10 Best Places To Eat In Tallahassee, Florida

places to eat in tallahassee
Melanie
Melanie 
Published
| 3 min read

When people think of Florida, they usually think Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Key West, and even Jacksonville. Tallahassee rarely gets any recognition, despite the fact that it is the state’s capital. However, this gem of a city has its own share of surprises, particularly in terms of its food scene. Take a look at this list to see some of the best places to eat in the city.

1. Kool Beanz Café

Indonesian curried lobster, clams n'shrimp, basil, cashews, vegetable stir-fry and shitakes served over brown rice. This is one of the mouth-watering dishes on tonight's menu!

Posted by Kool Beanz Cafe on Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Kool Beanz Café has been rated as the best restaurant in the city, and with good reason. Serving a Key West-style menu with a twist, it offers a fine dining experience at a reasonable price. Among the items in their menu are swordfish with basil-pistachio pesto and jerked sea scallops with mango-chili salsa. The restaurant, however, continuously provides new items on their menu, and even regularly remodels its decors by getting local artists to renew their wall décor, so there’s always something different to look forward to with each visit there.

Kool Beanz Cafe

Address: 921 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: Kool Beanz Cafe

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2. The Edison Restaurant

Upgrade 🙌🏽 your lunch. Check out our Summer Lunch Menu--it's something to write home about! 🤗 #ihearttally #tallahassee #foodie #food #nom #edison #cascades #summer

Posted by The Edison Restaurant on Thursday, 17 August 2017

The Edison Restaurant serves the best of what the state can offer. All dishes are made from fresh products from Florida to produce delicious international cuisine. Guests can pair their meal with wine, as the restaurant offers a wine list populated by drinks from around the world.

Aside from the yummy food, the ambience – its building used to serve as a power plant back in the 1920s – and views of the Cascades Park are worth the visit.

The Edison Restaurant

Address: 470 Suwannee Street, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: The Edison Restaurant

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3. El Jalisco

Chili with garnishes and tortilla chips
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user jeffreyw used under CC BY 2.0

El Jalisco is known for its large servings of Tex-Mex food. This is a family-friendly restaurant, although those who want to get some alcohol can avail the Happy Hour promo of two margaritas for the price of one. Food is always served fresh at El Jalisco. If you’re lucky, you can even catch a live band playing in one of its restaurants during your visit.

El Jalisco (Kerry Forest)

Address: 2915 Kerry Forest Parkway, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: El Jalisco

El Jalisco (N Monroe St.)

Address: 2022 N Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: El Jalisco

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4. Madison Social

MadSo Burger delivered to you? True, but also don't sleep on BLT Dip and every other menu item:) Delivery is a click away: https://pennydelivers.com/restaurants/Madison%20Social/Tallahassee/

Posted by Madison Social on Thursday, 2 July 2015

Madison Social, affectionately called MadSo by customers, is a favorite haunt of FSU students. The restaurant believes in the concept that food is a social experience, which is why many of its offered dishes are big enough for sharing. It offers special food items for brunch during weekends to draw in customers. The restaurant has a bar for those who want to spend some time relaxing with a few drinks.

Madison Social

Address: 705 South Woodward Avenue Ste 101, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: Madison Social

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5. Au Peche Mignon French Pastry Shop

Order freshly-baked croissants at Au Peche Mignon French Pastry Shop
Source: Pixabay

Au Peche Mignon French Pastry Shop is an authentic French patisserie that serves a wide variety of delicious pastries, quiches, pies, chocolates, and various types of breads. Their coffee is a must-try with their croissant or bread.

Au Peche Mignon French Pastry Shop

Address: 1415 Timberlane Road Suite 109 Tallahassee, Florida

Website: Au Peche Mignon French Pastry Shop

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6. Masa

What's your favorite sushi roll from masa? Tell us in the comments below! 👌🏻

Posted by Masa Tallahassee on Thursday, 23 February 2017

Masa is an award-winning Asian fusion restaurant in Tallahassee. Specialties include their variety of rolls, the pad thai, sashimi, and the curried duck breast. Vegetarians will be pleased to know that there are options friendly to their diet. Sushi is made as you order, so you can actually customize your own according to taste.

Masa

Address: 1001 N Monroe Steet, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: Masa

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7. Canopy Road Cafe

So many pancakes, so little time...

Posted by Canopy Road Cafe on Thursday, 24 August 2017

Canopy Road Cafe is a local favorite to get their breakfast and brunch from. It recalls the traditional American diner with its homey look and feel, as well as its large portions of American food. The best time to visit Canopy Road Cafe is arguably in the morning, when it serves delicious breakfast and brunch items, including its unique pancake options.

Canopy Road Cafe

Address: 2202 Capital Circle, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: Canopy Road Cafe

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8. Shell Oyster Bar

Pacific oysters
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Guido used under CC BY-SA 2.0

At first glance, Shell Oyster Bar doesn’t seem to inspire confidence, with its street sign remaining intact with the help of a few strips of tape. Even so, this place, a family-run establishment, is one of Tallahassee’s best kept secrets. As the name suggests, the house specialty is its fresh oysters. However, it also offers a variety of seafood on its menu. Order a side of hush puppies with your main dish.

This restaurant is a favorite among locals, so this is the place to go to if you want to know more about the city and what destinations that are off the beaten path are worth exploring. Do note that only cash is accepted in Shell Oyster Bar.

Shell Oyster Bar

Address: 114 Oakland Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida

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9. Cypress Restaurant

In the mood for a delicious steak? Come in and feast on our Sugar Cane Mopped Rib Eye on top of a house made steak...

Posted by Cypress Restaurant on Thursday, 8 September 2016

Food in Cypress Restaurant are quite a bit pricier compared to the other choices on this list, but many would argue that the price is worth it considering what you get in return. The restaurant only uses the freshest ingredients to make signature dishes such as the Sugar Cane Mopped Beef Ribeye and Macadamia Crusted Red Grouper with Sweet Potato Andouille. A live jazz band plays at Cypress Restaurant every Sunday.

Cypress Restaurant

Address: 320 E Tennessee Street, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: Cypress Restaurant

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10. Lofty Pursuits

The Babel Fish Sundae! For the 25th, all day, get 20% off if you bring a towel and you know where your towel is. At...

Posted by Lofty Pursuits on Saturday, 24 May 2014

Lofty Pursuits has built a reputation over the years as the favorite dessert place in Tallahassee. With its wide variety of ice creams, milk shakes, sundaes, hard candies, and other sweet treats offered to customers, this is the place to be for those who want to satisfy their sweet tooth. Vegans will appreciate the fact that there are vegan-friendly options in their menu.

Lofty Pursuits

Address: 1415 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, Florida

Website: Lofty Pursuits

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Tallahassee: different flavors for different palates

Tallahassee is home to a wide variety of restaurants that cater to just about every palate, whether you’re a fan of Asian cuisine or if American food is more to your liking, or whether you are a fan of seafood or dessert. Indulge your palate by paying a visit to Florida’s capital.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Melanie is a freelance travel writer. She considers freelancing for Trip 101 to be a combination of two of the things she loves: writing and traveling. She has gone sightseeing with family,...Read more

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