Restaurants in South Daytona

At Ivy Lane Bistro, chefs blend international recipes into a uniquely American menu. At breakfast, they design daily quiches, crust french toast with Frosted Flakes, scoop mascarpone into crepes, and customize eggs benedicts to order. At lunch and dinner, they draw from European and Asian culinary styles to layer flatbreads with duck and hoisin sauce, hand cut 8-ounce fillets, and roll up lasagna noodles with prosciutto and ricotta. The aromas of their simmering and baking fill the café-like space, bouncing off the chalkboards on the bright-red walls and wafting out to greet guests dining alfresco on the historic brick-paved sidewalks. These aromas join the complex bouquets of wines from North and South America, Europe, and New Zealand and mingle with music during evenings with local musicians, Sunday jazz brunches, and Whistle-to-Yourself Wednesdays.

Though Clubhouse Restaurant’s wall-size windows look out on the rolling greens and fairways of Daytona Beach Golf Club, the steady stream of regulars often have a difficult time prying their eyes away from the plates in front of them. Locally renowned for its juicy steaks and handmade, all-beef burgers, Glen Leizear’s restaurant has become a community staple since he moved to Daytona Beach from Maryland more than a decade ago. The key to his success, as he once told the Daytona Beach News-Journal only begins with the food—he works more than 100 hours a week to ensure that prices stay reasonable and his customers feel welcome, whether stopping in for full meals or friendly games of cards. Though the restaurant’s familial atmosphere encourages guests to drop their guard and relax, Glen keeps things interesting by routinely hosting catered banquets, old-fashioned cookouts on holidays, and indoor driving-range practice.

In 170 feet of water, running from the east coast of Fort Pierce, Florida, to the Carolinas, lies a reef populated by game fish, dubbed 27 Fathoms by local fishermen. Chefs in the kitchens of 27 Fathoms, named for the reef, cook locally caught wild fish and seafood such as the pan-roasted diver scallops with smoked gouda and crushed macadamia nuts. For the culinary prowess they display in doing so, they have earned a 2012 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor. Their sushi menu includes signature rolls such as the ultimate maine lobster—a tempura whole lobster with smoked bacon, avocado, and baked seafood volcano sauce. In addition to seafood, the staff pan roasts venison tenderloin and blackens elk steak by hiding it in a darkroom. They also add their own spin to chicken and waffles with sweet-potato-infused waffles, brussels sprouts, and peppercorn mélange syrup.

Gentle breezes ripple through the palm leaves on the outdoor patio, where glasses of fine wines and craft beers clink along with the sounds of nature. Friday and Saturday nights feature late hours and live entertainment for diners seated indoors at the high-topped wood tables.

Ocean waves swirl steps from The Beach Bucket's umbrella-littered patio, where white tables groan beneath fried-shrimp baskets and plates of burgers, sandwiches, and salads. Blenders churn frozen libations to the pulse of weekly live music performances, and mixologists also stir sea-inspired drinks such as shipwreck, bay breeze, and water on the rocks. Personable staff and a selection of 28 bottled beers leave sippers grinning as broadly as the exultant shark on The Beach Bucket's souvenir T-shirts.

Before heading into his kitchen, chef and owner of Frappes North Bobby Frappier makes a detour at the restaurant’s organic herb and tomato garden, harvesting ingredients for the day’s menu. The armful of herbs and tomatoes make cameos in that evening’s sauces, such as dill compound and thyme jus, as well as in the bottled pasta sauce sold at the restaurant.

In addition to its fresh cuisine, Frappes North has earned nods for its ambiance, which the New York Times calls “sophisticated [and] hip.” Wine tastings, held on the first Tuesday of every month, bring oenophiles and the oeno-curious together for a sample of delightful vintages, paired with appetizers. Sunlight spills across the exposed dark wood beams that support the canted ceiling and tiled flooring that supports the live acoustic music on Friday nights.

Built in the late 1800s as the Manor House, a luxury hotel catering to well-off vacationers from New England, Rose Villa evokes decades of history by serving gourmet fare in fully restored surroundings. Each room of the manor has its own visual theme, from the burnt-sienna polka dots papering the original parlor to the wooden cabinets and extremely large sticks decorating the Teddy Roosevelt bar. The menu of French-inspired cuisine proves as vibrant as the setting, with the bright-red shell of a lobster tail contrasting with the dark grill marks atop a filet mignon.

Post meal, patrons can venture inside the absinthe bar, where light streams through stained glass as a barkeep pours four brands of absinthe, another nod to the building's past according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Dishes and drinks are also served outside beneath an oversize gazebo surrounded by lush greenery.