How often do you get to dine in a historic swimming pool? Enjoyed our lunch, served by Isabel. Sandwiches and soup were wonderful, dessert was excellent, and the background live guitarist added special ambience. Highly recommend! read more

What a neat place! I wanted to get here so badly during our trip so I was so happy to be able to squeeze it in during the last day. At 11am on a Tuesday we had the place to ourselves. The service was wonderful and so was the food. This was the best French onion soup I've had in a long long time. Great menu in a great historical location! read more

Cafe Alcazar - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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4.5 Lots of goodness. Got your very nice hummus. Got your sandwiches. Got your shrimp pasta. Got your live piano music. All served up in what was, at the time, the largest indoor swimming pool in the world. Bathrooms are a spotless temple. It all works. read more

This place is a little gem in an historic building. We had lunch and enjoyed delicious sandwiches and soup. We were seated in the bottom of an old pool where the seating had liberal spacing unlike cramped eateries. A very good pianist played throughout lunch. There were very nice stained glass windows and art. The only thing that distracted from the beauty of the stain glass is the backlight rooms the look into are used for storage and so ugly boxes ruin the view. We tried the chocolate cake for dessert and it was delicious. read more

Cafe Alcazar - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Location location!! Inside and out. So much history, the cafe is in the deep end of a once ago indoor pool. Fun! Service attentive. Food was very good! Drinks lovely. read more

What a sweet little spot tucked away in the basement of the Lightner Museum in what used to be the swimming pool. Grand yet adorable! Steeped in history, this unique restaurant greeted us by accident. As we were walking to our car, we saw a sign that said cafe and pool. Curious we wandered in. Old photos depicting a time gone by, we couldn't resist. The staff was exceptionally warm and welcoming. We were shown to our table by a nice young man who was all smiles. He gave us menus and explained that the building was originally an elegant hotel and the restaurant was in what was the swimming pool. There were photos to prove it! We enjoyed mimosas and the lunch special. I had a salad and half sandwich. My friend tried the soup and half sandwich. We loved everything. The history, ambiance, service and cuisine created a fabulous dining experience. When the elegant gentleman played Moon River on his grand piano I was all in! After lunch, we went up to the museum gift shop. Gorgeous things, sweet staff and beautiful vintage photos of the grand hotel that once was. I highly recommend this quaint spot for locals and visitors. I will certainly stop in again on my next visit to St. Augustine. read more

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Atmosphere 5 stars. Food 4 stars. Experience 3 stars, though that is likely not their fault. We had reservations for 2 pm. When we arrived promptly at 2, we were hurried to our table (very few diners ~ it may not always be this way, but the advertised need for reservations didn't make sense from the appearance of the place.) Our waitress passed out menus and told us to choose quickly as the kitchen was closing at 2:30 pm so the staff could prepare for a wedding. Okay. We perused our menus to the calming piano music filling the space. It turns out that the bottom of a concrete (?) swimming pool makes for great acoustics. The talented pianist played a "ladies who lunch" soundtrack beautifully. A review mentioned crepes ~ those were not listed on our menu. The beverage menu is confusing ~ but yes, water is free. I ordered the East meets West salad. It was wonderful! Crisp spring mix topped with fresh fruit (honeydew and oranges), cucumber, grape tomatoes and curried chicken salad served with a ginger carrot dressing. The dressing was SOOO good! The chicken salad had fresh and clear curry and chicken tastes and held well together without too much mayo. This salad is great! Two diners ordered French Onion Soup. They declared it perfect ~ cheesy with crisp toast and the requisite onion taste. One diner requested the curried chicken salad sandwich, but was told that my East Meets West salad had used the last scoop. Sandwiches were blah. Absolutely nothing special. Don't order the cold sandwiches. The Cuban was okay. Maybe the trick is to make reservations for much earlier in the day? The period photographs detailing the history of this intriguing space are cool, and it's also cool to sit in what used to be the bottom of the deep end and imagine what life was like way back when. For us, that was the appeal. The East Meets West salad was a winner, as was the French Onion Soup, but with amazing food on literally every St. Augustine corner, you may want to take advantage of that and wander through here just to look at the pictures. read more

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My wife and I had lunch at this restaurant on 2/20/22. We enjoy coming here whenever we are in SA and our recent visit was no exception. Our server was Alan and he took great care of us from beginning to end. He was professional and helpful to us. To begin I had a White Sangria ($6.00) that was delicious and my wife had a hot tea ($3.50). I also enjoyed a cup of tomato basil soup and my wife had the Greek soup, both delicious ($9.50 for both). For my entree I had a Chicken Caesar Salad ($16.95) and it was very good. My wife enjoyed an East Meets West Salad ($16.95) and she liked it very much,and kept commenting how attentive to detail was the presentation,and the fruit perfectly ripe. This restaurant is located in what was once the swimming pool of the Hotel Alcazar (circa 1890). It very quaint and we enjoyed music played by a pianist while we dined. We always try to patronize this establishment every time we stay in SA. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Café Alcazar is located inside the old Alcazar Hotel's indoor swimming pool. Now, Hotel Alcazar becomes the Lightner's Museum. The Café Alcazar opens for lunch from 11:00 AM to 3: 00 PM. The location is superb! The ambiance is flawless when the music is playing as you enjoy your lunch. The proper word is probably elegant! We have the Philly Cheese Pizza and a Skirt Steak Taco with a SweetWater IPA beer. The personal size pizza is fine! The skirt steak Taco is tasty. Unfortunately, the tomato used produced a little liquid. As you eat the taco, the liquid come out the taco. If this problem is corrected, it is a perfect taco. Need a little improvement in this area! Our server, Sean, is warm and friendly. We love his service. read more

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The ambiance was great. The food wasn't all that good. Maybe it was what I ordered, maybe it wasn't. Either way I don't think I'll be back. The food is really expensive as well. read more

This a wonderful and mostly romantic place to dine. There was a piano man in the background playing relaxing melodies. Craving breakfast but got caught up in the monsoon.... Had to settle for lunch at the museum. The food was delicious and the produce was fresh! read more

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Yes the building and its history is cool, unique and interesting. The cafe itself is similar to other upscale museum cafes around the country. The menu predictable, the service comparable and the entire experience typical museum cafe. Yes the food quality was great and the taste above average. The club sandwich though not your typical triple decker club was tasty and the Cajun coleslaw had a nice, fresh and snappy taste to it. Good! The curry chicken salad sandwich is well, a curry chicken salad sandwich. The house salad was crisp with your standard balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The environment is a bit dark, cool and the energy is "still". Nothing vibrant about this place except the little fresh flower vase on the table. If you're in it for the history cool. If you're in it for the food...meh. read more

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On our way around St Augustine on a beautiful Sunday, we stopped by the Cafe Alcazar for lunch and we were lucky to have a table right next to the grand piano without any reservation. It is an elegant restaurant behind the Lightner Museum and located in a former indoor swimming pool of the Alcazar hotel ( the largest in the world during that time). The foods and service are great. We had soup du jour with classic club and turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich. Highly recommended. read more

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Lunch was good. I had the special salad with shrimp and steak. Great size. Fresh ingredients. We also had the combo lunch with salad and sandwiche. Both were fresh and tasty read more

Cafe Alcazar - Sandwich and salad combo - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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Amazing service, and an ambiance I'll remember the rest of my life (at the bottom of a gilded age swimming pool - largest indoor in the world). read more

Cafe Alcazar - Ham and Cheese sandwich - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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If I could I would give the Cafe Alcazar negative stars. My husband made reservations for Sunday our 25 th wedding anniversary. We received a call an hour before our reservation saying our reservation would be cancelled due to the fact that they booked a larger party but the person that made the reservation days before didn't see that they had booked a big party apparently they didn't see it any day before either! I refuse to ever go there or recommend anyone to go we ate there before was excellent but if this is how they treat people I refuse to go and we are locals not just one time customers hope they are happy read more

Love this Cafe. It has so much history with the building. This is the 2nd time I have eaten here and as usual it is wonderful. I ordered the garlic shrimp linguini and my friend had the curry chicken salad. My friend said the curry chicken tasted exactly like mine I make at home. So yes it was excellent. Hats off to the chef for The shrimp was lightly coated with a seasoned breadcrumb and broiled. It sat next to a bed of delicious pasta with a garlic wine sauce Topped with Parmesan that would melt in your mouth. The only thing it needed was a piece of garlic toast to sop up all the sauce on your plate after the food was gone. Had it come with the toast this would have been a dish of perfection! I definitely will be back next time I'm in St Auggie. read more

Cafe Alcazar - Garlic Shrimp Linguini - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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A solid 4 stars for a spectacular location, live music, and good food! First off- it's located in what used to be the world's largest indoor pool. So, yeah. The location cannot be beat. Everything about the building is unique and begs to be explored and admired. The restaurant is on one end of the pool and as if the ambiance wasn't cool enough already, they had a pianist playing us through our lunch on a beautiful piano. So the scene was set. Luckily, the food was mostly very good. The hummus appetizer is better then you'd expect. It has a tahini drizzle over the hummus itself and also includes pita, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and olives. That's a hearty hummus appetizer! I ordered the half curry chicken sandwich with the French onion soup. The sandwich was good. It wasn't something I'd remember like the hummus, but it was a solid lunch sandwich. The soup was a bit disappointing though. As a caveat- Everyone has different expectations for French onion soup, so perhaps it just wasn't to my taste. Expect a thick layer of cheese on top, under which is soaked bread. I dug down to the bottom and couldn't find enough broth to fill one spoonful as it was all cheese and bread. My lunch compadre took it and enjoyed the heck out of my leftovers, so if you like the cheese and bread aspect of a French onion soup better than the soup broth itself you'll dig it. Overall, this was a nice spot for lunch. If I were bringing a friend to St. Aug for the first time I'd definitely take them to eat here. read more

Cafe Alcazar - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

One of the last places we stopped before we left St. Augustine. Cafe Alcazar is a great place to view some beautiful history. It is so cool to just walk through and really see how it use to be the World's Largest Indoor Pool. You can tell from the detail how amazing it was and is. It is nice to see this beautiful site. The food was very good. I had a huge crepe with shrimp on the top. My hubby had a ham and cheese with pineapple panini. Both were definitely great. If you are definitely looking for a cooling place as well, this is all cement inside. It feels so fresh and cool especially when around the hot months of Florida! read more

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I came for the French onion soup I saw in a lot of the pictures posted on Yelp. OMG I am glad I did!! This bistro is inside the Lightner Museum, and it's only open for lunch. Of course it looks very impressive and the fact they have a live piano man performing helps the grand appeal. All waiters are dresses in your typical French cafe attire and are very courteous. I am glad we decided to try this place. Food: My French onion soup was outstanding! I had it with a half of turkey BLT with avocado panini. I refused to leave one bite!! I almost had to unbutton my pants! Moving on... PG review and all ;) I wasn't able to try desserts. I was too full, and the bottomless coffee (I swear, ninjas must have filled my cup without me noticing) I just couldn't. Service: Exellent! Everyone is beyond courteous, food came in fast and refills kept on coming (ninja waters) prices are VERY reasonable! For the quality and service, I was beyond impressed. We came in before we visited the museum, but if you don't want to do so, you can certainly walk around the building and try this gem of a place. You won't regret it! read more

Cafe Alcazar - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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The location is very unique, service and food is ok. Nothing special. We waited for quite a while for mediocre fare. Don't think we'll be back. read more

We toured the Lightner museum then walked onto the second floor balcony to see the pool turned dining room below - Paula at the piano, lights, the sheer magnificence lured us in for a light blue delicious lunch of soup, half a sandwich and red wine. What a lovely memorable day! Dan our waiter was super and the hostess made a table for us so we wouldn't have to wait 20 minutes. Great conversation with the pianist who is living her dream. Left happy and will return! read more

The historical experience, service, and food will give you a memory that will last. A must see/visit experience. Very reasonable for all that is offered read more

Just. So. Cold. Nice server, lovely piano music, pretty decent food...bad coffee...but..all that is good is completely overshadowed by the fact that the place is absolutely FREEZING COLD. Everyone in our party of eight, including the burly men, were so cold it was hard to enjoy the meal. Yes, it's a converted swimming pool, but it is hard to believe something could not have been done to warm the place up...adjust the AC, something! What does it tell you when they keep shawls on hand to throw over the customers' shoulders? A shame, could be such a great venue. read more

There is something truly fascinating about coming to this café. You sorta step back in time and get to see a small glimpse the early 1900's. The café is in what was originally the swimming pool of the Alcazar Hotel built by Henry Flagler in 1888. It has such an elegance to it. I've come to this café many times for my tours and my guests always leave happy. It's always one of my favorite thing to say " oh we are eating in the deep end today." It is literal when I say that because the café is on the floor of the pool. It is such a beautiful venue. I've only enjoyed their hummus and escargot appetizers, which are both excellent, but I know there are more other great options too. It maybe a common tourist destination in the city but locals like myself do enjoy showing it off sometimes. There is a small window of time for you to enjoy coming here; lunch only. I always recommend calling to make reservations. It is hard to gauge how busy it will be. The staff do a great job of serving the tables in a timely manner. Sometimes it can get a tad busy but they do there best. The prices to some of the entrees may seem a tad high but the food at least meets a good quality to balance it out. read more

Cafe Alcazar - The perfect place for lunch or brunch. Eating in the deep end ;) - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

You can't beat the atmosphere and the beauty that surrounds you. The asparagus and mushroom soup was delicious. The Turkey, avocado bacon sandwich was fresh and also good. However, something went wrong in the kitchen and we waited 1hour and 10 min for 2 soups, 1/2 sandwich, and curry chicken salad. It was not the servers fault, Isabel was very sweet. They did give us desert on the house. The key lime pie was the best I've had so far in St Augustine. It was a true classic key line, not the chiffon type. I need to return to view the upper two floors and the historic pictures. read more

I give this place a 5 star Everything about this place I would recommend the service was good, food was good and it was quite inside.. you could actually hear yourself having a conversation with the person beside you. read more

Neat dining experience at the bottom of a historical swimming pool. Food and service are great!

My wife and I celebrated our Anniversary by having lunch at the Cafe because we were married in the Wedding Chapel at the Lightner Museum. The food was excellent, the service just as good. It's hard to imagine that we were sitting what used to be an indoor swimming pool. I highly recommend the Cafe. read more

So the main reason in my opinion in why this place is so enticing, is definitely the history behind it. I don't think you can go anywhere else that was previously world's largest indoor swimming pool turned restaurant. Atmosphere alone, I would give a 5/5. A little bit confusing getting there, we went through a doorway that didn't seem right as it basically let us in by the kitchen and back space of the employees, but that just adds to the fun of it. I ordered a crab BLT which was a special they had, with kettle cooked chips $15.95. My boyfriend got the classic club $12.95. Both okay, the crab was mixed in a chipotle aioli sauce which you can actually opt out of after overhearing another customers request and I think I would've. Food is not the best, not the worst. I'm not sure if I would visit again, but it's something cool I can say I've done! read more

Cafe Alcazar - View of the restaurant. We entered by the bottom of the left staircase, near the topiaries.. very confused but we made it! - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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I wish to inform the public of a situation which occurred on 12/18/23. I made a reservation for a party of one for 12/18/23. I arrived between 15-20 minutes early before my reservation. When I walked in, I stood in the area where the servers could see me. I could see other people eating. The restaurant was not that busy. I stood there for some time without anyone acknowledging me. There were over 5 servers (some of these 5 were the same server) that walked by and none of them said anything to me. So finally, I started walking out and while I was walking out a party of 4 walked in. I decided to see if they also were going to have to wait. Within 2 minutes this party of 4 was sat. So, I asked for a manager. A gentleman wearing the same server clothing as the other servers identified himself as the manager. I explained to him what happened and wanted to know if their restaurant only caters to parties larger than one. Of course, he said no. But his attitude was not very understanding seems like it was inconvenient to talk to me in the first place. He didn't even offer to sit me then. The sign of a good restaurant is how do they handles a situation. In this case, it wasn't even dealt with. So, beware if you make confirmed reservations here for a party of one. read more

Cafe Alcazar never ever disappoints. My party made an early reservation and they got us right in. As we were finishing we realized how popular they are. The food is delicious and the service is so good. Thank you for providing good food and a nice ambience! read more

Do not miss this place!!! We stopped for lunch and it was amazing. The Asparagus Panini was sooo delicious. My daughter had the Cranberry Turkey sandwich which she thoroughly enjoyed. We had sides of fresh fruit (red seedless grapes, honeydew and pineapple) which was a large serving. Our server was Jillian, who was attentive to all of our needs. We never had to call her to the table or ask for anything. Everything on the menu sounded so good and other plates that passed us looked amazing. They have a wonderful pianist who does take requests. If you have the opportunity to dine here you should take advantage of it!!! read more

Cafe Alcazar - Asparagus Panini - New American Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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This was my first time in St Augustine for the Christmas lights and I came on a group tour with people who have been coming year after year in December. The guide on the city tour tram stated that the cafe alcazar was one of the best cafes in st Augustine. So with that recommendation I wanted to see the adjoining museum and have lunch in the cafe which is located in the deep end of the swimming pool. I brought friends so we were a group of six, and we were seated within 10 minutes. Everyone had a delicious lunch and raved about their choice. There were soups, sandwiches and salads. You can not go wrong with whatever you choose. I will definitely go back to st Augustine next December and I look forward to returning for lunch. It is quickly becoming my Christmas routine. read more

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Such a unique experience and a must do if you're visiting. Reservations recommended. French onion soup was phenomenal as was everything else: escargot, sangria, curried chicken salad, and special of the day (red fish wrap). read more

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Delicious Food in a fun and unique setting. A truly memorable lunch in Saint Augustine! read more

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Nice experience! Loved the history and the lunch was nice! Pricey but worth it! Would recommend it to anyone visiting! You need reservations! read more

Why 4 stars? Because the ambiance out-shined the food. --- --- --- 5 stars for the building, 3 stars for the food. I ordered a roast beef panini, and it was pretty unremarkable. There's really not a lot to say about it, besides that. I'd order something else on my next trip, but my co-workers didn't seem to be very impressed with their orders either. It wasn't bad... just average. But the building was quite amazing. Apparently the dining room used to be a giant, indoor pool. Pretty sweet, right? When's the last time you could say you ate atop a cemented-over pool? Even cooler than that, was the age of the building. I have no idea how old it actually is, but it seems like it's definitely the oldest building I've ever been in. They've done a great job with preserving the history, and making it still feel like the turn of the 18th/19th century. If it wasn't weird to take a picture in a bathroom, I would've done it. It looks exactly like what you'd picture for a pool bathroom 120 years ago. Definitely worth it for the sights, but don't come expecting the meal to match-up to the ambiance. read more

Cafe Alcazar is a unique restaurant. After all, how often can you say you dined in a pool? Honestly. Located on the ground floor of the Lightner Museum building, it was the former site of the world's largest indoor pool, housed in what was formerly the Hotel Alcazar. It has since been drained and converted to a small, intimate restaurant surrounded by antique gift shops, but if you look carefully, you can see the portion of the floor where the cement dips, signifying the deep end of the pool, and where the tables are found. In addition, they have live music. On this visit, there was a very talented pianist playing some great tunes. If you close your eyes, and listen to the music you can feel like a member of 1900s upper-crust Saint Augustine society. Three floors of balconies surround the ground floor and are topped by 50-foot glass roof frames and wooden cross beams. Open your eyes and look up, and you will probably know the feeling of being a little ant sinking in a big pool. Cafe Alcazar serves a variety of dishes, from salads and soups to seafood and sandwiches. Although it's considered fine dining, casual attire is appropriate. In fact, most people were wearing shorts and jeans, save for some businessmen discussing business, and a young couple, probably unaware of the casual dress code or wanting to find a place where they could wear their formal attire. The atmosphere is relaxed, though if you ask my friend, it's rather creepy. He said he felt creeped out, and uneasy. Apparently, there are rumors that the Lightner Museum is haunted and he felt that those stories are accurate. He said the place felt sad, like it has overstayed its welcome and should be buried along with the rest of its guests, and the museum. I disagree. As someone who admires architecture and the feeling of experiencing other times, I feel like we actually need more places like this to be saved, restored, and reused for people to appreciate and admire. As to the food, although it isn't exactly cheap (lunch will run you about $14+ per person), prices are not unreasonable given the fine dining establishment, and the quality is good. The French onion soup had plenty of cheese and was flavorful, and my sandwich was delicious, with the snapper rubbed with some slightly spicy seasoning and topped with a mayonnaise-based sauce. Service was friendly (and I'm not just saying that because the waitress shares my name), professional and attentive, with carafes provided to the table so we could refill our drinks as needed. Dessert was awesome, and pleased this chocoholic. Although you can come off the street and come just to eat, if you're at the Lightner Museum (what I mean is, you don't have to be touring the museum to be able to eat here), you'd be foolish to overlook this intimate, romantic cafe as a lunch choice if already visiting the site. Given the ambiance and the backdrop of this beautiful Gilded Age former hotel, I cannot give this restaurant less than a 5 (plus, the food itself is a 4!). It's an irreplicable experience. read more

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Food was good, service was pretty good, but don't buy juice here. Drink menu had no prices but a cup of juice ended up being 10$ while the beer was 8$. Didn't make sense. Overall good read more