5 Best Restaurants in Northeast Coast, Florida

Eclectic, creative, and international all describe the cuisine and decor at this charming Cocoa Village spot, featured on the Food Network. The menu blends French, Italian, and Asian influences with dishes such as Kobe beef meatballs in garlic sesame sauce, penne and chicken breast in Manchego garlic Madeira cream, or a 16-ounce prime boneless rib eye. An outdoor courtyard with umbrella tables adds to the Continental flair.

This tiny, fine-dining restaurant may have single-handedly changed the perception of Gainesville from a college town fueled by pizza, chicken wings, and pitchers of beer to an up-and-coming culinary destination with imaginative dishes created using fresh Florida produce. The ever-changing menu might include such items as an organic beet salad, grilled salmon over sweet potato and Cotija cheese enchiladas, or pan-roasted Angus fillet over chive-mashed Yukon Golds.

Wicker baskets and lofty shelves brimming with European confections and groceries fill practically every inch of space not occupied by tables at this café (one of three branches), which is known by locals as "E Street." The menu is similarly overloaded, with nearly 100 deli sandwiches and salads, including raspberry-almond chicken salad and the Blue Max, with pastrami, corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, hot mustard, and blue-cheese dressing. Like its other locations—1704 San Marco Boulevard and 992 Beach Boulevard—the café also offers live music and trivia several nights a week.

This colorful, quirky, beer hall–inspired, family-owned eatery is part of a local chain and has an ambitious menu of sandwiches, salads, and soups. There's also an overflowing gourmet-food section; a mind-boggling beer list; cookies big enough to knock someone unconscious; and a range of other generous desserts. Thirsty locals belly up to the impressive, hand-carved bar for monthly beer tastings and daily happy hour (2–7 pm). More mature crowds prefer to sip their Zinfandel in the bustling dining room.

Tucked away in a strip mall across the street from the beach, this bistro and bakery draws tourists and locals alike for eclectic, European-influenced meals. Smoked salmon latkes and warm goat cheese tart are popular brunch items; for dinner, start with escargot or local oysters and then try the schnitzel or fresh catch with white bean cassoulet. The bakery offers monthly flavors of homemade doughnuts, such as pumpkin, peach, or Limoncello Ricotta.