As the local dining scene continues to evolve in the Sunshine State, we are inevitably thrilled to say hello to new restaurants and disheartened to say goodbye to old favorites.
Throughout the month, while some restaurants in the Daytona Beach area closed their doors, we also welcomed a plethora of new establishments, serving everything from scratch-made comfort foods and sauce-smothered bites to gourmet desserts and much more.
So, if you’re looking to stop in somewhere new for breakfast, lunch or dinner, check out the latest restaurants and cafés that have opened in the Volusia-Flagler region during the month of June.
Volusia-Flagler restaurants/cafes that opened in June
Bowl Thai Café
360 Flagler Ave, New Smyrna Beach; 386-410-2033
Bowl Thai Café opened shop in New Smyrna Beach last month. The restaurant sits tucked away on Flagler Avenue, neighboring the Patio Café and Shades of New Smyrna Beach.
In addition to a range of curries, fried rice and noodle dishes, its menu features several stir fry meals, specialty plates — tamarind scallops, garlic salmon, tamarind shrimp — and grilled options, like BBQ chicken and beef teriyaki. Bowl Thai Café offers online ordering, pickup and delivery.
Coffee by Kada
3133 S. Ridgewood Ave., Suite 1, South Daytona; 386-886-5232, coffeebykada.com
After starting as a curbside trailer in 2024, Coffee by KADA served its first cups of Cuban coffee last month at the brand’s debut brick-and-mortar shop in South Daytona.
The new café, a lifelong dream for owner and Cuban-native Adalicia Abu-Rus, offers a blend of traditional and innovative beverages, from signature lattes, like the Crema de Banana and Toffee Coffee, to slow bar selections, like Un Café de Flan, fresh fruit smoothies and affogato.
Friend of the Farmer Café
600 S. Kepler Road, DeLand; 386-279-7020, facebook.com/friendofthefarmercafe
Friend of the Farmer Café opened last month within DeLand’s A Place in the Son Nursery. The new shop is run by business partners and industry veterans Ross Blanco and John Palino, who opened the original Friend of the Farmer Cafe in New Zealand more than a decade ago.
The outdoor, garden cafe house roasts its own brand of Kiwi Coffee, plans to grow its own herbs, among other items, and works with local farms to source its ingredients. Its menu includes frappes, lattes, fresh fruit ice cream, breakfast sandwiches and smash burgers, among other items.
Mom’s Home Cooking
1201 N. Dixie Freeway, New Smyrna Beach; 386-423-5660, facebook.com
After shutting its doors in March, this New Smyrna Beach dining fixture of 25 years recently reopened under the local owners of A.M. Café of Edgewater.
“We’re staying true to exactly 79.5% of the classic MOMS menu you know and love, with a 20.5% dash of AM Cafe inspiration to bring some fresh new flavors,” the restaurant’s recent Facebook post states. “Plus, we’re on a mission to become the waffle headquarters of New Smyrna Beach.”
Menu options range from Mom’s Benedicts, three-egg omelets and loaded Belgian waffles to fresh salads, Mom’s burgers and other handhelds.
The Pony Bar Café
4647 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Unit #501, Port Orange; 407-907-5220, facebook.com
The Pony Bar soft opened on June 30, welcoming guests to its first permanent location inside Port Orange’s Radiant Studios hair salon.
Since opening as a mobile beverage bar under owner Lindy Feeser earlier this year, the brand has become known for its playful menu of “sweet treat”-inspired iced lattes, shimmering lemonades and dirty sodas — a non-alcoholic beverage that combines soft drinks with various creams, flavorings and toppings.
The grab-and-go shop’s menu features more than two dozen 20-ounce coffees, dirty sodas and lemonades to choose from, like the Funnel Cake Latte and Campfire Cola, as well as coffee flights, seasonal creations and baked goods from Daytona Bakes.
Scooter’s Coffee
1980 S. Ridgewood Ave., South Daytona; scooterscoffee.com
Scooter’s Coffee, a Midwest-based coffee chain, opened its first Volusia County location last month on the corner of Big Tree Road and Ridgewood Avenue in South Daytona.
The brand was created in 1998 under co-founders Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, according to its website, and has since grown to hold more than 800 locations across the country. The drive-thru shop’s menu features a variety of hot, iced and blended espresso beverages, as well as fruit smoothies, teas and breakfast sandwiches.
Solorzano’s Pizzeria
1700 W. International Speedway Blvd., Unit 150, Daytona Beach; 386-318-0712, nobodymakespizzalikewedo.com
Phil Solorzano, owner of Solorzano’s Pizzerias, opened his fourth mall restaurant last month at the Volusia Mall food court in Daytona Beach. The animated and unapologetic pizzaiolo grew up in his family’s Italian restaurants in Hoboken, New Jersey, before opening his own pizzeria, the first of many, in 2007 in Siesta Key.
His Daytona Beach shop offers 12- and 16-inch pies, as well as slices all day, with options that range from The Lambo Pizza with Grande cheese, vodka sauce and pesto to the meat-layered Hoboken Heart Attack.
Sumo Sushi Hibachi Thai
1500 Beville Road, Suite 406, Daytona Beach; 386-999-9888
A new restaurant specializing in handcrafted sushi rolls, hibachi and Thai cuisine opened shop in Daytona Beach last month.
Sumo Sushi Hibachi Thai, located in the retail plaza across the street from Dutch Bros Coffee, has earned several five-star reviews since opening just weeks ago, with many noting the freshness of the restaurant’s ingredients and others referring to it as Daytona’s newest “hidden gem” online.
It’s menu is generous with a vast selection of sushi and sashimi, poke bowls, bento box specials, hibachi dishes, curries and much more. Sumo Sushi Hibachi Thai offers delivery with DoorDash.
Did we miss any? Email hperray@gannett.com to be added to the list.
Volusia-Flagler restaurants/cafes that closed in June
Cantina Louie
Cantina Louie quietly closed its sole Volusia County restaurant, located across the street from the Daytona International Speedway, last month.
The Mexican eatery, which opened in 2020, was rumored to be closing following a few social media posts from local customers, though its official shuttering was confirmed when a former employee took to Facebook on June 20 in search of job opportunities, stating “I’ve worked at Cantina Louie the last five years, but they have officially closed the doors” noting the restaurant’s lease was up.
The Florida-based chain was founded more than a decade ago in St. Augustine, and now holds 12 locations between Florida and North Carolina, according to its website, including one in Palm Coast.
Did we miss any? Email hperray@gannett.com to be added to the list.
More June restaurant news
Pappas employees featured in Brad Pitt’s ‘F1: The Movie’ revive menu at new location
Peggy’s Country Kitchen, located at 2100 S. Ridgewood Ave., recently welcomed its new co-owner Eddie Wilbur, the former chef of 20 years at the iconic Pappas Drive-In & Family Restaurant, followed by familiar faces Bobbi Hannan and Aimee Remensnyder. The local team was last seen flipping scripts among camera crews and Brad Pitt. Now, you can catch them calling the shots behind the counter of the Edgewater restaurant.
‘Get in the T.U.B.’: Quirky Edgewater brewpub doubles in size
It looks like “the T.U.B” has room for a few more, as Edgewater’s favorite funky brewpub recently revealed its long-awaited expansion. With an ever-growing customer base and brews featured in at least 14 restaurants across the Volusia-Flagler region, Typsy Unicorn’s Brewing kept the momentum rolling over the last six months by taking over the former retail space next door, expanding the Riverside Plaza brewpub to double its original size.
Daytona-area restaurateurs talk food truck to brick-and-mortar journey
Making the brand transition from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar restaurant is no small feat. After sitting down with several restaurateurs to learn more about the lengthy – and costly – process, the owners of The Knot House in New Smyrna Beach, Tango’s in Ormond Beach and JoJo’s Tastes of Chicago in Port Orange shared their stories with The News-Journal.
Best Daytona Beach BBQ joints? 6 Area restaurants worth the road trip
Nothing says “summer is here” like a nice rack of sauce-smothered ribs, a platter of smoked brisket and mac and cheese or a big ol’ pulled pork sandwich — and luckily for us, the Daytona Beach area is rich with eateries that do barbecue right.
From roadside restaurants serving Texas-style ‘que, to fast-casual joints whose smokers sit loud and proud out front, here are six delicious BBQ spots across the Volusia-Flagler region that are well worth the finger-licking mess.
Restaurant makes NSB debut with brisket bowls, chili cheese dogs inside unlikely location
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ recently opened the New York-based chain’s first Volusia County location within the Walmart Supercenter at 3155 State Road 44 in New Smyrna Beach. Husband-and-wife duo and franchisees Anthony and Kimberly Fischetti run the 26-seater eatery, the first of many “Crave Express” locations to open nationwide with loaded hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, bowls and more.
Collard greens, oxtail and more coming to Volusia Mall with new soul food restaurant
Off the Chain Soul Food, located within the Volusia Mall food court, plans to open shop at the end of September. The restaurant is owned by Daytona Beach native Kel Moore, who recently operated a soul food restaurant in Lansing, Michigan. The eatery’s menu, a combination of Moore’s grandmother’s recipes and his own, will feature a five-cheese mac and cheese, oxtail, catfish, collard greens, banana pudding and more.
Popular St. Augustine diner launches franchise program, sets sights on Daytona Beach
St. Augustine’s Beachside Diner recently announced the launch of its franchise program. Daytona Beach, described as “a natural extension” of the retro-style eatery’s flagship location with “huge potential,” is among several key Florida markets eyed for expansion, according to owner Alan Wollenschlaeger.
Hooters abruptly closes several Florida restaurants. Is Daytona Beach among them?
After filing for bankruptcy in March, Hooters, the well-known Florida-based restaurant chain, abruptly closed numerous locations across the country on June 4. At least six locations shuttered across the Sunshine State, including one in Sanford, Orlando and Kissimmee, leaving Volusia County locals questioning the status of the brand’s Daytona Beach restaurant.
Port Orange restaurateur opens old-school sub shop, pizzeria honoring father’s legacy
Local restaurateur Andy Himmer, of Ormond Beach, is carrying on the dining legacy his father started more than 60 years ago in Lawrence, Massachusetts, with the opening of Pizza Rays. The fast-casual shop offers a plethora of of hot and cold subs, 16-inch pizzas and breakfast sandwiches, among other homemade items.
Longtime Palm Coast restaurant on the Hammock to close, hopes to relocate
In a statement posted June 2 to its Facebook page, 386, A Fusion of Fine Eating, announced “with heavy hearts” the decision to close its doors in the near future, following more than a decade at its current location, nestled among the Hammock’s live oaks. The restaurant is still accepting reservations and remains open for business until further notice, according to its Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: June restaurant openings and closings in Daytona, NSB, Palm Coast and beyond
Reporting by Helena Perray, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
