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Inside-Out Juicy Lucy Burger, served at MEAT Eatery & Tap Room 
Feast Palm Beach

14 Restaurants Worth a Day Trip Beyond Miami

These spots are worth the drive

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Inside-Out Juicy Lucy Burger, served at MEAT Eatery & Tap Room 
| Feast Palm Beach

Living in South Florida can sometimes feel isolative, and driving to visit the next state over can be major undertaking. Fortunately, the Sunshine State’s long history as a tourist mecca means there are numerous destinations within the state that are just a short drive from the greater Miami area. Many of them offer some deliciously unique attractions. From the Palm Beaches to the Gulf Coast and the Upper Keys, below is a culinary day trip guide for South Florida food-lovers.

Note: Venues are listed in geographical order from north to south.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Green's Pharmacy of Palm Beach

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Before sushi bars and boba shops, the youth of America would hang out at soda fountains, which were often located inside pharmacies. Green’s has been functioning as a pharmacy, soda fountain, and luncheonette amidst of the glamour of Palm Beach since 1938. The menu is straightforward: bacon and eggs for breakfast, sandwiches and burgers for lunch. And, naturally, there is a selection of milkshakes and floats. The best feature is that diners can still fill their prescriptions while they enjoy a meal here.

Palm Beach Post

Queen of Sheeba

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Fans of Ethiopian food can indulge in the East African country’s fragrant cuisine in West Palm Beach. Queen of Sheeba offers a concise menu of Ethiopian staples, including doro wat – a spicy chicken stew – and the cuisine’s famous vegetarian dishes. In typical fashion, every dish is served with injera, a pancake made from fermented teff grains. An authentic meal is not complete without a bottle of tej, a traditional alcoholic beverage made from honey.

Google Maps | Nour Naji

Okeechobee Steak House

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Touting itself the oldest steakhouse in Florida, this restaurant dates back to 1947 and has been operated by the Lewis family ever since. Over the decades, this West Palm Beach icon has developed a closely guarded, secret aging method for its steaks, which has kept generations of locals and tourists returning. The menu sticks to the classics, suggesting that what diners enjoy today may well be what they have enjoyed fifty years ago.

Okeechobee Steak House

Bennett's Fresh Roast Fort Myers

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It is safe to say that by now most of South Florida’s food lovers know that a donut from an independent shop trumps anything from a chain. With this knowledge in hand, a day trip to Fort Myers should include a visit to this coffee and donut shop. The selection here straddles the traditional and the innovative, giving aficionados a taste of nostalgia with just enough creativity to make each hand cut, fried pastry memorable. This spot also features a full menu of breakfast and lunch items for a more substantial, savory meal.

Yelp

Farmers Market Restaurant

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South Floridians sometimes lose touch of the fact that Florida is part of the South. It only takes a couple hours’ drive north to get reacquainted with the state’s southern flavor at places like Farmers Market Restaurant. It is the oldest running restaurant in Lee County and is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. Expect to find southern comfort classics like grits for breakfast and traditional “meat n’ three” options for lunch and dinner.

Google Maps | roadfood.com

Tacos Al Carbon

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This eatery in Lake Worth is like a Mexican culinary compound. Occupying a large lot, the focal point is the small brick and mortar restaurant, but there is also an outdoor take-out window, a taco truck, and even a tent set up at busy times. As the name implies, the specialty here is tacos with a variety of traditional fillings from the Mexico City staple, al pastor, to carne asada, chorizo, and tongue. The taquería also features a variety of seafood tacos, as well as other Mexican favorites.

Google Maps | Kenneth Burton

Pelican Restaurant

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There are times when culinary fusion works seamlessly well. This is exactly what happens at this popular Lake Worth diner. The regular breakfast menu features all the usual suspects like omelets and pancakes. The special menu, however, features owner Tari’s Indian-influenced breakfast items. Omelets are stuffed with minced lamb, eggs are scrambled with curry sauce or accompany velvety beef nihari stew, and dishes come with naan instead of toast.

Yelp

Bubble Room

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Captiva Island has been a favorite weekend retreat in the Sunshine State for decades, and since 1979 The Bubble Room has been there to add a touch of quirkiness to those getaways. The colorful building is credited with inspiring the pastel hued exteriors that are a trademark of the island today, and the dining room looks like a vintage toy shop. Waiters dressed as boy scouts drop off complimentary baskets of the restaurant’s famous bubble bread and sticky buns at the table before delivering creative appetizers and entrees with names referencing classic movies.

Bubble Room

Salty Papas Shrimp House

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Florida is famous for its shrimp, particularly on the Gulf Coast. Salty Papa’s passion for the crustacean really shines in its selection of dishes that honor this local specialty. Simply steamed is the best way to enjoy gulf shrimp’s sweet flesh, although the restaurant also features them low country-style on a bed of grits, as well as stuffed with crab or glazed with a bourbon and peach sauce. The menu includes other seafood dishes in traditional and more innovative preparations, too.

Google Maps | Jon Tyler

Cracklin' Jack's

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Nestled in the western reaches of Naples is a place that offers what it calls “a taste of the Everglades.” A far cry from the upscale vibes of Naples’ eastern end, this casual eatery specializes in barbecue ribs, grilled steaks, and Southern favorites. There are also some very Floridian specialties on the menu, like frog legs and gulf grouper. Meals include unlimited helpings of all of Cracklin’ Jack’s “vittles” – everything from stewed greens to mashed potatoes.

Naples Daily News

Key Largo Conch House

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Conch is such an integral part of the Keys’ identity that no trip to the southernmost part of the US is complete without sampling this local specialty. This eatery really offers the complete Keys experience with its gingerbread house façade and conch-pink walls. The menu features the mollusk at every meal, in addition to the traditional fritters, chowder, and salad, conch appears in omelets and benedicts at breakfast and tacos at lunch.

Google Maps | 360 Photo Inc.

Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant & Bar

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This sprawling Key West complex features three separate food venues, including a trailer dishing out sushi. Visitors can arrive by and park their boats at the restaurant’s own marina. The seafood-centric menu offers Keys favorites like conch, local shrimp, and dolphin. Additionally, diners can also bring in their own catches, and restaurant will prepare them in a number of styles.

Google Maps

Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory

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The award winning pie at this shop has a story that is truly a slice of modern South Florida. Founders Tania Beguinati and Roberto Madeira emigrated from Brazil to Key West in 1999. They entered a key lime pie contest on a whim, came in first place, and the rest is history. They now sell what many consider to be the best version of Florida’s official pie.

Yelp

MEAT Eatery & Tap Room

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Although seafood may reign over kitchens in the Keys, meat lovers can find solace at this Islamorada eatery. Specializing in burgers, M.E.A.T. satisfies traditionalists with its no-frills Nancy Pants, ranked one of the country’s top 101 burgers in 2015. More adventurous diners can enjoy the Inside-Out Juicy Lucy stuffed with pimento cheese or the chorizo patty sandwich. Those who like their meats in twos can order the Cow & Pig burger featuring a chorizo patty and beef patty with beer braised onions and provolone.

10Best.com

Green's Pharmacy of Palm Beach

Before sushi bars and boba shops, the youth of America would hang out at soda fountains, which were often located inside pharmacies. Green’s has been functioning as a pharmacy, soda fountain, and luncheonette amidst of the glamour of Palm Beach since 1938. The menu is straightforward: bacon and eggs for breakfast, sandwiches and burgers for lunch. And, naturally, there is a selection of milkshakes and floats. The best feature is that diners can still fill their prescriptions while they enjoy a meal here.

Palm Beach Post

Queen of Sheeba

Fans of Ethiopian food can indulge in the East African country’s fragrant cuisine in West Palm Beach. Queen of Sheeba offers a concise menu of Ethiopian staples, including doro wat – a spicy chicken stew – and the cuisine’s famous vegetarian dishes. In typical fashion, every dish is served with injera, a pancake made from fermented teff grains. An authentic meal is not complete without a bottle of tej, a traditional alcoholic beverage made from honey.

Google Maps | Nour Naji

Okeechobee Steak House

Touting itself the oldest steakhouse in Florida, this restaurant dates back to 1947 and has been operated by the Lewis family ever since. Over the decades, this West Palm Beach icon has developed a closely guarded, secret aging method for its steaks, which has kept generations of locals and tourists returning. The menu sticks to the classics, suggesting that what diners enjoy today may well be what they have enjoyed fifty years ago.

Okeechobee Steak House

Bennett's Fresh Roast Fort Myers

It is safe to say that by now most of South Florida’s food lovers know that a donut from an independent shop trumps anything from a chain. With this knowledge in hand, a day trip to Fort Myers should include a visit to this coffee and donut shop. The selection here straddles the traditional and the innovative, giving aficionados a taste of nostalgia with just enough creativity to make each hand cut, fried pastry memorable. This spot also features a full menu of breakfast and lunch items for a more substantial, savory meal.

Yelp

Farmers Market Restaurant

South Floridians sometimes lose touch of the fact that Florida is part of the South. It only takes a couple hours’ drive north to get reacquainted with the state’s southern flavor at places like Farmers Market Restaurant. It is the oldest running restaurant in Lee County and is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. Expect to find southern comfort classics like grits for breakfast and traditional “meat n’ three” options for lunch and dinner.

Google Maps | roadfood.com

Tacos Al Carbon

This eatery in Lake Worth is like a Mexican culinary compound. Occupying a large lot, the focal point is the small brick and mortar restaurant, but there is also an outdoor take-out window, a taco truck, and even a tent set up at busy times. As the name implies, the specialty here is tacos with a variety of traditional fillings from the Mexico City staple, al pastor, to carne asada, chorizo, and tongue. The taquería also features a variety of seafood tacos, as well as other Mexican favorites.

Google Maps | Kenneth Burton

Pelican Restaurant

There are times when culinary fusion works seamlessly well. This is exactly what happens at this popular Lake Worth diner. The regular breakfast menu features all the usual suspects like omelets and pancakes. The special menu, however, features owner Tari’s Indian-influenced breakfast items. Omelets are stuffed with minced lamb, eggs are scrambled with curry sauce or accompany velvety beef nihari stew, and dishes come with naan instead of toast.

Yelp

Bubble Room

Captiva Island has been a favorite weekend retreat in the Sunshine State for decades, and since 1979 The Bubble Room has been there to add a touch of quirkiness to those getaways. The colorful building is credited with inspiring the pastel hued exteriors that are a trademark of the island today, and the dining room looks like a vintage toy shop. Waiters dressed as boy scouts drop off complimentary baskets of the restaurant’s famous bubble bread and sticky buns at the table before delivering creative appetizers and entrees with names referencing classic movies.

Bubble Room

Salty Papas Shrimp House

Florida is famous for its shrimp, particularly on the Gulf Coast. Salty Papa’s passion for the crustacean really shines in its selection of dishes that honor this local specialty. Simply steamed is the best way to enjoy gulf shrimp’s sweet flesh, although the restaurant also features them low country-style on a bed of grits, as well as stuffed with crab or glazed with a bourbon and peach sauce. The menu includes other seafood dishes in traditional and more innovative preparations, too.

Google Maps | Jon Tyler

Cracklin' Jack's

Nestled in the western reaches of Naples is a place that offers what it calls “a taste of the Everglades.” A far cry from the upscale vibes of Naples’ eastern end, this casual eatery specializes in barbecue ribs, grilled steaks, and Southern favorites. There are also some very Floridian specialties on the menu, like frog legs and gulf grouper. Meals include unlimited helpings of all of Cracklin’ Jack’s “vittles” – everything from stewed greens to mashed potatoes.

Naples Daily News

Key Largo Conch House

Conch is such an integral part of the Keys’ identity that no trip to the southernmost part of the US is complete without sampling this local specialty. This eatery really offers the complete Keys experience with its gingerbread house façade and conch-pink walls. The menu features the mollusk at every meal, in addition to the traditional fritters, chowder, and salad, conch appears in omelets and benedicts at breakfast and tacos at lunch.

Google Maps | 360 Photo Inc.

Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant & Bar

This sprawling Key West complex features three separate food venues, including a trailer dishing out sushi. Visitors can arrive by and park their boats at the restaurant’s own marina. The seafood-centric menu offers Keys favorites like conch, local shrimp, and dolphin. Additionally, diners can also bring in their own catches, and restaurant will prepare them in a number of styles.

Google Maps

Blond Giraffe Key Lime Pie Factory

The award winning pie at this shop has a story that is truly a slice of modern South Florida. Founders Tania Beguinati and Roberto Madeira emigrated from Brazil to Key West in 1999. They entered a key lime pie contest on a whim, came in first place, and the rest is history. They now sell what many consider to be the best version of Florida’s official pie.

Yelp

MEAT Eatery & Tap Room

Although seafood may reign over kitchens in the Keys, meat lovers can find solace at this Islamorada eatery. Specializing in burgers, M.E.A.T. satisfies traditionalists with its no-frills Nancy Pants, ranked one of the country’s top 101 burgers in 2015. More adventurous diners can enjoy the Inside-Out Juicy Lucy stuffed with pimento cheese or the chorizo patty sandwich. Those who like their meats in twos can order the Cow & Pig burger featuring a chorizo patty and beef patty with beer braised onions and provolone.

10Best.com

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