So close to the ocean, St. Augustine boasts some of best seafood restaurants around. With more than 250 restaurants to choose from, all kinds of cuisines, both local and exotic, are available here. Exploring is half the fun, but here's a few recommendations to get you started:

Barnacle Bill's Beachside, 451 A1A Beach Blvd., or Barnacle Bill's Downtown, 14 Castillo Drive, Historic Downtown, — Great seafood at a reasonable price; casual. Both are local favorites. 904-824-3663.

The Cellar Upstairs, 157 King Street. — San Sebastian wines, imported beers, and gourmet appetizers are offered at St. Augustine’s jazz hideaway atop the San Sebastian Winery. Overlooks the San Sebastian River and St. Augustine’s skyline. Different live Bands each week. Open on Thursday through Sunday. Call Tel (904) 826-1594. Complete banquet facilities. The winery also hosts seasonal special events including Winefest in February, Fine Art & Jazz Show in May, Annual Harvest Festival in August, and Holiday Open House in November.  For more information, call the Winery at 1-888-352-9463 and press 3 for weekly schedule.

Columbia Restaurant, 98 St. George Street — The first Columbia Restaurant was founded in Ybor City, Tampa, and is the oldest restaurant in Florida. It has been serving Spanish Cuisine since 1905. Its St. Augustine location is a natural for the downtown historic district, . A big selection of authentic Cuban, South American, Spanish dishes featuring chicken, steak and seafood. Lunch and dinner. $5.95-$20.95. (904) 824-3341

Conch House Restaurant and Lounge, 57 Comares Ave., off Anastasia Boulevard — Located one mile from historic St. Augustine, the Conch House features waterfront dining inside or on the decks overlooking Salt Run. Offering seafood, Caribbean cuisine, steaks, salads, and award-winning conch chowder, The Conch House Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily starting at 8 a.m. The Conch House Lounge offers tropical specialty drinks in a Caribbean atmosphere and features live entertainment; Reggae Sunday (from April through Sept.; call for seasonal schedule), with live music from 3 to 7 p.m. The Conch House’s Salt Run Tavern nearby on Anastasia Blvd. offers casual island fare, and specials such as 25¢ oysters and $1 drafts. (904) 829-8646.

Creekside Dinery,  160 Nix Boatyard Road., off U.S. 1 — North Florida Low Country Cooking’ in a waterfront setting with magnolia and oak trees. Chosen one of the top five restaurants in St. Augustine by Jacksonville magazine, Creekside’s Southern cuisine include fresh local seafood and Florida favorites such as chicken, fish, or steak cooked on a thick oak plank, barbecue baby back ribs, Aunt Ada’s Florida-style fried chicken, beer-battered shrimp, and fried or broiled seafood platters. Serving dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Beer, wine, and cocktails. Live music on the waterfront deck and bar Wednesday through Sunday evenings. (904) 829-6113 .

Fiddler's Green Oceanside bar and Grille, 2750 Anahma Drive — Built on the site of the old Vilano Beach Casino, which stood there until 1938, Fiddler's overlooks Vilano Beach. Voted St. Augustine’s Favorite Oceanfront Restaurant for 19 years. A wide selection of steak, chicken, pasta sautés and fresh, local seafood. Also choose from nightly dinner specials and stone crab claws, Maine lobster, Florida lobster, Dungeness crab, and Alaskan king crab, when in season. Serving beer, wine, and cocktails. Dinner served daily from 5 p.m. Call for reservations: (904) 824-8897.

Fusion,  3009 U.S. 19 North (near SR 16). — Features a wide variety of Far East favorites, including authentic Chinese preparations from all regions, sushi, and Thai favorites. From the same owner of Fusion Point. Open daily. Offers full-service dinner, with entrées starting at $7.95. All items are freshly prepared and include hot and cold entrées, soups, salads, stir-fries, fresh vegetables, and desserts. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with entrées starting at $4.95. Senior Menu from 5 to 7 p.m. Children’s menu. The lounge features a full bar with happy hour from 5-7 p.m., a variety of imported Japanese beers, premium sakes, and specialty cocktails. The lounge is open till 1 a.m. and serves a late-night menu. Full banquet and conference facilities for parties and meetings. (904) 829-8333.

Fusion Point, 237 San Marco Ave.  — Locals voted Fusion Point the 1999-2001 Best Ethnic Restaurant, in the St. Augustine Record. Great for lunch after seeing the sights in St. Augustine. Far East cuisine — sushi, vegetarian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, and Korean—along with innovative specials from chef-owner Johnny Tai. House specialties include pan-fried noodles and tilapia served with black bean sauce. Located just north of Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. Serving beer, wine, sake. Open for dinner 5-10 p.m. daily. 904 823-1444.

Gypsy Cab, 828 and 830 Anastasia Blvd. — This longtime local favorite is renowned for its “Urban Cuisine,” an eclectic mix of fresh seafood, steaks, poultry, pork, vegetarian items, and pasta dishes influenced by cooking styles from all over the world. Gypsy Cab Co. serves dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m., lunch Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and brunch on weekends from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Serving beer, wine, and cocktails. The Gypsy Bar & Grill next door features top national comedy acts at the Gypsy Comedy Club Thursday through Saturday. Its full bar offers appetizers. Full catering service available and banquet space for meetings and other special events. (904) 824-8244.

Matanzas Inlet Restaurant, 8805 A1A South. — Just around the corner and within walking distance of Crane's Roost. Very casual. Good food and nice views of the inlet view. Seafood and Italian menu. Locals recommend the snook and Maine mussels marinara. (904) 461-6824.

Oasis, A1A at Ocean Trace Rd — World famous, casual and lively. Another local favorite. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. Upstairs deck for nightly and live entertainment. (904) 471-3424.

Osteen's Restaurant. 205 Anastasia Blvd. — Another local favorite. Be prepared to wait. Excellent fresh Fried Shrimp. (904) 829-6974.

Panama Hattie's, 361 A1A South. — Has appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwiches but features seafood pots, southern style, with potatoes and corn on the cob. $2.25- $13.95  "Largest dance floor in St. John's County. (904) 471-2255.

Salt Water Cowboys, Dondanville Road — Recapture the charm of Old Florida in a recreated, turn-of-the-century fish camp. Surrounded by saltwater marshes, this casual spot has a window onto one of Florida’s most pristine natural settings. Come early to catch the spectacular sunsets. A favorite of tourists and locals for more than 38 years. Excellent fresh seafood. Exotic and simple dishes with a good selection of seafood ( blackened, if you'd like), barbecue and jambalaya. $3.99 -$15.99. Full bar serves wine, beer, and cocktails. Located on Anastasia Island, turn west off A1A at traffic light for Dondanville Road, a half mile south of the Anastasia Publix. Come early or wait. They don 't take reservations. (904) 471-2332.

Sea Market Restaurant and Retail Market, 4255 A1A South (Seaside Plaza), St. Augustine Beach — One of our frequent favorites. Great fresh seafood and extremely casual atmosphere (there are buckets in the middle of the table for oyster and crab shells!) No fried seafood here. Grilled, blackened, broiled or steamed. Have the fresh catch of the day, shrimp or scallops. Oysters are served steamed, raw or Rockefeller style. The menu also includes prime rib and chicken dishes. The daily specials are what most people deem their favorites, such as the garlic shrimp or the shrimp fettuccine. Beer and wine are served. Open for lunch and dinner, but come early and check out our favorite gift shop, Simple Gestures, in the same plaza ((904) 460-0433). Sea Market is open Thursday through Monday. (904) 461-9991.

Sharkey's700 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach — Dine in or take out, it's counter service and low prices at this beach-casual eatery. The menu includes 22 types of grilled and fried shrimp, broiled or fried scallops, fresh seafood platters, shrimp salad, shrimp melts, clam rolls and chowders. There are also burgers, garden burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and fish ‘n’ chips. Dine indoors or outdoors (where smoking is allowed). Beer and wine are served. Open daily for lunch and dinner. (904) 461-9992. 

Sunset Grille. 421 A1A Beach Blvd, St Augustine Beach. — Freshly prepared specials. Key West Atmosphere “where parrotheads meet” for award-winning food: 2003 winner of the Taste of St. Augustine, Family Dining category; eight-time winner, Great Chowder Debate; and 2003 Fire & Ice Chili Cookoff. The menu features excellent grouper dishes, fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks, chicken entrées, and pasta as well as a variety of specialty sandwiches, burgers, and appetizers. Children's menu. Nightly specials include Monday: all-you-can-eat crab legs; Tuesday: $9.95 New York strip; Wednesday: all-you-can-eat fish & chips for $10.95; and Thursday all-you-can-eat baby back ribs, 5-9 p.m. or until supply lasts. Full bar. Dine inside or outside. Live music Sunday. (904) 471-5555.

The Restaurant Times  and offers a full review, hours, phone numbers of hundreds of restaurants. JaxFl Guide offers quite a few reviews, too, and is organized by cuisine.

bon appetit!