Ready for a tasty little beach day? How about a whole month’s worth? Because Coastal Catch Restaurant Month kicks off on October 1st in New Smyrna!
Ten standout restaurants. Thirty-one mouthwatering days. More fresh, flavorful seafood than you can cast a fishing rod at. Coastal Catch is the perfect opportunity to finally share that delicious date night with your special someone or plan a refreshing getaway from the hustle and bustle of home.
And we know you’ve been thinking about making the trip. From classic tavern fare to delectable fine dining—all with a laid-back, casual flair—New Smyrna Beach has become a sought-after spot for Central Florida foodies, but particularly those looking for fresh, sustainably sourced fish and shellfish.
To celebrate their town’s vibrant food scene, chefs at each participating restaurant have curated three-course, prix fixe $39 and $59 menus that pack the flavor but won’t break the bank.
Each menu will showcase New Smyrna’s locally caught and grown ingredients, as well as the award-winning chefs who prepared it. You can peruse all 10 menus right now at NSBCoastalCatch.com.
One of those participating culinary maestros is James Beard Foundation Member Dave Moscoso, who has helped put New Smyrna Beach on the map as executive chef at the immensely popular Third Wave Cafe and Wine Bar on Flagler Avenue.
“I always called New Smyrna Beach the Napa Valley of restaurants,” Moscoso says. “There’s such great heritage. You can walk down Canal Street, get fresh bread, or go down to Flagler Avenue, and it just feels nostalgic, like you went back in time to the ’80s and early ’90s. You still got that beach town feel and those epic little restaurants.”
Chef Dave spent 20 years mastering his craft at restaurants around the country before making his way to New Smyrna Beach. Since arriving at Third Wave Cafe and Wine Bar, Moscoso has turned this small salad-and-pizza joint into a destination for foodies far and wide. Florida-sourced and caught seafood is now the star of Third Wave’s outdoor patio, buoyed by the Ecuadorian and European cooking that shaped Chef Dave’s palate when he was young.
“I’m half Spanish by heritage. My dad was from Ecuador, and my great-grandparents were from Spain,” Moscoso says. “I have to give credit to my father. He was pounding flank steak and breading it with egg and cumin, doing things that weren’t really that common yet here. It’s just where I came from and the influence of an immigrant father that showed this stuff to me.”
Chef Dave’s Coastal Catch prix fixe menu highlights those international cuisines. But you’ll also find delectable Italian pastas, Mexican fusions, California-inspired dishes, juicy cheeseburgers, and more on the other 9 participating restaurants’ menus.
Standing tall alongside Third Wave Cafe are two equally important pillars of New Smyrna’s culinary community: SoNapa Grille and Norwood’s Restaurant and Treehouse Bar.
Drawing inspiration from the oh-so-lovely wines and cuisines of Sonoma County and the actual Napa Valley, SoNapa Grille brings a taste of the Golden State to Coastal Florida. Those California-inspired dishes we mentioned earlier? You’ll savor every bite of hand-crafted pasta, surf-and-turf house specialities, and more in SoNapa’s beautiful wood-paneled, wine cellar-chic dining room.
And then there’s the lush, leafy ambiance (and delicious seafood dishes) at Norwood’s Restaurant and Treehouse Bar. You can dig into some of New Smyrna’s freshest local fish and shellfish and then literally sit and sip next to the branches of hundred-year-old Florida oak trees on Norwood’s upper deck. Speaking of long-standing residents, Norwood’s has been serving New Smyrna Beach for decades—since 1946, actually—so they know their stuff when it comes to pleasing locals and visitors alike.
Like the thousands of families, foodies, and travelers who visit New Smyrna every year, each restaurant participating in Coastal Catch Restaurant Month brings something unique and special to the table. But most importantly, they each share a deep love and appreciation for the Sunshine State’s abundant, flavorful seafood, and they’re ready to share that love with you.
So whether you’re visiting New Smyrna Beach and discovering its culinary scene for the first time or ready to fall in love with this gem of a beach town all over again, savor those incredible tastes and vibes during Coastal Catch Restaurant Month!
