Following our story on the Sunshine State’s 12 best restaurants, the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Dining and Entertainment Team shifted focus to scenic places to eat — curating our latest roundup of the top 10 waterfront dining spots from across the state.
From rustic fish shacks and beach bars to upscale restaurants with white tablecloths and wine lists, Florida’s best waterfront dining spots offer more than just great food — they deliver unforgettable views and local flavor.
Whether you want to sip a tropical cocktail with your toes in the sand or savor scallops in a swanky setting, there’s a place on this list for you. Presented in alphabetical order, here are our picks.
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1000 North | Jupiter
1000 North’s shellfish platter.
Details: 1000 N. U.S. Highway 1, Jupiter; 561-570-1000; 1000north.com
While TripAdvisor lists West Palm Beach as America’s top trending city, that’s mainly because of its accommodations. Restaurant wise, I’d argue that Jupiter is having its moment in the sun with a slew of reliably consistent waterfront finds. My favorite is 1000 North, recently named among America’s 10 best celebrity-owned restaurants. It ranks high, almost Planet Hollywood high, when it comes to the number of celebrity partners and backers who include two GOATs Michael Jordan and Serena Williams; there’s also Tucker Frederickson, Ernie Els, Brooks Koepka, Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Luke Donald.
As for the food, it punches above its weight given the gorgeous and languid setting. So too do pretty and expertly mixed craft cocktails. Pro tip: Perfect for solo diners seeking calm, grab a seat at the bar outside to watch yachts pass by. ‒ Diana Biederman, The Palm Beach Post
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Baleen l Naples
Lunch with a beach view? Baleen’s $25 special includes a glass of house-selected red or white wine.
Details: 9891 Gulf Shore Drive, Naples; 239-598-5707; laplayaresort.com
Any trip to Naples should include a stop at Baleen, which is on the Gulf and offers superb views of sunsets. The food is legendary too, as it’s prepared by the La Playa Beach & Golf Resort’s executive sous chef, Sascia Marchesi, from Bergamo, Italy.
The tony restaurant survived Hurricane Ian, which roared off the coast Sept. 28, 2022, causing extensive damage. Baleen reopened in July 2023. Expect to shell out more than many restaurants in town, but again, it’s the atmosphere, so you’re paying for that too. The menu offers a variety, from the Baleen burger ($36, brisket and short rib blend, lettuce, tomato, onion smoked habanero aioli, brioche bun) and pan roasted diver scallops ($62) to filet mignon ($64) and seafood bouillabaisse($68). Reservations are required. Valet parking is too. ― Dave Osborn, Naples Daily News
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Coconuts on the Beach | Cocoa Beach
Coconuts on the Beach is the perfect place for people-watching and launch viewing.
Details: 2 Minutemen Causeway, 321-784-1422, coconutsonthebeach.com
Cocoa Beach — celebrated for its laid-back vibe and miles of ocean views — has also become known for its eclectic places to dine. With an expansive deck and tiki-bar, Coconuts on the beach is a premier spot to eat with a perfect view of the ocean.
Known for their award-winning corn and crawfish chowder and pineapple creme brulee, this hot spot is more than a tourist trap. Customers flock to Coconuts on the Beach for its live music and fantastic tropical drink offerings. With plenty of people-watching opportunities, for those seeking sips by the sand, it’s also an excellent place to watch a rocket launch. − Amber Olesen, FLORIDA TODAY
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Dixie Fish Co. | Fort Myers Beach
Dixie Fish Co. is a waterfront gem on Fort Myers Beach.
Details: 714 Fishermans Wharf, Fort Myers Beach; 239-233-8837; dixiefishfmb.com
When it comes to Old Florida charm, this open-air gem nestled under Matanzas Pass Bridge in Fort Myers Beach is tough to beat. The white clapboard building — originally a fish market built in 1937 — maintains the easy breezy vibe of its past. Not only is it waterfront, Dixie Fish Co. sits on pilings and actually juts out over the water. Grab a seat at the smoothly winding bar or at a coveted table along the rope-net rail and be lulled by waves lapping underfoot.
Feast on the freshest of fresh seafood menu — from grouper cheek bites and raw bar to crab cakes and mahi mahi tacos — as time slowly flows by. Wash it down with a cold drink or two and settle in as nightly live island music kicks in. Although Dixie has been pummeled by hurricanes in recent years, it comes back stronger time and time again with its Old Florida flavor still intact. — Robyn George, The News-Press
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Harry’s Old Place | Winter Haven
Harry’s Old Place restaurant Thursday April 17 , 2025 in Winter Haven Fl. Ernst Peters/The Ledger
Details: 3751 Cypress Gardens Road, Winter Haven; 863-324-0301; harrysoldplace.com
Kick back at this laid-back lakefront eatery tucked away off the beaten path, offering a scenic view of Lake Ned in southeast Winter Haven. Known for its whimsical décor and iconic mermaid, it’s been drawing loyal locals for more than 30 years.
The restaurant was originally established by Bruce and Ginny Johnston along with Harry Bell, and later changed ownership to Dwayne McQuillen in 2017. After a devastating fire last May, it has risen from the ashes with a fresh remodel — still serving some of the freshest fish around from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
In addition to fresh catch blackboard specials — which Harry’s recommends lightly seasoned and broiled in lemon butter — popular dishes include the baked oysters, steamed clams, gator bites, and the house specialty: Onion Loaf, a brick of sweet onions that’s coated, deep-fried, and served with their beloved Loaf Sauce. — Sara Walsh, The (Lakeland) Ledger
High Tides at Snack Jack | Flagler Beach
Ocean view at High Tides at Snack Jack’s beachfront deck in Flagler Beach.
Details: 2805 S. Ocean Shore Blvd., Flagler Beach; 386-439-3344, snackjacks.com
For nearly 80 years now, High Tides at Snack Jack has been a cornerstone of relaxed, old-school beach culture in Flagler — rustic, unfussy and full of character. The popular beach shack, a place you roll in with sandy feet to enjoy a cold beer and fried bite against the salty breeze, is the type of oceanfront joint locals love and vacationers feel lucky to stumble upon. High Tides boasts regulars who’ve been coming for over 20 years — including longtime residents of the charming beach town and even NASCAR icon Kyle Petty, who stopped by in October. His family is said to have been frequenting the establishment since the ’90s.
Start with a basket of conch fritters or crispy coconut shrimp before choosing from more than two dozen handhelds decorating the menu, from fried gator po boys to redfish Reubens. While fried sweet scallops and blackened mahi are personal favorites, those having trouble deciding can opt for a fried combo platter, alongside a frozen daiquiri and Key lime tart for dessert. — Helena Perray, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Singleton’s Seafood Shack | Jacksonville
Singleton’s Seafood Shack
Details: 4728 Ocean St., Mayport, (904) 246-4442, singletonsseafood.com
One of Jacksonville’s best waterfront dining spots isn’t located in the shadows of downtown’s skyscrapers or on the sands of one of the city’s Beaches communities — it’s at Mayport, the home of the area’s commercial shrimping industry for more than 150 years.
There, you’ll find Singleton’s Seafood Shack, the rustic, bright orange-painted restaurant that’s been serving up some of the city’s best shrimp and hushpuppies since Ray and Ann Singleton first opened “The Shack” in 1967. You’re not going to find a fresher shrimp po’boy anywhere — the trawlers unload their daily catch right there on the Mayport docks. Featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” in 2010, Singleton’s is known for its Mayport shrimp, oysters, crab and other seafood baskets and dinners. And when you finish enjoying the view of the St. Johns from the outdoor dining deck, take the nearby St. Johns River Ferry to Fort George Island for more great views. — The Florida Times-Union
Swordfish Grill | Cortez
Sunset at Swordfish Grill and Tiki Bar, nestled in the historic commercial fishing village of Cortez on north Sarasota Bay near Anna Maria Island.
Details: 4628 119th St. W.; 941-798-2035, swordfishgrillcortez.com
Gaze southward from the back patio of Swordfish Grill, and you can spot the downtown Sarasota skyline in the distance. However, you might as well be a thousand miles away, nestled in the historic commercial fishing village of Cortez near Anna Maria Island and the Gulf. Surrounded by working docks and pristine mangroves, gray pelicans and blue herons, leaping mullet and frolicking dolphins, the experience is truly transformative.
Owned by local fisherman John Banyas, Swordfish Grill features a waterfront patio and tiki bar with live music, as well as an indoor bar and dining room adjacent to the open kitchen — where locally sourced seafood such as black grouper, American red snapper, and pompano is deftly blackened, grilled, or fried. Craving an Old Florida classic? Order Swordfish Grill’s next-level shrimp and grits. − Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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Trident | Panacea
Owner Tyler Rice stands in Trident on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. The restaurant opened in 2023 in Panacea, Fla.
Details: 107 Mississippi Ave., Panacea; 850) 713-0916; trident850.com
The Poseidon theme is fitting at Trident, a sea-to-table restaurant that opened in 2023 on Dickerson Bay in Panacea, 46 miles from Tallahassee. The outside deck tables have a picturesque view of the bay, and inside, hundreds of hanging sea creatures, sharks and jellyfish give you the feeling of being in an aquarium. Brothers Jesse and Tyler Rice, who own the farm-to-table Backwoods Crossing in Tallahassee, return to their coastal roots with a vision for southern seafood and more.
Try the lion fish tacos. The invasive fish was on special and delicious during a visit in March. The Blackened Grouper Po’Boy is a winner. The nautical theme continues in the large open-air bar downstairs, now complete with pool tables, and steps away from the beach volleyball net. Stroll out on the dock and watch the fishing boats and pelicans come and go. — Martha Gruender, Tallahassee Democrat
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Waldo’s Restaurant & Bar | Vero Beach
Waldo’s Restaurant & Lounge management announced a temporary closure due to an employee illness, which was confirmed July 17, 2020 to be the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Details: 3150 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach; 772-231-7091; historicwaldos.com
Waldo’s Restaurant & Bar, located inside the historic Driftwood Inn, is one of Vero Beach pioneer Waldo Sexton’s historic landmarks. Finished in 1935, he built it using the timbers of a dairy barn destroyed in a storm. It was supposed to be a family beach house but evolved 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.
Its beachside munchies include Key West conch fritters and Breconshire nachos, named after the nearby shipwreck. Its menu features seafood and steak, as well as its world-famous chicken wings and signature chicken salad. It also has an extensive list of wines, martinis, cocktails, frozen drinks and beer. — Laurie K. Blandford, TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers
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Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida’s 10 best waterfront restaurants for food, drinks and views
