Daytona Recommendations, Please? (is the travel board gone?)

I must be losing my mind because I am 99% sure we used to have a sub forum here for travel posts where people could ask about restaurants, wineries, etc. for a specific destination. I’m logged in and looked twice and no longer see it available. It was here, right? Maybe I am just crazy.

Anyway, I will be in Daytona Beach for a week and am looking for some restaurant recommendations. Any cuisine is fine but we would probably put a priority on seafood because that is what Florida is known for from a culinary perspective. If good Cuban food is available that far north we would definitely want to try that as well. Price is not an issue and the places can be holes-in-the-wall or fancy as long as the food is good. We will have a car and do not mind driving to surrounding areas as well. Oh, and if there are any good wine stores in the area that would be nice to know.

Thanks!

[Jenise]

Dave, we discovered that regulars and even some staffers rarely looked at the Travel section so all the content got moved into other sections. All restaurant threads are now here in FLDG, and all the Wine travel reports went to the wine section.

I must be losing my mind because I am 99% sure we used to have a sub forum here for travel posts where people could ask about restaurants, wineries, etc. for a specific destination. I’m logged in and looked twice and no longer see it available. It was here, right? Maybe I am just crazy.

Anyway, I will be in Daytona Beach for a week and am looking for some restaurant recommendations. Any cuisine is fine but we would probably put a priority on seafood because that is what Florida is known for from a culinary perspective. If good Cuban food is available that far north we would definitely want to try that as well. Price is not an issue and the places can be holes-in-the-wall or fancy as long as the food is good. We will have a car and do not mind driving to surrounding areas as well. Oh, and if there are any good wine stores in the area that would be nice to know.

Thanks!

Dave,
Daytona isn't much of a foodie destination; in fact, it's a bit of a desert. Cuban food? Not that I know of. Restaurants are mostly of the chain variety, too. How far are you willing to go afield for a good meal? Here are my favorite haunts in that area:

Ormond Beach
Ormond Wine Company - wine bar and store with food; nice selection of wines and good food, but small space
Houligan's - next door to Ormond Wine Co (and co-owned); typical sports bar with one exception: Wally wings, addictively good
Takeya - Teppanyaki and sushi bar, beautiful interior, so-so wine list, very fresh fish
La Crepe en Haut - Classic French cuisine, reasonably well prepared, decent wine list, pricey
Stonewood Grill - Chain restaurant with so-so food and best wine list in town
The Vin'Yard - specialty food store, deli and wine shop, nice selection of wines; owners Howard and Ida are into wine


Further Afield
Norwood's Seafood - a very nice casual seafood restaurant in New Smyrna Beach with an associated wine store; good wines
Hi Tides at Snack Jack - a quintessential beachside shack in Flagler Beach that serves pretty typical fare (burgers, etc.) with good fish and a lovely view of the sea from the deck -- a fun lunch spot if you're up that way

Daytona proper is pretty much a wasteland to me (been visiting my inlaws there for 20+ years) but there might be some gems amidst the dreck.

Have fun!
Mark Lipton

I second Norwood's, although I haven't been there in nearly 20 years. I suspect the menu has change since then. They used to have the most delicious Conch Chowder.

Dave,
Daytona isn't much of a foodie destination; in fact, it's a bit of a desert. Cuban food? Not that I know of. Restaurants are mostly of the chain variety, too. How far are you willing to go afield for a good meal? Here are my favorite haunts in that area:

Ormond Beach
Ormond Wine Company - wine bar and store with food; nice selection of wines and good food, but small space
Houligan's - next door to Ormond Wine Co (and co-owned); typical sports bar with one exception: Wally wings, addictively good
Takeya - Teppanyaki and sushi bar, beautiful interior, so-so wine list, very fresh fish
La Crepe en Haut - Classic French cuisine, reasonably well prepared, decent wine list, pricey
Stonewood Grill - Chain restaurant with so-so food and best wine list in town
The Vin'Yard - specialty food store, deli and wine shop, nice selection of wines; owners Howard and Ida are into wine


Further Afield
Norwood's Seafood - a very nice casual seafood restaurant in New Smyrna Beach with an associated wine store; good wines
Hi Tides at Snack Jack - a quintessential beachside shack in Flagler Beach that serves pretty typical fare (burgers, etc.) with good fish and a lovely view of the sea from the deck -- a fun lunch spot if you're up that way

Daytona proper is pretty much a wasteland to me (been visiting my inlaws there for 20+ years) but there might be some gems amidst the dreck.

Have fun!
Mark Lipton

Hi Mark,

Thanks for all of the information. That really helps. We have no illusion of Daytona being a food destination and actually kind of picture it as a town full of Daytona 500/NASCAR themed restaurants. Glad to hear there are perhaps some better options.

I asked some colleagues of mine about Daytona and only one of them had been there and referenced a vague recollection of a place called “The Cellar” which he seemed to recall was a decent Italian restaurant with an acceptable wine list. Quite frankly, I would trust your opinion over his. Have you ever heard of it or dined there?


Dave

I second Norwood's, although I haven't been there in nearly 20 years. I suspect the menu has change since then. They used to have the most delicious Conch Chowder.

Thanks, Linda. Conch Chowder works for me and it is hopefully still on the menu.

Thanks for all of the information. That really helps. We have no illusion of Daytona being a food destination and actually kind of picture it as a town full of Daytona 500/NASCAR themed restaurants. Glad to hear there are perhaps some better options.

I asked some colleagues of mine about Daytona and only one of them had been there and referenced a vague recollection of a place called “The Cellar” which he seemed to recall was a decent Italian restaurant with an acceptable wine list. Quite frankly, I would trust your opinion over his. Have you ever heard of it or dined there?

I've never heard of it, Dave, but its online reviews look quite favorable. My wife Jean also reminds me that La Crepe en Haut excelled with its seafood specials which were quite inventive and well prepared, so my initial comments do it a bit of an injustice. It's not a large place, though.

Have fun!
Mark Lipton