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Each metropolis has a legendary restaurant that everybody is aware of — and recommends to visiting household, pals and strangers alike.
In the case of iconic eating places, Florida has loads, together with a number of open for greater than a century, together with Tampa’s unique Columbia Restaurant and Miami Seaside’s Joe’s Stone Crab.
Whereas some are special-occasion eating places, others are on a regular basis favorites.
This is our checklist of a few of Florida’s most enduring (and endearing) eating places, introduced in alphabetical order, from USA TODAY Community contributors from throughout the state.
Billy’s Faucet Room & Grill, Ormond Seaside
58 East Granada Boulevard, Ormond Seaside, 386-672-1910, www.billystaproomormondbeach.com
Billy’s Faucet Room and Grill’s founding date is famous proudly famous on the blue awning above its entrance door: “est. 1922.” The primary model of the bar/restaurant/banquet corridor was down the road on the previous Ormond Resort, which was a part of Henry Flagler’s empire, nevertheless it moved to its present dwelling, in a Tudor model constructing on East Granada Boulevard, in 1926.
With its dark-stained maple and mahogany paneling, historic cubicles, and bar high smoothed from a half-century or so of forearms, the place has an old-school, midcentury vibe that Douglas and Lillian Rand, who’ve operated the restaurant since 2011, knew higher than to tamper with.
Wonderful seafood and prime rib or simply have a drink on the bar with a bowl of their French onion soup. Their signature jumbo lump crab desserts have a beneficiant crab-to-cake ratio.
Hours: Open Tuesday via Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. – Mark Lane, The Information-Journal
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Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant, Bokeelia
Water taxi out there at Pineland Marina, 13921 Waterfront Drive, Bokeelia; 239-283-2278; cabbagekey.com
Merely attending to this 70-some-year-old inn is an journey. You’ll want a ship. Or a ferry ticket. You’ll need a while and a few flip-flops and a few sunscreen, too. When you dock at Cabbage Key, issues decelerate. It’s an island with out automobiles or paved roads. It’s Outdated Florida at its Outdated-Florida best, as is the important thing’s lone bar and restaurant.
Legend has it, that is the place Jimmy Buffet discovered his inspiration for “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” You’ll be able to order that cheeseburger for your self, with lettuce, tomato and Heinz 57 – simply not the french-fried potatoes. The restaurant doesn’t have a fryer, although followers swear by its potato salad. For those who’d quite have seafood in paradise, there are Gulf shrimp and, in season, native stone-crab claws. The bar is stocked with ice-cold beers and rum-fueled cocktails. There may be, in fact, Key lime pie for dessert.
Nicknamed “The Greenback Invoice Bar,” the partitions of this open-air restaurant are dripping in {dollars} left by patrons. Be at liberty to do the identical. Every year, the fallen {dollars} are collected, counted and donated to native charities. It’s a candy ending to at least one heck of an journey.
Hours: Open every day, 7:30 a.m. to eight:30 p.m. — Annabelle Tometich, Fort Myers Information-Press
Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant & Waterfront Market, Panama Metropolis Seaside
5551 N. Lagoon Drive, Panama Metropolis Seaside; 850-234-2225; www.captandersons.com
Go to the supply for contemporary seafood at Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant & Waterfront Market in Panama Metropolis Seaside, the place households watch the fleet of fishing boats unload their contemporary catch. Nestled on the Grand Lagoon at Capt. Anderson’s Marina, the landmark restaurant has been a vacation spot for locals and guests since 1967.
Capt. Anderson’s was awarded Florida Pattern Journal’s Golden Spoon award for 15 years earlier than being inducted into the Restaurant Corridor of Fame in 2005 — the place the Patronis household’s steak and seafood restaurant has discovered a everlasting dwelling. Whet your urge for food with classics, from ready-to-peel Grilled Bay Shrimp to Scamp Imperial with lump blue crab meat. The Patronis household’s Greek heritage lends itself to letting contemporary seafood flavors shine, corresponding to within the Greek model open-hearth charcoal-broiled filet of Gulf snapper – with a bit of olive oil, squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of contemporary parsley and inexperienced onions. And for dessert, there’s Feud Cake and Key Lime pie – a Florida favourite.
“We serve contemporary gadgets, don’t use frozen stuff,” mentioned Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant supervisor Alexa Patronis. “Actually, it is the identical staff virtually 20 to 30 years which are the spine. Their consistency with us makes the meals constant.”
Throughout its typical eight-month season, Capt. Anderson’s serves over 250,000 friends. Households go to yr after yr for a similar recipes ready by the identical arms. The restaurant additionally sells its personal cookbook, home seasoning and Greek dressing to tide you over until your subsequent journey.
Capt. Anderson’s Restaurant is a spot of particular events and a spot to make any eating event particular. And so they have a wine for that. The restaurant first grew to become a recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2005, most lately incomes one other Wine Spectator’s Better of Award of Excellence for 2020. The Captain’s Cellar boasts 400 completely different choices.
Hours: Open at 4:30 p.m. Monday via Saturday. Reservations should not accepted, so plan to reach early. — Jan Waddy, Panama Metropolis Information Herald
Columbia Restaurant, Tampa
2117 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa; 813-248-4961; columbiarestaurant.com
There are few, if any, issues extra well-known from Tampa than the Cuban sandwich and no higher place to take pleasure in one than at Columbia, which simply occurs to be acknowledged because the oldest restaurant within the Sunshine State. Based in 1905 and lately honored this yr for the best sandwich in Florida by Food & Wine magazine, Columbia’s Cuban accommodates baked ham, Genoa salami, mojo-marinated roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on freshly baked Cuban bread from La Segunda Central Bakery, which was established in 1915.
Columbia’s many glorious examples of Cuban and Spanish delicacies (with Italian influences) embody the “Authentic 1905 Salad,” the paella, and the roast pork “a la Cubana.” For drinks, remember to strive the sangria. Higher but, simply order a pitcher; there’s most likely no higher sangria served this aspect of Spain.
After dinner, discover surrounding Ybor Metropolis, the historic cigar manufacturing neighborhood that has been dwelling in latest a long time to a lot of Tampa’s high eating places, bars and nightclubs. Additionally, think about visiting the Columbia Cafe on the Tampa Bay Historical past Middle alongside Tampa Riverwalk, or, when you’re venturing south of the iconic Sunshine Skyway Bridge, there’s the gorgeous, largely open-air Columbia location that opened in 1959 on Sarasota’s famed St. Armands Circle. – Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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Farmers Market Restaurant, Fort Myers
2736 Edison Ave., Fort Myers; 239-334-1687; farmersmarketrestaurant.com
Southern impressed and fiercely native, Farmers Market Restaurant has fed Fort Myers since 1952. It is a place that has by no means wanted to alter. The identical cooks, servers and pie bakers have walked these linoleum flooring for many years.Farmers Market’s menu has additionally remained a continuing, providing shatteringly crisp fried hen, hearty meatloaf, shrimp and grits.
Located on the identical website as the town’s unique farmers market, the restaurant makes use of native produce as usually as it will possibly – in sauteed cabbage, in country-style inexperienced beans, in lush collards speckled with ham hocks. You’ll be able to’t go away with out a slice (or eight) of the restaurant’s well-known pies, be it the beloved candy potato, traditional coconut cream, or a strawberry pie stuffed in winter with native fruits.
This timeless attraction has drawn presidential candidates {and professional} athletes alike. The restaurant is a convergence. It’s the place individuals of all incomes, all colours and every kind come collectively, for meals that fills stomachs and soothes souls.
Hours: Open Monday via Thursday, 6 a.m. to three p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Sunday. — Annabelle Tometich, Fort Myers Information-Press
Jerry’s Drive-In, Pensacola
2815 E. Cervantes St., Pensacola; (850) 433-9910; jerrysdrivein.com
Not a complete lot has modified at Jerry’s Drive-In in East Pensacola Heights because the day the diner first opened in 1939.
Jerry’s nonetheless does not settle for bank cards, it nonetheless runs every day lunch specials for below $10 apiece, and it nonetheless canvasses its partitions with foolish bumper stickers and sports activities memorabilia introduced in by its loyal clients.
Possession has modified arms twice within the restaurant’s 82-year existence and it now not affords carhop-style service – which is the place the “drive-in” a part of its title got here from – however Jerry’s continues to be that reliable, down-home neighborhood diner well-known for its unique bacon cheeseburger and fried fish choices.
Hours: Open every day, besides Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. — Jacob Newby, Pensacola Information Journal
Joe’s Stone Crab, Miami Seaside
11 Washington Ave., Miami Seaside; 305-673-0365; JoesStoneCrab.com
Welcome to Joe’s, the place you’re more likely to have the most effective in-season stone crabs and mustard sauce of your life. You’ll later daydream in regards to the creamed spinach, the grilled tomatoes, the insane crust in your hash browns, the killer key lime pie. And people mussels with the spiced tomato lobster sauce you ordered as a starter? That dish alone could be a motive to return to the restaurant that’s celebrating its 107th season.
However except you made a reservation, put together to attend. And wait. I do know the wait nicely. I’m a type of walk-in-on-a-whim individuals. One time, I waited for 2 hours, which is a very long time to nurse a glass of sauvignon blanc and indulge visions of meaty “choose” claws. The payoff, I’ve to say, was greater than value it.
Open since 1913, Joe’s Stone Crab is an establishment that’s nonetheless a drive in an area eating scene usually dominated by buzz and hype. After all, the annual expectation that precedes stone crab season, which runs from October 15 to Might 15, doesn’t damage. The window for contemporary claws shuts earlier than you recognize it. After that, Joe’s serves flash-frozen claws with its full menu.
Hours: Open for dinner Tuesday via Sunday at 5 p.m.; bar opens at 4 p.m. The restaurant will shut Aug. 1 via mid-October, when it reopens for stone crab season. Reservations by way of Resy.com. Joe’s at dwelling? Sure, they’ll ship nationally by way of FedEx. You’ll be able to name 800-780-2722 or place an order by way of the restaurant’s web site. — Elizabeth Balmaseda, The Palm Seaside Publish
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Okeechobee Steakhouse, West Palm Seaside
2854 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Seaside; 561-683-5151; OkeeSteakhouse.com
Stellar steaks, first-rate service and people wealthy leather-based cubicles and dark-wood decor one expects from a classic steakhouse. That’s the successful combo on the iconic Okeechobee Steakhouse in West Palm Seaside.
Three generations of the Lewis household have owned and operated the go-to restaurant for carnivorous locals since 1947. What started as a drive-in meat palace, the place steaks and burgers have been cooked over charcoal, has morphed into Palm Seaside County’s signature steakhouse. Right now, the Okeechobee Steakhouse is the flagship enterprise within the household’s group of ideas that embody a gourmand meat market, a roadside barbecue and catering operation and a brand new fish house. All are situated inside steps of the steakhouse, which claims to be Florida’s oldest.
Third-generation proprietor Ralph Lewis has led the dramatic latest enlargement whereas preserving the standard really feel of the steakhouse and its sister institutions. Servers right here provide their enterprise playing cards after they introduce themselves. Steaks are hand-cut, dry-aged Licensed Angus Beef. (And also you get a free one in your birthday.) The steak add-ons and sides — howdy, steakhouse wedge salad — are classics.
For the complete expertise, seize a pre-dinner drink on the bar. Lewis affords what’s arguably probably the most intensive assortment of American bourbon, worldwide whiskeys, scotch and rye within the county.
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner on weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. On weekends, open for dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. — Elizabeth Balmaseda, The Palm Seaside Publish
Pelican Alley, Nokomis
1009 Albee Highway W., Nokomis; 941-786-3616; pelican-alley.com
The house owners of Pelican Alley, nestled alongside the Intracoastal Waterway in south Sarasota County, can hint the place’s historical past all the way in which again to when the U.S. authorities was giving land away to draw extra individuals to the Sunshine State. “We’re one of many oldest eating places in Florida courting again to 1903 as a fish camp constructed by the Chadwick brothers,” Pelican Alley co-owner Renee Adorna mentioned. “We’re a historic waterfront restaurant all transformed since Hurricane Irma did us in and we have been closed for 18 months.”
Often called The Admiral’s Wardroom within the Nineteen Seventies, regulars included Siesta Key resident John D. MacDonald, the acclaimed writer of the Travis McGee sequence and quite a few different bestselling novels together with “The Executioners,” which was filmed twice as “Cape Worry.” MacDonald appreciated the place and its house owners a lot he wrote a humorous foreword, that includes a cameo by McGee, for his or her self-published restaurant cookbook.
In 1981, the Arbuckles bought the restaurant to Robin Sweeney, and, after intensive renovations, it grew to become Pelican Alley. Tommy and Renee Adorna grew to become enterprise companions with Robin and Charlotte Sweeney within the late ’90s, and the Adornas now deal with the entire day-to-day operations along with offering leisure because the duo Take 2.
Pelican Alley is a well-liked spot for seafood and different dishes created from scratch such because the chowder and the Key lime pie. The bar, boasting one of many oldest liquor licenses within the land, can also be fairly the vacation spot for potent libations – similar to those imbibed by MacDonald, who influenced a era of authors together with present south Sarasota County resident Stephen King. – Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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Sandwich Inn, Gainesville
110 NE sixteenth Ave., Gainesville; 352-376-0924; www.facebook.com/sandwichinngnv
Sandwich Inn, a traditional double-sided drive-thru burger joint, is the oldest regionally owned restaurant in Gainesville. It has been open since 1963 — simply shy of 60 years.
Nestled on the east aspect of city throughout the road from Tom Petty Park, the quick meals store and its attribute vibrant teal roof are a favourite of metropolis residents searching for a fast and filling chew to eat.
Regulars come for scorching fried egg breakfast sandwiches, moderately priced “Double Double” burgers, sausage melts, fish and extra. College students cease by the walk-up window for ice cream after college.
And naturally, the inn affords Florida’s final Southern favorites: grits, fried okra and candy tea by the gallon.
Hours: Open Monday via Friday, 6 a.m. to five p.m. and Saturdays, 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Breakfast is served all day. – Danielle Ivanov, The Gainesville Solar
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