Top 6 Best Restaurants on the Space Coast

We visited the Space Coast this past fall and I can’t stop thinking about one thing: The oysters! I’m pretty certain I had them at least once a day, so instead of keeping it to myself, I figured it was finally time to share the amazing places we ate with you!

Below I’m sharing all of the best restaurants on the Space Coast where we ate while exploring Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. After driving out from Orlando on our Florida trip this past fall.

The Best Restaurants on the Space Coast

Seafood Atlantic

This was our first meal on the coast and it was one of my favorites! This restaurant is right on the water in the port. Everything they serve, they catch themselves in local waters.

On the menu, you’ll find various fish, oysters, and fresh catches. Their hours are limited, but they are SO worth it!

Boardwalk Bar

The Cocoa Beach pier was within walking distance of our Air Bnb, so we stopped here every single day. The pier had several restaurants on and around it, so we experienced a few of them. This Boardwalk Bar was a great place to stop after dinner. We would just hang out, watch the water with a drink. One night we watched a crazy storm roll in from out on the ocean, only for everything to clear up in 15 minutes!

We got a few snacks there, but no full meals. Guys, the sidewinders are life. They’re basically curly steak fries tossed in a sea salt and vinegar rub and it’s so so good.

Rikki Tikki Tavern

This was one of my favorite places on the pier because it was a casual spot with awesome beachy drinks! I loved sitting along the railing and watching the surfers!

Rusty’s

Rusty’s sits right on the water by the port, so as you eat and drink, you can watch the cruise ships go by! As we ate, we saw a ship head out to sea and it was so cool to see the enormous ship go by. Their food was awesome, and so were the drinks, but the views were my favorite!

Grills

Grills was another restaurant’s name we head all over the coast when we asked where we should eat! We stopped here right before heading to the airport, while we checked out the cruise ships in port for the weekend. It was brunch, so we didn’t try much in the way of fish for breakfast, but we did enjoy this spot!

Florida Fresh Grill

If you ask around for a good, nice restaurant, you will most likely get the same answer over and over again: Florida Fresh Grill. Everyone we talked to about food, and I mean everyone, told us this was the place to go. This was our last meal on the coast and we wanted it to be our best!

This restaurant had unique and delicious food, and is referred to as “Florida upscale casual”. It was really delicious, and a great last dinner on our vacation! I got Ocean Mixed Grilled Shrimp and Scallops, and we shared an Avocado Crab Tower!