Places to Eat Near the FSU Campus

Restaurants near the FSU campus know how to serve its massive population of students. The rich history and tradition kept alive in places like Andrew’s Capital Grill & Bar and Spear It mean the menus are packed with local favorites. And for trendier eats, head to Vale Food Co. for poke bowls, and enjoy a daily happy hour at Madison Social — one of the best restaurants near the FSU stadium. Read on for all the details on your new favorite places to eat near the FSU campus.

Vale Food Co.

Location: 815 W. Madison St. #106, Tallahassee, FL 32304

Cuisine: American (New), Poke Bowls, Vegetarian/Vegan

Hours: Every Day from 11 a.m.–10 p.m

At Vale Food Co., clean, healthy meals are king. Set up like the buffet at a Chipotle, you fill a bowl with a base like quinoa or sweet potatoes, and top it off with anything from coconut cauliflower to barbecue-braised beef. Yelper Ashley F. absolutely loved Vale Food Co., saying “I had the veggie quinoa, curry coconut cauliflower, buffalo tofu, and guacamole. The way the flavors blended together was incredible! I need to learn how to make curry coconut cauliflower because it was out of this world!”

But if a protein bowl isn’t your style, Vale’s menu is bound to have something that is. Chow down on some avocado toast topped with feta cheese and chili pepper, or dig into a chilled Acai bowl for all the antioxidants you need. New on the menu is delicious, fresh poke bowls piled high with ahi tuna and avocado. The choice is all yours.

Andrew’s Capital Grill & Bar

Andy Reiss, owner of Andrew’s Capital Grill & Bar, is known for adapting his restaurant and its menu to keep with the times. Originally opened as a deli in 1972, Andrew’s is now a local legend and FSU campus staple, serving everything from burgers and fries to Southern specialties like seafood jambalaya.

With a sports bar atmosphere and a downtown Tallahassee location, Andrew’s is quite the hot spot — with a menu to match. They offer upscale versions of your favorite gritty bar foods, like sticky bacon and bourbon meatballs, and “Totchos” — tater tot nachos topped with queso blanco, black beans, and jalapeños. Don’t leave without considering their burger menu, which features bites like the Kimchi Salmon Burger and the Deep South Burger, which is topped with a fried green tomato and pimento cheese.

Madison Social

Location: 705 S. Woodward Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32304

Cuisine: American (New), Breakfast & Brunch

Hours: Mon–Fri, 11:30 a.m.–2 a.m.; Sat–Sun, 10 a.m.–2 a.m.

Sitting in the shade of Doak Campbell Stadium is Madison Social, a trendy, new American joint with special events nearly every day of the week. The best night to go is Tuesday Trivia. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. and the questions start firing at 7 p.m. Grab four to six of your best friends and compete for the grand prize of a $40 gift card!

If your Tuesday night seminar holds you up, don’t worry about missing out. Thursday comes with a late-night happy hour, and they have a new drinking challenge every month, spotlighting seasonal and creative drinks. In the past, during fall, they highlighted ciders and cider cocktails, like the Johnny Fire made with Jim Beam and cider. If you try each one on the list before the end of the month, you win a custom-made T-shirt (and bragging rights).

Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with their trivia prizes, monthly challenge T-shirts, and other sweet deals.

One of the best burger joints in Florida, Spear Itis an homage to the flaming spear of Chief Osceola — an influential leader of the Seminole in Florida. It was established to bring the pride and heritage of legendary food and spirits to Tallahassee. Yelper Rachel P. seemed to capture it’s essence perfectly:

“At lunch, it seems this is a hot spot for the town and gown ‘who’s who’ of Tallahassee”, she says. “Located on the edge of campus along Tennessee Street and a short walk from the Westcott Building, I can see why you might spot an FSU Booster dining with an FSU Dean at lunch time.”

Stop by with your friends to look over their extremely popular burger menu. If you’re a freshman new to the scene, you have to order The Freshman 15! This burger is a grilled Angus patty topped with fried chicken tenders, bacon, Tillamook cheddar, shaved ribeye, cheese sauce, a fried egg, and all the fixings like ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, mayo, onion, and pickles. Now that’s a mouthful.