Between Daytona Beach and St. Augustine, you’ll discover an oasis away from the hustle and bustle. Flagler Beach is one of the few remaining unspoiled Florida beach towns—no high-rises or buildings blocking your view of the ocean. It’s also full of great locally-owned restaurants, with options from casual beachside dining where you can grab a plate of fish tacos and a cold beer while in your flip flops and shorts, to fine dining in a charming, historic location with a pristine view of the ocean. Get away from chains and take a food foray to Flagler Beach to discover something new—and perhaps unexpected. Here are some Flagler Beach favorites to tempt you.
Nestled inside a historic Victorian 1920s home, The Island Grille offers fine dining in a charming, cozy atmosphere, with views of the ocean from inside the restaurant and the covered deck. Perfectly prepared food and stellar service make this historic dining room popular with locals and visitors alike.
Here, special attention is paid to the presentation, as well as fresh flavors. From the beautifully grilled wasabi salmon glazed with soy mustard and wasabi horseradish, to the blackened sea scallop salad with large, juicy, tender scallops, goat cheese, and candied pecans, you’ll love any dish you try. Other customer favorites include their chicken gorgonzola and the Thai curry bowl—the food equivalent of a hug: warm and comforting.
This popular family-run restaurant serves breakfast (until 2 p.m.), lunch, and dinner overlooking the beach. The rooftop deck is perfect for enjoying waffles and bacon with a mimosa, sampling a fish Reuben or Greek gyro alongside a cold beer, or taking in the sunset with a cocktail in your hand.
Appetizers include the Grill’s famous Flaming Cheese: pan-fried Kazzari cheese set on fire, extinguished with lemon and served with warm pita bread. Another foodie favorite are the Beach Balls—no, we don’t mean plastic toys you take to the beach! These handmade Italian meatballs are coated in beer batter and fried until they’re perfectly crispy, meaty, and delicious. Fresh seafood and a friendly atmosphere overlooking the ocean keep the Oceanside Beach Bar & Grill hopping all year long.
With its casual vibe, bar, and high top tables inside and out, and an owner who tries to greet each visitor personally, everyone can see why it calls itself “Flager Beach’s neighborhood bar and grill”.
Beach nachos, wings, and the “Stacker A-Frame”—the tallest sandwich in Flagler Beach—are only the beginning of your culinary adventure at the Beach Front Grille. It will be tough to choose between dishes like the crab stuffed Portobello mushroom, blackened chicken Alfredo, delicious grilled steaks, and the broiled seafood platter. Off-menu daily specials, like a blackened scallop salad, with gorgeous terracotta-colored scallops topped with bright yellow lemon slices and an unexpected kick of chili, prove this is no ordinary neighborhood sports bar. From $5 hamburger Tuesdays to Fish Fry and Trivia Wednesdays, there are good times, deals, and food waiting for you.
Small in size but big on flavor, this cozy, family-run beachside shack delivers friendly service and enticing cuisine. Turtle Shack Café favorites include delicious little neck clams, dressed with bacon, potatoes, and butter, and jalapeño cilantro lime linguini.
Make sure to try their famous bacon bleu chips—homemade chips topped with a warm blue cheese bacon sauce and a balsamic drizzle. You can get the Mahi grilled, but blackened is something you won’t want to miss. Crispy and spicy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside… it’s an unexpected fine-dining treat found in a casual beachfront setting.
This two-story beachfront restaurant and bar serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner with “Florribbean” flavors—combining the cuisines of Florida and the Caribbean. Customer favorites include coconut curry chicken, bacon wrapped plantains, and the blackened gulf shrimp fondue bowl.
Our recommendation? Tortugas Florida Kitchen & Bar serves pork and pineapple soft tacos that feature flavors in delightful layers. Your taste buds will experience creamy coleslaw first, then a kick of cumin and garlic in the mojo spiced, slow-roasted pork, followed by the sweet taste of the pineapple salsa. Add a cold beer and grab one of their comfy chairs on the second story deck to find yourself in paradise.
This oceanfront grill serves up hearty and delicious breakfast and lunches seven days a week. Breakfast offerings include breakfast burritos and quesadillas, pancakes, French toast, bagels, and a spectacular Mahi omelet. Love a good bene? The Java Joint Beachside Grill is sure to please with a variety of benedicts, from the classic to spinach, crab cake to corned beef hash, your palate will be pleased. Perhaps even more adventurous is the Country adaptation, which features a fluffy biscuit base, sausage, poached egg, and sausage gravy.
Lunch includes more filling and delicious options from shrimp and grits, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, tacos, gyros, and options for the kids. Try the grilled scallop tacos, a customer favorite, with nicely grilled scallops, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, and sour cream.
The Island Cottage Oceanfront Inn and Spa is an adults-only bed-and-breakfast that has everything to make your romantic getaway an unforgettable experience: King canopy beds, in-room fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs with rose petals and candles, and oceanfront rooms where you can watch the sunrise set the tone for serenity. Outside, the heated pool, fountains, and garden courtyard with lush tropical plants and pond and exotic outdoor spa services for two will have you feeling as if you are in a world of your own.
This adults-only five-star resort and spa is perfect for that romantic getaway you have been promising your partner. With a gorgeous, unspoiled beach, heated mineral pool, large whirlpool baths, and luxurious linens, you will feel like royalty while staying here, and be treated as such. Included in your stay at White Orchid is a full breakfast, afternoon wine and appetizers, beach gear, and bicycles.
This intimate, colorful family- and pet-friendly boutique resort sits on a one-acre tropical paradise. It offers an escape from the hustle and bustle, with plenty of privacy, hammocks for relaxing in, kayak and paddleboard rentals, outdoor showers, grills, and more. The rooms, just steps from the beach, include everything you need to make your stay a comfortable one. Those who like life a little off the beaten path will feel right at home at the Si Como No Inn.
