Best Waterfront St. Augustine Restaurants

Sitting by the water is the ideal place to have brunch or lunch. With the historic district as your backdrop behind you and the water to your front.

Like many of our own St. Augustine oceanfront condos, the city is rife with wonderful places to enjoy the water. Below we cover our top six for the season. 

Brunch Restaurant

Brunch Restaurant gets right to the point in a cozy ambient-soaked café inside the famous Casablanca Inn. With its obvious Spanish influences and delightful décor, Brunch Restaurant is the go-to brunch stop for downtown visitors. Many guests love to partake in the open outdoor seating area with views of the nearby Spanish architecture.

It is located at 24 Avenida Menendez right in the heart of town. It is a short drive from our beachside St. Augustine resorts.

Aunt Kates

Aunt Kates sits right up against the marina and the Tolomato River, with docking boats lining the restaurant’s outer edge. Visitors come by boat and dine on accessible seafood at affordable prices. The outdoor seating area is packed with satisfied water-loving patrons. But others like to stay inside by the Mediterranean-styled Victory Bar.

Aunt Kates is perhaps most famous for its Pilau rice dish as well as its Minorcan Clam Chowder, considered one of the best cups in the south. Complement either with a drink during Aunt Kates popular 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Happy Hour. 

It is located inside the North Beach Camping Resort on the northern side of town, known locally as Vilano.  

Conch House

Conch House is cool and casual, adopting a very loosely fun attitude around its selection of burgers, seafood sandwiches and Jamaican-styled grass huts hanging over the water. 

The Conch House is a quintessential group hangout spot, famous for the Conch house lounge and its live entertainment of reggae, rock, and pop. Guests often visit via boat. The 200 slip marina sits outside the restaurant, about 1,000 feet from the St. Augustine Inlet. 

Caps on the Water

Snug tightly between Ponte Vedra in the northern and St. Augustine Beach proper sits Caps on the Water. This idyllic little escape offers welcoming respite from both popular beach havens. Take a walk out on the pier, with a grass hut hanging above at the end and offering some cozy sunshade. Enjoy a table above the quiet sandy beachside, with a cool umbrella looming quietly above.

Cap’s really offers a radiant and comfortable atmosphere and is a favorite for adventurous visitors willing to get off the well-trafficked beaten path. 

The Reef

While many of the restaurants above are by the river, The Reef is one of the only local restaurants right against the Atlantic Restaurant. In actuality, The Reef floats above the Atlantic, with water whipping and settling underneath as you enjoy large seafood platters and creative pasta dishes.

The Reef is casual, though, and offers a lowkey barside and covered dining area. No day escapes the fun of a Happy Hour. Happy Hour is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The Reef even provides a warm Sunday Brunch with its famous Eggs benedict and huge carving station where you can request special order omelets. Brunch is Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kingfish Grill

Just west of the Vilano bridge on the northern side of town sits this delightful local favorite. Guests can enjoy both outdoor and indoor seating options in a quiet and comfortable setting. Come during the late winter and spring for daily live entertainment. And if you want a more romantic atmosphere, you can indulge in the gorgeous HarborView Banquet Room. 
We love dining in St. Augustine, and there’s even more, like Café Alcazar and Creekside. There’s also an array of lovely breakfast spots on the water. For a place to stay near the top waterfront restaurants, review our list of available St. Augustine beach rentals. Indulge in a stay right by the water. And when you can’t get enough, grab a bite to eat by the river or Atlantic. Wherever you are in St. Augustine, enjoy the breeze from the water.