Explore the Culinary Scene in the New Smyrna Beach Area, Part I

The New Smyrna Beach Coastal Catch Restaurant Month celebrates the area’s seafood bonanza. With 18 restaurants offering unique chef collaborations, dishes created exclusively for the month, and, as always, bountiful local ingredients, you could dine like Neptune, king of the sea, nearly every day. Here is a taste of what to expect from some of the $39 and $59 prix fixe menus at participating restaurants.

Avanu on Flagler

The food and drink at this Polynesian-inspired eatery always draws crowds, but their special menus for Coastal Catch are sure to please. Select from Volcano Shrimp, Smoked Fish Dip, or a dozen oysters as an appetizer. For the entrée, depending on which menu you choose, you could have a deliciously healthy Poke Stack, or go all out with Sticky Short Ribs, among other choices. And to top it off, you get a choice of two delicious desserts!  

Café Verde

Put a worldly spin on seafood at Café Verde’s “Food Without Borders.” From one prix fixe menu for $39, choose some freshly made guacamole and chips, shrimp or mahi ceviche, or one of a trio of soups to start with. Then, decide if you’re in the mood for a veggie Thai coconut curry, sesame-crusted ahi tuna with ginger and soy, or a lemon turmeric grilled mahi or salmon. Go light for dessert with raspberry or mango sorbet, or treat yourself to a chocolate flan or banana empanada with ice cream. 

Ciao Bella

Ciao Bella’s $39 fixed menu will transport you straight to the heart of Italy. Choose from Parmigiana di Melanzane, Caprese salad, or Meatballs in Fire, with its creamy yet spicy Gorgonzola sauce, as your appetizer. Entrées include seafood—Grouper Livornese, with a light tomato sauce featuring olives and capers, or Shrimp Scampi—or a hearty Pork Ossobuco. Make sure you save room for dessert—with chocolate cake, tiramisu, and cannoli on offer, you can’t make a bad choice! 

Clancy’s Cantina

If you’re craving seafood with a Tex-Mex vibe, check out the Coastal Catch menu at Clancy’s Cantina. For $39, start off with Coconut Shrimp with a chili lime sauce, Tortilla Soup, or a Caesar salad. Then choose from a decadent Carne Del Mar—charbroiled skirt steak stuffed with grilled shrimp, covered with cheese, mushrooms, onions, and peppers—Crab-Stuffed Shrimp, or Seared Lime Grouper. Cap off your meal with Tres Leche Cake, Coconut Silk Cream Pie, or a mouthwatering Double Fudge Brownie Delight! This fixed menu also includes a beverage, whether a house margarita, glass of wine, coffee, tea, or soda. 

The General Public House

Enjoy classic fare at the laid-back General Public House. Begin your celebration of their Coastal Catch Month $59 menu with an included cocktail and a choice of Fried Green Tomatoes, Florida Lobster Cake, or a creamy, savory B.L.T. Dip, served with crostini. For the main course, decide among Filet Mignon with a mushroom marsala reduction, a Tomahawk Pork Chop with an apple bourbon marinade, or pan-seared Grouper Oscar, with fire-grilled shrimp, smothered in lobster hollandaise. Assuming there’s still room for dessert, take your pick: Lava Cake, Bourbon Pie, or Peanut Butter Pie. 

La Terraza

Norwood’s Restaurant and Treehouse Bar

This restaurant and bar,  famous for its location in a treehouse and its fresh seafood and local ingredients, has been an institution in the New Smyrna Beach Area since 1946. You’re sure to enjoy their two prix fixe menus for this year’s Coastal Catch Month. Appetizers include Coconut Shrimp, Bacon-Wrapped Scallops, and Smoked Fish Dip. Go all-out seafood with entrées of Snow Crab Legs, Shrimp and Scallop Alfredo, and Admiral’s, which includes lobster tail, grilled mahi, and broiled scallop and shrimp. For land-based choices, there’s Norwood’s Filet or Ribeye Gorgonzola. Of course, what’s a dinner without dessert? Choose from several decadent selections, including Key Lime Pie and Seasonal Cheesecake.

River Deck Tiki Bar and Restaurant

Soak in the island-inspired charm at River Deck Tiki Bar and Restaurant. The team here has put together a delicious menu for Coast Catch Month, starting with Fried Calamari or Crunchy Tuna appetizers. You also get a choice of a garden or Caesar salad. The main course is either Key Lime Sea Scallops over coconut rice or the Dockside Combo: beef tenderloin with Alaska snow crab legs. End your meal with a slice of Key Lime Pie or Peanut Butter Dream Pie.

SoNapa Grille

Combining Southern cuisine with the wine of Sonoma and Napa Valleys, the SoNapa Grille offers two prix fixe menus this year. The $59 option includes a glass of wine to complement each course. Course One is Passion Fruit BBQ Grilled Shrimp, followed by Lobster Bisque or a SoNapa salad. Course Three is a choice of “Bodega Bay” Catch of the Day or their Signature Chicken Marsala.

Celebrate New Smyrna Beach’s Coastal Catch Restaurant Month with the many participating restaurants. You’re sure to find some of the freshest seafood you’ve had, prepared in unlimited, creative ways.