The Manatee Cafe

Yesterday I asked all of my friends if they wanted to go to the Manatee Cafe. The usual crowd that loves it there were all busy so I moved onto my friends who don't touch organic food hoping I could convince one of them to join me. My friend Alicia said I really don't want to go there it's all healthy food with tons of vegetables so I told her how much I love it. As she knows, I am not a huge fan of vegetables and eat my share of junk food but I still crave the organic pizza all the time. Thankfully she had nothing to do yesterday afternoon so she came along. I even paid for her meal in exchange for coming along to a restaurant she wasn't interested in going to at all.

On the window there was a sign saying "Voted Best Healthy Eating Restaurant 2002-2003, 2003-2004". Also on the door it showed that the Manatee Cafe was the Best of St. Augustine first place winner for 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Pretty impressive if you ask me! So we headed in and a waiter seated us at a booth next to two other groups of people. The atmosphere was very relaxed and everyone seemed to be enjoying their lunches. It isn't the prettiest building I have ever seen but the manatees painted on the walls are a nice touch.

We drank our water and tried to decide what to get! I have to admit, I have only eaten a few dishes from The Manatee Cafe because once I find something I love I am afraid to stray away. I ordered the pizza which is described on the menu as: "pita flat with tomato and veggies baked with choice of feta, cheddar or soy cheese, served with salad." It is my absolute favorite! I have also tried the stir-fry which is made with tofu, it is very tasty and filling but the pizza always comes out on top. Alicia was afraid to try anything too risky so she ordered an appetizer of blue chips and hummus. We were afraid that this wasn't going to fill her or that the hummus wasn't going to taste good but she approved of the hummus and couldn't even finish her chips.

The three salad dressings they offer are vinaigrette, basil and nutritional yeast. I always just tell my waiter to pick the most popular one and I always get the basil dressing. I think it tastes a little too "spice-y" for my liking but it isn't horrible. My roommate who loves cooking with spices thinks it is fantastic so I bring my leftover dressing home for her.

The menu does not only consist of chips, stir-fry, and pizza of course. It is broken down into sections: Appetizers, hot dishes, salads, sandwiches (with quite a long list), desserts, breakfast, and drinks (non-alcoholic). I have never tried the breakfast but am very eager to, it is served all day so I really don't know what is stopping me! Have any of you tried the breakfast? I would love to hear how it is!

Address:
525 S.R. 16 #106
Westgate Plaza
St. Augustine, FL

Hours:
Mon.-Sat. 8:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.
Sun. 8:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M.

Website:
http://www.manateecafe.com/

Pros: Menu variety, breakfast served all day, healthy, considerate servers, they do offer one chicken meal

Cons: A little bit pricey, not open for dinnertime, some meals have a long prep-time