The Best Places to Eat at Anna Maria Island, Florida
Updated July 2024
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Best Places to Eat in Anna Maria Island
Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, you will find many different amazing destinations that offer the perfect blend of sun-soaked days followed by a variety of culinary delights. Anna Maria Island offers the perfect blend of both of those pleasures where you will find many amazing food options where you can later transition into an evening of breathtaking sunsets that will make your Florida vacation relaxing and full of natural beauty. Each sky will be painted the perfect blend of vibrant hues of yellow, orange and red making it a memorable experience.
Food is something that gathers my family together and gives us the opportunity to sit around the table and enjoy each other’s company as we eat our meal together and the kids tells us about their day. But occasionally this mama doesn’t want to cook so together we enjoy going out to eat and trying new restaurants.
We decided to do another food tour and to visit Anna Maria Island in Florida this time. Doing a food tour is something that even my teenagers have really enjoyed doing as a family, so I highly recommend you pick a place to do your own food tour if you have teens. We were able to visit seven different restaurants and delight in many different culinary flavors and enjoyed each of them. Here is the list of those places and each one I would recommend you try.
Our last food tour was in Fort Myers, Florida. Click the link to learn more about this food tour and destination.
Food tour restaurants
Come and experience some of these great restaurants we visited in Anna Maria Island.
The Donut Experiment $9.36 (half dozen donuts)
North Shore Cafe $31.03 (4 smoothie bowls)
Pizza Social $24.63 (1 AMI 14” large pizza)
Poppo’s Taqueria $36.91 (4 bowls)
Two Scoops Ice Cream $25.40 (6 ice cream cones/bowls)
The Ugly Grouper $114.84 (6 full meals and drinks)
Daiquiri Deck $40.50 (4 virgin daiquiri’s and 1 alcoholic daiquiri)
The Donut Experiment
We started out our tour with donuts at The Donut Experiment. This was a fun place to start as we were able to choose the toppings that we wanted on our cake donuts making each donut unique to us. From cereal, bacon, sprinkles, caramel, crushed Oreos, cinnamon and sugar and so many more options. Go here first as they close at 1pm.
You get to pick your glaze, coatings, toppings and then drizzle for the top. YUM!!
Address: 210C Pine Ave
Hours: 7am to 1pm daily
Purchase a dozen donuts for $16, half dozen for $9, single donuts for $1.75 and coffee or other delicious drinks to go with it. (2024 prices)
Instagram - @thedonutexperiment
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Poppo’s Taqueria
Our second stop was right next door and one of our favorites, Poppo’s Taqueria. Originally operated in California, this popular restaurant now has multiple locations throughout Florida. You can order a preselected Mexican American taco or burrito, or you can build your own. Starting with the freshest ingredients you will pick your base from rice or beans and then add protein from chicken or carnitas and more then add multiple toppings and finally add your salsa or garnishes to top it off. So good!! Minimal seating is located outside, or you can take it to go.
Address: 212C Pine Ave
Hours: 11am to 9pm daily
Instagram - @poppotaqueria
North Shore Cafe
This cute little shop, North Shore Cafe, was a wonderful place to relax and enjoy a delicious smoothie bowl. They had only outdoor seating while we were there but had a really cute courtyard with table and chairs, yard games and a water view. I also loved the Anna Maria mural for photo opportunities.
They sell a wonderful selection of smoothies $10 and smoothie bowls $14.50, pastries, avocado toast, sandwiches, teas, coffee and more. They work with a couple local companies to source some of their food and bread items for the freshest ingredients. (2024 prices)
They also have a selection of specially made popsicles, wine and North Shore Cafe souvenirs.
Address: 304 Pine Ave
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 8am to 2pm. Closed Tuesdays. Saturday and Sunday 7:30am to 3pm.
Pizza Social
Pizza Social is seriously one of my favorite pizza places in Florida so far. I loved the brick oven grill flavor, and the toppings are made with only the freshest ingredients. Their dough and pizza sauce are made fresh daily, and they hand pick their local ingredients for only the best selections. They have limited seating both indoor and outside so choose to stay a while and enjoy the lively atmosphere or grab a pizza to go. The staff is friendly making this whole experience wonderful. We had the AMI pizza which was so good, and I highly recommend.
Pizzas come as 10” and 14” and range from $14 to $22 each. (2024 prices)
Address: 308 Pine Ave
Hours: 11am to 9pm daily. Closed on Tuesdays.
Pineapple Marketplace
We were going to stop at The Waffle Press, but it happened to be closed so we checked out the little shop, Pineapple Marketplace, right next to it. This store offered fun beach ware, clothing, food items, shoes, jewelry and many more souvenirs to choose from allowing you to take home a little piece of Anna Maria.
Address: 425 Pine Ave
Waffle Press Hours: permanently closed
Pineapple Marketplace Hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm.
Two Scoops
If you know me, you know I love ice cream. So, we of course had to add an ice cream shop to our food tour. Two Scoops has 32 unique and yummy homemade flavors to choose from making it hard to decide. Ice cream flavors include your classic strawberry and chocolate, but they also offer unique flavors from birthday cake, muddy sneakers, blueberry pie, orange pineapple, Bing cherry, gator tracks and more!
The place was full when we were there so seating was limited. This family run business has seating inside and benches outside to choose from. This shop is located across the street from the pier next to the Tampa Bay.
Not only do they sell delicious ice cream, but they also sell breakfast and lunch items to include sandwiches, bagels, wraps and more.
Address: 101 S. Bay Boulevard
Hours: 10am to 10pm daily
Two Scoops ice cream flavors
Anna Maria City Pier
Next stop was the Anna Maria City Pier which is located across the street from the ice cream shop. This pier is 700 feet long and over looks Tampa Bay. Don’t forget to stay for an incredible sunset to end the night. On the pier you will also find the City Pier Grill and Bait Shop and Mote’s Marine Science Education and Outreach Center.
Amenities: fishing, swimming, Marine Science Center, restaurant, Bait shop
City Pier Grill and Bait Shop:
Offering fresh food, ice cream, beer and wine
Owned by a father and son team
95% fresh ingredients
Local favorites: breakfast sandwiches, homemade sausage gravy and biscuits, Blackened fish tacos, Cuban Sandwich, and fresh burgers.
Outdoor seating
Live music daily, weather permitting
Live and frozen bait for your fishing needs
Hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Instagram @citypiergrill_ami
Address: 100 N. Bay Boulevard
Cost: FREE
Pier Hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Mote’s Marine Science Education & Outreach Center
Located on the pier
Hours: 9:30am to 5pm daily
FREE to visit
Learn about the local marine life and the research the scientists do at this center
Touch pool and interactive exhibits, science talks, and family friendly guided tours
Anna Maria City Pier guitar player on deck
Old City Jail
A fun little place to stop on your way to the pier or back to your car is The Old City Jail which offers a glimpse into the harsh jail conditions back in the day. This jail was built in 1927 to hold the rowdies after a night at the local tavern and dance hall. The local Mayor, frustrated with the locals, built this jail with a roof and only bars on the windows. His goal was to allow the mosquitos to eat the prisoners which caused them to not want to return to that situation and caused the local rowdies to quiet down. It was used until 1940 until it caught fire. It is now used as a photo opportunity for visitors.
Address: 402 Pine Ave
Cost: FREE
Parking is available throughout the area. We parked at the restaurants and the parking was free.
The Ugly Grouper
Before we ended the night we stopped at The Ugly Grouper for a full meal. Up until this point we all shared a small meal at each location, but we were ready for something more. This restaurant had all outdoor seating and mostly in the shade. They have nightly live music and fun yard games to enjoy. Our food was delicious, and we would definitely eat here again! They have daily specials, cocktails, wine, beer, seafood, sandwiches, soups, salads, kids’ meal and of course everything Grouper. Also available, The Ugly Grouper merchandise.
Address: 5704 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach
Hours: 11am to 10pm daily
Daiquiri Deck
Last but not least, the Daiquiri Deck for drinks. We were able to watch the beautiful sunset on the rooftop deck while sipping on our daiquiri and non-alcoholic drinks to end the night. They have indoor and outdoor seating available and live music at times. They are not just about drinks, they also have a food menu to include seafood, chicken fingers, salads, fresh fish sandwiches and burgers, Po Boys, tacos, jambalaya, pasta, kids’ menu and a lot more. With five Daiquiri Deck’s along the coast, you will be able to find the perfect spot for a late-night drink.
Address: 107 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11am to 10pm. Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm
Instagram @daiquirideck
Sunset
I cannot complete my night without watching the sunset on the beach. This is one of my absolute favorite things to do and I wouldn’t pass up the chance to watch the sunset at Anna Maria Island also. It is so peaceful and a great way to end the night as a family.
Accommodations nearby
Need a place to stay while visiting Florida. There are so many great places to stay including hotels using booking.com, trivago and VRBO. Bring the family and stay for a while.
Other Florida related travel posts
A Magnificent Ocean View and Blowing Rocks Preserve in Jupiter
Exploring the Seaside Bliss of Madeira Beach and John's Pass Village and Boardwalk
Experience Tampa’s Vibrant Riverwalk Along Hillsborough River
Final thoughts
Food tours are so much fun to do. I encourage you to get a little bit to eat at each location, so you have room to try lots of different restaurants and food options. Prices and hours are from July 2024.
The first four restaurants were all within walking distance and you could also walk to the pier and jail from this area. It is a 6–10-minute drive from the first restaurants to The Ugly Grouper and a 10–15-minute drive from The Ugly Grouper to Daiquiri Deck.
Food tours are so much fun, and the best part is that even my teenagers love doing food tours and trying new foods.
Enjoy the journey,
Meet the author: Jennifer
I am a girl who loves to travel with my family and enjoys sharing expert family travel advice. I am a content creator and influencer on Instagram with years of travel experience and provide readers with advice, tips, and details on adventurous family travel and tips on saving money while boondocking or traveling across the US. You can usually find me dreaming up our next epic vacation or outside exploring natural landscapes. I am a fearless roadtripper who isn’t afraid to explore new and off the path adventures. Pic: Niagara Falls, NY
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