Port Canaveral area restaurants

[droseball]

We will spend the night at the Residence Inn prior to our cruise in July and are looking for a good seafood restaurant to eat at. It will be our daughter's 19th birthday and she wants to eat seafood! Thanks for any help anyone can be.

 

Denise

[Boatbuilder]

We will spend the night at the Residence Inn prior to our cruise in July and are looking for a good seafood restaurant to eat at. It will be our daughter's 19th birthday and she wants to eat seafood! Thanks for any help anyone can be.

 

Denise

If you're looking for something with excellent service and a great variety of seafood, try Bernard's Surf in Cocoa Beach. Take A1A South to Cocoa Beach and turn left at Minutemen's Causeway. It's about 500 feet on your right at the corner. Very nice restaurant. Dress would be smart casual, not T-shirts and shorts.

 

If you're looking for good seafood in a more casual setting , (where you can gaze at the cruise ships while you eat), go to "The Cove" In Port Canaveral and try Fishlips or Grills. I really prefer Fishlips and recommend the Seared Ahi or the Crabcake, but Grills is OK also and they often have a live band outside. Grills is more rowdy, and Fishlips is less so. Your DD might enjoy it more than a fancy place like Bernard's Surf. To get to the Cove from the Residence Inn, head North on Atlantic to the 528 West and take the Port Canaveral Exit (before you cross the Banana River). You'll see signs for the Cove and if you arrive before 6:30 there should be plenty of parking. They've got the freshest seafood and you'll see fish being unloaded, fileted and iced right off the pier from Grills.

 

Just recognize that Port Canaveral is a very industrial site, and don't expect a tropical wonderland of palm trees and yachts. Picture a cement terminal, barges and Bubba trolling in his 24 foot Boston Whaler Fishing Boat while slugging back a longneck beer. If you want something special head to Bernard's Surf. For fun, try the Cove.

[droseball]

Thanks Boatbuilder. I think Bernards sounds like something we would like. We will be traveling that day so I would at least like to take her out for a nice dinner for her birthday! I enjoyed your description of the port too...I can just picture it! Thanks so much!

 

Denise

[Boatbuilder]

Super. You'll like Bernard's. They do a terrific tableside Caesar salad you should try..the best I've had anywhere. Also, ask if they have have fresh Pompano or Cobia. You probably can't get either variety of fish in Memphis and they will prepare either just the way you like it (blackened, grilled, fried or baked) . Their steaks are awesome too if someone in your party is not a seafood fan.

 

You might also consider stopping at Ron Jon's Surf Shop on the way back. Lots of cool T-shirts, bathing suits and things your DD might enjoy..as well as the aimless, unemployed surfer dudes her age that seem to live there ;) It's a real landmark in Cocoa Beach and it's open all night.

[droseball]

Well thanks that does sound like fun for her and shopping should be her middle name! I've never heard of either of those fish...are either of them really fishy tasting or more mild?

 

Denise

[ksrgatorfn]

Directly across the street from Bernards is Yen Yens...a very good chinese restaurant. This is definately not your neighborhood take out joint. I got hooked on the place about a decade ago, and make a point of going any time I am down there for a visit or a launch.

 

Their Snow White Prawns and General Tso's chicken are the best anywhere.

[droseball]

That sounds good too...she loves chinese too so I will just ask her what she thinks I guess. Thanks for the suggestions! I hate to wait til we get there that afternoon and have to come up with somewhere to eat!

 

Denise

[Boatbuilder]

Well thanks that does sound like fun for her and shopping should be her middle name! I've never heard of either of those fish...are either of them really fishy tasting or more mild?

 

Denise

Both are mild, the Cobia is a little firmer in texture. Pompano may not be running in Florida when you arrive, as they tend to run North as the local water temps rise. But it does not hurt to ask.

 

No offense meant to the other poster, but you can get good Chinese anywhere. I order Steaks in Kansas City, Lobster in Maine or Nova Scotia, Bar-Be-que in Memphis, crabcakes in Baltimore, and Seafood in Florida. Stick with Bernards. ;)

[droseball]

Yeah I think she will want seafood since that was the first request. Thanks for all the suggestions though! Will we need a reservation for Bernards or is it just walk in?

 

Denise

[ksrgatorfn]

Both are mild, the Cobia is a little firmer in texture. Pompano may not be running in Florida when you arrive, as they tend to run North as the local water temps rise. But it does not hurt to ask.

 

No offense meant to the other poster, but you can get good Chinese anywhere. I order Steaks in Kansas City, Lobster in Maine or Nova Scotia, Bar-Be-que in Memphis, crabcakes in Baltimore, and Seafood in Florida. Stick with Bernards. ;)

 

I was just offering another option. I was born and raised in South Florida and am not a big seafood eater. (Go figure). So I tend to look for good local restaurants of every ilk wherever I go (I travel for a living). Just trying to share anotehr good local restaurant that I try to go out of my way to visit when I am there.

[droseball]

Thanks for the suggestion ksrgatorfn...we love to eat at places that others recommend! I hate just picking places based on the phone directory! haha!

 

Denise

[ksrgatorfn]

Thanks for the suggestion ksrgatorfn...we love to eat at places that others recommend! I hate just picking places based on the phone directory! haha!

 

Denise

 

LOL. So do I. I was in 2 different cities for work this past week....Charlotte and Sioux Falls. Luckilly, I am familiar enough with Charlotte to have a place I know to go, but we just ended up doing cracker barrell in SF because I didn't know any local joints. I'll be asking around before I go back next month for suggestions. :) So sharing yen Yens is just something for anyone who is also looking for someplace local to eat...although Bernars is indeed the best joint for seafood in CB. (Are you going to have a chance to go to the Cape while you are there? The shuttle is out on the launch pad...I don't know if you will be able to see it as you set sail or not)

[KellyJean]

We enjoyed Marlin's on the Cocoa Beach pier....sports bar atmosphere

[Boatbuilder]

Yeah I think she will want seafood since that was the first request. Thanks for all the suggestions though! Will we need a reservation for Bernards or is it just walk in?

 

Denise

Bernard's takes reservations and I would recommend that you call ahead. If you're going on a Friday night it gets busy since Cocoa Beach is a popular weekend retreat.

[wanda1101]

Personally, I like Grills but it is very crowded on the weekend. Their grilled tuna is excellent. If you want to head a little south of Cocoa Beach (maybe another 10-15 minutes), Chowder's is also excellent for seafood. For upscale dining in Cocoa Beach, the Mango Tree is wonderful and I love the little orchid garden out back.

 

No offense meant to the other poster, but you can get good Chinese anywhere. ;)

 

Oh, but Yen Yen's is different - not your typical Chinese restaurant at all, it's the real stuff.

[ksrgatorfn]

Personally, I like Grills but it is very crowded on the weekend. Their grilled tuna is excellent. If you want to head a little south of Cocoa Beach (maybe another 10-15 minutes), Chowder's is also excellent for seafood. For upscale dining in Cocoa Beach, the Mango Tree is wonderful and I love the little orchid garden out back.

 

 

 

Oh, but Yen Yen's is different - not your typical Chinese restaurant at all, it's the real stuff.

 

LOL. Telly, the owner of YY's, had a place in NYC, but moved to CB 15 years ago because he thought he would get a better clientele than in NYC...plus, there are a ton of Chinese places up north, but not a lot of good ones down south. He ended up hosting a lot of the Older astronauts, including Deke Slayton, Alan Shepard, Gordon Cooper, etc....which is why i first went there (lunch with Shepard and a mutual friend).

 

One thing I think this thread proves...there is not a lack of good food in CB. For anyone going out of Port Canaveral, if you are there a day early or late, you will find plenty to do, and lots to eat!