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Have you ever dreamed of tiny, remote islands teeming with fresh seafood, breezy sea air, and the singsong rhythm of days gone by? If so, wake up and turn your wheels toward the Gulf of Mexico. That place actually exists, and it perches in Gulf waters, accessible by a single 4-mile roadway stretching past\u00a0swaying seagrass, mangroves, and saltwater marshes.\u00a0Toss any rigid schedules or time tables to the wind, as they will barely be acknowledged on the Old-Florida island known as Cedar Key.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For all its charms, this bump of land is most famous for a stunning amount of high-rated restaurants,\u00a0making it a quirky food destination like no other. Folks are known to plan entire day trips around what’s for supper, lunch, or breakfast \u2014 or all three, since time basically slips away upon arrival. It is not just a leisurely tourist town, far from it. Cedar Key is deeply tied to the state’s clam aquaculture, with 95% of Florida clams pulled from the surrounding sands and bottom waters. It consequently bears the tongue-in-cheek nickname of\u00a0“Clamalot.”<\/p>\n
Cedar Key is actually an archipelago of small barrier islands,\u00a0but the road ends at Dock Street in the main village. That’s where you will find most of the acclaimed deliciousness, with restaurants clustering in the tiny, walkable downtown area.\u00a0As you can imagine, restaurants showcase the hometown clammy mollusks, and menus routinely feature all sorts of briny sea creatures. But it is not the only thing earning all that foodie attention. Here’s a look at some highlights of dining in Cedar Key.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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From breakfast to bar-and-grill dining<\/p>\n
When visiting Cedar Key, a\u00a0good place to start the day is\u00a02nd Street Cafe,\u00a0where you will get a real feel for the heartbeat of Cedar Key. With only 800 full-time island residents,\u00a0you will likely cross paths with locals\u00a0chatting over biscuits and gravy, smoked salmon skillets, and Southern shrimp or Aye Carumba omelettes. For lighter fare, check out the organic coffees and fresh-fruit Cedar Key Bowls at The Prickly Palm,\u00a0plus smoothies such as the Purple Pufferfish Green Seat Turtle, Rosy Spoonbill, and Pelican Poo. Another favorite spot\u00a0for a deck-side, water-view breakfast is Annie’s Cafe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For lunch or early dinner, head over to Steamer’s Clam Bar & Grill.\u00a0This casual island eatery pays homage to clams with chowders and bubbling pots of clams simmered in white wine and garlic. The sea-frenzy runs the gamut from\u00a0lobster mac-and-cheese to blue crab claws, mussels, mahi-mahi tacos<\/a>, redfish, crab cakes, grouper sandwiches, seafood platters, and even gator bites. You can also order the legendary Lowcountry boil served in individual pots, or choose land-lubber steaks, pasta, and more. The menu includes iconic Florida foods<\/a> as well as original interpretations.<\/p>\n It’s hard to imagine so many beloved eateries in such proximity, but that does not mean you are limited to walking. Right on Dock Street, vendors offer rental bikes and golf carts.\u00a0So you can park once and scoot around from breakfast to dinner while meandering the waterfront, browsing local shops and galleries, fishing, hiking, or exploring Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Finer dining and panoramic views<\/p>\n Things get a bit more posh at Cedar Key restaurants such as\u00a029 North\u00a0\u2014 but not too much. It falls just shy of fancy, perched on the top floor of a longtime Dock Street building with panoramic Gulf views. It is all about interesting food with creative interpretations, and to keep things real, the raw bar goes by the name of Cluster Shuck. Even more real is the fact that it is only open during the late fall, during Florida’s oyster season, meaning you’re getting the freshest, wild-caught Cedar Key oysters possible.<\/p>\n The menu at 29 North obviously includes a clam chowder with\u00a0a little-known Florida and deep South heirloom pepper\u00a0called\u00a0datil, special to the city of St. Augustine<\/a>. Appetizers include smoked duck buns, mint chimichurri lamb chops, and buttermilk squash bisque with pepitas, which can give root vegetables a a crunchy twist. The broader culinary cast presents four interpretations of hand-cut grouper filets, such as a version with sweet plantains, which are similar to bananas<\/a>.\u00a0You will also find plenty of pastas and handheld goodies like buttermilk fried-chicken tacos.\u00a0<\/p>\n There is also the quaint but charming Old Florida belle-of-the-ball, the Island Hotel Restaurant,\u00a0housed inside a building dating back to 1859.\u00a0Famous for its Heart of Palm Salad with sugared dates, the dining room also serves up delicacies such as\u00a0Fish En Papillote, sushi-grade ahi tuna, meaty steaks, Calypso angel hair pasta, and a renowned\u00a0key lime pie. Though loved by legions, it is hard to resist slipping over to its boozy counterpart, the Neptune Lounge Bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n Decorated in elaborate 1948 murals of Cedar Key and mythological King Neptune, the Neptune Lounge Bar has hosted surprise drop-in performances by Jimmy Buffett\u00a0and countless other seafaring sojourners during its tenure as one of Florida’s oldest operating bars. This kind of old-Florida ambience draws crowds, however, so be sure to get there early.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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