfectly executed New Orleans classics.

Café Alcazar

25 Granada St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-825-9948
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Café Alcazar is an upscale lunch café inside a gorgeous early 20th-century building that once housed the nation’s largest indoor swimming pool.

Located in St. Augustine’s Historic District, Café Alcazar specializes in Mediterranean and American cuisine with a long list of wine and craft beers.

It’s a wonderful spot for celebratory lunches or corporate lunches.

The vast menu has everything from Italian salumi and cheese plates to Greek soup and mezze, to savory crepes.

I loved the Paninis Alcazar, a sampling of four grilled and pressed ciabatta bread paninis with four different fillings: roast beef and cheddar, ham and swiss, feta and pesto, and grilled assorted vegetables with pesto.

Woodpeckers Backyard BBQ

4930 State Rd 13 N, St. Augustine, FL 32092
Phone: 904-531-5670
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Located in a bright-red hole-in-the-wall with friendly counter service and a giant outdoor yard with picnic tables along the Saint John’s River, Woodpeckers Backyard BBQ always has a line out the door.

Owned by local Floridian Lisa Marston, Woodpeckers Backyard BBQ serves perfectly succulent smoked meats and southern-style sides out of a small kitchen with a big backyard, evoking the feeling of being at a fourth of July cookout.

I loved that Woodpeckers has multiple sauces from various BBQ regions, from Alabama white to sweet hickory to Carolina Vinegar.

I recommend getting a two-meat platter with ribs and brisket that comes with two sides and a serving of garlic toast.

The Blue Hen Café

117 M L King Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-217-3777
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The Blue Hen Café is a quaint yet contemporary breakfast and lunch eatery located a few blocks from Maria Sanchez Lake.

They offer Southern-style cuisine in a contemporary farmhouse atmosphere adorned with countless vintage knickknacks.

The dishes are all mismatched, and the old 20s-style building front is lined with cactus and succulent pots and old wooden chairs.

The Blue Hen has cheap, bottomless coffee, mimosas by the pint, and old-school fountain drinks, like root beer and cherry coke.

All-day breakfast includes contemporary takes on southern dishes like blue crab quiche, pulled pork and grits, and my personal favorite, the Zada Janes Stack with sweet potato home fries, pork sausage, and cheddar jack and scallion frittata served with a buttermilk biscuit.

Crave

135 King St, St. Augustine, FL 32080
Phone: 904-293-6373
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Crave is a hip, healthy food truck serving complex smoothies and locally sourced, sustainable, and healthful bowls, wraps, and salads.

Located in a deep blue trailer surrounded by potted flowers right on the river, Crave is a popular lunch spot where customers can eat clean while supporting locals.

The menu is nearly entirely vegetarian and vegan, with a few seafood options.

I loved the Funky Monkey smoothie with banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, almond milk, and cacao nibs.

It helped cool down a spicy nacho tempeh bowl with brown rice, red cabbage, corn, black beans, sprouts, tomatoes, cilantro, tempeh, vegan cashew queso, avocado, and jalapenos.

Gas Full Service Restaurant

9 Anastasia Blvd C, St. Augustine, FL 32080
Phone: 904-217-0326
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If you’re looking for the most over-the-top American comfort foods, Gas Full Service Restaurant will exceed your expectations with its extravagant and creative recipes.

Located across the Bridge of Lions from downtown St. Augustine in an old-school 50s-style gas station diner with pin-up appeal.

Owned by an edgy, passionate foodie couple that works the kitchen and front of the house, Gas Full Service works with local purveyors to provide the freshest ingredients.

Their incredible, gourmet presentation of comfort food dishes has been featured on the Food Network.

I went for the jalapeno popper burger, a ½ pound burger stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar cheeses, and fresh jalapenos, grilled to medium then panko-breaded and deep-fried, served on a homemade bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and ranch dressing.

The Press

525 FL-16 #101, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-217-8254
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The Press is a neighborhood comfort food café and pub in Saint John County, using fresh, all-natural ingredients for their scratch-made menu of sauces, slaws, burgers, steaks, salads, flatbreads, and sandwiches.

They’ve been voted best burger in St. Augustine annually from local reader’s choice awards.

They have a great happy hour from 3- 6 pm every day except Sunday.

They have a rotating menu of draft beers to accompany a plate of crispy fried pickles, using house brined pickles and a scratch-made horseradish mustard dipping sauce.

The winner for Best Burger is their Conquistador, a datil pepper-stuffed burger topped with bacon, chorizo, Manchego, onion straws, lettuce, tomato, red onions, pickles, and chimichurri on a house-made bun.

Final Thoughts

St. Augustine has a diverse and creative restaurant scene that runs the gamut of world cuisines and dining experiences.

My list of the best restaurants in St. Augustine has everything from hole-in-the-wall barbecue to fine dining Peruvian bistros, giving you ample choices to satisfy all tastes and dining preferences.

Prefer to dine outside where you can also view St. Augustine’s amazing beaches? Check out our list of the best waterfront restaurants in the area.

Did we leave a restaurant out of this list? Make sure you leave us a comment and we’ll check it out!

Best Restaurants in St. Augustine

Catch 27
Ice Plant Bar
Collage
Llama Restaurant
Harry’s Seafood, Bar & Grille
Café Alcazar
Woodpeckers Backyard BBQ
The Blue Hen Café
Crave
Gas Full Service
The Press

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