If you are heading to Cape Canaveral Florida. You need to make sure you come hungry. There is so many local places that offer fantastic, fresh, delicious seafood that it would be a waste to come here and not try some yourself. We have made a list of our 6 favorite places to get a drink and grab some fresh seafood.

Rising Tide Tap and Table

Not long after establishing ourselves in Jetty Park Campground in Cape Canaveral Florida,  we decided it was time for a bite to eat. So, we called Kaitlin’s parents as they are spending a week in their condo with Kailin brother and his wife. We all decided to go and meet for dinner at a place called Rising Tide Tap and Table. This was an easy drive about a mile up the road from Jetty Park. We walked in and was hit with the ice-cold air and the love of our family.  

After ordering our drinks, it was time to decide on what was going to be the first seafood dish of the week. I don’t know about you but when we travel, the food is one of the major highlights for me. We don’t want to eat at any restaurant that I can get at home. We want fresh, unique food. If I am at a beach, I want seafood. Every fish I can have, every way I can have it. I want to enjoy what the area has to offer, a taste of the location.

After a brief look over the menu I decided to go with the Mahi Dorado. It is described as Risin’ sun spiced Mahi, smoked yellow rice, charred broccolini, Indian River citrus beurre blanc, TIDE mango relish, crispy tortilla, and cilantro.  I can tell you that fish could not get to our table fast enough, but once it did…..it was worth the wait. Delicious and would highly recommend! They also have a good selection of unique local beers and some delicious cocktails that hit the spot after a long day of travel. After dinner and some discussion on everyone’s travel it was time to make our way back to the campsite and enjoy some beach time.

Seafood Atlantic

While visiting Cape Canaveral, Florida there are a  host of different locations all located in “The Cove” to eat, shop, or just watch the ships come in and out of port. One of our favorite places to eat in “the Cove” is Seafood Atlantic. It is a local fish market that also has outdoor seating for the restaurant. The first night there I got the swordfish that was cooked with a parmesan cracker crumb coating on it. Some jello shots, because why not they were only $1, the asparagus and the sprouts. This was my first-time having swordfish and I would recommend it as long as you enjoy having a denser fish. Almost like a steak. It was very enjoyable and I would order it again.

If your kids are not into seafood, have no fear they have options for you. Seafood Atlantic does not own deep fryers. Nothing here is going to be fried, therefore no chicken nuggets or chicken tenders. We did order the boys some chicken quesadillas and I must say I had to sample them, because us dads have to have our cuts too. If I was not at the beach, I would order a plate of them for myself.  A single plate easily fed both boys and we took some back for lunch the next day.

The second time eating at Seafood Atlantic we had Red Snapper blackened and once again asparagus and sprouts. This time for a appetizer we had fresh steamed oysters that had just came in. Oh, my it was good. I cannot stomach eating raw oysters after my bachelor party a few friends decided it was a good idea to get me an oyster shot. Yes it is exactly as it sounds. It kind of ruined raw oysters for me, but steamed…..steamed I will eat all day every day.

The boys had chicken tacos. Once again a single plate fed them both with some left over for daddy to sample. I must recommend the soup at Seafood Atlantic. This is a clam chowder that they make in house using fresh ingredients and fresh clams daily.  We could not get enough of this,. Even to the point when we were leaving to head back to Illinois, we stopped into Seafood Atlantic and bought a 32oz container of the soup for the road. It is amazing and you will not be disappointed.

FishLips Waterfront Bar and Grill

 The best meal I had on our trip to Cape Canaveral, Florida came from Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill. This is also located in “The Cove” at Port Canaveral. There are 2 very different environments you can choose to sit at. Both are kid friendly and both have benefits. I personally did prefer the upstairs, this is more of a traditional bar feel. It features outdoor covered seating with excellent views of the port. Have no fear it is not extremely hot while sitting in this area. That’s thanks to the huge fans they have running keeping it very comfortable. 

Sitting upstairs allows you to view cruise ships coming and going as well as some loading areas for cargo ships. When there are no ships coming in and out you can see dolphins swimming through the port on occasion. There is special drink pricing during happy hour that are upstairs exclusive. I highly recommend trying out a couple of the buckets during happy hour. You can get 32oz bucket with several different specialty drink options for a very low price.

If you prefer more of a restaurant feel, then downstairs seating will be more suitable for you. Downstairs of Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill does not have the views nor the breeze as upstairs. What it does give you in a nice quite air-conditioned eating experience. There still are decent views as the entire side of the restaurant that is facing the port is all large windows. Allowing you to view the ships and dolphins, while sitting at your table soaking up the cool air.

The first night at Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill I had the Snapper Oscar. This thing is good. A good portion of Snapper with Lump crab cake on top. Hollandaise sauce over it, served with Jasmine rice and asparagus. Like I said we went during happy hour so I enjoyed some of those buckets we spoke about earlier. The Raspberry Refresher would be my recommendation on a bucket.  The Snapper Oscar hit the spot at the time but it was not my favorite dish they have there.

 The second night of eating at Fishlips Waterfront Bar and Grill we shared some appetizers with the family. We tried the Cajun Angels, which is blackened bacon wrapped shrimp with a mango salsa. We also tried the Tuna Poke. Both where very good but I do think I enjoyed the Cajun Angels over the tuna.

For the entrée I had the Coconut Crusted Grouper. Even though I try to stay away from fried fish, this was calling out to me. It is generous portion of grouper fried with a coconut batter. Served over coconut rice with a spicy chili drizzle and mango salsa. It is every bit as good as it sounds! I love grouper and the mango salsa was a perfect topper to this sweet and spicy dish.

The boys enjoyed a grilled cheese and pepperoni pizza. Both had leftovers ready to take back to the camper. All kids meals come with a small cup of ice cream after they are finished with the main course. I do recommend the smoothies that you can get for the kids, or for yourself. Jameson wanted the chocolate one and Killian wanted the Mango one. Both where a refreshing treat that is paired perfectly with the palm trees and ocean breeze. They were so good in fact that mom and dad only got a sip from each one before the boys claimed them as their own.

Squid Lips in Cocoa Beach

Now, we have spoken about a lot of good food thus far while we were visiting Cape Canaveral, Florida. I think it is about time we spoke about some food that was not that great. Squid lips at Cocoa Beach is a different dining experience. Walking up to the front doors there is an awesome koi pond with koi the size of my youngest son. The boys got a kick out of feeding the fish with some of the fish food that can be purchased for 25c.

Once inside the restaurant it feels a bit, unfinished. It lacking a good coat of paint. The large glass window that we were sitting next to was shattered. The entire place has a lot of echo making it seems very loud all the time. Please don’t get me wrong, the food was not horrible. It just was not at the same level of all the other places we ate at.

We got the Cracked Konk for appetizer, it was Konk that is lightly fried and served with a dipping sauce. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this konk was friend. It was lightly battered and friend just enough to give it a good crispy coating but remain very tender. The sauce that is served with it paired nicely with the light flavor of the konk.  I would recommend it if you are going to try Squid lips out for yourself.

I then ordered the oak grilled redfish with Cajun seasoning for an entrée it comes with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  The redfish was……just average nothing special about it. It was cooked well, you could taste the oak fire that was used to grill this fish. If just was not something that is very memorable. Nothing that would make me want to comeback for seconds.

We did get a bucket of a specialty drink here as well but paid twice that of FishLips. Something I  did enjoy was the bread, being from the Midwest I love a loaf of bread with my meal. This bread is called bimini bread. Basically it is a coconut bread made light and flaky served with a sweet butter to spread on top. What I would love to see is this bread used to make a bread pudding for dessert.

 When you are finished eating I suggest heading out back to the outdoor bar and walking out on the dock. If you are lucky enough to be there for sunset it will give you views to remember. Also, there are a lot of catfish off the dock that you can feed with the 25c fish food. Once again, the kids loved this and had a blast feeding these fish. I must admit I enjoyed that as well.

Fat Donkey Ice Cream and Fine Desserts

 Now if you are like me you have a sweet tooth that can never be cured. At least that is what I thought until we found the Fat Donkey Ice Cream and Fine Desserts. So, this little Ice cream shack is located in Cocoa Beach Florida, it is just a short drive from Cape Canaveral Florida. Fat Donkey features specialty ice cream and desserts with a tiki themed atmosphere. I got an ice cream sandwich made with hot waffles as the bread, with a chocolate peanut butter ice cream filling. This thing is huge. There is no picking it up to eat it, use your spoon, sit down and enjoy.

If waffle is not your cup of tea you can also get the same thing made with churro. If you would prefer something that is baked goodness I would suggest trying the apple cinnamon streusel jar. We also ordered some 2 scoop ice cream cones in a waffle cone. I would suggest getting the single scoop because I counted at least 4 scoops when we ordered 2 scoops. You get your money worth and it is a heavenly treat. You will not leave here disappointed. We were lucky enough to be here during a street fair. Got to enjoy some good music, unique shopping, and some great people watching.

Caribe’ (Formally known as Florida brewing company)

As I sit here writing this, I am enjoying my new favorite drink, a pineapple hard cider made by Caribe. This light, refreshing drink is like taking a huge bite out of a freshly cut pineapple. It is like squeezing out all the juice of a ripe pineapple. Popping it in the freezer and chugging it down on a hot 100 degree day. If you are in the area of Cape Canaveral, Florida you have to swing in here and try it. You can buy it by the glass, by the can, by the bottle, and buy the case….which is my preferred way of buying it.

So maybe pineapple is not your style, where there is plenty of other poisons to choose from. If I may suggest go on in and grab yourself a flight. This will allow you to try multiple drinks in a small sample and get you the taste you are looking for. As far as Ciders go I think the pineapple is the best, followed by the Rose’. The Rose’ is a strawberry hard cider the us light and crisp. Very much recommend. We also tried the original hard cider. I figured this was going to be a apple cider like all the others out there but it was not. It was a nice blend of tropical flavors that reminded me of a tropical cocktail. Perfect for the long days on the boat casting a line or just soaking up the sun.

If beer is more your stride then I would like to have a drink with you. I love beer, more than I should. I on the other hand have never got the taste buds for a IPA beer. Just cannot stand them. So I had to pass on trying any of the IPA variations they had. They have a lot of them.

If you are anything like me you prefer a full, cold, dark glass of beer. They also deliver on this front. You can get yourself a glass of chocolate stout. The only way I can explain this is to close your eyes, picture taking a large bite of chocolate cake with chocolate icing, then chase that cake with a cold glass of chocolate milk. That is what this beer reminds me of, and my sweet tooth loves every sip of this beer. It not only gives you a little buzz, but it cures that sweet tooth for you.

If that may be a little too much chocolate for you, I would suggest the Mackeson XXX Stout. It is balanced beer. I must admit for it being a stout, I would consider it a lighter beer that is easily enjoyed in the heat of the summer or cold of the winter alike. Swing on by, try one.

If you have the kids with you this may not be a place that you want to take them. Don’t get me wrong, it is clean with great lighting. There is some color books and crayons to entertain them, but it is a brewery. It is boring for the kids. They will quickly start to get bored and want to run around the open floors. Food is not served here so not a whole lot to keep them entertained. We handed over the phones and let them play for a bit. Our kids just are not entertained long with electronics. I am happy with that and want to keep it that way. Even with these set backs we did visit Carib’ about 4 separate occasions for short amount of times each. No trip to Cape Canaveral Florida is complete without getting some drinks from Caribe’.

Share us on the socials

check out our latest post