If you want to eat it, chances are you can find it in Florida. Local specialties vary from region to region; Jacksonville is known for barbeque, Miami for (what else?) fine Cuban cuisine. Ethnic cuisines of all kinds can be found throughout the state, including good ol' Southern cuisine in the northern part of the state. Seafood, however, is king.

Florida suffers from a vast overgrowth of typical American chain restaurants. Avoid these except in cases of extreme hunger; local restaurants will always serve superior food. Haute cuisine is served at a number of restaurants throughout the state, but especially in and around the wealthy enclaves of Miami Beach, Naples, and Palm Beach. You'll pay for it, but the food is exquisite.

For the traveller on a more realistic budget, there are thousands of ethnic restaurants around the state. In south Florida, be sure to dine on some authentic Cuban cuisine. Haitian and Brazilian restaurants are becoming increasingly common in parts of Fort Lauderdale and Miami as well; both are worth a taste for the more adventurous diner.

Greek communities in Tarpon Springs, Tampa, and the Fort Lauderdale area offer fine Greek and Mediterranean restaurants, while authentic Italian food can be had throughout the Miami metro area. Indian and Thai restaurants are becoming more commonplace in the state's metropolitan areas; Jacksonville is known for its sizable Filipino community and Filipino cuisine. If you keep kosher, you'll have no trouble in South Florida, and will find a perhaps surprising variety in the state's other population centers. Vegetarian meals are served at almost any restaurant; vegan dining can be more difficult, if not impossible in the north of the state.

But for real Florida cuisine, find yourself a fish camp. These restaurants/RV campgrounds/bait and tackle stores pop up on most of the state's rivers and creeks, but are far more prevalent in the northern part of the state. You may to have to ask locals for directions to one-many of them have no signs and sit at the end of lonely dirt roads. The food, though, is well worth the effort. All the seafood at fish camps is local, and it will be an insult to cook and the locals if you order the chicken fingers. Try local catfish fillets, fried or broiled, with a basket of fried shrimp, scallops, or clams. Oysters can be served fried, steamed, or raw on the half-shell-don't eat them in months without an "R" in their names.

Some fish camps will offer steamed blue crabs or even Florida rock lobster tail. Rock lobster is a rare treat, but blue crabs are best reserved for those with time on their hands and a willingness to get a bit messy. Sample gator tail (yes, it's real) or conch fritters when either of these are on the menu. One dinner at a good fish camp and you'll find yourself looking for another one in every new town you visit.