Florida's 5 Best Seafood Restaurants In Cocoa Beach, According To Reviews

As one of America's top vacation destinations, Florida has a wide array of activities and attractions to make your visit as memorable and enjoyable as possible. No matter where you look in the Sunshine State, you'll find white-sand beaches, delicious seafood restaurants, and gorgeous scenery. One place where these three things converge is Cocoa Beach, the "surf capital of the East Coast."

Billed as "Orlando's closest beach," Cocoa Beach is actually a barrier island just south of Cape Canaveral, and it's part of Space Beach, a unique, themed stretch of Florida's coast with lagoons, museums, and rocket launches. However, for this particular exercise, we're looking at Cocoa Beach's seafood restaurants. Being flanked by water on both sides means it's easy to find high-quality seafood to delight the senses, after all.

With so many options to choose from, we've narrowed our list to the top five. Not only did we base our selections on ratings, but we also looked at atmosphere, location (for example, the quality of waterfront or beachside views), and the diversity of each menu. Also, because each spot had similar rankings, we listed them in alphabetical order, not necessarily by which one is "best."

Kicking things off is this fun, stylish restaurant that is literally sitting on the sand of Cocoa Beach. If you're trying to get in as much beach time as possible, Coconuts on the Beach is a fantastic choice, because not only can you sit and watch the tides while you eat, but the restaurant offers chair and umbrella rentals so you can go back and forth from the dining area to the sand throughout the day.

Coconuts has a little something for everyone, including children, so bring the family along. The menu is full of traditional beachside eats, including fish tacos, coconut shrimp, burgers, chicken wings, and much more. The seafood menu is full of incredible delights, such as jalapeño-crusted mahi, lemon-caper salmon, and a full lobster dinner (depending on availability). Or, if you prefer turf instead of surf, you can order a juicy steak to accompany your glass or bottle of wine. Then, for dessert, you must get a slice of key lime pie or pineapple crème brûlée.

But what if you're looking to enjoy beachside vibes with a cocktail in hand? Coconuts also has an extensive drink menu, and you can sip from a hand-carved monkey coconut or a 21-ounce bubble glass. You can order your cocktail frozen or liquid, and there are even a few "frocktails" for those who want the experience with none of the alcohol. Finally, if you're celebrating with friends, you can get a bucket cocktail to share.

In case you weren't aware, a snook is a type of fish – hence this restaurant's name. Located at the southern tip of Cocoa Beach, this small, unassuming building is somewhat easy to miss as you're driving by, but you'll want to be sure you stop in and grab a bite. The Fat Snook specializes in multiple global cuisines, from Thai fish soup to duck confit to mole-spiced flat-iron steak. The menu is also pretty small, especially when compared to other spots like Coconuts on the Beach. However, each dish is expertly prepared with a dazzling array of spices and flavors to keep your taste buds satisfied.

If you want to get a great deal while visiting the Fat Snook, come by between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, for happy hour. During this timeframe, select appetizers are half off, while several cocktails, wines, and beers are at a reduced price. With options like she-crab soup, seared scallops, and Mexican street corn deviled eggs, this is one happy hour that puts others to shame.

Finally, the Fat Snook offers seasonal menu items that are locally sourced, providing a farm-to-table experience. One example is a jumbo lump crab cake with blood orange puree and house-infused citrus olive oil. So, whenever you're in town, you can take advantage of these seasonal flavors to try something fresh and unique.

Although Florida's Fresh Grill is located inside a strip mall, don't let its location fool you; this restaurant offers some of the best fresh seafood in Cocoa Beach, and it's been highly rated on Tripadvisor since 2016, giving it a pedigree few other eateries can match. It's located close to the Banana River side of Cocoa Beach, so you're still near the water, just not the ocean.

One thing we appreciate about Florida's Fresh Grill is that they offer images of almost all of their menu items. So, rather than having to read descriptions and paint a picture in your mind's eye, you can simply browse through the photo gallery and pick whichever entrée or mixed drink looks the most appealing. Some of the more notable highlights include the avocado crab tower, the Florida-style fresh calamari, and the golden corvina, which is a local favorite. You can also indulge in items like Chilean sea bass, Canadian lobster tails, or Atlantic line-caught swordfish.

Florida's Fresh Grill also has a happy hour from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day, where well drinks are $7.25 and up (at the time of this writing), house wine is $6.75 and up, and food items start at $8.90. Finally, the vibe here is "country club casual," meaning no beachwear allowed inside. They also don't allow strollers, so it's not an ideal spot for families with small children.

Typically, if you want to get fresh New England lobster, you'd have to head north to spots like Maine's lobster capital, the charming fishing village of Stonington. However, while Cocoa Beach feels like the opposite of Maine, Jazzy's Mainely Lobster & Seafood Company brings in fresh catches from the Florida coast and the North Atlantic, blending the best of both worlds.

The menu is simple and elegant, with options like whole Maine lobster, fresh lobster rolls, and the catch of the day. You can also accompany your meal with a cup of clam chowder, fried lobster bites, or a fresh seafood salad. You can also get a mahi Reuben sandwich, which is a one-of-a-kind option that must be tried at least once. After finishing your meal, you can head over to Jazzy's Marketplace and buy fresh seafood by the pound and cook it at your resort or vacation rental.

Finally, Jazzy's has a happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The items available include buffalo shrimp, crab cakes, calamari, and hush puppies, but you can only order off the happy-hour menu if you're sitting at the bar, so plan accordingly.

Our final stop actually has us coming full circle, as Luna Food & Wine is located across the street from Coconuts on the Beach. So, while it's not technically on the sand, it's close enough to give you major beachside vibes while you enjoy a decadent, gourmet meal. Luna is only open for dinner, as its hours are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Luna is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so plan accordingly when making your vacation itinerary.

Luna is a foodie's paradise, with menu items designed to tickle the taste buds and enrich the senses. Your mouth will practically be watering as you read through each menu item, so it's easy to get overwhelmed with so many good choices. For example, you can get soft shell crab tacos, beef carpaccio, escargot, Kona coffee salmon with bourbon pecan butter, lobster pad thai, the Royal shrimp trio (Kona coffee, coconut, and garlic shrimp), or the steak of the day. Luna also has a "lunch" menu if you want something a bit lighter on the stomach and the wallet.

The dessert menu is just as elegant as the rest, with options like crème brûlée, key lime pie, New York-style cheesecake, chocolate fondant, and macadamia nut bread pudding. Luna also serves daily flavors of gelato and sorbet, so be sure to ask before ordering.

As the title mentions, we curated our list of the "best" seafood restaurants in Cocoa Beach based primarily on ratings. We looked at the big three rating options, Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, to narrow our list down to the top five. In each case, the average rating was above 4.5, with most spots ranking around the 4.7-star territory. From there, we chose places that were unique compared to the rest, so if you wanted to visit them all in a single vacation, it wouldn't feel like you were getting the same kind of food from each restaurant. Some are more gourmet and elegant, while others are more casual and laid-back. Finally, we wanted to showcase restaurants throughout Cocoa Beach so you could explore more of the city while getting some incredible meals.