Top Ten Restaurants in The Villages\
 

I went onto Yelp, which has been a trusted guide for me when searching for good restaurants, especially when I’m traveling. I sorted all the restaurants in The Villages (must be “inside” the bubble and golf-cart accessible), based on what received the best over-all reviews (not necessarily the most reviews). Here is what came up as the top ten (is your favorite listed here?)

1) Chicken Salad Chick
2) Coastal Del Mar
3) Legacy Pool Bar and Grill
4) Island Fin Poke
5) First Watch
6) Reveille Cafe
7) Harvest
8) Kung Fu Chef
9) Koyame
10) No. #1 Chinese

I eat at Harvest and Coastal frequently. The other 8 not for me. IMO List is missing Chop House, Lopez, Prima, Havana, Blue Fin and Mezza Luna.

Can you get to Mission BBQ or Honey Baked Ham on a golf cart?

Too many restaurants to pick a favorite. We like a few of these.

Neither is golf cart accessible.

Not legally, no. But you can park your golf cart at Petco and walk across the street to the plaza where HoneyBaked is located.

If you want to be sneaky, you could go out the gate at Jeffrey Drive off Tarrson and cross Griffin onto Rolling Acres, and then cut into the parking lot behind Home Depot. From there you just follow that little drive around the corner into the parking lot where Mission BBQ is located. You're risking a ticket though since it's still illegal to cross that road and drive on Rolling Acres on a golf cart, even that half-block stretch that most people don't use.

Thanks - I’m still learning the far north area around Spanish Springs, I’ll delete them from the top ten list, and edit with the next two restaurants.

Thai Ruby is “OK” - Sumter Landing - For real good Thai, you’re gonna need to drive down to Orlando.

Ick not one decent place

There are 2 very good Thai restaurant in Ocala. Ayuttaya and Thai Orchid.

Try TripAdvisor. You’ll get a whole different list.

Haven't been to the first two. Funny how they have the pool bar at Lopez rather than the restaurant. Haven't ate at the pool bar in years, but memories of it are not pleasant. Haven't been to 4,6, 7,9 or 10 either.


My favs:
1) Ruby Tuesdays at Spanish Springs
2) Kung Fu Chef
3) City fire at Sumter
4) Lopez restaurant (Although they just changed their menu and got rid of the penne pasta alla vodka, ouch, my favorite.)
5) Chop House at Sumter

Non to my liking maybe I'll try King Fu upon my return.
Not a fan of breakfast in TV I prefer home fries on the grill if I wanted fried potatoes I'd order French fries. Some think SPAM is a gourmet food

Very True - In my travels, I have found that lots of chains and franchise-type places are rated high on Trip Advisor. For me, I have found Yelp to be very helpful, especially if I’m in A strange town or city, and want something really good and authentic for the area, and not a franchise-type restaurant that I can eat at back home. That’s just me though - for those that want something more “familiar” when traveling, then Trip Advisor is a good option for those folks. I’m extremely adventurous when dining out, and I love to explore and try different restaurants, especially unusual ethnic places.

Top 10 restaurants are only top ten for the person listing them. If we are eating out it needs to be better than what we can cook at home. We do eat at Mission, the food is good, the service is above and beyond. But the best part to speaking with the WW2 or Korea, vets, they are so interesting.

Other than Harvest, are any of the above restaurants, located in one of the (4) Squares?

I don't think so. There seems to be a message there and not a good one.

🚩When #1 is a chain…… 😂 Slightly worrisome? On one of my first visits to TV I asked some ladies at Babette’s where they recommended I go for lunch. They said Five Guys 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Knew I was in trouble

I don’t know 1,2,8,9,10 as I don’t get north very often but like Harvest and Reveille is really good for breakfast/lunch. One of my favorites south of 44 is Fenney Grill.

Island Fin Poke is in Brownwood...

That said, the only "Top 10 Lists" I paid attention to were the one's on Letterman...

Coastal del Mar is at the Spanish Springs square. Chicken Salad Chick is one of the businesses just off the square.

Just what is the message you see here?

Coastal del Mar and Blue Fin are both excellent. We always enjoy eating at Thai Ruby and it's such a pretty restaurant. We take guests there. The restaurant at Brownwood Hotel and Spa makes outstanding salads. It's a Wolfgang Puck restaurant; expensive so good for a special meal.

Does anyone know of an Indian restaurant around here, either inside or outside. There is one out here (Scottsdale) that’s making me think twice about moving!

There is a small one in Mt Dora and Amrit Palace in Ocala

I like Mexican. My favorite Mexican restaurant in The Villages by far is Ay! Jalisco! In Spanish Springs. Try their Cadillac Margarita. I go there a lot.

We don’t eat out enough to have been to all of those but we do like Reveille, especially after golf for breakfast or lunch.

Yelp is a terrible source for anything. If the business (es) don’t pay to join Yelp, they don’t get any recognition and they dwell on negative reviews.

We dined at Thai Ruby once, some time back. Not impressed. The problem with Thai Ruby, as with just about all Thai restaurants we've visited, is that they serve a dumbed-down version of real Thai cuisine.

Coastal is in Spanish Springs
Island is in Brownwood

This is a little off target but the owner of Honey Baked Ham owned a really nice golf course in northern Michigan called Elk Ridge. I've golfed there a few times and always had a ham sandwich at the turn. The 10th hole was an elevated par 3 (140' high) with a bunker shaped like a pig that guarded the front of the green. He ended up selling the course to a hunting group and they closed the course and turned it into a private hunting lodge.

Even though they have some value, I haven't trusted these type ratings for a long time. I lived in an area of Florida noted for its great seafood. A local survey was done by the local paper and Red Lobster was rated "Best Seafood Restaurant". The best seafood restaurants didn't even make the list as they were smaller and did not have the vast number of customers. (or all you can eat menu items.)

Nice to see Island Fin up there. I love that place.... been there 4 times since last year.

The rest I'm not familiar with, but I also like Bluefin, Brick & Barrel, City Fire, Oh Shucks, Bonefish, Wolfgang Puck, Sammy's, Willie Jewel BBQ, and Scooples (ice cream). And outside of the Villages I love Frenchys and Cali.

Thai Restaurant
 

We live in Ocala and order take out from Ayuttaya once/week; love it. Also love Amrit Palace (Indian)

Mission Barbecue is the best!

Good Thai
 

Ruby Thai, lake Sumter Landing

Ed’s top ten:

1. Blue Fin
2. Prima
3. Coastal Del Mar
4. Lopez
5. Mezza Luna
6. Havana
7. Oakwood
8. Chop House
9. Harvest
10. Jersey Mikes

You’re welcome

Trusting YELP - big mistake
 

When Yelp first came out everyone thought it would be the new trusted way to get Fair reviews on anything from businesses to restaurants. Unfortunately Yelp has turned into big business advertising and calls on these restaurants and businesses and requests that they set up an advertising plan with Yelp. All of a sudden those restaurants and businesses that DO NOT Yelp advertise are no longer well reviewed. I would never trust a Yelp review. They hide reviews of non advertisers saying it's the algorithm that can tell that they are not real reviews but I know for a fact they are real and it's just because those companies don't pay the piper and advertise. I would only trust Google reviews. Google does not manipulate the reviews or the businesses and do not ever charge a fee to be reviewed. Or hide reviews.

Other than the lack of a pizza place (I'd add Piesano's, not crazy about Mezza Luna), good list! :thumbup:

An example of why you should never trust what you read on the internet. The above suggestions from Yelp are a fine example of nonsense. There are only two real restaurants on the list - the others are fast food and/or breakfast joints.

This is a good list!

You have GOT to be kidding?!