St. Augustine, Fla. (April 22, 2025) – Since being named “The South’s Best Food Town” by Southern Living Magazine in 2019, St. Augustine’s burgeoning food scene has continued to exceed expectations and challenge convention. With a broad array of cultural cuisines, Florida’s Historic Coast is a foodie’s playground, where fine food and hospitality are an art form.

Florida’s Historic Coast has most recently made a splash by hosting one of the most well-known names in the culinary industry – the James Beard Foundation. On January 26, 2025, St. Augustine hosted the oldest city’s first Friends of James Beard benefit dinner. Featured chefs included organizing chef Barry Honan of Lotus Noodle Bar, Chef Matthew Brown of Asado Life, Chef Genie McNally of The Floridian, Chef Joshua Smith of Catch 27, and Chef Marcel Vizcarra of Llama Restaurant.

The Friends of James Beard returns to Vilano Beach on April 25, 2025, for Rooted Elegance, a dinner supporting Hastings Main Street and presented in conjunction with the Cabbage, Potato, and Bacon Festival. Featured chefs include organizing chef Michael Lugo and chef Natasha Olivera of Viva Hospitality, Chef Hari Pulapaka of Global Cooking School, Sommelier Jenneffer Pulapaka of Women Wine Consortium, Chef Nils Rowland of Crème de la Cocoa, and James Beard Award Winner® Chef Art Smith.

A number of Florida’s Historic Coast restaurants have been nationally recognized for their culinary excellence. Ponte Vedra’s Aqua Grill is the winner of multiple awards, including being listed as Recommended by Restaurant Guru 2025. Casa Benedetto’s Ristorante was recently named #7 on the Hidden Gems list for 2025 TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Restaurants. Collage in Historic Downtown St. Augustine has been consistently named one of the best restaurants in the U.S. by TripAdvisor and Yelp, and one of the Top 100 Romantic Restaurants in 2025 by OpenTable.

Every great meal deserves a beautiful beverage, and restauranteurs on Florida’s Historic Coast deliver. The prestigious Wine Spectator Magazine has bestowed its Wine Spectator Restaurant Award to Ponte Vedra Inn & Club’s Seahorse Grill, Nineteen at TPC Sawgrass, and Viva Hospitality’s three St. Augustine concepts, Michael’s, Pesca Rooftop, and La Nouvelle.

Hispanic heritage is one of the pillars of Floridian culture, and nowhere is this better shown off than in the city of St. Augustine — the birthplace of Hispanic influence in the United States. The sounds and flavors of the city are deeply rooted in Latin American traditions. Columbia Restaurant, for example, offers diners a traditional Spanish setting in the city’s historic district. The restaurant is more than 100 years old and has a menu of award-winning Spanish and Cuban cuisine.

Other top Latin American restaurants in St. Augustine include Asado Life with Argentinian meats, Leon La Cocina, serving Latin, Colombian, Spanish, and South American dishes, Casa Maya Restaurant for Mexican cuisine, Llama Restaurant highlights Peruvian cuisine, and Casa Reina Taqueria & Tequila, for a fusion of Mexican, Latin and Cuban flavors. Also not to be missed is Michael’s Tasting Room for a modern take on Latin American staples.

For spirits, adding to their numerous other awards, the St. Augustine Distillery received the Bubble Cap Award for Distillery of the Year 2025 from the American Distilling Institute. And, since it opened in 1996, San Sebastian Winery has won more than 950 awards, including Gold in the 2022 Los Angelas International Wine Competition and the Pacific Rim Wine Competition for their Blanc de Fleur.

For a vacation full of flavor and fun, explore the myriad of eats and adventures using Florida Historic Coast’s trip planner.

Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast includes historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, the rural beauty of Hastings, Elkton, St. Johns, and 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches. Visitor Information Centers are located at 10 Castillo Drive, St. Augustine; 200 Solana Rd. Suite B, Ponte Vedra Beach: and at the St. Johns County Beach Pier Park, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach. For advance travel information, call 1.800.653.2489 or go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com.

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