While on a long weekend get-a-way to St. Augustine, FL we enjoyed some delicious fresh eats at this gem of a restaurant tucked away on a not so busy part of Cordova street in historic St. Augustine.
The Floridian was suggested to us from a guy working at the
Pit Shop surf shop in St. Augustine Beach after I'd ask his favorite places to grab a bite to eat. One thing I can say about St. Augustine is that this area has no shortage of great places to eat! We actually went to The Floridian twice in our short visit to the downtown area, once for drinks and the next day we welcomed the warm sunny weather as we enjoyed lunch on their quaint patio.
After sharing cornmeal dusted fried green tomato bruschetta, I had a the fresh flounder "chipwhich" - as their menu says: "if you've never tried potato chips on a sandwich, you're missing out on one of life's true delicacies"- and I would agree, it was excellent. JJ had another signature dish, the Not-so-Mac and Cheese. It was a big bowl full of warm cheeses and fresh grains with seasonal veggies and blackened shrimp. Simple, fresh and delicious - everything was top notch!
An interesting note about this restaurant is that it is located across the street from a beautiful church, which according to the bartender we met is the reason why they can not serve alcohol directly to your table. So the way they get around this little rule is to have patrons order drinks from the bar & carry them back to their individual tables (or you can sit at the bar). Worked for us - we had some tasty craft beer from
The Native brewing company.
This is an awesome place to enjoy lunch or dinner. The people were nice & friendly, the service was good and it was a busy afternoon and evening when we were there. For the two of us, it was a great fit to the type of place we love finding while on vacation to a new city. So thanks to The Floridan staff for a great experience and to the young man at the surf shop who gave us the recommendation!
