TCPalm tells you where to find food locally on the Treasure Coast TCPalm's entertainment reporter Laurie K. Blandford finds the best food, reports on new restaurants and goes behind the scenes to tell their stories. Dining outdoors can be a small but restorative change of pace from dining indoors, and creates a special ambiance. On the Treasure Coast, outdoor dining often comes with incredible views of the waterfront or even a well-decorated patio full of Florida foliage. Here are some restaurants that offer outdoor dining, one in each Treasure Coast city where applicable, including some that are less-obvious choices than your tried-and-true favorite.
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
River Deck and Squid Lips, Sebastian
The
River Deck is a massive, fully covered, open-air pavilion on a marina while
Squid Lips , its companion restaurant next door, is a cute little open-air, overwater house that sits on stilts down a long wooden dock. Both offer exquisite views of the Indian River Lagoon and resident dolphins that frequent the area. Seafood-focused menus include raw bars, poke bowls and fried seafood baskets. Indoor and outdoor seating is first come, first served; and a dock allows you to come by boat. Squid Lips, which closed for renovations in January, is one of three Florida east coast locations since opening in 2004. The other two are in Melbourne and Cocoa Beach.
Cobalt, Vero Beach
The oceanfront restaurant is located in the
Kimpton Vero Beach Hote l on Ocean Drive. The restaurant's breathtaking views of the Atlantic and its outdoor fire pit make it a prime spot for outdoor dining. Menu items include Wagyu carpaccio, raw bar items, soups, salads, steaks, fish, twin lobster tails, duck and vegetarian options. It also serves craft cocktails and has an extensive wine list. According to the website, Cobalt is recognized as one of the world's best restaurants for wine, earning the 2024 Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator.
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
The iconic riverfront restaurant was opened in 1961 by Chuck and Eolodie Tabor using the "Old Florida" recipes they developed in the 1940s for their "World Famous Fried Shrimp." In 1984, Peter Angelos took it over and ran it with his daughters, Georgette and Nicola, until they took over ownership when he retired in 2021. Its location on the Indian River Lagoon provides an immaculate view of the sunset plus the surrounding islands, sailboats and wildlife that can be seen swimming by such as fish, turtles, dolphins and manatees.
Meating Street Seafood & Steakhouse, Port St. Lucie
Meating Street is owned by Italian-American brothers Pat and Carmine Lamarras and is located in the Tradition community of Port St. Lucie. The website claims they have a deep respect for the old-school and the imagination and infuse their own spin on favorite dishes from a bygone era. The restaurant's atmosphere and decor are elegant and refined and its outdoor patio overlooks Lake Tradition, making it one of the top choices in the city for outdoor dining. Menu items include steamed clams, pear and goat cheese ravioli, tuna tartare, a wagyu sirloin, fire-roasted salmon, short rib ragu and orange chicken.
MARTIN COUNTY
Shuckers on the Beach, Jensen Beach
As the name implies, the oceanfront restaurant provides a lovely scenic outdoor dining experience and features a patio beach bar with live music. It serves beer, wine, liquor and bubbles as well as specialty and frozen cocktails. It claims to serve inventive cuisine that takes the contemporary to the extraordinary. Menu items include Thai shrimp, ahi tuna poke bowl, scampi flatbread, conch chowder, lobster roll, grouper reuben, pastas and deep-fried platters.
TideHouse Waterfront Restaurant, Stuart
The TideHouse Waterfront Restaurant offers one of the most beautiful, sweeping views of the St. Lucie River from the Safe Harbor Harborage Yacht Club, with the Roosevelt Bridge as a backdrop. It's owned by the masterminds behind Jupiter's renowned Guanabanas Restaurant. The restaurant is cool, sleek and trendy with a fusion menu that mixes classic American, Pan Asian/Polynesian and Mediterranean cuisines. The second-story, open air porch is covered and has heaters, roll-downs and see-through curtains in case of inclement weather.
The Loft at Pirates Cove, Port Salerno
The waterfront restaurant on the Manatee Pocket in the historic fishing town of Port Salerno offers outdoor seating under a covered deck and a waterfront Tiki Bar where guests can enjoy live music, drink specials and some games. Its marina and Manatee Pocket panorama makes it an ideal choice for outdoor dining. According to the restaurant, the chef hand-picks fresh seafood every day and prepares its with a light Caribbean flair. Besides seafood, it serves a variety of chicken and steak dishes as well as ribs, burgers and more.
Sophia's is a family-owned and operated restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating. It is under the same ownership as
Blue Pointe Bar & Grill in Tequesta and
Stadium Grill in Jupiter. It was opened in the former location of
Kork and
Del Bar . It offers a newly designed patio and outdoor undercover bar where music is played Wednesday through Sunday, making it a wise choice for outdoor dining in Hobe Sound. The menu offers raw bar items, salads, wood-grilled flatbreads, sandwiches, seafood, steaks, burgers and pastas.
Palm City Social is the second restaurant Rick and Elizabeth Wilson have opened on the Treasure Coast, the first being The Gafford. Their second venture opened in 2023, intending to be a spot more for social gatherings with an open floor plan when compared to The Gafford, which has an atmosphere fitting of a date night. It took 17 months to renovate the restaurant that took over three spaces in the Martin Downs Village Center. Wilson attempts to get farm-to-table food whenever possible. It offers "modern New Americana" fare, including wild mushroom risotto, roasted pear and four cheese stuffed pasta, chicken fried steak and seafood options. Two popular dishes include the chicken Milanese and Berkshire pork chop.
Eve Pierpont is a freelancer for TCPalm who looks out for the best things to do across the Treasure Coast. Do you have an upcoming event you want to be potentially included in this weekly roundup? Email it to her at [email protected]. You can also upload your event to TCPalm's event page at events.tcpalm.com.
