St. Augustine knows exactly how to add an element of romance to every meal. Known as the ancient city, you can find a wonderful array of fine dining establishments, from the Peruvian magic of Llama Restaurant to the homely cottage ambiance of Reserved. Below we cover our top five favorite fine dining winners in St. Augustine.
Café Alcazar
Café Alcazar tops the list for its genuine, authentic, and traditional white-cloth fine dining. Alcazar doesn’t break the mold of high-quality dining. It refines it in subtle ways by building a brilliant ambiance around the famous Lightner Museum and offering an approachable style. This comes across in the lunch menu, which offers an assortment of sandwiches and paninis, including Cuban, roast beef, and turkey and avocado. For entrees, you have a few favorites, such as the Imported artichoke hearts baked with bread crumbs or the Oven Roasted Salmon, covered in a delightful cream sauce and fresh capers.
Café Alcazar is lunch-only. It is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 25 Granada St and is a common lunch stop for Lightner Museum visitors.
Ice Plant
The Ice Plant sits in a once-functional ice plant, now converted as a popular industrial-steampunk styled luxury bar. The ice is made fresh in-house and delivers a really unique twist. The Ice Plant is likely most well-known for its inventive and captivating custom cocktail menu. Selections change by the season, and they are almost always innovative and clever. The ice Plant is located on the south side of the historic district. You can also grab a carriage ride right in the neighborhood.
Purple Olive
From the outside, purple Olive doesn’t look like a lot. As part of the plaza, you may mistake it for any old café across from the beach. Once inside, you are enamored with bright purple walls and a delicate glow. The Purple Olive is famous for its artisan hand-made breads as well as its mix-and-match menu approach.
You can customize, switch up, and essentially build your own exceptional meal. This includes Blackened Ahi Tuna, served with ginger soy sauce, wasabi, jasmine rice, and wok-seared vegetables, Sesame Seared Scallops, coated in a sweet chili glaze and jasmine rice, and the impressive Center Cut Filet Mignon, splashed with brandy peppercorn sauce. We love the energy that Purple Olive provides just a block back from the ocean and within a few short miles of our St. Augustine beachfront condo rentals.
Purple Olive is located right on A1A, specifically 4255 A1A S. it is open daily from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (extended hours to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday) and is closed Sunday and Monday.
Preserved
You may miss Preserved if you aren’t looking hard enough. Nestled away in the confines of Lincolnville, this treasured local favorite is borderline a part of the Spanish moss. The famous local trees dangle over the cottage restaurant and set a dazzling atmosphere for visitors, especially those on the deck patio. It makes for a fantastic anniversary.
Preserved’s menu is almost exclusively local, using ingredients sourced from farms in the community. We suggest you start with the Prince Edward Island Mussels served with a white wine, garlic, butter, thyme & grilled baguette or the Escargot with roasted mushrooms. Complement either with the Vegetable Shepard’s Pie, featuring haricot verts and baby eggplant from the locally-adored farm, Frog Song Organics. Close it up for the evening with the had-to-be-there Banana Cream Pie- the one dessert item you’ll be raving about for years.
Preserved is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. This includes a special Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Preserved is located at 102 Bridge St. it is towards the south side of famous George St. We recommend taking a rideshare to the restaurant from our St. Augustine beach resorts.
Black Fly Restaurant
Black fly restaurant swaps moody and atmospheric romance for bright, low-key, and open. The menu is as fresh and local as possible and highlights a number of local favorites, particularly around seafood. The menu features colorful and fancy items to match the funky décor, including conch fritters, steak, and scallops. It is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with an extended hour to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. You can find Black Fly tucked away at 108 Anastasia Blvd.
Stay near any of these restaurants with our choice selection of St. Augustine condo rentals today.
