Treasure Camp Restaurant On the Suwannee

Treasure Camp on the Suwannee River

Best Seafood Restaurant Chiefland, Florida Great Seafood and Outdoor Dining on the Shores of the Suwannee River. In our opinion it is the best place to eat outside near Chiefland, FL. The Treasure Camp Restaurant & Resort is located along the famous historic Suwannee River about 14 miles South of Chiefland in the tiny village … Read more

Reviews – Best Cedar Keys Restaurants

Duncans Gulf View Restaurant Cedar Key Florida

One of the fun things about Cedar Key is their collection of interesting and unique restaurants, pubs, and cafes. Great seafood, neat ambiance, comfortable breezes off the Gulf. Lots of entertainment choices in Cedar Key, Florida . . . one of our favorite Florida Gulf Coast towns. Below is our list of the Best places … Read more

Carmen’s Lunch Bar Cafe

Carmen's Lunch Box Cafe Sidewalk Dining Pensacola Florida

Carmen’s is rated among the Best Pensacola Restaurants Carmen’s is located on historic Palafox Street in downtown Pensacola, Florida. We’ve been by Carmen’s many times and noted there’s always a few people enjoying food, beverages, and conversation at one of the tables set up outside the entrance to the cafe. So we made a note … Read more

Review Peg Leg Petes Pensacola Beach

Peg Leg Petes Pensacola Beach

Dining and Drinking at Peg Leg Pete’s Seafood & Oyster Bar Peg Leg Pete’s is one the most popular oyster and seafood bars in Pensacola Beach. Prior to our visit there, we’ve driven by the place many, many times and their parking lot always seemed full . . . so we figured to try to … Read more

1842 Daily Grind Cafe Cedar Key Florida

Daily Grind Cafe Cedar Key

Restaurant Review: Daily Grind & Mercantile Cafe, Cedar Key Florida Located in the epicenter at the intersection of Road D (Hwy 24) and Main Streets, the Daily Grind is downtown Cedar Key’s most popular gathering place for gourmet coffee, breakfast, and lunch. They offer Organic Fair Trade beans from roaster to you, baked goods daily and … Read more

Big Deck Bar & Grill

Big Deck Bar and Grill Cedar Key

Best Restaurants in Cedar Key, Florida Located in the Dock Street dining and shopping district, the Big Deck Raw Bar overlooks the inner harbor vs. its neighbors across the street who look out on the Gulf. If you are visiting Cedar Key and you have Covid-19 concerns and want a brew or something to eat, … Read more

Annies Cafe Cedar Key, Florida

annies cafe cedar key florida

See our list of Best Restaurants in Cedar Key Florida Annie’s Cafe is located along the main road, Highway 24, that leads into town and is hard to miss with their unique and artsy exterior. In addition to the Dolphin mascot that welcomes guests, a large garden surrounds the entrance to Annie’s with potted plants … Read more

Tony’s Seafood Cafe

Tony Seafood Restaurant Cedar Key Florida

See our list of Best Restaurants in Cedar Key Florida Tony’s Cafe among the best places to eat in Cedar Key Rated by many as the Best seafood place in Cedar Key, Tony’s was on our list to try out. Located on the corner of the main intersection in downtown Cedar Key (Highway 24 and … Read more

Duncan’s On the Gulf – Our Review

duncans on the gulf cedar key

Dining Review of Duncan’s on the Gulf Formerly known as Carlin’s Steakhouse & Pub, Duncan’s has attracted good reviews online for the short time they’ve been under the current ownership. We were looking for a different place to eat with a view overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and the Cedar Keys islands. We had previously … Read more

More Best Apalachicola Restaurants

Apalachicola Ice Company Bar

We previously reviewed Best Restaurants in Apalachicola listing places we’ve tried and ones we plan to try in the future based on restaurant review sites. The two restaurants we profile here were also on the list of Top 10 Apalachicola dining in Zomato and Trip Advisor. Unfortunately our visit to these two didn’t support that … Read more

Best Restaurants Apalachicola Florida

Owl Cafe Apalachicola

Apalachicola Dining & Restaurant Reviews

We’ve had occasion on our two previous visits to sample a number of Apalachicola restaurants and pubs. Our favorite so far is Up the Creek Raw Bar (see our review lower down the page) which dining reviews on Zomato (and other restaurant review sites) rate as #1 in Apalachicola.

Restaurant Review sites led us to try two other top rated Apalachicola places to eat: Boss Oyster and Hole in the Wall Seafood & Raw Bar. Unfortunately our experience didn’t verify their high overall average high ratings (read our restaurant reviews of these two here).

Up the Creek Raw Bar and Restaurant
Great views of the river and bay from the second story deck of “Up the Creek Raw Bar”

Review: Up the Creek Raw Bar

We loved Up the Creek Raw Bar with its friendly and fast service and great views of the Apalachicola River from its second story enclosed deck. You place your order at the bar, take a number and find a comfortable table. When your order is ready a staff member finds you and delivers your meal and beverage. They have a decent selection of wine and tap beers and of course a decent seafood menu. While almost every restaurant in town features locally harvested oysters, known for their unique mild and briny flavor, we stuck with a more familiar dish – grilled mahi-mahi, served with cole slaw and hush puppies. We were not disappointed in our meal served hot and tasty.

Review Summary. Solid 4 and half stars for food and ambiance; 5 stars for super-friendly, fast and efficient service from a team of staffers who love what they are doing.

Apparently others agree with our experience as Up the Creek is ranked by Zomato as the #1 dining spot in Apalachicola.

Up the Creek Raw Bar website

Oyster City Brewing
Oyster City Brewing Outdoor deck. No food other than popcorn, but great brews and best place to be on a nice day.

Links to more Best Apalachicola Dining

Here’s some other dining places vying with Up the Creek for best places to eat in Apalachicola:

  • The Owl Cafe & Tap Room is located across the street from Oyster City Brewery and is highly rated on Zomato and other restaurant review sites.  We had planned to catch breakfast there one morning but upon arriving discovered they only do lunch and dinner, so we’ll have to catch them on our next visit.
  • Tamara’s Cafe is another popular Apalachicola dining establishment that we planned to visit on Monday only to find that was the only day they were closed. Unlike the Owl Cafe, this Cafe does serve breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner. Also on our restaurant review list for our next visit.
  • Two other good breakfast spots in Apalachicola are the Apalachicola Chocolate and Coffee Company and Cafe Con Leche (unfortunately neither has a website).
  • The “Up the Stairs” Restaurant, gets top marks on some review sites and is unique in two respects: it caters only to diners “over 21” and is located on the second story over some shops. Their forte is “quiet dining where patrons can get away from the bustling crowds” with “. . . small plate dining in the lounge and a full menu in the dining room.” Their menu is somewhat retro offering steaks, salmon, duck, scampi, but each with a unique spin.
  • Another place that offers a change of pace from oysters being the specialty is “Antonio’s on the Bay” offering authentic traditional Italian dining and super friendly service.
  • No food except popcorn, but we always enjoy a brew and snacks, watching the world go by at Oyster City Brewing’s patio deck.

Gulf Drive & Forgotten Coast Travel Links:

More Best Restaurants in Pensacola

Carmen's Lunch Box Cafe Sidewalk Dining Pensacola Florida

In this post oF Best Places to eat in Pensacola, we review: Triggers Seafood, The Ruby Slipper cafe, and Another Broken Egg Cafe. Following those reviews are links to four more Top Places to Eat in Pensacola.


Dining Review: Triggers Seafood Restaurant. (now Wolf Bay

When we are in Pensacola in our motor home, we generally spend some time staying at Big Lagoon State Park near Perdido Key. A few blocks west from the entrance to the park is Triggers Restaurant.

Triggers Seafood Restaurant, Pensacola Florida

Viewed from the outside, Triggers isn’t going win any architectural awards. You wouldn’t guess it is one of the best restaurants in Pensacola. A plain-looking box that years ago was a convenience store and bait shop. But in 1987 Glenn and Carol Ard bought the building to house their dream of starting a seafood restaurant. Glenn and Carol, their daughter and son-in-law plus an array of other relatives have created a successful authentic seafood restaurant, with friendly staff and a comfortable dining atmosphere. The interior has a nautical theme with comfortable tables and chairs, adequately spaced from one another so your dinner conversations aren’t easily shared with neighboring tables.

Our most recent visit was in March of 2017. Jo had their Seafood Platter and I chose the Mahi-Mahi Taco basket. Your entre’ includes a choice of two sides. Our fish was served hot, moist, and was flakey – easily cut with your fork. The veggies were crunchy, not overly cooked. Portion sizes were generous. Overall rating: excellent service, top-notch food, comfortable seating. We are not alone in loving Triggers; they also get some good reviews on Urban Spoon and Google Plus. It would get stronger reviews on other lists of best restaurants if it weren’t so far off the beaten path.

Note March 11, 2020: After more than 30 years in business, the Ard family closed Triggers Restaurant and sold the building. The structure was bought by the owners of Wolf Bay Lodge, a family owned restaurant chain, and significantly remodeled and re-opened as Wolf Bay at Perdido in the same location as Triggers. Like Triggers, the menu features seafood. Recent reviews are generally favorable, but we’ll have to visit them to see if we would rank them among the top 10 places to eat in Pensacola.


Dining Review: The Ruby Slipper Cafe.

Ruby’s is located next to the al Fresco outdoor cafe near the corner of Main Street and Palafox. The Cafe gets good reviews on Trip Advisor and it is convenient to the historic district and public parking areas. So during our visit in 2016 we thought it would be a good spot for a hearty breakfast out. When we are Rving, breakfast is usually something simple like cereal and fruit so we were looking forward to something more substantial like my favorite: eggs-over-easy, a slice of ham, whole wheat toast and hashbrown potatoes.

The Slipper’s breakfast menu featured a number of more exotic, fancy food dishes at prices we usually pay for dinner fare. But after a little searching, we did find some more traditional breakfast choices. Jo went with a build-your-own 3 egg omelete that offered a large number of alternative add-ons. Her choice was tomatoes, onions, and swiss cheese and a side of fruit. It also came with a large biscuit. She was happy with her meal. I should have followed her plan but I had my mouth fixed for eggs-over-easy with toast, ham and hashbrowns. The closest I could come to that was their Southern Fried Breakfast. Not a good choice. Chicken sausage, a heavily breaded deep-fried green tomato, grits, and a gooey biscuit just didn’t cut it with my eggs-over-easy . . . that were done a little too hard. And getting served lukewarm coffee didn’t help matters.

Our postage stamp sized table for two was crammed in very close to other diners and was in a very noisy part of the café, making conversation difficult. The tiny table with no spare space, noise, and being smack against our fellow diners plus average to below average attentiveness of our server lowered our review rating substantially. And compared to the price of our meal, we have to give the Ruby poor marks overall.

Based on our experience, we cannot verify Ruby Slippers best restaurant rating. In fairness, while other reviewers have also complained about the noise level, comfort, and less attentive service, many customers have found the more exotic menu and specialty drinks just what they wanted. However for our upper Midwestern palates, we are still searching for a decent place for breakfast in Pensacola.



Dining Review: Another Broken Egg Cafe 

Upon reading the above comment on our search for a decent breakfast spot in Pensacola, a manager at Another Broken Egg Cafe on Gregory Street who urged us to try them next time. We took her advice in March of 2017.

Another Broken Egg Cafe Pensacola Florida
Lots of space and comfortable seating in 3 different dining areas.

We were not disappointed. Broken Egg has a very spacious interior with dining rooms, good spacing between tables, and large comfortable booths for those who prefer this kind of seating. Pleasant background music at the right volume level. Exceptional service from a team of wait staff each with different roles, although they also overlap to better serve the customer. The team included an order taker, a server, coffee and water servers, and two different managers or hosts who stopped by to check how we were doing. Water and coffee was refilled frequently and we had staff stop by five times to ask if we needed anything. We felt like visiting royalty.

We had scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast with our coffee. You could tell the scrambled eggs were made fresh – not manufactured in large quantities and then reheated like you find in most motel breakfast offerings. The prices were reasonable and the menu offered a wide variety of breakfast options from all sorts of traditional to more exotic and heart healthy versions. Price was reasonable and portion sizes decent. (See pix, also do a TripAdvisor review)

Another Broken Egg Café is the #4 rated Best Pensacola Restaurant in Trip Advisor and we agree with their top rating, at least for breakfast but I imagine their top-notch service carries through to lunch and dinner.

More Reviews of Best Restaurants in Pensacola.

Other Pensacola Restaurant Best Places to Eat in Pensacola.

We still have a number of Pensacola pubs and restaurants we need to sample and review. On Palafox Place Street on our to-visit list is Carmen’s Lunch Bar Restaurant  (shown at the top of this page) It has attractive sidewalk dining and also dining indoors in the restaurant itself. As the name suggests its focus is on lunch (serving 11 am to 4 pm) but also offers a nighttime Tapas menu (as well as beer and wine) from 4 pm to 8 pm. Gets good reviews on Yelp, Urban Spoon, and other restaurant review websites, so it is another top-rated dining places in Pensacola we have to try.

Within the downtown and nearby historic districts, there are lots of other unique and interesting places to eat and entertain. We enjoyed the outdoor patio and craft brews at Pensacola Bay Brewery, however unfortunately they offer no food service.

Pensacola Bay Brewery
Good brews, nice patio, but no food service.

Three other Pensacola dining and entertainment places that get good reviews are also located along Palafox Street: the Global Grill a tapas bar, Jackson’s Steakhouse, and Jaco’s Bayfront Bar & Grill – see our review.  You can see profiles of other restaurants at the Pensacola Visitor Center website.

Happy to hear recommendations from other Pensacola visitors. Make your Comments below.

Visiting Pensacola Florida

Pensacola: Things to See and Do
Pensacola Restaurants & Pubs
Pensacola Golf Courses
Smokin’ on the Square
Naval Aviation Museum
Historical Pensacola Forts
Fort Pickens Campground
Pensacola Beach
Gulf Coast Scenic Drive, Part 1
Gulf Coast Scenic Drive, Part 2

Roscoe

Away from the World | Cedar Key

Away from the World Bar Cedar Key Florida

Restaurant Review: Away from the World Burger Bar, Cedar Key, Florida

Formerly named “Away from the World Cafe” Away from the World Beer and Burger Bar has expanded its menu and beverages. It is located on the top story of one of the commercial buildings along the Dock Street Pier looking out on the Gulf. Their expansive deck dining offers great views of the water and you can catch a decent breeze that is welcome on a hot day. If it is too cold or rains, there is plenty of dining room inside. Prior to arriving at Cedar Key we hadn’t done any research on best places to eat so we picked “Away from the World” simply because it looked like they had a decent dining deck with a terrific view of the water.

Away from the World Cedar Key
Great views and nice breezes from the dining deck.

While it took a while to get served, the Mahi-Mahi sandwich and the tossed salad were very good. Worth waiting for.

Away from the World Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The weather was ideal, sunny and about 10 degrees above normal for a late February day. Almost too hot for our Wisconsin bodies tuned to winter temperatures. It was Tuesday afternoon mid-week and the town was only moderately busy. Yet apparently the staff at Away from the World wasn’t ready for several people descending upon them for lunch. We had to stand around for a while gawking at the bartender before we got a waitress to seat us. But then we did get profuse apologies, saying “sorry, we are really slammed today” which was a phrase we’d hear her repeat often to other customers. When our Mahi-Mahi Sandwiches did arrive, they were pretty good. I thought mine was a little dry, but Jo thought hers was excellent. The side salad was very good, a nice selection of fresh greens and veggies. The beer was decent and a good selection on tap. Our wait staff had only been working there for two weeks and was trying hard to keep up with her customers, but only partially succeeding.

Perhaps the manager of the operation was in the kitchen humping to get out the food. My impression was there wasn’t anyone taking charge of dealing with the chaos. So 3 stars for service and maybe too generous. But they did produce half-way decent food – 4.5 stars for that. 5 star view and atmosphere on the dining deck. Overall I’d give them a 3.5.

Travel and Restaurant Links:

Cedar Key Florida Beach
See our article on things to do and see in Cedar Key, Florida

Steamers Clam Bar & Grill | Cedar Key

Steamers Raw Bar and Grill Cedar Key Florida

Restaurant Review: Steamers Restaurant & Grill, Cedar Key, Florida

Steamers is a fun Clam Bar and Grill is on the second story of one of several buildings along the Dock Street pier overlooking Suwanne Sound on the Gulf of Mexico.

Steamers Cedar Key
Great views of the water from the upper deck, but you are lucky to get a seat out there.
steamers
Steamers is located on the top floor above the Island Trading Post.
Steamers Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

While there is a small outside deck with great views of the water, there isn’t much seating available for dining there. So we dined inside but still had views of the water due to the open ceiling and expansive window walls. Even though it was a busy, beautiful Saturday afternoon we got very attentive service; the wait staff and bartenders must be well schooled in customer service. The afternoon we dined there a trio of older guys were picking guitars, playing and singing some Texas country classics – Waylon, Willie, Jimmy Buffet tunes – and doing a pretty good job of it. 

One of our favorite stouts, Oatmeal Stout, was on tap so we ordered a pair of steins while we waited for a table to clear. Good beer, good tunes, good views of the water (Out on the water you could watch the porpoises jumping), beautiful day, great to be retired and enjoy the good life. The wait wasn’t too long til we got seated.

Jo stealing one of my sweet potato fries!

While Cedar Key is Florida’s Capital of Farm-raised Clams, we aren’t Raw Bar fans; if we have Clams or Oysters it will be in a soup! So Jo and I elected one of our Gulf Coast seafood staples – Mahi-Mahi Grilled and Blackened Sandwich Basket with a side of Cole Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries. The Mahi-Mahi fillets were a decent size and served on a square ciabatta bun, a nice upgrade from the big hamburger bun we’ve gotten at some places. Lettuce, tomato, onions, and tarter sauce were on the side so you elect how you wanted them – in or out of the sandwich. The fries were decent, a generous serving. We thought the Cole Slaw was exceptional. Crisp Red and White Cabbage with Carrot slices in a light tangy, balsamic sauce and a decent-sized bowl. Nice contrast to the blender-chopped stuff in a heavy mayo sauce in a tiny paper cup you get some places.

The meal was great, the Oatmeal Stout outstanding, the ambiance terrific, and a beautiful day looking over the water. Hard to top. 4.5 stars. Looking forward to return visit next year.

Gulf Drive Travel and Restaurant Links:

Grayton Seafood Co | Grayton Beach

grayton seafood co

Restaurant Review: Grayton Seafood Company, Grayton Beach, Florida

On our previous visits to Grayton Beach we’ve eaten at The Red Bar so on our most recent visit we were looking to try something new. A search on “Google” provided some positive reviews for the Seafood Company located in the main entertainment and shopping portion of Grayton Beach that is located along Scenic Highway 30A away from the beach itself. So we decided to give them a try for dinner.

A warm, comfortable, uncrowded dining atmosphere. Neat little bar area.

My Grayt House Salad topped with grilled chicken breast.

It was a little too cool for us to dine outside in their intimate patio.

We were camping in our RV at Grayton Beach State Park, about a mile walk or bike to the restaurant from our campsite so we decided to burn off some calories walking vs driving. There’s a paved bike & jogging path that runs adjacent to the highway. If you are staying along the beach in town, it’s about the same distance, a mile walk, bike, or drive to Grayton Seafood Co.

While the sign outside indicates “since 1890” the restaurant itself is of much more recent vintage (opened in 2015), although they have done a nice job decorating the interior paneling with weather-worn planks, beer signs, old photographs on the walls, etc. Owned by Kenny Griner it is a family run operation. In addition to Kenny are his daughter, his son, and his son-in-law on-site working in the restaurant. While there are some standard menu items, they pride themselves on locally sourced seafood so current catches drive the menu. They also enjoy trying new selections, often using their Sunday Brunch as a testing ground for new items. For example, through their fun experiments, they discovered customers really liked their “chicken and waffles” combo breakfast-brunch selection!

I was feeling the need for some good “roughage” so I chose their Grayt House Salad that comes with romaine & Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, carrots, croutons & cheese. I added some grilled chicken breast to the mix. The salad was terrific, nicely blend, fresh ingredients and a huge quantity. I’m generally a clean-plate guy and it was a challenge to accomplish it with the size of this meal. Jo went with the Fish of the Day recommended by our server: grilled Amber Jack, a fish she has never tried before. The Amberjack dinner was four or five fillet pieces with a choice of two sides; Jo went with the House Salad and baked potato slices. The fish was delicious and the house salad quite generous. On tap are beers from three local craft breweries: we had the Hooter Brown Ale from Oyster City Brewing Co (in Apalachicola).

Service was friendly and attentive; and we didn’t have to wait too long for our food to arrive. In conversation, we discovered our server, Grayson, has Wisconsin roots – his father founded Trek & Trail in Bayfield, Wisconsin one of our favorite towns along the Lake Superior Scenic Circle Drive.

Overall we give high marks to Grayton Seafood Company, casual dining with artisinal attention to food preparation and menu offerings that “foodies” will appreciate yet at a reasonable price.  In summary, very good quality food, good service, pleasing dining atmosphere, good tap beers, and we love family-run places where the owners are in the kitchen and serving customers.

Travel Links: