A guide on where to eat and snack in St. Augustine

When it comes to truly enjoying the history and culture of any vacation spot, food plays an important role. Throughout history, food has been a cultural defining point across the world. When we visit a place, we are interested in what the local cuisine has to offer. By trying foods that are unique to the area we are visiting, we get to submerge ourselves in their culture. Furthermore, every vacation will always pose the question “where do you want to eat at?” This can be a difficult question, the larger your group size is as everyone has different tastes and expectations.

In order to help you with this difficult endeavor, we have cultivated a list that we believe will help mediate any insurrections that may develop during the restaurant decision process. Below is a list of the best restaurants and treats in St. Augustine, FL. We found the mentioned places to be particularly wonderful and we believe these will make your trip much more flavorful.

Salt Life Food Shack (Best Lunch and Dinner)

321 A1A Beach Blvd.

In my opinion Salt Life Food Shack is the best restaurant on St. Augustine Beach. Salt Life Food Shack has great food, location, and an all-around aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. This upscale beach restaurant defines the culture of St. Augustine and will add flavor and enjoyment to your long day at the beach. Located on the famous A1A Beach Blvd., this establishment is a must as the food is incredible and the location is even better. A trip to St. Augustine would not be complete without a stop at this famous sea food restaurant. Here are some of the menu items we found to be particularly delightful.

Bahamian fish chowder – This amazing soup is filled with tomatoes, potatoes, white fish, and fresh basil leaves. The soup is mildly spicy with large chunks of seafood. It has the texture of a Manhattan clam chowder style soup.

Hawaiian Shrimp Bowl – This amazing poke bowl is served on a base of white sticky rice, topped with large shrimp, squash, zucchini, peppers, avocado, and pineapple. There is also fresh sautéed spinach and a ginger-soy glaze drizzled over the top to bring out the Hawaiian flavor. This amazing bowl is great and you will not be disappointed in the extraordinary flavor.

Seared Mahi Bowl – Another amazing poke bowl that is served over sticky rice and topped with seared mahi, sautéed spinach, squash, zucchini, and red pepper. This bowl is topped with a ginger-soy glaze to bring out the Hawaiian flavor. This was by far our favorite dish as the Mahi was cooked to perfection giving off a mild smoky flavor. A perfect finish to an extraordinary beach day.

The Kookaburra (Best Breakfast)

647 A1A Beach Blvd.

Another St. Augustine treasure that defines the culture is the Kookaburra. If you want a great start to your morning, we would recommend stopping here. The Kookaburra has the best breakfast and coffee on the beach. This quaint Australian inspired espresso and meat pie café is going to delight any traveler who makes a trip to St. Augustine. The café is filled with baked goods that offer vegan and gluten free items. They also have a nice selection of scones and muffins that they bake daily.

They are famous for their Australian meat pies, which are similar to a quiche. The meat pies are filled with breakfast meats, eggs, and other delightful ingredients. The café is clean, organized and has large windows giving it a charming and cozy feel. They have a small indoor seating area and a large sized deck for outdoor seating as well. The staff members are polite, upbeat, and knowledgeable of their products. Located right on the A1A Beach Blvd. on St. Augustine Beach this is a breakfast must.

The Corker – This little breakfast pleaser is loaded with sausage, egg, cheddar cheese, and pepper jack cheese. The meat pie is baked with a flaky crust on top that is seasoned with black pepper. The crust is soft and easy to break apart giving it a wonderful texture. This was my favorite item on the menu. The meat pie was delicious and exceptionally made. I enjoyed how they created a whole mini pie instead of cutting it in slices. This helps preserve the texture and the flavor profile.

The Vejjo – This amazing pie is loaded with sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, egg, and cheddar cheese. All the great flavor and texture of a traditional meat pie but with less regret. The Vejjo was my wife’s favorite as it is a little more on the healthier side. The pies are the perfect size and conveniently made as a To Go item or you can enjoy them in the café. The choice is yours. Enjoy!

The Kookaburra also offers various goods such as granola, cookies, and muffins. Their granola is great tasting and an excellent topping for any kind of yogurt dish. As you can see, the fun did not stop at the meat pies. Their coffee is incredible too. My favorite coffee was the Honey Badger – a honey, cinnamon latte with hints of vanilla. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and make a stop by the Kookaburra café. You will not regret it as its unique twist on breakfast and excellent coffee is superb. The Kookaburra is located only in St. Augustine, so do not miss out on this tasty breakfast option.

The Best Treats and Snacks in St. Augustine

The Sweet Spot (Best Ice Cream)

32 Saint George Street

The Sweet Spot is located on the famous Saint George Street in the heart of the historic district. This exceptional ice cream spot offers the one and only famous Explosive Milkshake. The name Explosive Milkshake derives from how the milkshake toppings literally come out of the shake as seen in the below photo. I have enjoyed many milkshakes but this one definitely stands out.

These iconic and delicious milkshakes are known for being served in a souvenir glass mug each topped with various cookies, brownies, marshmallows, sweet flavored cereal, and many other sweet tasting toppings. The creativity that has gone into making these milkshakes is nothing short of art infused with a great tasting dessert. The Sweet Spot offers 40 flavors of ice cream and even more toppings. Be sure to make a stop there as this sweet treat will cool you off during the warm days of Florida.

The two explosive milkshakes pictured above are a sample of what is to come. The Left milkshake with a wafer on top is the Feeling Salty. The Feeling Salty – is a salted caramel ice cream, that has a chocolate pretzel rim, topped with a chocolate chips ahoy brownie, strawberry wafer, whip cream and a caramel sauce. The second milkshake is called a Unicorn Explosion – which is a vanilla ice cream that is topped with a birthday cake brownie, vanilla wafer, marshmallow, and a sprinkled rim. Both of the milkshakes are delicious, and as you can see are aesthetically pleasing to look at and enjoy at the same time.

Ben’s Soft Pretzels (Best Pretzel in St. Augustine)

54 Saint George Street

A great place to pick up a salty treat is Ben’s Soft Pretzel’s. This Amish inspired pretzel bakery is known for exceptionally soft pretzels. They have a selection of regular soft jumbo pretzels along with pretzel bites and other various pretzel inspired dishes. This location is unique as it offers access to an outdoor garden patio area for customers to sit and enjoy their meal or snack.

Although not pictured, the Original Jumbo Soft Pretzel is my favorite. The Original Jumbo Soft Pretzel is almost a half-pound of buttery soft goodness. This amazing pretzel comes in various flavors, but I think the original plain is the best. Featured above are the Pretzel Bites, which is the jumbo soft pretzel cut into bites and in this case rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar. Delicious! This is a great option for a quick bite to eat, especially if you have children on the trip. The price point is reasonable, and the location is exceptional as it is located in the heart of the historic district.

Ben’s Soft Pretzels also has access to a beautiful courtyard that is partially shaded if you would like a less crowded place to enjoy your pretzels. This is great as it is a beautiful patio that is relaxing and quiet, due to its seclusion but still within close proximity to everything. Overall a great place to enjoy a treat and to take a break while enjoying the sites and shops of Saint George Street in the historic district.

Now you know what the best restaurants are in St. Augustine, FL. Each place has its own unique ambience and flavor that is distinctively different from the others. We believe all trips and vacations would not be complete without good food and some kind of treat afterwards. Meal time is synonymous with together time and that is what makes a trip mindful.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn about the best beach hotel in St. Augustine and things to do in St. Augustine, FL, then click on the following highlighted links.

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