In our recent culinary survey 92% of travelers said they like to eat where the locals eat . . .
. . . eat fresh, eat local during your travels through North Florida.
MAD HATTER’S CAFE
25 NE 1st Avenue 386-454-5700
High Springs, FL 32625
www.MadHatters-Cafe.com
Hours: Tues - Fri 11 - 4, Sat - Sun 9 - 4
Rationality is Optional at Mad Hatter’s, but everything else is sure to be pure enjoyment. Four women came together to share their love of food, art, family and friends. Enjoy good food, works of art by many local artisans, gifts and collectibles, live music from noon onwards on weekends, and watch the action on HiDef TV during Gator games. Enjoy a full line of salads and sandwiches, in-house baked turkey, chicken and ham,
and quiche of the day. Home-made desserts include cobblers, cream pies, bread puddings and more.
Check the website for menus, music schedule, catering availability and much more. We take our hat off to the Mad Hatter. | back to menu
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
RESTAURANT
65 N. Main Street 386-454-1288
High Springs, FL 32643
www.greatoutdoorsdining.com
Hours: 11 am until late, daily
Built in 1895, the historic High Springs Opera House has been fully restored beyond its original magnificence. The historic building is now home to the Great Outdoors Restaurant, The Springhouse Tavern and Patio, and the elegant Opera House Banquet and Conference facility.
The menu includes fabulous food in all its glory! Hand-cut steaks, fresh fish, sandwiches, burgers, and entrée salads are joined by home-made desserts. Enjoy two full-service bars, live music on the patio and our three private-label beers. Voted Best New Restaurant in Florida in 2008. | back to menu
THE COFFEE CLUTCH
Espresso & Ice Cream Café
210 NE 1st Street 386-454-7593
High Springs, FL 32643
www.myspace.com/thecoffeeclutch
Hours: M - Th 6:30 am - 6 pm
F 6:30 am - 9 pm, Sat 8 - 5
The Coffee Clutch features a fullservice espresso and ice cream bar, along with a large selection of teas and smoothies. Get scoops, sundaes, banana splits and shakes, all made with Working Cow Ice Cream. But before dessert, order your favorite sandwich, sub or wrap with your choice of Boar’s Head meats and cheeses. The cozy dining room offers a homey atmosphere, with free WiFi and family karaoke every Friday night. | back to menu
THE STATION BAKERY
20 NW Railroad Avenue 386-454-4943
High Springs, FL 32643
Bakery: M - Th 10:30 - 6, F - Sat 10:30 - 8
Dinner Served Friday & Saturday evening
Located in one of two historic train depots still standing in High Springs, the Station Bakery offers delicious homemade breads, cakes and other bakery items made on the premises. Enjoy home-cooked country dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings. | back to menu
GRADY HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST
420 NW 1st Avenue
386-454-2206
High Springs, FL 32643
www.GradyHouse.com
Visitors rank their stay at the Grady House as a superlative experience. Lucie serves up a culinary treat every morning from her treasure trove of recipes. Paul is a natural host, always engaging and friendly. Together they have made the Grady House an establishment that guests consistently recommend to their friends.
The 1917 home provides the perfect retreat after a day of kayaking, tubing or shopping for antiques. Sip drinks in the jasmine-covered gazebo. Water gardens, koi pool, and flowers provide an oasis of peace and comfort. Each individually decorated room is comfortably appointed with soft sheets, downy feather beds, and all the little touches that add up to a luxurious stay.
The two-story 1896 Victorian Skeets Cottage has two spacious bedrooms, full kitchen, family room and parlor for groups of up to four people. | back to menu
The YEARLING RESTAURANT
14531 E. CR 325, Cross Creek (Hawthorne, FL 32640) 352-466-3999
Hours: Wed - Fri 5 - 10 pm, Sat 12 - 10, Sun 12 - 8:30 www.YearlingRestaurant.net
Recipient of numerous awards by Florida Trend Magazine, and considered one of the finest restaurants in the state, the Yearling has been serving up traditional dishes just down the road from Marjorie Kinnan Rawling’s home since 1952. The flavor and spirit of Old Florida is alive in Cross Creek with a consistency of experience that is hard to match anywhere else. Sample dishes such as stuffed flounder, deep fried clams, and prime rib, as well as such traditional offerings as venison, quail, cooter, froglegs, and alligator. Salads, desserts and many other dishes are made exactly as M.K. Rawlings recorded them in her book Cross Creek Cookery. Live music, and a vast collection of books, paintings, and memorabilia collected over the decades add to the immersion experience of dining at the Yearling.
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THE ORANGE SHOP
An Authentic Florida Citrus Store
18454 US 301 North, Citra, FL 32133 800-672-6439
Hours: 8 - 5 daily
www.FloridaOrangeShop.com
The Orange Shop has roots that go back to 1845 and has been selling fruit on the front porch every season since 1936. This is the last true roadside citrus stand in Florida and their formula for success is unchanged: every tree is cultivated with tender loving care. Fruit is hand harvested and packed in bags or gift boxes for customers. The friendly, helpful service has been the same for over 70 years The proprietors take pride in honoring the legacy of their fore-fathers who planted groves in Citra before the Civil War. Today all fruit is grown in Citra and the Indian River, using environmentally responsible practices. Each year more people discover The Orange Shop and join those who have been customers for decades. Orders are taken by phone, online or in person and make the perfect gift for folks back home. Stop by The Orange Shop on our tour if this intriguing part of Florida for a free cup of cold, refreshing freshsqueezed juice, a sampling of the many gourmet varieties of Florida Citrus and some good conversation. You’ll take a little of Old Florida home with you. | back to menu
CRONES’ CRADLE CONSERVE
6411 NE 217th Place, Citra, FL 32133
email: catcrone@aol.com
352-595-3377
Hours: 9 am - 3 pm seven days a week
Farm Tours: every Saturday
www.cronescradleconserve.com
Directions: From the traffic light on US 301 in Citra, proceed 6.4 miles east on CR 318. Turn left on NE 217th Place. Drive 1.3 miles to the Crones’ Cradle store, gardens and greenhouses.
Crones’ Cradle Conserve is an ongoing experiment in agriculture, environment, life style and sustainability. The Conserve’s Heritage Experience honors early homesteaders by offering hands-on activities that minimize the human footprint on the planet. Visitors are welcome to take a tour of the farm every Saturday, sign up for regular workshop opportunities, and stop by the farm store open daily.
Organic vegetables and products are produced for sale to local families in the Conserve’s farm store. Our objective is educating and persuading others about the value of local, fresh organic foods toward a healthy, energetic, happy life.
Our greenhouse and small farm store offer organic produce, herbal and vegetable seedlings, fresh and dried herbs, an array of jams, jellies, relishes, pickles, vinegars, soups, salves, soaps and herbal teas, as well as kitchen utensils, candlesticks, and furnishings from local, native woods. The store offers gardening, culinary, children’s and sustainability books, garden tools and works of art by native artisans. The bee yard provides delicious, clear raw honey and the poultry yard provides rich, yard-raised brown chicken eggs. The worm beds provide organic, highly nutrient castings from planting high-quality vegetables, herbs and flowers. Crones’ Cradle is the site of North Florida’s only eco-cemetery, providing interment without chemicals in a biodegradable casket. The Florida Folkkeepers School is a growing part of Crones’ Cradle Conserve with pioneer skills, crafts and artisan training to honor Florida’s early pioneers by learning and using their experiences and philosophy for modern needs. | back to menu
The information provided here was funded in part through a Culinary Tourism project that received financial assistance from VisitFlorida
The IVY HOUSE Restaurant
14603 Main Street 386-418-1155
Alachua, FL 32615
www.IvyHouseFL.com
Hours: M - Th: 11 - 8, Fri - Sat 11 - 9,
Sun: 11 am - 2 pm
Enjoy outstanding home-cooked southern meals in our magnificent turn-of-the-century historic Williams house. On the menu are family recipes with a true southern flare, such as Baked Crispy Chicken, BBQ Shrimp with Cheese Grits and home-made desserts like Buttermilk Walnut Pie and Ivy House’s famous Milk Cake. You’ll find yourself coming back again and again. Daily lunch and dinner specials make the Ivy House perfect for your everyday dining.
When you’re traveling the area, be sure to stop in and dine at the Williston Ivy House in Williston, Florida. | back to menu
CONESTOGAS RESTAURANT
“On Main Street in
Downtown Beautiful Alachua”
386-462-1294
www.ConestogasAlachua.com
Hours: M - Th 11 - 9:30, F - Sat 11 - 10
For over 20 years Conestogas has provided families a place where they can sit back, crack a few peanuts, and relax in the warmth and friendliness of Main Street Alachua. Conestogas takes pride in serving up exactly what the customer orders: hand-cut steaks, burgers and quality seafood are their specialties. Top it all off with an array of tempting desserts. Relaxed family atmosphere and service with a smile are what you can expect. No need for reservations, just drop by and help yourself to the peanuts. Call ahead to find out about the specials of the day: 386-462-8133
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RISTORANTE DENENO
14960 Main Street 386-256-5908
Alachua, FL 32615
www.deneno.com
Hours: Lunch and Dinner, call for hours
Don’t miss Ristorante Deneno for asuperlative dining experience for lunch or dinner. Locally owned and operated, Deneno’s offers classic Italian fare in an elegant but casual atmosphere. Watch your pizza come out of the oven right in the dining room. The menu offers the classics you love like chicken or veal parmigiana and piccata, amazing pizza, great steaks, seafood, and vegetarian items. Fresh ingredients are the key to the great tastes in every dish.
Have a cocktail from the full bar or a selection from the well-rounded wine list. No reservations are required.
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MAIN STREET PIE CO.
A Pizzeria
14933 Main Street 386-462-0661
Alachua, FL 32615
www.MainStreetPieAPizzeria.com
Hours: Tue - Sat: 11 am - 8:30 pm
Affectionately known as the
“hometown pizza place,” this is where you’ll find made-to-order pizza at its best. Pizzas are handtossed and cooked in a stone oven. The family owned and operated restaurant also serves calzones, strombolis, pasta, wings, subs and brownies baked fresh every day! Fridays are pasta nights, with a different pasta offered each week. On Saturdays homemade Ooey-Gooey Cake is served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.
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COUNTRY KITCHEN
25335 W. Newberry Road
Newberry, Florida 32669
352-472-2221
Hours: Mon - Sat 5:30 am - 2 pm
Located in Newberry’s historic downtown, the Country Kitchen offers delicious homecooked meals for breakfast and lunch. Pancakes, french toast, omelettes and more are offered on the breakfast menu served all day.
For lunch enjoy daily specials and fish and shrimp every Friday. | back to menu
BLUE HIGHWAY, A Pizzeria
Micanopy:
204 NE US Hwy 441, Micanopy, FL 32667 352-466-0062
Tioga:
13005 SW 1st Road, Ste. 141, Tioga, FL
32669
352-505-6833
Hours: Open Lunch and Dinner, 7 days a week
www.BlueHighwayPizza.com
Eat Well! Live Well! Blue Highway is famous among residents throughout the area for handcrafted pizzas and calzones, sensational salads and gourmet sandwiches. Beer and wine are available. The freshest and best quality ingredients are used, purchased locally whenever possible. All sauces, salad dressings, pizza dough are made in-house. | back to menu
COFFEE ‘N’ CREAM
"More than an ice cream shop"
201 NE Cholokka Blvd,
Micanopy, FL 32667
Hours: Mon - Fri 9 am - 5 pm,
Sat - Sun 10 am - 5 pm
352-466-1101
Enjoy quintessential historic Micanopy on the porch at Coffee 'n' Cream, a popular local hangout, often with live music. Serving breakfast and lunch, this cafe is known for Aunt Sherry’s Chicken Salad stuffed in a fresh tomato along with homemade Chicken and Dumplings, a local favorite. Speciality coffees by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and 16 hand-dipped flavors of DeConna ice cream. There is inside seating as well.
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MOSSWOOD FARM STORE 703 Cholokka Blvd, Micanopy, FL 32667
352-466-5002
Hours: Tues - Sun 10 am - 6 pm,
Closed Mondays
www.MosswoodFarmStore.com
From the front porch to the back garden, this home-style store is dedicated to old-fashioned, earth-friendly lifestyles. With a focus on organic and non-electric goods, the store combines a passion for the environment with old-time farm life. Visitors can purchase recycled overalls, vintage aprons and sewing notions, as well as natural laundry soda, handmade soaps and heirloom vegetable seeds. You can also find a variety of health foods, local honey and our very own homemade jams, jellies and marmalades. We offer organic coffee and pastries daily. Artisan breads from the store’s wood-fired brick oven are available Saturday and Sunday.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY
If you're near the Ichetucknee Springs State Park here are two local eateries in Fort White:
Great Take Out (GTO)
7674 SW US Hwy 27,
Fort White, FL 32038
386-497-1718
Hours: M - Th 6:30 am - 9 pm, F - Sat 6:30 am - 11 pm, Closed Sundays GTO offers great southern breakfast fare, salads, sandwiches and daily specials for lunch and dinner. Stop in for a ready-made picnic as you’re heading out to the Ichetucknee, or stop for comfort food after a luxurious float down the river.
Goose Nest Restaurant
8877 SW US Hwy 27,
Fort White, FL 32038
386-497-4725
www.goosenest.us
The Goose Nest has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for over 30 years. Enjoy the affordable Sunday buffet offering fried chicken, entrees, salad bar, soups, sides, vegetables, iced tea or coffee, breads, home made desserts, and sugar-free delights!
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7 SE First Avenue 352-375-7381
Gainesville, FL 32601
Dinner Daily
Lunch Mon - Sat
Sunday Brunch
www.EmilianosCafe.com
Emiliano’s Café has been in the heart of downtown Gainesville for 25 years, offering a wide range of Latin flavors, from traditional to Latin fusion. Serving tapas since 1986, Emiliano’s cuisine is always exciting with its variety of options. Enjoy tapas, lunch, brunch or dinner, along with a vast selection of wines and fresh authentic drinks from the bar. There is always a right time to visit this downtown landmark. Jazz nights offer a truly unique and exciting experience.
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THE FAT TUSCAN
725 NE 1st Street 352-505-5648
Gainesville, FL 32601
www.FatTuscan.com
Hours: Lunch: M - F 10:30 am - 3:30 pm
Friday Happy Hour: 5 - 8:30 pm
Saturday Brunch: 9 am - 2:30 pm
Imagine walking on centuries-old brick
into a lush garden courtyard with café tables surrounding an Old World fountain. The restored turn-of-the-century Vidal House is the setting for the Fat Tuscan in the heart of historic Gainesville. Dine inside or out in this intimate European-style café. A tempting array of lunch items includes gourmet salads, panini and baguette sandwiches. A changing menu of favorites and exotic specials enlivens lunch, Friday happy hour and Saturday brunch. Check out the full menu online at
www.FatTuscan.com
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CIVILIZATION
1511 NW 2nd Street 352-380-0544
Gainesville, FL 32601
www.WelcometoCivilization.com
Hours: Please call or check the website. Civilization is a new addition to the Gainesville dining scene, but one that draws upon the recipes and experience of several beloved earlier ventures and the combined fifty years restaurant experience of the team. Organized as a worker-owned cooperative, Civilization’s chefs have a vested interest in making your meal a truly memorable experience. Dishes draw upon the full range of civilization for inspiration, from hush puppies to samosas, Jamaican jerked chicken, Old Florida sampler, and Thai shrimp. The enticing offerings are too long to list. Specials and rotating seasonal dishes bring out the best tastes for each time of the year. So, take a flavor vacation at Civilization. | back to menu
THE TOP RESTAURANT
30 North Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601 352-337-1188
Hours: Dinner, brunch and a late night hot spot!
Tues - Fri 5 pm - 2 am;
Sat - Sun 11 am until late
The TOP Restaurant has been creating original, fresh vegetarian and meat-loving dishes for over 10 delicious years. We aim to please with a variety of features including: Saturday and Sunday Brunch, Photo booth, Full Bar, Front and Rear Outdoor Patios, Local Art, Friendly Service, and Finger-licking Dinner Specials each night.
We are located in the heart of Downtown Gainesville, with our own (free) parking lot. Give us a try … GOOD FOOD … GOOD FOLKS … GOOD TIMES. Take a spin to the TOP! | back to menu
SWEET DREAMS of GAINESVILLE
Handmade Ice Cream
3437 W. University Ave
Gainesville, FL 32607
www.GainesvilleIceCream.com
352-378-0532
This local mom and pop ice cream shop makes everything right on site using as many local ingredients as possible. Families are welcome with indoor and outdoor seating and toys to play with. Flavors range from the classics to the exotics, and vegan sorbets. Enjoy the twice a year chocolate night and the occasional crazy flavors event.
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NEW DEAL CAFE
3445 W. University Ave 352-371-4418
Gainesville, FL 32607
Hours: M - Th 11 - 10, Fri - Sat 11 - 11
www.NewDealCafeGainesville.com
Keepin’ it fresh—keepin’ it real! We
are Gainesville’s champion of casual dining. Our foods are local, organic and good. We have 20 wines, $20 or less and huge martinis! No one comes close to New Deal’s commitment to sustainable agriculture.
MILDRED’S BIG CITY FOOD
3445 W. University Ave 352-371-1711
Gainesville, FL 32607
Lunch: Mon - Sat 11 am - 3:30 pm
Dinner: M-Th 5 - 9, F-Sat 5-10, Sun 12 - 8
www.MildredsBigCityFood.com
Quality and freshness with no shortcuts. Chef Bert Gill and staff prepare each dish from scratch. Homemade desserts, organic and local produce and fresh Florida seafood served every day. Mildred’s is proud to say they serve the best food in Gainesville. | back to menu
THE JONES EASTSIDE
401 NE 23 Avenue 352-373-6777
Gainesville, FL 32609
www.TheJonesEastside.com
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
8 am - 10 pm seven days a week
The Jones is a cozy neighborhood bistro specializing in home-cooked comfort food using local, sustainable and organic ingredients. | back to menu
SIMPLY SEAFOOD
“Your Hometown Fish Market”
12149 S. Williams Street (Hwy 41)
352-465-7887
Dunnellon, FL 34432
Hours: Tues - Sat 10 - 6, Sun 10 - 4
For residents and visitors alike this shop goes above and beyond. Debra, who worked on a fishing boat for ten years, and John Galeazzi offer their customers daily specials, as well as trying to get in anything customers request. The store will clean and steam shrimp, and prepare large quantities for community organizations and fundraisers. In addition to fish, Simply Seafood offers ready-to-eat hushpuppies, homemade crab cakes, crab and shrimp salads, and a selection of groceries. They’ll also vacuum pack fish for customers on the go. Not sure how to prepare your fish? Not to worry, a full compilation of recipes is available in a book on the counter.
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FRONT PORCH
RESTAURANT & PIE SHOP
12039 North Florida Avenue
352-489-4708
Dunnellon, FL 34434
This unassuming family-run restaurant had its dream come true when Southern Living declared their pies the best in the south. That was some years ago, but the pies are still just as good. They also serve full meals, so be sure to eat before you have dessert! | back to menu
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