This restaurant which is often touted as a place for tourists is in fact, great for tourists because it has a fantastic view of Matanzas Bay and The Bridge of Lions. You can see seagulls, fish and even dolphins playing in the water below you. But it is also a fun place for locals when you need to get your fix of watching crazy seagulls and attempt to feed them without getting your fingers bitten off! Kids will love it, too, as this place is more than food, it is also entertainment.
We had a great experience at The Santa Maria when my Dad and Stepmom were visiting a few weeks ago. We were going to take them to the A1A Alehouse, so they could get a nice view of the water and city, grab a pint of beer and enjoy the food, but they were closed for renovations. So A1A missed out!By this time we were so starving we didn’t know what to do. The belly was taking over the mind, so we ended up at The Santa Maria. I am really glad we did because I am sure this is exactly the kind of place I would have overlooked since it is right on the water and I have a theory that a good view does not always equate to good food. But I was happy that The Santa Maria proved me wrong.
The service was great from the get go. It was prompt, friendly and not overbearing. To start we all ordered a pint of Black Dog on tap – The Santa Maria has a nice selection of beers on tap, once you get through the Buds and the Millers. We decided we could all use a quick nosh, so we ordered the smoked seafood dip and my dad got the Minorcan calm chowder. What is Minorcan clam chowder, you ask? Firstly it is a chowder unique to St. Augustine, FL. It is like a Manhattan chowder as it is tomato based, but it has a special ingredient, the datil pepper, also unique to the St. Augustine area. A datil pepper is hotter than a jalapeño, but not as spicy as a habanero or scotch bonnet as they are sometimes known. The Minorcans themselves, from the island of Minorca or Menorca, who were a group of mostly Spanish, but also some Italian and Greek who came to Florida in the mid 1700’s to become servants indentured to a Dr. Andrew Turnbull in New Symrna, who treated his servants as slaves. Some escaped to St. Augustine and under the protection of the governor of St. Augustine settled here and were the cornerstone of the population in St. Augustine where many of their descendants still live. Pretty cool history for a chowder, don’t you think?
That isn’t all the history The Santa Maria has to offer either. It was built back in 1763 as a landing for cargo ships. It became a restaurant in 1954 by Louis and Marguerite Connell and the restaurant is run by their son, today.
And what about the smoked seafood dip? It was really really good. I could make a meal of that, perhaps on a summer night, with a nice glass of pinot grigio. But that day, I enjoyed it with Black Dog, when it was freezing outside!
We were all in the mood for fish sandwiches. On the day we were there, our choice of fresh fish was either grouper or mahi and you could have the fish grilled, blackened or broiled. The sandwiches came with some really good fries and all the condiments. My dad even remarked that he would eat fish more often if it tasted as good as what was on his sandwich. That is saying a lot from someone who lives in Annapolis, MD.
While we were eating we were able to enjoy the entertainment of the seagulls. There were literally hundreds of them vying for a spot on the railings or the restaurant. This is because they know there are little trap doors that allow customers to throw bread to them through. I honestly have never seen seagulls that close before. Mainly because they run away from you when you see them on the beach. But we were all surprised how different they looked from one another. Some had speckles of either brown on gray, others were completely white except for a few gray feathers near their wings. Some had yellow beaks, while others, more orange. Sitting there having a meal, you began to recognize them and it was really quite fun! When someone took their turn to feed them, it was a frenzy! But nonetheless an experience to remember. Apparently in the summer there are just as many fish gathered around the pier where the restaurant literally sits. So I am going to have to go back to check that out too!
I would say whether you are a tourist or a local, go check out the Santa Maria! It is a lot of fun and the food is quite good.
135 Avenida Menendez
Saint Augustine, FL
904-829-6578
Subscribe in a reader
Seagulls can be very aggressive. When I lived in CA by the shore my friend and I would often joke that if we lay down long enough those birds would eat us too!
Sorry Jenn but Santa Maria is a tourist trap also no go on tripadvisor st augustine forum. You are so lucky that you had a great service but some visitors had bad experience there you are really lucky to had a nice service and good food at santa maria.
Mehmet
That is too funny J.Doe! You are only too right!
Well all I can do is speak from my own experiences, Mehmet. I find in the world of food critics, and just consumers in general, people generally only comment on their displeasure, people who are satisfied, usually aren’t moved to speak about their experiences - as it is taken for granted sometimes. I have seen this time and time again. Personally, I feel people should experience things for themselves and reserve their judgements until after.