Vero Beach Area Restaurants

[lts862]

Hi!
We are taking our first trip to Vero Beach in a few weeks. While I have read the official resort thread which lists several restaurants in the area, I was hoping to get some recommendations, positive or negative from recent visits. Thank you!

 

[Coach Rick]

We loved Captain Hirams: http://www.hirams.com/Restaurant.cfm

Some nights they have 10cent hot wings, that are awesome!!!

 

[rockydek]

 

[CarolAnnC]

We ate at Captain Hiram's last summer. It was actually on a list of restaurants the VB staff were recommending.

We had an excellent meal and experience there. We had a nice water view from the open air patio dining, which we chose. Being a New England native, I was very appreciate of the delicious fresh fish dinners offered here. It is not cheap by any means, but I felt well worth the price for the quality.

All 5 of us enjoyed our meals and we would definitely return.

 

[Anal Annie]

We had a REALLY GOOD meal at Bella Napoli last summer. LOTS of veal on the menu....big portions....had plenty leftover to bring back to heat up for lunch the next day!! Small Mom & Pop family run local Italian place.

http://bellanapoli-verobeach.com/index.html

When we were talking to the staff at the front desk we had a couple of them specifically steer us away from Capt Hirams for some of the reasons another poster already mentioned. We tried Squid Lips one evening. It was OK. Nothing to write home about but OK. Bella's was WAAAY better though. We also hit some other local place that they recommended - I forget the name though...had big sandwiches (like steak & cheese subs). VERY busy sit-down place - full of locals...very retro 1960's as it reminded me of some places I used to go as a child. It was on the list they give you when you check-in. Darn it. I hate that I can't remember the name!! It was something simple like Nick's Place or Bobby's or something like that. Yeah....maybe it was called Bobby's. But if you like Italian try Bella Napoli!

 

[JimMIA]

We asked the same question about VB prior to a short trip this spring - not to the Disney VB resort, but to Gloria Estefan's resort. One of our DISers recommended the Undertow Cafe in the old downtown area of Vero, and we found it to be excellent.

The Undertow Cafe is first of all, a local hangout. We went on a Saturday night and there were large parties of obviously local folks there, which I always consider a good sign. The place feels more like a bar than a restaurant, but the food and service were both excellent. The menu is varied and quite imaginative, and everything we tried was absolutely wonderful.

They had an excellent local band that played 70-80's rock, a little Jimmy Buffet, and a little reggae, so to us that felt pretty Key West. Definitely a good food and good times place, and we will go there whenever we're in VB.

Here's a link to their website. http://www.undertowcafe.com/

 

[njanimalkingdom]

Mr Manetees was pretty good.
Chicken Wings were huge.

 

[DVCconvert]

OP

I have read the official resort thread which lists several restaurants in the area

Does this help????........

rockydek Capt Hirams NASTY

We went to Capt Hirams in May...It was dirty and NASTY. Food awful!
We had to move ... bugs everywhere... So gross!

Coach Rick
We loved Captain Hirams

CarolAnnC
We ate at Captain Hiram's last summer. It was actually on a list of restaurants the VB staff were recommending.

We had an excellent meal and experience there. We had a nice water view from the open air patio dining, which we chose. Being a New England native, I was very appreciate of the delicious fresh fish dinners offered here.

I ate there once...but while we were there.....a sunken WWII German UBoat rose out of the sea and shot torpedoes at the peir!!!...then we got Ebola from just using a napkin!!!



Trust the majority...it's a good place...as is Estefan's resort and Bella Napoli.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

The Ocean Grill. Not only the best restaurant in VB, but one of the best in the country.

Plus my wife likes the gift shop...

MG

 

[rockydek]

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Nope.... The only thing I like about Capt Hirams is the live entertainment in the sand bar.

MG

 

[rockydek]

DVC Convert

You are a riot.... Touche!
Alot of people seemed to like it...me..not so much.

 

[Kara]

we go to vero regularly because my inlaws have a home there. I will check with her tomorrow as they have been there recently.
We always go to Capt. Hirams, Jack Bakers, Mr Manatees, Ninos Italian, Squid Lips, lemon tree, and I think we tried Riverside Cafe last trip but I need to check with DH on the name. loved it though!

 

[CarolAnnC]

I thought Capt Hirams was very inexpensive...I am also from New England...So I may be spoiled when it comes to seafood...The waitress told us that the haddock was frozen..The only fresh fish they had was Mahi Mahi. Maybe this place has changed. I don't know when your last visit was.

Doesn't sound like we are talking about the same place, not at all.

Check the menu link that Coach Rick put in his post. Dinner entrees range from $15 to $30+ with $20 seeming to be about average. That with appetizers, drinks and tip, well dinner for my family of four at $200+ is not what I call inexpensive!

Plus taken from their menu, they feature daily catch from local fishermen fresh off the boat. The fish we had was definitely fresh. And coming from Boston, I have very discerning taste in fish, lol.

 

[CarolAnnC]

The Ocean Grill. Not only the best restaurant in VB, but one of the best in the country.

Plus my wife likes the gift shop...

MG

We haven't tried there, but there was a restaurant very close to this one that we enjoyed. I will have to try and locate the name of that one to share. Very good seafood and lower priced than Captain Hiram's, too.

 

[dvc4life]

When we were down around there in May we went to Waldo's Restaurant & Lounge. Sat out by the ocean and had a very relaxing lunch. Nice place. Good food. We also went to Mulligan's Beach House Bar & Grill, again on the ocean. They had live music while we were there. And they had this awesome chocolate dessert that was to die for. Yummmmmmm.

 

[canda]

we have always loved The Ocean Grill. The best part is the cheese spread you get with the bread and crackers. But as a couple it was our favorite choice. Now we have 3 kids. Last summer, it was a really expensive night out for us. And we do not get wine, dessert or apps. So we tried Cpt. Hirams the next night. I think they have several options to choose from. Whatever one we did, it was on a covered outdoor deck right on the water. We loved it and it was much cheaper for us to eat there. Would I call it nice...NO, but i did not think it was nasty. And I am so freaky about nasty things, i am someone who will not use a public restroom.

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

we have always loved The Ocean Grill. The best part is the cheese spread you get with the bread and crackers.

It says a lot about a restaurant when the best part is the cheese spread. We thought the Ocean Grill was pretty bad. I don't think the menu or dining room have been updated since the 60's. We won't be going back. And that musty smell in the air? It was like I was being hugged by a really, really old aunt. That's not a good thing.

Capt. Hiram's is another "been there, won't be going back" place. It's the epitome of a tourist trap. Great views, overprice menu, mediocre (at best) food and service.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

It says a lot about a restaurant when the best part is the cheese spread. We thought the Ocean Grill was pretty bad. I don't think the menu or dining room have been updated since the 60's. We won't be going back. And that musty smell in the air? It was like I was being hugged by a really, really old aunt. That's not a good thing.

Capt. Hiram's is another "been there, won't be going back" place. It's the epitome of a tourist trap. Great views, overprice menu, mediocre (at best) food and service.

Ahh.. You're kidding.. Update the Ocean Grill? That's what it's suppose to look like. That would be like walking into an antique store and saying they should modernize their furniture. And, not trying to be wise, but did filet & lobster tail go out of style this year?? How would you update that??
The musty smell?? It overhangs the ocean for Heaven's sake!!!

PS- My wife also absolutely loves the spread. I think it's a blue cheese spread.

MG

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

Ahh.. You're kidding.. Update the Ocean Grill? That's what it's suppose to look like.

I'm not kidding at all. If I want to see the attic scene of the Haunted mansion, I'll go to the Magic Kingdom.

And, not trying to be wise, but did filet & lobster tail go out of style this year??

About 15-20 years ago.

The musty smell?? It overhangs the ocean for Heaven's sake!!!

"Wet, mildewy basement" isn't a pleasant eating environment. It's a health hazard. If that, and a menu that hasn't changed since 1965, are your thing, great. We did it once and it sucked. Never again.