St. Augustine: Where Can We Get the Best Crawfish in the Historic District?

[tarheelmjfan]

DH & I have made last minute decision to go to St. Augustine for our 30th anniversary for a few days next week. We love crawfish, but have a hard time finding good ones. For that reason alone, we almost went back to Savannah instead. So, where in the historic district can we find really good crawfish that aren't overwhelmed with Old Bay? (Been there, done that & don't want to repeat it.)

 

[Wendy31]

I’m not a huge fan of crawfish, but Harry’s in the historic district is really good. They serve crawfish in at least a few of their entrees.

Outside of the historic district on Vilano Beach, Cap’s on the Water serves crawfish.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I’m not a huge fan of crawfish, but Harry’s in the historic district is really good. They serve crawfish in at least a few of their entrees.

Outside of the historic district on Vilano Beach, Cap’s on the Water serves crawfish.

Thanks for the suggestions. Do you have any suggestions for other places we should eat & things we should do?

 

[Wendy31]

Thanks for the suggestions. Do you have any suggestions for other places we should eat & things we should do?

How long are you staying? And are you staying in the historical district?

I call St. Augustine my “soul city” - I’ve been visiting since I was a little girl, & now my husband & I go w/ our kids at least twice a year… it’s more “home” to us than the actual city where we live.

In the historic district, our favorite restaurant is The Floridian - it’s modern southern coastal cuisine. Our favorite brunch is Ice Plant - it’s located in an old ice factory building & above the current St. Augustine Distillery. (If you’re into any kind of alcohol at all, the Distillery tour is wonderful!)

We also really enjoy Harry’s, Prohibition Kitchen, & The Columbia. Casa Reina is very good too. And OC White’s on the bayfront is nice. Both Harry’s & OC White’s are in old, historic buildings w/ authentic ghost hauntings.

Our favorite bar is the Tini Martini Bar.

There are a few newer restaurants that get really good reviews which we just haven’t had a chance to try yet - River & Fort and Collage are 2 that are on our list.

Cafe Alcazar inside the Lightner Museum is located in what used to be an indoor swimming pool which is neat.

For things to do in the historic district, if you’ve never been before, the Fort is a must. The Pirate Museum was designed by a former Disney imagineer.

Shopping & snacking on St. George Street & the side streets are always fun too - there are some really good coffee shops & bakeries - even a French bakery! You can also get a Dole Whip on St. George Street! My favorite stores are HW Davis, Red Pineapple, & Artsy Abode.

If you like museums, the Lightner Museum is a good one. The Ximenez-Fatio house is also interesting, & I think they’re doing something special this month for Halloween.

And a ghost tour is always fun!

The bayfront area is also lovely, & there are several different boat tours from which to choose at the marina. Our favorite is the Eco Tours.

Out of the historic district, I’d recommend the Fountain of Youth & the Lighthouse & the Alligator Farm on the island.

Our very favorite restaurant is Cap’s on the Water on Vilano Beach, & we also really like Saltwater Cowboy’s & Commander’s on the island.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just so that you know, any crawfish that you find in a restaurant in October are almost surely previously frozen, and most likely imported from China.

Wild-crop crawfish season in the US is early Spring through early Summer, and even the farmed crawfish usually are not large enough to harvest until fairly late in November. If you are looking for whole-boiled you may be out of luck, but frozen tails can be used to make other crawfish dishes such as etoufee or crawfish pie.

 

[Stratman50th]

Quick jump in here to @Wendy31
I just copied your post into a document and saved it. Lots of good info! We haven't been there for several years but really want to go back. Enjoyed it immensely!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

How long are you staying? And are you staying in the historical district?

I call St. Augustine my “soul city” - I’ve been visiting since I was a little girl, & now my husband & I go w/ our kids at least twice a year… it’s more “home” to us than the actual city where we live.

In the historic district, our favorite restaurant is The Floridian - it’s modern southern coastal cuisine. Our favorite brunch is Ice Plant - it’s located in an old ice factory building & above the current St. Augustine Distillery. (If you’re into any kind of alcohol at all, the Distillery tour is wonderful!)

We also really enjoy Harry’s, Prohibition Kitchen, & The Columbia. Casa Reina is very good too. And OC White’s on the bayfront is nice. Both Harry’s & OC White’s are in old, historic buildings w/ authentic ghost hauntings.

Our favorite bar is the Tini Martini Bar.

There are a few newer restaurants that get really good reviews which we just haven’t had a chance to try yet - River & Fort and Collage are 2 that are on our list.

Cafe Alcazar inside the Lightner Museum is located in what used to be an indoor swimming pool which is neat.

For things to do in the historic district, if you’ve never been before, the Fort is a must. The Pirate Museum was designed by a former Disney imagineer.

Shopping & snacking on St. George Street & the side streets are always fun too - there are some really good coffee shops & bakeries - even a French bakery! You can also get a Dole Whip on St. George Street! My favorite stores are HW Davis, Red Pineapple, & Artsy Abode.

If you like museums, the Lightner Museum is a good one. The Ximenez-Fatio house is also interesting, & I think they’re doing something special this month for Halloween.

And a ghost tour is always fun!

The bayfront area is also lovely, & there are several different boat tours from which to choose at the marina. Our favorite is the Eco Tours.

Out of the historic district, I’d recommend the Fountain of Youth & the Lighthouse & the Alligator Farm on the island.

Our very favorite restaurant is Cap’s on the Water on Vilano Beach, & we also really like Saltwater Cowboy’s & Commander’s on the island.

Wow, great info! We'll be in the historic district for three nights beginning Sunday night. I wish we could stay longer, but DH had a hard time getting 3 days off. He'll still have to be available for meetings over the phone.

We're familiar with a few of the restaurants you suggested. We've eaten at the original Columbia Restaurant several times (love it) & eaten at Harry's in Ocala. I remember being intrigued by Cafe Alcazar, when I was there previously. DH just called to make us a lunch reservation there on our anniversary date. I'm hoping for a very romantic restaurant for dinner that night. I'll check out your other recommendations to see what I can come up with.

St. Augustine Distillery & Tini Martini Bar are definitely going on the list.

I've toured the fort, but DH hasn't. We plan to do that. Somehow, I had completely forgotten about the Fountain of Youth. DH hasn't seen that either. We'll combine that with a trip to the beach. He wants to see the beach at Anastasia State Park. I hope it's as nice as I remember it. The museums are also a possibility, if we don't run out of time. We talk about taking a ghost tour everywhere we go, but never get around to it. This may be the trip we go for it.

Just so that you know, any crawfish that you find in a restaurant in October are almost surely previously frozen, and most likely imported from China.

Wild-crop crawfish season in the US is early Spring through early Summer, and even the farmed crawfish usually are not large enough to harvest until fairly late in November. If you are looking for whole-boiled you may be out of luck, but frozen tails can be used to make other crawfish dishes such as etoufee or crawfish pie.

Thanks for the warning. We didn't know that. Looks like we'll have to plan a trip to Savannah next spring.

 

[NotUrsula]

Thanks for the warning. We didn't know that. Looks like we'll have to plan a trip to Savannah next spring.

Nah, you don't have to travel at all if you don't want to. If you want live (in season), www.lacrawfish.com will overnight them to you. They will send you coupon codes if you follow them on FB. If you're willing to settle for imported frozen, you can usually get them at any decently-sized Asian grocery store for, last time I checked, about $16/lb.

Recipes abound online, so just go for it. (Crawfish are very easy to cook, actually, especially frozen tails, which hold their texture much better than shrimp do. Live boiled crawfish are also easy to cook; the PITA part of the preparation is "purging" them before cooking.)

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Nah, you don't have to travel at all if you don't want to. If you want live (in season), www.lacrawfish.com will overnight them to you. They will send you coupon codes if you follow them on FB. If you're willing to settle for imported frozen, you can usually get them at any decently-sized Asian grocery store for, last time I checked, about $16/lb.

Recipes abound online, so just go for it. (Crawfish are very easy to cook, actually, especially frozen tails, which hold their texture much better than shrimp do. Live boiled crawfish are also easy to cook; the PITA part of the preparation is "purging" them before cooking.)

That sounds like a good idea, except.... We like the whole crawfish & I don't want to do the work involved in preparing them. I'm sure I'd feel differently, if I'd grown up in an area where they were prevalent. To this day DH, DS & I are the only people in our extended family who eat them.

 

[LSUmiss]

Just so that you know, any crawfish that you find in a restaurant in October are almost surely previously frozen, and most likely imported from China.

Wild-crop crawfish season in the US is early Spring through early Summer, and even the farmed crawfish usually are not large enough to harvest until fairly late in November. If you are looking for whole-boiled you may be out of luck, but frozen tails can be used to make other crawfish dishes such as etoufee or crawfish pie.

Was coming here to say that. I only buy frozen Louisiana crawfish if it’s not crawfish season. They’re usually fine for cooking. I would eat a crawfish dish here in off season but not sure about anywhere else.

 

[LSUmiss]

Wow, great info! We'll be in the historic district for three nights beginning Sunday night. I wish we could stay longer, but DH had a hard time getting 3 days off. He'll still have to be available for meetings over the phone.

We're familiar with a few of the restaurants you suggested. We've eaten at the original Columbia Restaurant several times (love it) & eaten at Harry's in Ocala. I remember being intrigued by Cafe Alcazar, when I was there previously. DH just called to make us a lunch reservation there on our anniversary date. I'm hoping for a very romantic restaurant for dinner that night. I'll check out your other recommendations to see what I can come up with.

St. Augustine Distillery & Tini Martini Bar are definitely going on the list.

I've toured the fort, but DH hasn't. We plan to do that. Somehow, I had completely forgotten about the Fountain of Youth. DH hasn't seen that either. We'll combine that with a trip to the beach. He wants to see the beach at Anastasia State Park. I hope it's as nice as I remember it. The museums are also a possibility, if we don't run out of time. We talk about taking a ghost tour everywhere we go, but never get around to it. This may be the trip we go for it.

Thanks for the warning. We didn't know that. Looks like we'll have to plan a trip to Savannah next spring.

Well if you’re traveling for them, I’d plan a trip to Louisiana.

 

[LSUmiss]

Nah, you don't have to travel at all if you don't want to. If you want live (in season), www.lacrawfish.com will overnight them to you. They will send you coupon codes if you follow them on FB. If you're willing to settle for imported frozen, you can usually get them at any decently-sized Asian grocery store for, last time I checked, about $16/lb.

Recipes abound online, so just go for it. (Crawfish are very easy to cook, actually, especially frozen tails, which hold their texture much better than shrimp do. Live boiled crawfish are also easy to cook; the PITA part of the preparation is "purging" them before cooking.)

We have a crawfish washer! It’s basically a bucket that’s hooked up to a hose that spins & drains. And that’s just to rinse them from being in the mud. Lsu Ag actually did a study about 10 years ago to debunk “purging”. So we don’t do that anymore.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Well if you’re traveling for them, I’d plan a trip to Louisiana.

Good idea. We've been talking about planning another trip to NOLA.

 

[LSUmiss]

Good idea. We've been talking about planning another trip to NOLA.

Smiitys is a hole in the wall restaurant in kenner La (which is suburb of nola) & they have the BEST boiled crawfish (outside of DH’s lol). Highly recommend them. They are near the airport too if you’re flying in.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Smiitys is a hole in the wall restaurant in kenner La (which is suburb of nola) & they have the BEST boiled crawfish (outside of DH’s lol). Highly recommend them. They are near the airport too if you’re flying in.

Kenner brings back fond memories. My niece played AAU basketball. We spent 2 weeks there 3 summers in a row. Hopefully, I can remember the name of the restaurant. If not, I'm sure I'll be asking for suggestions, when we plan a trip there.

 

[NotUrsula]

We have a crawfish washer! It’s basically a bucket that’s hooked up to a hose that spins & drains. And that’s just to rinse them from being in the mud. Lsu Ag actually did a study about 10 years ago to debunk “purging”. So we don’t do that anymore.

I really meant washing them, not the traditional salt purge; most people I know still say purge when they mean just a thorough freshwater wash. It's just a lot of hassle to do that part if you don't have good equipment.

I go for a bit of a flow-wash, put them in a aerated plastic trough w/ running tap water for a couple of hours while we prep everything else. You can't fully submerge them, but it does get a lot more dirt out of them than a quick rinse.

PS for the OP: there is usually a pretty thriving whole cooked crawfish scene in Vietnamese-American communities nowadays, especially in Houston. They use a different prep technique, but it's also really good: https://www.houstoniamag.com/eat-and-drink/viet-cajun-crawfish-houston

 

[DisneyMomx7]

My kids went to college in St Augustine and ended up staying there. Some of our favorites are Harry's, Casa Reina, Ice Plant, and Prohibition in the Historic Section.

Beachside we like Viola's, Salt Life and Sunset Grille.

Really good burgers - 123 Burger House, GAS and Obi's Filling Station.