Restaurants we recommend
The Ice Plant
Farm-to-table restaurant and cocktail bar in St. Augustine
Restaurant and cocktail bar at 110 Riberia St. One of the places we send our own friends and family.
The Ice Plant is a farm-to-table restaurant and cocktail bar at 110 Riberia St, west of downtown, by the San Sebastian River. No reservations or call-ahead; walk in. Before you head out, the live cams on our home page show the weather and how busy downtown and the beaches look right now.
Our pick for farm to table and craft cocktails in St. Augustine
Why we send people here
We found The Ice Plant by accident. A trolley ride pulled into the old ice plant building instead of driving past it, and that's how we learned the St. Augustine Distillery had opened there with a restaurant upstairs. We took the distillery tour, loved it, walked over to look at the restaurant, and decided on the spot to come back for dinner that night.
That dinner is the reason it's on this list. The building alone is worth the trip. It started life as a power plant in 1905 and became Florida's first commercial block-ice plant, turning out up to 125 tons of ice a day for the shrimpers and fishing fleets. It sat empty for decades until a three-year restoration brought it back, and the dining room still has the overhead crane that once hoisted 325-pound blocks of ice. The cocktails are made with house-pressed juices and a wall of bitters, and you can tell someone cares about every one. The food is the real draw: a fresh farm-to-table menu that changes with the seasons, so there's always something new worth ordering.
What stays with us is how seriously they take the craft of being a restaurant and a bar, right down to how a drink is built. That's what got us the first night, and it's what keeps us coming back.
Recommended by Matt and Malena Henderson, co-owners of Nesta Systems. The Ice Plant pays nothing to be listed here.
- 110 Riberia St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
- West of downtown, by the San Sebastian River
- 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
- Craft cocktails with house-pressed juices and a wide range of bitters
- Farm-to-table lunch and dinner: grass-fed beef and burgers, local seafood, vegetarian options, daily specials
- The historic Ice Plant: a 1905 power plant that became Florida's first commercial block-ice facility, making up to 125 tons of ice a day for the fishing fleets before closing in the 1950s
- Restored from 2010 to 2012 with the St. Augustine Distillery downstairs and the restaurant upstairs, keeping the original overhead bridge crane and windows; listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- No reservations or call-ahead; walk in.
Heading out? Check the live cams first.Our free cameras show the weather, the Bridge of Lions, downtown and the beaches in real time, so you know before you go.
Frequently asked questions
The Ice Plant is at 110 Riberia St, St. Augustine, FL 32084 (West of downtown, by the San Sebastian River). The phone number is (904) 829-6553.
The Ice Plant is a farm-to-table restaurant and cocktail bar. Its website highlights: Craft cocktails with house-pressed juices and a wide range of bitters; Farm-to-table lunch and dinner: grass-fed beef and burgers, local seafood, vegetarian options, daily specials.
The Ice Plant at 110 Riberia Street began as a city power plant in 1905 and grew into Florida's first commercial block-ice facility, producing up to 125 tons of ice a day for local fishing fleets, farmers and residents. It closed in the 1950s, sat dormant for nearly 60 years, and was restored between 2010 and 2012. Today the St. Augustine Distillery occupies the lower level and the Ice Plant restaurant and bar the upper level. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
No. The Ice Plant does not take reservations or call-ahead seating, so you walk in and wait for a table. Weekend evenings are the busiest.
Yes. The Ice Plant opens at 11:30 AM Monday through Friday and at 10:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday, and serves both lunch and dinner.
Because it is one of the places Nesta Systems, the St. Augustine small business consulting company that built this site, actually sends its friends and clients. Listings are free and The Ice Plant pays nothing to appear here.
Yes. The free live cameras on watchstaugustine.com show the weather, the Bridge of Lions, downtown and the beaches in real time. None of the cameras point at this restaurant, but they are a good way to see how busy St. Augustine looks before you head out.