Vero Beach Food Report
1) Sonyas: On Sunday night we decided to stay at the resort and take it easy so Sonyas was the choice. Sonyas is only open on Thursday to Sundays. On my last trip I had an excellent meal at Sonyas and was looking forward to it again. We made a PS, now a reservation for 7:45 and arrived on time. We were seated immediately. The restaurant was not busy and there was plenty of staff to take care of all of our needs. We were given a time study card to see what the average time of dinner was. Cocktails were brought promptly and our waitress was attentive. We started off dinner with 2 Cesar Salads and split them, plenty for 2. My wife and I had the salmon and it was delicious. My sons had the steak and they loved it. Dessert was also excellent. Dinner for 4 with cocktails, a bottle of wine and dessert was about $200, including tip. The wine was very good, but expensive.
2) Breakfast: This was in our room, coffee and bagels and fresh citrus. We stopped at Hales citrus just about a mile north of the resort on Rt. 1 and picked up grapefruit and oranges. They were some of the best I have ever had. Tasty and fresh. The resort buys their citrus from California; all ordering for Disney is done together.
3) Bleachers: This is one of the best poolside restaurants that I have come across. The burgers are good, the hot dogs are tasty, the onion rings are very good and the chicken and tuna salads are excellent. The value is good for what you get. We had lunch here every day.
4) The Lemon Tree: Monday night we were in the mood to get off site and see the area. I checked with Josh at the front desk and we discussed the options available. He recommended a small place on Ocean Drive in Vero. He also mentioned that if you call for a reservation then they give everyone in the party a complementary glass of wine. Josh made the reservation for us and we set off for the night. The drive to the Lemon tree is 15 minutes. It is on Ocean Drive just past the Ocean Grill on the right side. There is on street parking. The restaurant is a storefront operation and is composed of blue vinyl seats. There are about 20 to 25 booths in the restaurant.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. We were seated immediately and were one of the last parties to come in that night (8 PM). The complementary glass of wine was offered and it was a very good size glass of wine (Choice of a Merlot or a Chardonnay). The menu was very good and once again I went with fish, a grilled grouper. My wife had the salmon again and my sons had the filet mignon. Dinner comes with a soup and a salad on the plate. The salad was displayed nicely in a hollowed out tomato and consisted of greens and mushrooms. The portions were smaller than usual at restaurants but very filling. A lemon sorbet was part of the dinner and was excellent. The wine list was very good and much cheaper than at Vero. A pinot noir that was $36 at Disney was $26 at the lemon tree. Overall the dinner was an excellent value. It was as good as Sonyas at a casual location and about 25% cheaper than Sonyas. I would highly recommend this restaurant.
5) The Ocean Grill: This was our second trip to the ocean grill and it was as good as the first time. The restaurant is a fixture in Vero and was crowded on a Tuesday night. We did not have a reservation and only had a short 20-minute wait. My wife had the duck there and enjoyed it. My sons had steaks and they also enjoyed them. I had the fried oysters and they were excellent. We ordered a bottle of the house wine (Cabernet) and it was not good, but it had a great picture of a space shuttle taking off from Cape Canaveral and arching over the restaurant. The price was between Sonyas and the Lemon Tree and I would also highly recommend this restaurant.
6) The Green Cabin Room: Just off of the lobby on the second floor and with a great porch for afternoon snacks and cocktails is the Green Cabin room. This is a very cozy lounge and a place for light meals. There is a bar menu with the usual appetizers. The spinach and avocado dip is excellent as is the buffalo tenders and mozzarella sticks. There are pizzas available here and other bar foods. Every night there is entertainment in the lounge.
1) Sonyas: On Sunday night we decided to stay at the resort and take it easy so Sonyas was the choice. Sonyas is only open on Thursday to Sundays. On my last trip I had an excellent meal at Sonyas and was looking forward to it again. We made a PS, now a reservation for 7:45 and arrived on time. We were seated immediately. The restaurant was not busy and there was plenty of staff to take care of all of our needs. We were given a time study card to see what the average time of dinner was. Cocktails were brought promptly and our waitress was attentive. We started off dinner with 2 Cesar Salads and split them, plenty for 2. My wife and I had the salmon and it was delicious. My sons had the steak and they loved it. Dessert was also excellent. Dinner for 4 with cocktails, a bottle of wine and dessert was about $200, including tip. The wine was very good, but expensive.
2) Breakfast: This was in our room, coffee and bagels and fresh citrus. We stopped at Hales citrus just about a mile north of the resort on Rt. 1 and picked up grapefruit and oranges. They were some of the best I have ever had. Tasty and fresh. The resort buys their citrus from California; all ordering for Disney is done together.
3) Bleachers: This is one of the best poolside restaurants that I have come across. The burgers are good, the hot dogs are tasty, the onion rings are very good and the chicken and tuna salads are excellent. The value is good for what you get. We had lunch here every day.
4) The Lemon Tree: Monday night we were in the mood to get off site and see the area. I checked with Josh at the front desk and we discussed the options available. He recommended a small place on Ocean Drive in Vero. He also mentioned that if you call for a reservation then they give everyone in the party a complementary glass of wine. Josh made the reservation for us and we set off for the night. The drive to the Lemon tree is 15 minutes. It is on Ocean Drive just past the Ocean Grill on the right side. There is on street parking. The restaurant is a storefront operation and is composed of blue vinyl seats. There are about 20 to 25 booths in the restaurant.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. We were seated immediately and were one of the last parties to come in that night (8 PM). The complementary glass of wine was offered and it was a very good size glass of wine (Choice of a Merlot or a Chardonnay). The menu was very good and once again I went with fish, a grilled grouper. My wife had the salmon again and my sons had the filet mignon. Dinner comes with a soup and a salad on the plate. The salad was displayed nicely in a hollowed out tomato and consisted of greens and mushrooms. The portions were smaller than usual at restaurants but very filling. A lemon sorbet was part of the dinner and was excellent. The wine list was very good and much cheaper than at Vero. A pinot noir that was $36 at Disney was $26 at the lemon tree. Overall the dinner was an excellent value. It was as good as Sonyas at a casual location and about 25% cheaper than Sonyas. I would highly recommend this restaurant.
5) The Ocean Grill: This was our second trip to the ocean grill and it was as good as the first time. The restaurant is a fixture in Vero and was crowded on a Tuesday night. We did not have a reservation and only had a short 20-minute wait. My wife had the duck there and enjoyed it. My sons had steaks and they also enjoyed them. I had the fried oysters and they were excellent. We ordered a bottle of the house wine (Cabernet) and it was not good, but it had a great picture of a space shuttle taking off from Cape Canaveral and arching over the restaurant. The price was between Sonyas and the Lemon Tree and I would also highly recommend this restaurant.
6) The Green Cabin Room: Just off of the lobby on the second floor and with a great porch for afternoon snacks and cocktails is the Green Cabin room. This is a very cozy lounge and a place for light meals. There is a bar menu with the usual appetizers. The spinach and avocado dip is excellent as is the buffalo tenders and mozzarella sticks. There are pizzas available here and other bar foods. Every night there is entertainment in the lounge.
