People are drawn to Restaurants in Dunedin due to the city’s position on the Gulf Coast, which helps to explain why.
Because it is a historic town, this location is very high on the destination list of history lovers who are looking for an exciting experience.
Many people were unaware that this city also had a way of interacting with gourmets until it was brought to their attention.
Because there is such a wide variety of dining options, you may simply transition from regional meals to flavours from around the world, if that is what you want.
It is also home to Florida’s first and oldest microbrewery, so you can anticipate unique and refreshing beverages when visiting this establishment.
Are you lost for direction?
I have compiled a list of Restaurants in Dunedin finest dining establishments in order to assist you in finding the places that you could end up falling in love with.
Award-Winning Dunedin Restaurants
When I wrote this article for the first time in 2018, the list of award winners felt like a short hop across town. We were proud to have restaurants in dunedin fl like Eddie’s, Casa Tina, and Dunedin Brewery, which were well-known and had been around for a long time. In 2022, 36 Dunedin restaurants and bars won 71 awards in the two biggest local “Best of” contests, Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay and the Tampa Bay Times’ Best of the Best.
Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022 voted Bauser’s the third best dive bar.
Winner by Blur Nightclub Madeline Cummings was voted the best bartender, and the best LGBTQ bar came in second (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022).
Bon Appetit was named the best waterfront restaurant by the Tampa Bay Times in 2022.
Caracara – Winner (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022): Best Dunedin Restaurants, 2nd Place Best Tapas/Small Plates, 3rd Place Best Chef: Chef Tracy Bryant, 3rd Place Best Sangria.
Carmelita’s Mexican Restaurant – 3rd Place Best Mexican restaurant (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022) and Best Mexican restaurant (Gold, Tampa Bay Times’ Best of the Best 2022).
Casa Tina – Winner Best Mexican Restaurant, 2nd Best Tequila Bar, 2nd Best Guacamole, 3rd Best Margarita (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022); Best Margarita Bar, Gold, Best Mexican Restaurant, Bronze (Tampa Bay Times’ Best of the Best 2022).
Clear Sky Draught Haus won second place for best Eggs Benedict in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022.
Corvo Bianco Pizza got third place for best food truck in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022.
Cricketers – Best British Pub – Gold (Tampa Bay Times Best of 2022)
Dunedin Bagels & Deli – Best Bagels, 3rd Place (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022)
Dunedin Brewery – 2nd Best Pinellas Brewery, 2nd Best Wings, 3rd Best Craft Beer Festival: Octobeerfest (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022)
Eddie’s Bar & Grill – Best Sports Bar, 3rd Place (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022)
Flanagan’s Irish Pub: Best Fish and Chips (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022); Best Irish Bar-Silver (Tampa Bay Times’ Best of the Best 2022).
Frenchy’s – Best Seafood Restaurant, Best Grouper Sandwich, Best Beach Bar, Best Beach Restaurant (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022).
Best Beach Restaurant– Gold, Best Grouper Sandwich- Gold (Tampa Bay Times Best of 2022)
Happy’s Bayou Bites – Best Devil Crab, 3rd Place (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022)
Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar – Best Hotel Bar Winner (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022)
High & Dry Grill – Best Waterfront Bar – Gold (Tampa Bay Times Best of 2022)
Kahwa Coffee was named Best Coffee Roaster and Best Coffee Shop in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022.
Winner: Leuken’s Liquors Best Liquor Store (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022); Best Liquor Store- Gold, Best Wine Store- Gold (Tampa Bay Times’ Best of the Best 2022); Best Liquor Store- Gold (Tampa Bay Times’ Best of the Best 2022).
Lucky Lobster – Best Lobster Roll, 2nd Place (Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2022)
The Black Pearl
727-734-3463 315 Main St Dunedin, FL 34698
Black Pearl Restaurant has been a favourite for quality Restaurants in Dunedin fl since 1996.
Why Is This Restaurant a Must-Try
Take your special someone out to one of Restaurants in Dunedin for a delicious meal.
It offers unique deals that showcase new American and French cuisines on the menu.
Aside from taste, the offers are also visually appealing due to the excellent plating.
Its cuisine and drinks are pricey, but you’ll get your money’s worth when you visit.
Because of its overall refinement, it is also one of the greatest birthday restaurants in Dunedin.
How to Eat
Begin with a small plate of pork belly as an appetiser.
After that, for a hearty entrée, try the Hereford fillet mignon or the maple leaf farms duckling.
To add to the refinement, pair your dinner with a glass of full-bodied Malbec wine.
Try the falling white chocolate cake for dessert to finish your dinner on a sweet note.
Alfresco Café
727-736-4299 344 Main St Dunedin, FL 34698
Cafe Alfresco, which opened in 1995, offers a wide range of cuisine and Restaurants in Dunedin.
Why Is This Restaurant a Must-Try
Do you prefer to dine al fresco?
If so, Café Alfresco is one of the best restaurants in Dunedin for you to try.
It quickly draws notice with its refreshing patio surrounded by lush green trees.
This restaurant can accommodate huge gatherings of families and friends due to its large size.
What to Eat
For a hearty weekend breakfast, order the smoked salmon benedict slathered with hollandaise sauce.
If you’re visiting on a weekday, the chicken parmesan with marinara sauce would be an excellent choice.
Others, particularly those in a hurry, enjoy the grilled chicken sandwich for its delicious flavour.
OMBRELLOS KITCHEN AND BAR
Whether you want eggs benedict (on rosti) for lunch or crispy roast pork for dinner, Ombrellos is one of the best places to eat in North Dunedin. Ombrellos offers delicious food and a great atmosphere for socialising, from their cosy private dining rooms to their outdoor courtyard (which has heaters in the winter).
If you like craft beers, Ombrellos bills itself as Dunedin’s premium craft beer restaurant. Check out their selection of craft beers on tap here.
You Can also Read Our Article Top Best Restaurants in Trinidad, Co and Tobago
Casa Tina
People say that Casa Tina is a place to eat “fresh, healthy, authentic Mexican food.” Now, if you’ve read some of my other posts, you know I don’t really like Mexican food, and tequila and I haven’t been friends (or even acquaintances) for years.
But when people were asked where to go in dunedin restaurants, almost everyone said this was the first place to go. And now that I’ve been there, I agree that it’s a must-stop and one of the best restaurants in Dunedin.
Enchiladas in Red Sauce are one of their most popular dishes. This was my first enchilada, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but if they all taste like this one, it won’t be my last!
If you’re doing your own food tour and don’t want the whole meal, you can even order a single enchilada à la carte, which is what we did.
Remi had to get a margarita, and after hearing so many good things about this place, I had to check it out. I just had to do it. The reunion between me and Tequila was not nearly as painful as I thought it would be! Dare I say it, but my taste buds were happy.
The margaritas at Casa Tina were the best because the flavours were just right. There wasn’t too much sour mix, and the tequila was smooth. Since my last trip to Casa Tina, I’ve grown to love mezcal. I recently went back to try some of their mezcal drinks, and they didn’t disappoint.
Along with the great food and drinks, I think you’ll enjoy the brightly coloured decor, fun atmosphere, and friendly staff.
Also, bonus for all my vegetarian and vegan friends out there! There are several vegan options, and all of their sauces, rice, and beans are vegetarian.
The Cafe HopScotch
I think the HopScotch Cafe is one of Dunedin’s best-kept secrets when it comes to restaurants. It’s a small cafe where you can get beer, wine, sandwiches, and meats.
The sandwiches are all about travelling, and the owners are from Seattle, which is one of my favourite cities, so it’s no surprise that this place is my jam (pardon the pun ;)).
For sandwiches, you can choose from the Americana, Caribbean Inspired, Old World(ish), and Pizzette categories. I’ll tell you right now that you need to get their Cuban. It’s one of the best Cubans in Tampa Bay! It was big enough for Remi and I to share, but I was a little sad I couldn’t take the other half home to eat later. Pressed La Segunda Cuban Bread is used to make the Cuban (an Ybor classic).
There are also many good local beers in bottles or on tap that go well with sandwiches. And it’s right next door to one of the best breweries in Dunedin, which is a big plus.
Lucky Lobster
Go to the Lucky Lobster Company if you want to eat at one of the best seafood restaurants in Dunedin. With the freshest seafood caught right in Dunedin, your meal couldn’t be any fresher than it already is.
After moving from Ireland to New York City in 1957, the Morans opened their first restaurant there. 58 years later, as they were getting better at cooking New England food, a fisherman caught a blue lobster near their old home and called it “The Lucky Lobster.”
The Morans took this as a sign that they should move their business to Dunedin, Florida. In 2016, the Lucky Lobster Company opened in Dunedin.
When you go to the Lucky Lobster for dinner, you can start with baked clams, scallops wrapped in prosciutto, or jumbo lump crab cakes. You can’t forget about the New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Bisque, of course.
You’ll find it hard to choose between shrimp, lobster, or grouper as the main dish in your tacos. Should you get the Lobster and Shrimp Quesadilla or the Crab Cake Burger? It’s tough to choose!
You can also get lunchtime favourites like the Lucky Lobster Roll. Don’t forget to try the Lobster Benedict for brunch. Instead of ham, it has lobster. Yum!
At 941 Huntley Avenue, you’ll find the Lucky Lobster Company. You can eat in from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Flanigan’s Irish Pub
An Irish pub is like nothing else. The relaxed and friendly atmosphere, the hearty food and drinks, and the Irish drinking songs that come on every once in a while. All of the above can be found at Flanigan’s Irish Pub, one of the best restaurants in Dunedin.
Flanigan’s Irish Pub is a real place to hang out in the downtown area. It is on Main Street. Your first sign that it’s really real? The name of the pub comes from the family that opened it in 1992.
In every Irish pub, drinks are the main thing, and Flanigan’s is no different. Use Flanigan’s drink specials and make sure you know how to pour a Guinness the right way. Ask a server about the flavour of the day for Jello shots or try a shot of Sexton Irish Whiskey.
Get the Fish and Chips, which are served with malt vinegar. Flanigan’s won “Best Fish and Chips” from Creative Loafing because they are so good. That’s how you can tell they’re important.
Classic dishes like Corned Beef and Cabbage, Shepherd’s Pie, and Bangers and Mash are also safe bets. Make sure to save room for the Guinness-made Flourless Chocolate Cake. Try it a la mode!
Flanigan’s Irish Pub is at 465 Main Street. It is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Thailand’s Thai Town
You know those hidden gems that are hard to find and that you always walk by? But when you go inside, you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. This time, we’ve done the hard work for you.
Thai Town serves the best, most authentic Thai food. When you go to one of the best restaurants in Dunedin, you can expect big meals and friendly service.
Thai Town is easy to miss because it looks nice and feels nice. It is hidden in a strip mall between a thrift store and a laundromat, so keep your eyes open. Don’t forget that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Start with vegetable spring rolls dipped in sweet and sour sauce, which are always tasty. The Steamed Dumplings with Shrimp and Pork can’t go wrong. And is it even a Thai restaurant if it doesn’t have Snow Crab Rangoon?
When it comes to main dishes, you can choose from a wide range of tastes and sizes. Choose a protein and then a level of heat to make some tasty Pad Thai or Curry.
Thai Tea is an important part of any Thai restaurant. Of course, Thai Town has sweet tea with cream on top. If you prefer hot tea, you can’t go wrong with green or jasmine tea.
Thai Town is at 1342 Main Street and is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sunday dinner is served from 12 to 9:30 PM.
Pan Y Vino
Don’t order pizza from a big national chain the next time you want to. What if we told you that you could support a local business without sacrificing the quality of the ingredients or the taste?
At Pan Y Vino, you get the best of both worlds: a pizzeria with a brick oven and a wine bar in one place. Locals and regulars love Pan Y Vino for its fresh ingredients, thin, crispy crust, and great wine selection.
Before the main course, you can enjoy light salads and hearty, rich soups in a casual but classy setting. Start your meal with Baked Goat Cheese or a spread of meats and cheeses.
As you look at the menu, you can hear the pizzas in the brick oven behind you sizzling. The crackling of the fire will only make you hungry. With so many different flavours and even gluten-free options, it can be hard to choose.
You can always go for the classic Margherita, or you could try the Chorizo & Cheddar, which has Chorizo sausage, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and marinara.
Looking for something really different? Try Amancheez’s Favorite with fig spread, goat cheese, spinach, mozzarella, and basil!
Pan Y Vino is at 369 Main Street and is open Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 9 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 PM.
King and Bull
Crown and Bull is always busy, whether it’s the morning, the evening, or late at night. You can start your day off right here, like I did, with delicious bloody Marys and brunch every day of the week. Most people in town will probably tell you to make sure you get one of their bennies.
I hadn’t been misled by this town yet, so I took a chance and ordered the crabcake bennie. It was as good as the hype. The crab cake was full of flavour and lump crab meat, the hollandaise was delicious, and the English muffin stayed crisp until it was all gone.
The bloody Mary had a little kick (you can make it spicier if you want) and a very light, natural taste that I really liked. I love bloody Marys, but I usually have a hard time finishing them because they can be so thick and heavy— but that was not the case here! It also comes with bleu cheese-stuffed olives, if you like those. I don’t, but Remi thought they were great.
At night, the back patio is a great place to enjoy your drinks. There are string lights everywhere, and an old oak tree that is lit up really adds to the mood. Make sure to try at least one of their signature cocktails or martinis. All of these sound so good that I don’t even know where to start, so I’ll just leave the menu here if you want to look at it. After deep deliberation, I got an All Razzed Up Martini, and it did not disappoint.
The Family Room
The Living Room was another place that locals and friends told me was great before I had a chance to go there myself. I worry sometimes that a place won’t live up to its reputation. Well, The Living Room was not like that at all.
You can find a menu full of tasty, and interesting dishes inspired by world cuisine. The way something looks and tastes is important, and The Living Room does both well. The atmosphere is classy but not stuffy, and they have live music from Thursday to Sunday.
All of their dishes are very different from each other. If you aren’t sure what you might like, the servers here are very good at helping you decide. We started with the beef bulgogi wraps, which I probably wouldn’t have ordered if I hadn’t been with my husband, but I loved. As you might expect from a Dunedin restaurants, they also have a great list of cocktails to go with their delicious food.
The Media Club
Central Dunedin, Princes Street
The Press Club is a high-end new restaurant located in the beautiful Fable Dunedin restaurants. It was once a place where editors and publishers drank in the 1870s. The space is a sumptuous mix of green velvet, muted golds, and art deco touches that make it feel like a fancy French brasserie. Everything on the menu is easy to eat, and each dish has something that makes it stand out, like the miso-glazed provenance lamb shoulder with pickle and pear or the roasted cauliflower with pickled dates, salsa verde, and cumin parsnip puree. The choices at the bar are well-thought-out and include local wines, beers, and, thankfully, a large collection of whisky for those nights when only a wee dram will do.
Moiety
Queen’s Gardens, Central Dunedin
The innovative snack menu and ever-changing five-course menu at Moiety have become the stuff of legends because of how good the food is and how great the service is. Sit at the counter and watch the chefs work their magic on the charcoal grill and carefully arrange the food in front of you to make a work of art. This place stands out for more than just the food. The service is quiet and professional, and they talk you through each dish as it comes out, which adds to the whole experience. You might think you were in a cool Melbourne bistro because of the exposed brick walls, dim lighting, and cosy dining area, but this little gem is all Dunedin Restaurants.
Dunedin Smokehouse
One of the best places to eat barbecue in Dunedin is right in the middle of Downtown. But this isn’t the barbecue place your grandmother used to go to. Dunedin Smokehouse has the best barbecue dinner in Dunedin. They are very proud of their food and their regulars.
The unique menu has dishes and sides that are similar to the classic barbecue menu, but not only those. All of the ingredients at Dunedin Smokehouse are fresh and, when possible, come from the area.
Sit down, listen to local bands, play trivia, and cheer for your favourite sports teams on one of the 11 TVs. Don’t stay home without your dog! On the front patio, you and your dog can enjoy a cold one from a rotating list of craft beers.
Enjoy slow-smoked St. Louis ribs that fall off the bone with ease. Pulled-pork sandwiches, Brisket Chili Nachos, or Smokehouse Jumbo Wings with your favourite sauce can’t go wrong.
You can also put together your own! Just pick 2–4 kinds of meat and a lot of sides. It’s hard to choose between Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese, Granny Smith Cole Slaw, Sweet Potato Cornbread, and Garlicky Green Beans with Bacon.
Don’t eat too much, because the desserts are big and rich. You could try the Butter Finger Brownie or Rick’s Pecan Pie. Make sure to ask for the day’s cheesecake flavour.
The Dunedin Smokehouse is at 471 Main Street and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.