We have been to the Ice Plant Bar and scratch kitchen so many times, and I don’t know if it’s because of the food or the cocktails or the setting. Located in the Lincolnville area just off downtown St Augustine, the Ice Plant is the craft cocktail bar and restaurant above the St Augustine Distillery. It’s known for its homemade, scratch kitchen style menu and beautiful drinks, and is a go-to for us when we have visitors.
Have you been to the Ice Plant in St Augustine? If you haven’t, OMG, why not?! Actually that’s okay but let us tell you about it. If you have any questions about the menus or need additional recommendations please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to help plan a trip to St Augustine.
Ice Plant Menu
As I said, the Ice Plant menu is all made there on site in their scratch kitchen. This means that’s everything is made fresh each day and that they can run out of popular menu items. It also means that you might see a different selection of menu items with each visit. I feel like the appetizers stay very consistent, but entrees tend to mix up sometimes. Also, there is a different menu for brunch on the weekend, so keep the time of day you’re dining in mind when it comes to menu items.
The Ice Plant menu focuses on North Florida flavors which include pimento, datil pepper and greens. I feel like the menu here is kind of similar to the Floridian in terms of style, but the dining experience is quite different. Also, since this is a scratch kitchen and everything is made in house, which is great for having the freshest menu options, it also means that if you have any dietary concerns there’s usually not an issue if you share that with your server..
Menu Highlights at the Ice Plant
I’m one of those people who orders from the appetizer menu and makes it a meal. The blue crab beignets and the pimento cheese are two of my favorite items in the whole menu at the Ice Plant. The smoked fish dip is a delicious standard too.
We most often go for brunch here because it’s for something for everyone. From the brunch menu, the absolute winners are the skillet fried chicken with hoecakes and the pan con lechon (Cuban sandwich). The way the Ice Plant does their fried chicken is fantastic and it’s my favorite fried chicken in St Augustine. For the Cubano (pan con lechon), I could quite simply snack on the bread all day, but then the pork on it is delicious too.
Something I enjoy is ordering the burger from the Ice Plant menu and then swapping out the burger itself for a piece of fried chicken. It’s a winning swap and the kitchen has never given me grief about doing it.
Kids Menu
Yes, there is a kids menu at the Ice Plant. A lot of parents enjoy doing the St Augustine Distillery tour downstairs and then popping upstairs to the scratch kitchen for a meal. The kids menu looks basic but it has some winning items that both picky and good eaters will love. I’ve got one kid who swears by the grilled shrimp and one who loves the fried chicken. Both are great.
There are also some craft mocktails on the kids menu at the Ice Plant. They are skillfully made to be fun and fancy and DON’T come with refills.
Ice Plant Cocktail Menu
I’ve gotta say, while I love the food menu at the Ice Plant, the cocktail menu is the reason to visit. There are standard classic cocktails made with care and there are truly unique drinks. Something that makes the cocktail menu at the Ice Plant interesting is the variety of ice types . And yes, there is an ice menu. While the bar tenders do have their recipes with predetermined ice shapes, you can always request a different style.
The ice menu at the Ice Plant includes:
- Pebble ice
- Sphere ice
- Long block ice
- 1” or 2” ice rock
The ice is very special at the Ice Plant, and it’s specially made to not have any air bubbles in it. Once a server actually brought the sphere ice apparatus to our table to show us how they do it. Really cool!
My three favorite cocktails at the Ice Plant are:
- Zombie Island Massacre- Datil pepper mescal, coconut creme, pineapple and lime. Served with a long ice block.
- Rhapsody In Blue – thyme gin, blueberry, pineapple and bitters. Not as sweet as you might expect.
- Saltburn – tequila, watermelon, basil and jalapeno. Refreshing and just spicy enough.
One of the most unique cocktail offerings at the Ice Plant Bar is actually the punchbowl. This is a shareable cocktail served in a punchbowl with punch cups. It’s plenty for four people to have several servings. The Pamplemousse is really the most delicious.
Need to Know for the Ice Plant Restaurant in St Augustine
I think dining at the Ice Plant is fun and unique, and one of the top picks for St Augustine. It’s unique with a cool atmosphere. The building itself used to be an ice factory (hence the name Ice Plant) so it’s very industrial and vintage and hipster all at once. Its in the same building as the St Augustine Distillery but it’s not the same business. You can get cocktails here, but not downstairs at the distillery.
Seating Arrangements at the Ice Plant
There are two seating areas in the Ice Plant restaurant, split by the kitchen and double sided bar. There are both tables and booths, so they can accommodate different sized parties. Groups of six or more do have an auto gratuity added. If you’re up for it, you can also eat outside on the patio/deck. I like this option when there’s a long wait for a table and we don’t have kids with us.
Ice Plant St Augustine Operating Info
- Address – 110 Riberia St., St. Augustine, FL 32084
- Restaurant website – info here
- Phone – 904-829-6553
- Hours:
- Mon – Thu: 11:30 AM – 12:00 AM
- Fri: 11:30 AM – 2:00 AM
- Sat: 10:00 AM – 2:00 AM
- Sun: 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM
- Accessibility – there is a ramp into the Ice Plant and then an vintage, functional elevator up to the dining level of the building
- Plus Size Seating – there are flexible booth seating spots throughout the restaurant, and there is an elevator up to the dining level
- Dress Code/Suggestions – we’re super casual in St Augustine, but of course shirt and shoes are required
- Parking – there is parking on both sides of the Ice Plant building and an additional gravel lot for when it’s busy. You can also get off the Old Town Trolly tour here if you’re exploring downtown via trolly.
Restaurants and Attractions Nearby
The Ice Plant restaurant is located in the Lincolnville neighborhood just off downtown St Augustine. On the same road as the restaurant, you’ll find the San Sebastian Winery and then nearby several other dining options and shops. There is also several fun things to do in the nearest part of Downtown St Augustine which is just a few blocks away. The Lightner Museum is nearby, Flagler College is close, and then more tourist attractions are another block or two.
I love walking from the Ice Plant to downtown through the Lincolnville neighborhood. The houses are cool and there’s a lot of history as you get closer and closer to the downtown core. You can see centuries of history in the coquina walls and twisted trees, and there are several historic civil rights sites in the neighborhood.
And don’t forget, the Ice Plant is located AT the St Augustine Distillery. This means that it’s very easy to do the distillery tour before or after your meal. It’s free and kids are welcome to join their parents. The building is pretty cool to our, and the hall of oak barrels makes for cool photos.
If you have any questions about visiting St Augustine, please let us know by leaving a comment or sending us a note. We’re always happy to provide additional recommendations and help folks plan awesome visits to our beautiful city.
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