Best Brevard County Restaurants by City

Ask five people on the Space Coast for the best restaurant in Brevard County and you'll get five different answers, because the county is really a string of small towns strung along the river and the beach, and each one has its own favorite table. This is a city-by-city guide to real, currently open spots worth the drive, whether you're in downtown Melbourne or standing on the pier in Cocoa Beach wondering where to eat tonight. We've organized it by area so you can find something close to wherever you actually are, from the mainland river towns to the barrier island to the port.

Melbourne and Melbourne Beach

Melbourne has grown into the county's biggest dining scene, with downtown filling in year after year, and Melbourne Beach keeps a few old-guard institutions that are worth crossing the causeway for.

Djon's Steak & Lobster House has been a special-occasion destination on the Space Coast for decades, with oceanfront views in Melbourne Beach and a piano bar that runs live entertainment nightly. People book it for anniversaries and milestone birthdays, and the menu is built around Certified Angus Beef steaks and fresh lobster.

Meg O'Malley's anchors downtown Melbourne as an honest-to-goodness Irish pub, known locally for its corned beef Cuban sandwich, a deep list of Guinness and Jameson, and a Sunday jazz brunch that draws a crowd. It's also where a lot of Melbourne watches the World Cup and the Super Bowl.

Bonefish Willy's Riverfront Grille sits on the water in Melbourne, a casual, laid-back spot for the kind of meal you eat with a view of the Indian River instead of a white tablecloth.

Cafe Coconut Cove has been quietly serving European-influenced dinners on the Indian River Lagoon in Melbourne Beach since 1987. It leans German and continental rather than coastal Florida, which makes it a nice change of pace if you've had your fill of seafood shacks.

Palm Bay

Palm Bay doesn't get the tourist attention that the beach towns do, but locals eat well here.

The Shack Riverfront Restaurant & Tiki Bar puts you right on the Indian River Lagoon with outdoor seating and a tiki bar, and it draws a loyal weekend crowd for exactly that reason.

Long Doggers started right here on the Space Coast and has since spread to several Brevard cities, but Palm Bay is one of its homes. It's a dog-friendly, no-fuss grill built around wings, burgers, mahi, and cold beer, and it's earned its local following honestly.

Bizzarro Pizza covers the Italian side of things with hand-tossed, New York-style pies and a full Italian menu. Regulars here mostly order without looking at the menu.

Rooney's Cafe & Bar has been a Palm Bay landmark for nearly 40 years now, which in a county where restaurants come and go is its own kind of achievement. It's a bar and grill in the old sense, unfussy and reliably good.

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach has more good food packed along a short stretch of A1A than its size would suggest.

The Fat Snook is the destination table here, an upscale casual seafood restaurant that's been open for 17 years with a Caribbean-leaning menu, think jerk-rubbed fish and inventive oyster preparations, paired with a wine list built to match. Reservations are a good idea.

Simply Delicious Cafe & Bakery is the answer for breakfast and lunch, a bakery-cafe that locals and vacationing families both swear by before a beach day.

The Omelet Station has been the other long-running breakfast spot in Cocoa Beach, a straightforward diner-style place for the classic egg-and-coffee morning before you hit the sand.

Cocoa and Cocoa Village

Cocoa Village, with its brick sidewalks and old Florida storefronts, is one of the most walkable dining pockets in the county.

Cafe Margaux has been the special-occasion French restaurant in Cocoa Village for roughly three decades, tucked into a historic building on Brevard Avenue. It's the spot people mean when they say they're going somewhere nice for their anniversary.

Ossorio Bakery & Cafe is the village's bakery and cafe, worth planning a whole morning around, with pastries and a menu built for lingering over coffee.

Murdock's Bistro & Char Bar brings a Southern bistro menu and a char bar concept to the village, a newer addition that's carved out its own following among Cocoa regulars. It sits right in among the antique shops and boutiques that make Cocoa Village worth a whole afternoon, not just a meal.

Rockledge and Viera

Rockledge and Viera sit just north and inland of Cocoa, and between them they cover waterfront dining and neighborhood standbys.

River Rocks is the big waterfront draw in Rockledge, a seafood-forward restaurant with a sprawling deck and open views of the Indian River Lagoon. Time it for sunset if you can.

Ashley's of Rockledge is a family-owned fixture with a long history in town, known for its dual bars, daily specials, and comfortable American bar food that keeps people coming back for years.

Slow & Low BBQ has a location in Viera serving the low-and-slow barbecue the name promises, a reliable choice when you want smoked meat over anything else. It's a good option if you're out near the ballpark or the shops and don't want a sit-down production.

Titusville

Titusville, closest to Kennedy Space Center, has a dining scene that mixes old Space Coast institutions with newer spots along the water.

Dixie Crossroads Seafood has been a Titusville landmark since 1983 and is still one of the most recognized restaurant names on the entire Space Coast, famous for its Florida rock shrimp. If you only try one restaurant from this whole list, longtime locals will point you here.

Playalinda Brewing Company pairs its own craft beer with a food menu that covers everything from brunch to full dinners, and it's become a gathering spot for the Titusville crowd.

El Leoncito is the go-to for Mexican and Cuban food in town, a favorite for anyone craving something other than seafood.

Pier 220 sits on the water with live entertainment and a dog-friendly patio, a solid pick when you want a view of the Indian River with your dinner.

Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, and Indialantic

This stretch of barrier island south of Cocoa Beach has a tight cluster of local favorites, most of them a short walk from the sand.

Pappagallos in Satellite Beach handles the Italian and pizza cravings, with a waterfront patio that makes it more than just a pizza joint.

Charlie & Jake's BBQ in Indian Harbour Beach is the barbecue stop for this part of the county, straightforward American smoked food without pretense.

Green Turtle Market sits near the Indialantic and Indian Harbour Beach line and works as both a gourmet market and a cafe, good for a prepared sandwich, a bottle of wine, or picking up dinner to take back to a beach rental.

Morning Glory Eatery in Satellite Beach is the breakfast and brunch spot, with a patio close enough to the water that you can hear it while you wait for your coffee.

Merritt Island

Merritt Island sits between the mainland and the beaches, and its restaurants lean heavily toward the water.

Dolphins Waterfront Bar & Grill has an outdoor patio and live music right on the water, a classic Merritt Island hangout.

Marker 24 Grille is another waterfront seafood spot with live music and lagoon views, popular for the same reason Dolphins is: you're eating with the water right there.

Pacific Rim breaks from the seafood-shack pattern with sushi and Asian-influenced seafood, a good option when you want something different from the tiki-bar norm.

Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral and the Port Canaveral waterfront are where cruise ship passengers and locals both end up eating, and the restaurants here know how to do a view.

Photo by TerryDOtt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Grills Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar looks straight out at the cruise ships and the port, an open-air seafood spot with a tiki bar that's been a Cape institution for years.

Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill sits right on the water in Port Canaveral, another go-to for watching the ships come and go over a plate of seafood.

Rusty's Seafood and Oyster Bar rounds things out with an outdoor patio and a straightforward seafood and oyster menu, waterfront like almost everything else in the Cape.

Rising Tide Tap & Table gives the area a slightly different option, a waterfront spot built around its tap list as much as its kitchen, good for something more casual than a full seafood dinner.

Finding your own favorite

That's a lot of ground to cover, from the Cape's port-side decks to Titusville's rock shrimp to a French bistro tucked into Cocoa Village. The truth is you don't have to pick just one. Brevard County is small enough that you can work your way down the coast one meal at a time and still be home before dark. Some of these places you'll want to dress up for. Others you'll walk in from the beach in bare feet and nobody will blink. Start wherever you happen to be standing, and let the next trip take you to the next city on the list.