Where to eat: 10 essential restaurants in Stuart include Alice's, Luna's, Sailor's Return

When in Stuart, eat as the locals do.

Bucket-list restaurants in Stuart are legendary and beloved either for their food, nostalgia, waterfront views — or all three. They're downtown, on the beach by the Atlantic Ocean, or on the water by the St. Lucie River.

When you think of Stuart, you think of these essential restaurants.

The city has too many must-visit restaurants to include them all, so TCPalm plans to publish more lists in the future. If you have a restaurant that should be included in the next list for Stuart or any Treasure Coast city, email [email protected].

Here are 10 essential restaurants in Stuart.

Alice’s Family Restaurant

Alice’s Family Restaurant opened in 1989 as a small-town girl’s dream of owning a restaurant that featured home-cooked meals, friendly service, affordable prices and a family environment. It’s open for breakfast and lunch with seating inside and outside. Its menu includes burgers, sandwiches, eggs, pancakes and coffee. It reopened in September 2024 after a two-week makeover for a revamped kitchen paid for by Impact100 Martin and the Loblolly Community Foundation. It also empowers adults with disabilities through meaningful employment and training while supporting the local ARC of the Treasure Coast.

Basil Garden Thai

Basil Garden Thai restaurant in Stuart

Basil Garden Thai opened in 2001 at the foot of the southeast side of the Roosevelt Bridge. The restaurant also opened a second location in Palm City. It serves a variety of authentic Thai food, including panang curry, massaman curry, pad Thai, tom yum and tom kha soup, shrimp in the blanket, steamed mussels in Thai spice, satay, Thai salads and a variety of dishes served in different sauces.

Carson’s Tavern

Carson's Tavern opened in 2007 in Stracuzzi Plaza. It's not a traditional Irish restaurant, said owner Carson Novins, but it’s the closest thing to one in Martin County. It celebrates Irish night every Tuesday and always has Irish beer on tap: Guinness, Smithwick’s, Harp and Kilkenny. Its menu features corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, and bangers and mash only during its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The cozy, dark-wood restaurant-bar also features a well-balanced menu with daily specials and live music weekly.

Casa Bella Ristorante

Casa Bella Ristorante opened in 1997 at the foot of the southwest side of the Roosevelt Bridge. The Italian restaurant specializes in northern and southern Italian cuisine, a tribute to owner and Chef Gerry Profeta's mother from northern Italy and father from southern Italy. The menu features traditional meals, as well as some with Profeta's own take on dishes. It uses premium ingredients and all natural spices. It also has an extensive wine list.

Luna Italian Cuisine

Luna Italian Cuisine, known locally as Luna's, opened in 1991 in downtown Stuart. It started with just a takeout window on Flagler Avenue and later expended to a full-service restaurant. It's owned and operated by Long Island natives, the Horton family. It's known for its garlic knots coated with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and lots of Romano cheese, all made using a secret recipe. It serves specialty pies or pizza by the slice, as well as salads, stromboli, calzones, hot and cold subs, Parmigianas, baked specialties, classic pasta entrees and gourmet selections.

Maria’s Café

Maria’s Café opened in 1994 in downtown Stuart, known originally as Maria’s Café and Grill. The restaurant has many regular customers coming back for breakfast and lunch. It offers fully covered outdoor seating with overhead fans or indoor booths, tables and bar seating. Its menu features omelettes, eggs Benedict, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, French toast and huevos rancheros for breakfast, as well as soups, salads, sandwiches, items from the grill and homemade desserts for lunch and dinner.

10 S.W. Osceola St., Stuart; 772-781-5886

Osceola Street Café

Osceola Street Café opened in 2000 in downtown Stuart. The restaurant has entrances on both Osceola Street and Flagler Avenue. It's open for breakfast and lunch and has a coffee bar. Its menu features homemade breakfasts, baked goods and specialty soups, salads and sandwiches. Highlights include the breakfast Reuben, cinnamon French toast and the OSC chicken panini wrap.

Riverwalk Café & Oyster Bar

Riverwalk Café & Oyster Bar opened in 2002 near the St. Lucie River in downtown Stuart. The restaurant is owned by chef Steve Feder. It’s open for lunch, dinner and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Its menu features oysters, fresh seafood, USDA Prime Center-Cut Steak and caviar service. It also has over 120 selections of quality wine from across the world with over 50 of them available by the glass.

Sailor’s Return

Sailor's Return opened in 2009 at the 128-slip Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage on the St. Lucie River in downtown Stuart. The waterfront restaurant was built by Bob and Tracy Davis, the husband-and-wife team who owned and operated the Jolly Sailor Pub in downtown Stuart from 1992 to 2003, now the site of Duffy's Sports Grill. It has a fun tropical vibe with nautically themed indoor and outdoor bars, a 220-seat capacity and accessibility by boat with 930 feet of complimentary dockage space. It's known for its steak, seafood and Sunset Bay orange cake for dessert.

Stuart Boathouse

Stuart Boathouse opened in 2014 after Mike Matakaetis and his family transformed the nearly 100-year-old building at the corner of St. Lucie Avenue and Seminole Street into a two-story restaurant and bar on the St. Lucie River. He also owns Hudson's on the River under the Roosevelt Bridge. The waterfront restaurant's menu features signature sushi, fresh seafood, the finest cuts of steak, homemade soups, salads, handhelds, entrees, items from the butcher's block and a list of desserts. It's open for lunch, dinner and brunch on Sundays.

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at [email protected]. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.