A Road Trip to New Smyrna Beach

Looking for a fun road trip to take this summer? Why not check out New Smyrna Beach? This charming coastal town is located in Volusia County, Florida and is well known for its beautiful beaches and great fishing. In addition to swimming and sunbathing, there are plenty of other things to do in New Smyrna Beach. Check out the local shops and restaurants, or go kayaking or paddle boarding on the river. There is also a vibrant arts scene in this town, so be sure to check out some of the galleries and museums. No matter what you choose to do, you’re sure to have a great time in New Smyrna Beach!

We decided to road trip to New Smyrna Beach on a Sunday just for lunch (you can do that sort of thing when you live in Orlando).   We headed out to explore the area not knowing where we’d end up.  Once we got there we decided to try out The Breakers for lunch.  I’ve been to New Smyrna Beach at least 500 times but NEVER been to The Breakers!

The Breakers

The Breakers Restaurant has been an iconic landmark on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, Florida since the 1990’s and they are well known for their burgers.  The backstory is that the McKenney family had a desire for a warmer climate and an interest in relocating their corporate offices to Florida, so they purchased The Breakers Restaurant in 1990. Upon ownership of the restaurant, the McKenney’s set to work revamping the interior and exterior of the building. Gone was the brick façade and dimly lit interior. After many months of construction, The Breakers was completely renovated allowing a more scenic view of the ocean and a generous seating area around the bar. Modeling after popular Florida color schemes, the building was painted a bright pink standing out against the beautiful backdrop of the white sandy beaches!

The Breakers is one of the original buildings on Historic Flagler Avenue with gorgeous views of New Smyrna Beach.  They get a lot of foot traffic since they sit right on the beach.

We got there about 12p on a Sunday so, of course, it was crowded.  However, we were able to secure a table pretty quickly.  As soon as we sat down a waitress come over to take our drink order.  I ordered Breakers’s Famous Rum Runner which is a blend of island rums, banana liqueur, blackberry brandy, grenadine, orange and pineapple juice served frozen or on the rocks.   It was so good, I had to order the second one!

To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for the food because after all, it’s a beach bar.  We had just had burgers the day before so I wasn’t in the mood for a burger.  Instead, I order the fish sandwich.  All I can say is wow, it was delicious!  My husband ordered the same thing and his sandwich was good as well.  

The Breakers are known for their burgers and are ranked in the Top 5 in Central Florida.  In addition to burgers, they have a variety of sandwiches, nachos, salads, wings and seafood.  They also serve breakfast so I plan to give that a try when we are there for a week in July.

Overall, it was a great experience – both food and service were very good.  We will visit them again the next time we head to New Smyrna Beach. 

Toni and Joe’s Patio

Once we wrapped up at The Breakers, we headed over to Toni and Joe’s Patio. It’s another bar that sits right on the beach.  Toni and Joe’s Patio is a staple in New Smyrna Beach, has been open since 1958. Opened by Antoinette (Toni) and Joseph Granieri after moving down to Florida from Pennsylvania. What started as a family business back then, has not changed. Toni and Joe’s Patio is still run and operated by the Granieri family. It is one of the only places open in the area that is still owned by the original owners, even after all those years. They have some of the best views of the beach!

Toni and Joe’s Patio offers a variety of signature cocktails, hoagies, hotdogs, burgers, seafood and pizza.  I can’t speak for the food because I didn’t eat but the painkiller drink I got was fantastic.  I had one drink and then we wrapped it up since it was a Sunday and we needed to get back to Orlando.

If you find yourself in New Smyrna Beach, I highly recommend The Breakers and Toni and Joe’s Patio.