Where Locals Eat in Vero Beach

We are not going to tell you about the fine dining. We are going to tell you where the locals actually eat, which is a different list, and a better one.

The Beach Side

Start at the ocean, because that is where this town starts. Ocean Grill sits at 1050 Beachland Blvd, a few hundred yards from the water, and it has 3,543 reviews and a 4.5 rating. That is a lot of people agreeing on something. It is a seafood house, and it is the kind of place where the room fills up before the sun goes down. Walk in off the sand, or don’t. The data says they are doing something right.

Across the street, Mulligan's Beach House at 1025 Beachland Blvd pulls a 4.0 from 6,330 reviews. That is the highest review count on our list. Numbers like that do not lie about volume. It is a restaurant, not a shack, and it is busy. When a place has been reviewed over six thousand times, it has become a part of the town’s routine.

Farther down the barrier island, Waldo's Restaurant at 3150 Ocean Dr holds a 4.3 from 2,953 reviews. Ocean Drive is the quiet, moneyed stretch. The median home value in this town is $392,500, and the median age is 52.6. Waldo’s fits that demographic the way a glove fits a hand. It is not flashy. It is reliable.

The Inland Regulars

The chains are not the enemy. In a town of 16,785 people, the chains are sometimes the only place open on a Tuesday. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store at 9380 19th Ln is rated 4.3 from 5,083 reviews. That is a strong score for a national brand, and it tells you the locals have adopted it. Same story at Outback Steakhouse at 6040 Elon Ln, 4.3 from 4,844 reviews. These are not destination spots. They are anchor points.

Chick-fil-A at 6020 Elon Ln is the highest-rated restaurant on our list at 4.6, with 3,272 reviews. You know what you get there. So do the locals. IHOP at 8800 20th St manages a 4.2 from 2,443 reviews, which is respectable for a pancake house. Steak 'n Shake at 1940 94th Ct drops to 3.6 from 2,893 reviews. We will not defend the milkshakes, but we will note that the drive-thru line still moves.

Sonny's BBQ at 5001 20th St is rated 4.2 from 2,504 reviews. That is a Florida chain, born in Gainesville, and it has been smoking pork in this state long enough to feel local. Olive Garden Italian Restaurant at 5995 20th St holds a 4.4 from 2,433 reviews, which is better than most Olive Gardens deserve. The locals here are generous, or the breadsticks are.

The Real Locals

If you want the actual pulse, go to Spiro’s Taverna of Vero Beach at 1555 US-1. It is rated 4.7 from 2,437 reviews, the highest rating on this list. It is a restaurant, not a chain, and it sits on the highway that runs through the county. That rating is not an accident. That is word of mouth, accumulated one table at a time.

TooJay’s Deli • Bakery • Restaurant at 555 21st St is rated 4.4 from 2,992 reviews. It is a Florida chain with New York roots, and in a town where 38.6 percent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree, a proper deli matters. The median income here is $67,351. The rent is $1,197. People have a little room for a pastrami sandwich.

Riverside Cafe at 3341 Bridge Plaza Dr is rated 4.3 from 3,040 reviews. It sits just off the bridge to the barrier island, which means it catches both sides of town. That is the definition of local. Crab Stop of Vero Beach - Seafood Restaurant at 89 Royal Palm Pointe is rated 4.4 from 2,238 reviews. Royal Palm Pointe is the waterfront neighborhood, and a seafood place there earns its keep.

The Context

Vero Beach was chartered on 10 June 1919 with 71 residents. It became the seat of Indian River County on 19 May 1925, and someone renamed it Vero Beach. Where the name came from is anybody’s guess; there are theories but no consensus. The citrus industry gave the Indian River its brand, though greening disease has hurt it badly.

What remains is a town of 16,785 people with 10,173 housing units. A quarter of those homes are vacant. 1,762 are seasonal. This is a town that empties out in the summer and fills up in the winter. The unemployment rate is 2.9 percent, which is low, and the median age is 52.6, which is high.

The Dodgers left for Glendale in 2008. On 2 January 2019, the complex became the Jackie Robinson Training Complex under Major League Baseball. The name changed. The history did not.

Robinson trained here when Florida was segregated. He could not stay in the same hotels as his teammates. The ballpark was the only place he was welcome. That is not a footnote to this story. That is the story.

So when you sit down at the Ocean Grill or order at the Crab Stop, you are eating in a town that once hosted the most important integration in American sports. The food is fine. The history is heavier.