The Drunken Horse St. Augustine — Restaurant in Florida

My husband and I were seated right away. We picked outdoor seating because of the small atmosphere inside. Our original waiter was Peter. He asked us what we would like, we advised as of right now (2) French Onion Soups and water. He advised he understood and would come back to retrieve the rest of our order. He brought out the soup and water and immediately left never asking us for our order. Peter also was more attentive to the other tables outside except our table. There are only 3 tables outside. We are the only persons of color at the restaurant right now. Another couple came (persons of color) and asked if they could be seated, Peter advised the wait is 2.5 hours so they left. We were shocked. The couple after them (White Couple) ask to be seated and Peter obliged. When Peter came back he filled our water glasses and immediately left the table, we immediately got his attention and asked if he planned to take our order? He says, “What would u like?” per his stance as if to rush us. We immediately asked for our check due his kurt tone and implication of rushing as if we are wasting his time. Peter said don’t worry about the check and immediately left the table. My husband did not appreciate how he treated us and asked for a Manager. Bridget immediately spoke to my husband and apologized for Peter’s attitude and behavior and asked us to stay and she would personally serve us. Bridget was very nice. That’s the reason this location received 2 stars from us is because of Bridget. We decided to stay. We ordered the Salmon meal and Chicken meal. Both dishes were presented nicely on the plates. The taste was a 2 out of 5. My husband was a Chef on the strip in Las Vegas (retired now), he immediately knew the chicken was below par. He advised the chicken tasted as if it was left out. He spoke with Bridget about the chicken and how it’s prepared and she advised us they have no refrigeration for all of their food; they have COOLERS because the food is brought in fresh daily. As a Chef, raw chicken needs to be below 35 degrees prior to cooking, 165 degrees fully cooked. My husband was highly disappointed with the quality of meals prepared. That’s why the food taste mediocre. We believe when the restaurant becomes busy the chef may be leaving food out in that hot small kitchen. We would not recommend anyone eat here due to their lack proper refrigeration. Bridget brought out the crème brûlée. That dessert tasted mediocre as well. We’ve had better French Cuisine in Las Vegas as well as in Nice France. All of the French restaurants in St Augustine are below par for...

Saint Augustine is our home away from home. It’s a short drive from Jacksonville, and has beautiful beaches, fabulous restaurants and simply oozes charm and history.

Do yourselves a favor, dine at Drunken Horse, centrally is located on Charlotte Street.

We walked in at around 5:30pm, which is early for us but we wanted to walk around the Old City and photograph the lights. There are tables outside, with warmer lamps,. But, as Floridians, we opted for an indoor table. If memory serves correctly, there are three outdoor tables situated in an adorable outside courtyard; approximately twelve table in the main dining room, about twelve to fifteen seats at the bar, and an additional six to eight tables in the back room. I believe there were some tables out back.

It was a pleasure to dine at this amazing restaurant. I chose the escargot as my hors d’oeuvres and my husband ordered the seared sea scallops. Both were extraordinary. The escargot was scrumptious and the scallops simply melted in one’s mouth. Beyond divine!

For the entree I selected the boeuf bourguignon. It was truly delightful. The meat was fork tender, the carrots sweet and delicious and the potatoes were cooked perfectly. As to the broth, well, it should be illegal in the Lower 48. Yrs, it was that good. Put another way, the boeuf bourguignon could, quite easily, be my last meal.

My husband ordered the shrimp. Again, superlative. The shrimp was tender, cooked exquisitely and flavorful.

Drunken Horse serves wine and beer, only. No mixed drinks. We ordered a bottle of excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Aviary, which perfectly accompanied the bourguignon. The wine list runs the full gamut, and most bottles are priced reasonably.

St. Augustine is known for its hospitality, and we enjoyed our discourse with the owner. Our server for the evening was Tiffany, who went above and beyond. She is the quintessential server, who knew when to approach, and when to leave us to our own devices. In other words, I saw her keep an eye on our table, and appeared to instinctively know when to appear. She was a true delight.

Truth be told, I perused the menu prior to our visit and wanted to ordered the molten lava cake for dessert. Well, the best laid plans of mice and women…. Long story short, the preternatural French dinner left us “replete with an elegance of sufficiency”. In other words, we were full!!

We eagerly anticipate future trips to this superb...

My lovely wife and I have been to the Drunken Horse numerous times for a pre dinner glass of wine or to enjoy their courtyard with a bottle of wine after meandering the streets of St Augustine. When we bring friends to St Aug, it is one of our “go to” places. Surprisingly, we have never eaten at the Drunken Horse and we have been talking about it for months. Last night, we finally had dinner there and we are so glad we did!

The Drunken Horse is a small establishment off of Charlotte street. Their sign does not actually have their name so it is quite easy to miss. It is an intimate setting thought they have courtyards in both the front and back. They specialize in French cuisine and do not take reservations. It was a rainy night so the courtyards were not an option and all of the tables were full when we arrived. There was room at the copper top bar and we were all too happy to grab seats there.

Our bartender was Bridget who was extremely versed in the menu and provided us with sage counsel. Note that they do not offer liquor but have a very unique wine collection.

We started off with a charcuterie board which was amongst the best we have had. We chose both a hard and soft cheese in addition to a French prosciutto. It came with a dijon mustard and a honey truffle butter which was incredible. We also were given what seemed to be a whole loaf of sliced French bread. Gosh, we were full before our entrees arrived.

Still, we carried on through our culinary journey. We went down a simple path. I had the Bourguignonne flatbread. It had short rib, Gruyère cheese with caramelized onions and carrots. Simply amazing! My wife chose the croque madam which is a fried ham sandwich with bechamel sauce, Gruyère cheese and a fried egg (Bridget adroitly insisted that my wife try it with the egg….she was on the money). Both of our entrees were outstanding!

The Drunken Horse is clearly amongst our favorite places in St Augustine. We can’t...