Lovely restaurant occupies the deep end of the casino swimming pool which was constructed in 1889 by Henry Flagler. The staff is very professional and the food is a good value for the money. You feel like you are in the middle of the actual period time, with the classical music in the background. All around you are quaint little shops so that you may browse and walk off your meal once done. There is a museum on the 2nd floor to explore also. read more

See all

Beautiful atmosphere. Live music-piano player. Wonderful wait staff. Great food and drinks. Doesn't get much better.

We truly enjoyed our lunch at this wonderful restaurant. So much history and ambiance. The service could have been better. The food was delicious especially the Flourless Chocolate Torte. Will be returning when in St Augustine. read more

Cafe Alcazar - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

See all

My wife and I can't imagine a finer restaurant, anywhere. Incredible setting, excellent menu, large portions, very reasonable prices, wonderful pianist, it just goes on and on. Our wait person, Dan, was excellent, and all the staff were very professional that we crossed forks with. We've been to atleast ten other restaurants in St. A and none compare. My wife continues to order the turkey and cranberry sandwich; I love their grilled salmon and the hummus was superb. Never wrote a review like this, and I have eaten around the world. read more

Can't beat the view from the first table next to the live guitarist who delivered a soothing Cubs theme after seeing my son's U of I shirt. The decor is absolutely spectacular and service 5 stars. The food is ok but the water was filtered with a slice of lemon . N'uff said. Fav * Pizza portion was great for my daughters to share along with a decent size Caesar salad. Grouper special with rice and asparagus was a bit disappointing given it is sea side town. Artichokes and grilled salmon over linguini dishes were probably the least flavorful, my sons wished they were at least like Olive garden's ... ouch. * Panini with grilled veggies was probably the only saving grace. We opted to skip dessert here. Headed to Fudge Bucket instead for peach ice cream! read more

Nice, quaint, and historic atmosphere. Sandwiches are fresh and good portions -actually shareable. 4 stars b/c a bit pricey ($13-17) for sandwiches, but a definite must try. Also, there is easy listening live music. read more

Best meal in Florida. The location perfect, historic and cool. Great live music. Food delicious. Fresh, well prepared. We had the capris salad, asparagas soup and I had the mahi mahi which was served with three vegetables and yellow rice. So good. My daughter had the curry chicken sandwich, huge and delicious and my husband the Cuban and my son the Italian Panini all so good. If you have inky one meal.in St. Augustine, make it here read more

WOW! Spectacular, one of a kind venue. It's worth it just to see the place. But you're in for a surprise. The food is delicious and plentiful and the service is lovely. You will not go away hungry. You will be pleasantly surprised at how attentive, yet non intrusive the service staff is. Walk around the mezzanine levels while you wait for your food to be brought to you. A really unique dining experience is a truly unique city. read more

This is the best place for lunch in st. Augustine. The ambiance, food, and friendly waitstaff is extraordinary! I live in Boston now and this place is a must visit every time I come back! read more

very very good- excellent service great food taste atmosphere and presentation also live piano that was pleasant read more

Cafe Alcazar - Gravlax salad with capers - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

This restaurant came highly recommended when we were in the area. It was so well recommended that I made a reservation five days in advance...which was a great idea. The reservation allowed us to be seated immediately where most people had an upwards of a two hour wait to get in this place. This place once was the largest indoor swimming pool. It may have been psychosomatic, but I could still smell chlorine, lol. I ordered the shrimp scampi and my boyfriend had the salmon so we could share and try each other's dishes. The shrimp scampi was very good, though I was not a fan of them leaving the shell on the tail of the shrimp. As good as the scampi was, I fell in love with the salmon. It was moist and flaky and perfectly seasoned. The capers gave it a nice tart bite while the sauce have it a mellow smoothness. Both additions were simply compliments to an already amazing piece of fish. I'm ashamed to say I ate more of my boyfriend's salmon than he did. I barely touched the scampi. The service wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. The only reason I'm giving four stars instead of five is because the tea was a bit bland and the service could've been friendlier. But I'll walk back tomorrow for a piece of that amazing salmon, lol. read more

See all

What a neat place to have lunch! Live piano music... We reserved a table ahead of time as it does get crowded cuz not too many tables. Service was good...food tasted nice. Really enjoyed the ambiance. Fascinated that it used to be the biggest indoor pool. read more

Once again, the Yelp app steers us in the right direction with this hidden gem. Located inside the museum in the back in the room where the largest indoor swimming pool was back in the early 1900's. Very cool atmosphere and very delicious food! Would love to go back again. I had the curried chicken salad and it was YUM!! read more

My wife chose this lunch location while exploring town. The cafe is in, what once was, the deep end of the pool of the Alcazar Hotel. We both had the Soup & 1/2 sandwich. She had the Corn Chowder with the Curried Chicken Salad sandwich and I had the Corn Chowder with a Turkey, Cranberry, and Apple sandwich. Both sandwiches were great, but the Chowder could have used a little less salt. Overall, not a bad lunch. read more

Cafe Alcazar - Corn Chowder with 1/2 Turkey, Cranberry, and Apple sandwich. - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

So cool to be eating lunch in the deep end of a swimming pool! Lunch was delicious. We had the ham and cheese panini and classic club. Both were excellent! The coleslaw was a bit peppery for me but the side salad was good with honey mustard. A nice piano player have it an extra special touch! read more

Cafe Alcazar - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

A most pleasant eating experience. Food was excellent. I had the Shrimp Giovanni. I loved the garlic! Dessert was flourless chocolate cake with raspberry. Live music -- soft Beatles on guitar. Excellent service. I'll be back! I just hope they eventually open for dinners. read more

My husband and I went here for lunch on 3/27. The cafe is located in the old pool room of the former hotel (now Lightner Museum). It is a beautiful location, and perfect for lunch after exploring the museum. He ordered a roast beef Panini and I had shrimp Giovanni. These meals were honestly the best of our whole vacation in St. Augustine! The flavors were amazing and the price was good. Our waitress was attentive and sweet. We would recommend this place to anyone! read more

Lovely lunch in an elegant setting. Food was very good, especially oatmeal pie. Our server, Natalie, couldn't have been more helpful in advising us based on dietary restrictions. Somewhat costly, but seemed fair for food quality and total dining experience. read more

Unique charm to this place great spot to check out while in St Augustine enjoy the great food and service, while listening to the live Piano playing and lets not forget dessert the best Tres Leches ever literally! Enjoy! read more

Lovely little spot for lunch. Tucked away from the tourist cafes/bars its a great place to cool off and relax while eating scrumptious food.

Personally I thought the food was good not great but my party enjoyed theirs and the ambiance is incredible (live background music, inside a museum/palace), so I'll bump it up to four stars. The blackened shrimp was nicely seasoned and my group liked the curried chicken. read more

The artichoke Giovanni was excellent! The portions are large too. The Greek salad was big enough for two. An interesting place for lunch.

Our first meal out with parents after our wedding and it was great. This is inside what was an old pool and it's really neat. A little hard to find since most would park on the opposite side. The food was really good. All 8 people enjoyed and finished their meals. Servers were dressed nicely. Prices were reasonable as well. We would go back! read more

Awesome experience. Great food. Very reasonable price. Definite return visit planned,

The history of this place makes it very intriguing. We stopped in for a small plate and a glass of wine - would love to go back again.

A beautiful, quaint venue located in the "swimming pool" of the old alcazar hotel, now Lightner museum. Service was slow but the food was good. We enjoyed conversing over lunch while a live pianist played in the background. Great place to take our parents visiting for the weekend and will come back again. read more

what a cool experience! i'm glad that i do my research before i visit a new place, or else i would have had no idea it existed. it really defines "hidden gem" - i mean, does it get cooler than eating in an old swimming pool? if you said yes, don't talk to me, because IT DOESN'T! the menu seems to have something for everyone, and they had a bunch of tasty-looking lunch specials on the day i ate here, including a roast pork dish with mashed potatoes, swiss chard, mushrooms and gorgonzola cheese that i ordered. there was so much food for a super-reasonable price! pro tip: make sure to make a trip to the bathroom upstairs so you can take a sweet photo of the restaurant below. :) read more

After touring the Lightner Museum, I was weary and wanted to sit down and relax before continuing my wandering. Arriving before the lunch crowd and not too hungry, I had tea and dessert which was oatmeal pie (new to me) served a la mode with colourful squiggles of syrups. Good enough but not to die for. The menu seems to be reasonably adventurous and fairly priced but I can't vouch for the quality. The place was packed by one o'clock. Service was good. Atmosphere is splendid and it's well worth a visit. My check was way under $20 all-in. read more

An interesting place to eat but this seems to cater mostly to the "ladies who lunch" crowd. My salad was pretty but hard to eat & not exceptionally good. My husbands french onion soup was very cheesy but salty & also not exceptional. I would rather have the focus of food be on taste rather than looks. read more

Cafe Alcazar - Pretty but not very good. Felt like I was eating a giant garnish - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

This is a hidden treasure in St. Augustine's Beach just south of the college. It is actually in one of Flagler's indoor swimming pool that was used in the early part of the 1900's. Once seated at our table near the piano player playing a good mix of old and new music, our server quickly come over to describe the daily specials and to get drink orders. The wine menu looked good although I ordered a bottle of Heinekens. I ordered an appetizer of escargots baked with cheese snd toasted breads. My entree was the Catch of the Day which happened to be Mahi Mahi. I wax a bit nervous of how they would book it as I have had this fish at another restaurant that was an unpleasant experience. This restaurant changed my mind on Mahi Mahi because the cooked it perfectly. The service was very personal and professional. I was super impressed on the immediate attention you received when needed for a new drink or to fill a glass of water. I recommend this place to anyone who may be trying to impress someone without emptying your wallet. It was reasonably priced and affordable for most people. read more

The hidden jewel in the crown, Cupid hit the mark on Valentines Day. My partner Carl and I went for the first time to Café Alcazar in the historic Alcazar Hotel (pool area) AKA the Lightener Museum. It was for lunch. But I must say if you want an elegant lunch. This is the place to be. Bravo to James the chief. He made use to start the Escargot and the Spinach and Artichoke Dip "with the biggest chunks of Artichoke I have ever seen in a dip". For entrée I had the Crepes with delicious strips of chicken in them. Carl had the Crab salad BLT. Again with the giant chucks "of crab this time". It was as if we had died and went to heaven. The portions were large and enough for another small meal. I would like to also comment on the attentiveness of our waiter Sean. I saw that he had many other tables, but Sean, he made Carl and I feel like we were his only table. The piano player was delightful and the atmosphere at the deep end of the pool was perfect. Thank you, Brian read more

The dining room setting being in the deep end of a 100 year old indoor pool was unique to say the least. The friendly and courteous staff served up delicious dishes in air conditioned comfort. The temperature being a very pleasant diversion from the summer heat. We were seated right away, and the food followed shortly thereafter. The homemade desserts were to die for, especially the Creme Brûlée! We will definitely revisit this historic landmark to savor their other dishes during our next visit to St. Augustine. read more

Hubby and I came here for lunch on a Tuesday. We were one of 5 tables at 12:30pm so service was quick and attentive. The building is beautiful. The dining room is where the largest indoor pool used to be. We didn't check out the Lightner Museum, but if you enjoy antique furniture/knick knacks, I hear it's worth a look. I had the french onion soup with half a turkey, avocado, bacon, spicy mayo, tomato, lettuce sandwich. Dee-lish! Hubby loved his crepe with spinach, feta, and shrimp served with seasoned rice. There was a guitar player to serenade us while we ate, which added the perfect background noise to go with the decor. Food was decent, but the ambiance made it absolutely wonderful. read more

Awesome place to have a meal. It's cool not only in stature but in temperature. A great place to cool off and enjoy decent food. We ordered a few specials of the day (turkey cranberry sandwich and pizza with tomatoes, black olives and feta). The sandwich was awesome and the pizza was good ( a bit soggy but not overly so). The third meal was the turkey and avocado sandwich which was good too. The service is great and the ambiance is classy. read more

Came here on Valentine day weekend. Nice little spot to have lunch, off the regular beaten path. There was live piano music. The food was pretty good. We both had the French onion soup, I had the turkey bacon avocado sandwich and my husband had the curry chicken sandwich. Loved the history of the place. read more

Extremely friendly staff and wonderful salmon with linguini.

What a unique lunch experience! The café is set in what once was a large 15 ft deep swimming pool in the Alcazar Hotel, built in the late 1800s by Flagler.The hotel is now the Lightner Museum. The room is very elegant - set with white table cloths, and a guitarist played mello tunes while we dined. Service was excellent, and the red snapper on the sandwich was thick, flavorful, and juicy. It was accompanied by coleslaw. Highly recommend the café! read more

My wife and I had the paninis which were really yummy. It came with coleslaw, which I'm not a big fan of but my wife who does like it said it was only ok. Definitely was not worth $11.50 a sandwich. read more

The food was delicious. The ambience was relaxed and historical. Good service. The double espresso had ample crema but was a bit weak somehow (and didn't arrive in a demitasse. Piano accompaniment was perfect - a talented musician playing an eclectic mix on an old Chickerring. read more

This is one of the few times yelp has steered me wrong. The building is very unique as you dine at the bottom of what used to be a large indoor pool in the old hotel. My first thought when I walked in was "wow this is really cool." My second thought was "huh, why are there only a handful of tables set up?" Well, that should have been the clue. Food wasn't good. I had a roast beef panini. The beef was almost unedible. It was so hard and seemed like it had been sitting in the back of the fridge for waaaaay to long. If you want to walmart and bought the cheapest sliced beef they had it would be better than what I got. It's kind of cool that they have a pianist playing. Overall the setup was pretty high-end, it's just unfortunate the food doesn't match. So if you want to check out the cool hotel you can show up and there are some shops there you can see without having to eat here. read more