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Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Where to eat: 10 essential restaurants in Vero Beach include Ocean Grill, Penny Hill Subs
When in Vero Beach, eat as the locals do. Bucket-list restaurants in Vero Beach are legendary and beloved, whether it be for the food or for the views — or both. They can be found downtown, on the beach by the Atlantic Ocean, on the water by the Indian River Lagoon. When you think of Vero Beach, you think of these restaurants. The city has too many must-visit restaurants to include them all, so TCPalm plans to publish more of these lists in the future. If you have a restaurant you think should be included in the next round — for Vero Beach or any other Treasure Coast city — email Here are 10 essential restaurants in Vero Beach. Owner Casey Steil opened Casey's Place in 1981 near State Road A1A in Vero Beach. The restaurant is a block from the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. It has walk-up window service and outside patio tables with umbrellas. It serves sandwiches, fries, salads and even breakfast items, but it's best known for its burgers. Choose from seven different kinds, including chili cheese and bacon blue cheese. They're all 6 ounces of USDA choice Black Angus chuck, cooked to order, and you can make it a double or triple. Expect a wait at this popular spot, especially during season. 917 Azalea Lane, Vero Beach; 772-231-4790; C.J. Cannon's Restaurant and Lounge opened in 1984 at the Vero Beach Regional Airport, allowing diners to watch planes take off from and land on the runway. It's run by owners Chuck Cannon and his mother, Pat. It's described as a casual restaurant with an American-Southern menu specializing in comfort foods. The decor includes retro aircraft memorabilia, celebrity autographs, pictures and history scattered on the walls. The restaurant would be the best view to see the Navy Blue Angels fly during the Vero Beach Air Show, but it closes during the event, held every two years. 3414 Cherokee Drive, Vero Beach; 772-567-7727; Cobalt is an oceanfront restaurant at the Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa. It's just steps from the beach with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean from inside the restaurant or outside, especially around one of its fire pits on the outdoor patio during its popular weekend brunch or happy hour from 3-5 p.m. daily on draft beer, house wines and appetizers. Chef Matt Lange's menu features fresh and local ingredients paired with a selection from its extensive wine list or cocktail menu. 3500 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach; 772-469-1060; Chef Mitchell Weiss and his family, who have been in the restaurant industry for over two decades, opened Fishack bar and restaurant in 2011. It specializes in what it calls "hook-to-table" seafood cuisine. The atmosphere is casual and colorful with indoor and outdoor seating. The made-from-scratch menu has a variety of seafood dishes, po' boys, tacos, chowders and raw oysters. Specialties include crab cakes, shrimp and grits, crusted sea scallops, fish and chips, and the "Shackterranean" mahi. 1931 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach; 772-770-0977; Linda Moore and Rick Norry opened Kilted Mermaid in 2011 on Old Dixie Highway. It's a neighborhood bar with live music where diners can choose between a warm, cozy atmosphere inside and a covered patio outside. It features over 25 local and global wines by the glass and over 80 craft and import beers. Pair them with artisan cheeses or cheese and chocolate fondues, as well as flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and small plates. It serves classic Irish staples year-round, including shepherd's pie. On St. Patrick's Day only, it doles out hundreds, maybe thousands, of Irish hot pockets: corned beef, cabbage, stone-ground mustard and Swiss cheese in a puff pastry. 1937 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach; 772-569-5533; Ocean Grill, a steak and seafood restaurant, is one of Vero Beach pioneer Waldo Sexton's historic landmarks. It was built with mahogany, pecky cypress, wrought iron and Spanish antiques, and it opened on New Year's Eve in 1941. Three generations of the Replogle family have been running the restaurant since 1965. In addition to an upscale menu, there's a gift shop that sells appetizers, dressings, seasonings, desserts and to-go drinks. It's known to get decked out for the holidays with Christmas trees, lights and decorations. 1050 Beachland Blvd., Vero Beach; 772-231-5409; Penny Hill Subs has been serving subs, salads and gyros since 1993. The sandwich shop's location on Beachland Boulevard closed in 2022, and its location on Old Dixie Highway came under new ownership in 2024. It bakes its own bread fresh daily and uses local ingredients. Popular subs include the Italian, the California club and the Monte Carlo, as well as the "Healthy Habit" with turkey breast, alfalfa sprouts, grated carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, blended oils, vinegar, salt, pepper and its unique cherry pepper relish. 1179 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach; 772-567-0043; Riverside Cafe is a waterfront restaurant on the Indian River Lagoon at the base of the Merrill P. Barber Bridge, where people can dock and dine and watch the sunset. It's country music star Jake Owen's favorite hometown hangout. He got his start singing at the cafe and has remained friends with owners David and Ellen Lane. He shot scenes there for his "American Country Love Song" music video, and he often stops unannounced at the restaurant when he is in town. Its menu ranges from comfy finger foods and classic sandwiches to semi-formal entrees of fresh fish and steaks. 3341 Bridge Plaza Drive, Vero Beach; 772-234-5550; Chef Leanne Kelleher opened The Tides restaurant in 2000 on Cardinal Drive in Central Beach on the barrier island. It's moving temporarily to a new office complex next to the 7-Eleven on South A1A while her old restaurant is razed and rebuilt. The fine dining restaurant features a distinct menu of Floridian and New American cuisine with Southern, Latin, Caribbean and classical French influences for the freshest seafood and the finest quality meats, as well as locally grown and organically raised vegetables and fruits. Waldo's Restaurant & Bar, located inside the historic Driftwood Inn, is one of Vero Beach pioneer Waldo Sexton's historic landmarks. Sexton first came to Vero Beach in the 1920s and started building the Driftwood Inn out of the timbers of a dairy barn destroyed in a storm. Finished in 1935, it was supposed to be a family beach house. However, after many requests for rooms because of limited hotel options in the area, it expanded into the Driftwood Resort with an oceanfront restaurant and bar. It has indoor and outdoor seating with a guest-only pool in the middle, live music on the weekends and a wooden deck that sits on the beach. 3150 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach; 772-231-7091; Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Where to eat: 10 essential restaurants in Vero Beach for food, views
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Miami Herald
03-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Florida has a spring vacation spot for every type of family: Where you should go?
Every family has their own vacation style. Some want to chill on a beach and then retreat to spacious accommodations meant for family game nights and dinners together. Others desire to be wild and free, exploring nature and camping out in rustic digs, while itinerary-driven families want to fill their days with non-stop entertainment. Those with older kids often look for cultural immersion vacations that include museum hopping and hands-on learning activities. And if you have a dog, you may be searching for a getaway where they can come too. Here's where families should go in Florida this spring, depending on your vacation personality. For the nature loving family: Lake City If you're looking for natural beauty, the under-the-radar Florida gem, Lake City — located near Gainesville — offers a bounty of peaceful experiences. Lake City is known as the 'Springs Capital of the United States,' giving props to its bevy of crystal-clear springs like the Instagram-famous Blue Hole Spring, with a 40-foot depth that's perfect for a serene scuba diving, or even a cold plunge. Lake City's nature-rich star is Ichetucknee Springs State Park, with its blue-green waterways and six miles of clear springs, where you can swim, paddle or tube. There are also canopied trails for hiking, biking and bird watching. Stay: If the word 'rustic' speaks to your family, Moonacres RV Park is situated near the springs; and for who don't own an RV, the park features six glamping tents with modern amenities like AC, electricity and adult beds — and bunk beds for the kids. On property, there are in-ground firepits, a log cabin clubhouse with games like pingpong and pool, an old-fashioned general store for supplies, and a playground and dog park. For the chill family: Vero Beach Sometimes all you need is a quiet beach vacation centered around low-key family time. Vero Beach is one of those small-town Florida treasures where time seems to stand still and caters to families looking for a slow-cation vibe. Whether it's gathering at longtime Casey's Place for cheeseburgers and Cajun fries, or tacos and ice cream at El Sid Taqueria (where the food is picked up at a cute taco truck), zipping off an eco-adventures that include dolphin, sunset and even star-gazing boat tours, or simply playing in the surf, chill families will find easy relaxation. Stay: Families may find it hard to leave the Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel & Spa, an expansive hotel that fronts a beautiful stretch of beach and flaunts a large waterfront pool with spitting fountains and a tucked-away hot tub. Families can enjoy water sports like kayaking, camp out in chairs on the beach, and kids can even borrow complimentary kick-board scooters. A top selling point is the hotel's suites and studios (up to three bedrooms), so everyone has room to sprawl out in front of the television in the living room or even cook together in the full kitchen. Parents will also appreciate traditional Kimpton perks like a daily social hour with free vino and popcorn. At night, dine under the stars (and café lights) at up-scale steakhouse Cobalt, where the terrace offers the chance to listen to the surf as you dine on seafood and top cuts. For the active family: Miami Miami may have a party-all-the-time reputation, but hear us out: It's also a place where families can thrive on vacation, even in downtown Miami. Kids will come home from vacation bragging about activities like a spin on the SkyViews Observation Wheel, which hovers 180 feet above downtown (there are even VIP gondolas with leather bucket seats and a glass-bottom floor); speedboat adventures and scenic cruises from Bayside Marketplace; and visits to interactive museums like Frost Science Museum and Jungle Island. Stay: The new Gale Miami Hotel & Residences offers an unbeatable location near all of the above activities, including the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley. (Check with the hotel about free or discounted entry at local museums.) Families also have access to the Gale's private beach club on South Beach, where they'll get chairs and umbrellas on the beach. The new hotel also features spacious two-bedroom units with full kitchens and a washer and dryer. For the art & culture family: St. Petersburg St. Pete is one of those family-friendly Florida locales where the beach is often secondary to its strong arts and cultural scene. Families gravitate to the open green spaces, multiple restaurants and artwork that dot the 26 acres surrounding the St. Pete Pier, along with the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, with interactive exhibits and wildlife boat tours. Those with teenagers can spend hours at culture-rich museums such as The Dalí Museum, The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, and the vibrant Chihuly Collection, or even try their hand at glass blowing at the Morean Glass Studio. Stay: Mingle your art-cation with a beach getaway at the beloved family-centric TradeWinds Island Resort, which includes the Island Grand and RumFish Beach Resort. At these two beachfront resorts, your crew can barrel down beach slides, pool hop and even dine at an under-the-sea restaurant (where you can also snorkel in the aquarium). Programming is rich for families, with bonding activities like campfire s'mores, craft classes, miniature golf and more. For the dog family: Naples We get it — a family vacation isn't a true vacation without your pet. Located in southwest Florida, Naples is a dog-friendly getaway that's famous for its gorgeous beaches, breathtaking sunsets and high-end shopping and dining scene. You'll always see a parade of fashionable dogs on 5th Avenue South and Third Street South, where some shops and restaurants with patios welcome well-behaved dogs. When your pet wants to run free off leash, take them to Rover Run Dog Park or Naples Dog Park. Dogs are even allowed for walks in the beautiful Naples Botanical Garden on certain days and times. Stay: A top dog-friendly option in Naples is the Edgewater Beach Hotel, an all-suite hotel that fronts the Gulf with two pools (a long one for swimming laps, and both are heated) and firepits. Families will love the spacious accommodations that range from one-to-three-bedroom suites that feel like home with full kitchens, cozy furnishings and balconies that face the water. And while the units are nicely furnished, it's not so stuffy that you'll worry about your dog being comfy, too. Dogs under 30 pounds are allowed for $100 per night, with a max of two dogs per room. With the Opal Paws program, dogs are treated to gift bags with waste bags and dental chews, along with food and water bowls for their stay.
