Restaurants in St. Augustine, FL
The Blue Hen Cafe ****
St Augustine, FL
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I just spent four days in the very nice 'Oldest Town in America', St Augustine,FL. In those four days I ate at The Blue Hen three times and not just because I was staying a couple of blocks away. This is one of those wonderful places where the locals go as well as tourists in the know. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner who is a very sweet lady and also very funny, she has done an amazing job of hiring a super friendly staff and a chef that not only makes a great breakfast but also one of the best pulled-pork cuban sandwiches I've ever had, and I've had a few over the years...
Depending on what time you visit you may well have to wait a while, but one of the charming waitresses will bring you a coffee or something while you read the menu and try to decide which of the culinary delights to order. The house-made corned beef hash is to die for, fluffy biscuits with peach butter, yes, I said peach butter, Blue crab quiche, yes please, Zada Jane's Stack sorted me out this morning before I headed for the airport, sweet potato home fries, sausage frittata, biscuit & gravy, oj, coffee and a long lay down on an imaginary sofa. Delicious.
If you do happen to visit make sure you ask for the best waitress in the business, Erica (from America), she's the tops.
Present Moment Cafe ****
St Augustine, FL
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If you've read any of my other reviews on Trip Advisor you'll have noticed that I'm not even close to being a vegetarian, let alone vegan, but I do like good food and as long as its good then I don't care if its raw veggies on a plate or blood pudding on a biscuit, the best ingredients available, lovingly prepared by people that know what they're doing is all you can ask for.
That being said I have just spent a long weekend visiting a very dear friend in St Augustine who happens to be a Vegan. Far be it from me to judge, if he wants to live on rabbit food thats up to him and thankfully he's not all religious about it and trying to convert me or anything like that.
We went here on a Sunday afternoon, we were pushed for time and needed to get in and out of there in 30 mins or less. I had the special from the chalk-board which I have to say was a really tasty broccoli, cheesy pasta bake thing with a spinach salad that had a lemony dressing that was superb. I wanted to order a lot more from the menu but we didn't have time so I just went with a banana milkshake. I can never resist a banana shake but as soon as I asked the waiter for one I regretted it, thinking to myself that I loathe soy milk and almond milk and all that so I was very pleasantly surprised when the nice young man brought me a huge delicious shake, that I must admit was one of the best and very filling. I meant to ask him how it was made but never got a chance.
My friend had the DLT sandwich, the D being smoky Dulse, a kind of seaweed, clever and very tasty, allegedly, as he'd devoured the thing before I had a chance to ask for a bite.
A very friendly and relaxed atmosphere add to the general sense of well being in this small intimate cafe, it's everything you want for a delicious and interesting meal. As a lifelong carnivore I look forward to my next visit, hopefully there'll be more time to enjoy the vegan delights.
The Ice Plant ****
St. Augustine, FL
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I really like this place. The owners have taken over a wonderful old industrial building that many years ago was the old ice plant, where there made large blocks of ice for local businesses etc. The building itself is really impressive and is now a distillery making some truly wonderful spirits. There's a tour around the distillery for those who enjoy that sort of thing and there's also a restaurant with a very good bar, for those who prefer that, where you can have some very good cocktails served by staff that are super friendly and fun and also seem to be having a great time being at work, a sign that the management are doing something right, which they obviously are.
The menu looked really good but at the time I was more interested in the cocktails, which I must say did a splendid job. I did eventually succumb to the pangs of hunger and ordered a cheese plate that was fantastic and did me the service of soaking up the 'Florida Mules', made with the literally in-house vodka, brewed on the premises. There's really no good reason to leave, I could stay here for days.
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The Floridian****
St. Augustine FL
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I've been working in St Augustine for just over a month and I've eaten at The Floridian a few times now, the food and the staff are consistently good and the general vibe is super friendly and fun. Much as I generally disapprove of people bringing small children to a restaurant the staff at Floridian seem to handle both the parents and the little monsters with great aplomb, not an easy task.
There is often a wait for a table so its advisable to book if you can. My vegetarian friends seem to love the salads etc and the fish is always fresh. Very relaxed place with a nice patio area. Go on, treat yourself...
http://www.thefloridianstaug.com/
