Dig into seafood and a signature pepper in the Nation’s Oldest City
This small town in northeast Florida with a residential population of about 14,000 is the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the United States—aka the Nation’s Oldest City. As such, this historic tourist destination has culinary options usually found only in much larger metropolitan areas, given the need to feed millions of visitors a year. St. Augustine’s proximity to the coast offers a bounty of fresh seafood options for the many visitors and locals who seek to enjoy the crunch of a good fried shrimp or catch of the day with hushpuppies and coleslaw.
As travelers to St. Augustine have become more sophisticated and global, gastronomic options from fine dining to fast casual have responded to this change in tastes. A variety of arts, cultural, and heritage organizations add to St. Augustine’s rich community tapestry, while the town’s easygoing spirit, lifestyle, and affordability are conducive to entrepreneurship. This combination has attracted many talented chefs cooking up dishes with a depth of flavor drawing on local ingredients that appeal to all palates. This may be a vacation spot, but the passionate group of chefs and hospitality professionals in the city’s restaurants are hard at work to ensure visitors and residents have a memorable meal.
Best Places to Eat and Drink
Best Frozen Cocktails: Boat Drinks
Boat Drinks on St. George Street is the place to hang for a huge selection of rum; unique frozen cocktails like the Bushwacker, Strawberry Fro-Jito, and key lime pie daiquiri; smoked fish dip; and prime people watching.
Best French Menu: La Nouvelle Bistro
Head to Lincolnville and find La Nouvelle Bistro for lunch, brunch, or dinner, where the chef hailing from Marseille, France, creates authentic French dishes such as bouillabaisse, escargots, and steak au poivre. The beet terrine is an exquisite and delicious piece of edible art.
Best Tropical Coffee Beverages: Maracuya by Llama
Check out Maracuya by Llama café on West King Street, an up-and-coming enclave not far from the historic area. Be sure to try one of the sweet or savory treats along with one of their signature tropical coffee beverages like an algarrobina latte, horchata white mocha latte, or coconut mocha latte.
Best Vegan Brunch: Buena Onda
Buena Onda serves vegetarian and vegan breakfast and lunch fare. Two outstanding choices are the breakfast tacos with tofu scramble, almond ricotta, refried beans, avocado, and pickled onions, and the tempeh bánh mì with layers of carrot, onion, and cucumber slaw, jalapeños, radishes, and a spicy vegan aïoli.
Best Dinner and Music Combo: Chez L’Amour
For those with a taste for seasonal menus accompanied by live music, plan an evening at Chez L’Amour. Tapas and small plate options feature the best of local produce while the stage showcases talented jazz, classical, and blues musicians.
Best Gluten-Free Baked Goods: Alms + Fare – Wellness Bakery & Café
Alms + Fare – Wellness Bakery & Café serves gluten-free, naturally sweetened muffins, scones, cookies and other baked treats along with specialty toasts, bowls, espresso beverages, wellness teas, and smoothies.
Best Custom-Made Sandwiches: Kaiser’s Deli
Kaiser’s Deli is known for its stacked sandwiches like the Bada Bing (mortadella, capicola, salami, sweet soppressata, and sharp provolone) or El Tiante Cuban (ham, house roasted mojo pork, cream Havarti, and datil pepper pickles). Be sure to grab other lunch essentials here on your way to the beach.
Claim to Fame
Datil Pepper
The city’s biggest culinary star is the hot-yet-sweet datil pepper. This iconic and potent chile is most closely connected to the Minorcan community in St. Augustine, descendants of people from the Spanish island of Minorca who came to Florida in 1768, yet written records first note the pepper being imported around 1880 from Cuba by local jelly maker Esteban B. Valls. Whatever route brought the datil to St. Augustine, the city has adopted it as an essential local ingredient. At a heat level like the habanero, datil peppers are used in hot sauces, jellies, spice mixes, and Minorcan clam chowder. Bog Brewing brews up a smoked datil ale, Brisky’s BBQ seasons its brisket bowl with datil sauce, and River & Fort serves fried green tomatoes with a sweet datil chili sauce. A bottle of Minorcan Mike’s datil pepper sauce makes a great souvenir.
Where to Shop
Chop Shop Artisan Butcher
This is the place for hand-cut meats and seafood, local produce, dairy, and housemade charcuterie. The specialty grocery store also has an assortment of wine and craft beer.
Spinster Abbott’s
You’ll find an eclectic selection at this bodega stocked with an array of locally sourced fresh foods, household basics, beverages, and grab-and-go options. Head around back to the taproom to sip on regional craft brews, wine, and coffee.
St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market
The market is held on The Amp property year-round. Find local and seasonal produce, artisan baked goods, honey, pottery, plants, jewelry, one-of-a-kind handmade goods, food trucks, and ready-to-eat items. Grab some breakfast, then find a spot on The Front Porch and enjoy local bluegrass.
Where to Stay
The Local St. Augustine
The Local, just over the Bridge of Lions, is a 20-room digital property on Anastasia Island. This cute 1950s boutique motel has been completely updated with plenty of modern amenities including a handheld steamer, bedside sound machines, and mini fridges and microwaves in each room. The Local is in a prime location, close to restaurants, St. Augustine’s historic downtown, and many of the area’s attractions.
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Lauren Titus
Officially known as the Boss of Food in her family, Lauren is a long-time Northeast Florida foodie, who brings over thirty years experience in our area's local food movement to the magazine, along with a passion and expertise in baking and front yard farming. After a career in digital production and enterprise content management, Lauren is excited to be focused on her first loves: writing and talking about food and the vital role it plays in our community. Lauren lives with her husband in St. Augustine, and while her children have flown from the nest, they continue to support the local food scenes in Austin and Los Angeles.