Meals and Music at the Beach
By Meaghan Alvarado
Photo by Tammy Harrow
501 A1A BEACH BOULEVARD • 904-460-9311 • ORIGINAL CAFE 11 DOT COM
Café Eleven is commonly mentioned among St. Augustine locals when discussing their favorite place to dine on the island. In addition to serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the old convenience-store-turned-restaurant doubles as an event venue and hosts regular concerts from a wide variety of music genres.
Owners Chad Cockayne and wife Carol Curley bought the business and moved to St. Augustine Beach from Deland in November of 2012. Chad remarks, “The hospitality industry
is over-saturated in Central Florida. Once we were exposed to the possibility of being a part of this small, business-friendly community, we put all of our efforts into making it happen.”
The café’s specialty is vegetarian dishes and meaty, Southern, comfort-style cooking. Chad’s favorite is the Buffalo Chicken Panini. It’s one of Café Eleven’s most popular sandwiches and a local favorite. Carol prefers their Avocado Melt and a cup of fresh Kona coffee.
Owning the café has exposed the couple to a variety of musicians they otherwise wouldn’t have known about. Musicians like Steve Poltz, who Chad says, “has the best stage presence of anyone I have ever seen.”
Seth Glier is another of their favorites. Along with their 15-year-old daughter, Caley, the family enjoys being outside and visiting the beach when they’re not at the restaurant. Running is a big part of Carol’s life. She says it gives her time “to sort out the crazy week or day I’ve had.”
In addition to dancing over 40 hours a week and attending virtual school, Caley joins her parents, working at the café on the weekends. Giving back to the local dance community, Café Eleven recently hosted a takeover, where a local non-profit, The Perla Ballet School, received all of the tips earned and 20% of sales in one evening.
If you’ve ever driven by 11th Street in February, you’ve likely seen the “LOVE window” at Café Eleven. Guests leave notes, cards, and art on the front of the building. It’s donation based and brings awareness to local organizations like SAFE and Hugs Across the
County.
Café Eleven is located at 501 A1A Beach Boulevard in St. Augustine Beach. They’re open daily from 7 AM until 9 PM, with happy hour from 3 PM – 7 PM every day. Go to the Cafe 11 website to see menus and music
schedules.
