For Lunch: Café Alcazar (25 Granada St, Saint Augustine, FL 32084-4387) is a true hidden gem�and is definitely off the main tourist path. It is a small restaurant located in what was once the deep end of the world's largest indoor swimming pool, now the Lightener Museum building. The food is quite good (I love their curried chicken salad.) and the atmosphere is absolutely unique and very conducive to conversation.

Housed in the magnificent Lightner Museum—formerly the luxurious Hotel Alcazar in its 1890s incarnation—this lovely little lunch spot sits where wealthy winter tourists once frolicked in the nation's largest indoor pool. Curried chicken salad, panini, and artichokes Giovanni—an addictive dish of baked artichokes with cheese and mushrooms on linguine—are among the many favorites here. Reservations are recommended.

When visiting St. Augustine, after you’ve checked out all the most popular attractions, be sure to venture off the beaten path to discover a special gem that provides not only a unique experience, but also a decadent departure from the ordinary when it comes to dining. Tucked away in the Lightner Museum in what was once designated for the largest indoor swimming pool in the world, Café Alcazar is an elegant eatery open seven days a week for lunch and once a month for dinner. Situated where the deep-end of the pool used to be, the historic Alcazar is one of St. Augustine’s most extraordinary restaurants, a true gem with an opulent ambiance that draws in diners looking for a distinctive experience.

The tea required reservations, and we were very fortunate that someone working there took pity on us and added a table, as they were technically booked when we tried making reservations. The cafe is in what used to be the pool of Flagler's second huge hotel in St. Augustine, and is now the center of the Lightner Museum. Tea started with a soup or salad course along with iced tea, while they took our hot tea orders (pretty smart, I thought!).

This restaurant has one of the most unique locations in all of St. Augustine. The Cafe Alcazar is located inside the Lightner Museum, which is already interesting enough—but, to make it even more special, the cafe is actually located on the bottom of the former hotel’s swimming pool!. Before the Lightner Museum was a museum, it was the Hotel Alcazar, which was known for its luxury and unusual amenities, one of which was a huge swimming pool.

By 1886, one of Flagler’s railroad lines linked the city to the rest of the east coast, and in 1887, his company began construction on two large, ornate hotels, the Ponce de Leon and the Alcazar. Flagler also purchased a third hotel, the Cordova, renaming it Casa Monica. The massive hotels not only attracted a huge tourist industry, but also brought a new wave of Moorish and Spanish Revival styling to St. Augustine.

Actually, the Café is located inside (yes inside) what was once the largest indoor swimming pool of the historic Alcazar Hotel build in 1887. More of an elegant setting where you will be entertained by a Piano player as you enjoy visualizing yourself swimming in this grand pool area. They have a menu that gives you beautifully presented entrees, I recommend the Shrimp Giovanni.

Located inside the Lightner Museum, Café Alcazar was housed in a hotel called the Hotel Alcazar, a retreat for the well-healed who traveled south for the winter. The Spanish Renaissance revival-style building was constructed in 1887 and was one of the oldest hotels in the US. The elegant eatery inherited not only the name of the historic hotel, but all its former elegance.

Housed in the former Victorian-era hotel, the Alcazar, this unique museum holds a diverse collection of beautiful and unusual artwork ranging from paintings and sculptures to furniture and mechanized musical instruments. Among all of the many landmarks in St. Augustine, the Lightner Museum stands out as an unforgettable place to check out while you’re here!

Part of St. Augustine (in some form) since 1888, this establishment is full of history. Once called The Hotel Alcazar, it was home to a casino and the world's largest indoor swimming pool (which secretly played host to many monarchs and presidents). Nowadays, the deep end of the former swimming pool holds the cafe that is open daily for lunch.

Part of St. Augustine (in some form) since 1888, this establishment is full of history. Once called The Hotel Alcazar, it was home to a casino and the world’s largest indoor swimming pool (which secretly played host to many monarchs and presidents). Nowadays, the deep end of the former swimming pool holds the cafe that is open daily for lunch.

Cafe Alcazar - Embracing the ambiance of an art museum, Cafe Alcazar finds its home within the illustrious Lightner Museum, originally designed to house the grandest indoor swimming pool and adorned with an array of art and sculptures. Their pride lies in crafting distinctive dishes from the freshest, locally sourced, and organic ingredients.

History buffs should be sure to visit the renowned landmark, the Columbia Rstaurant, a 100-plus-year-old Cuban-Spanish eatery, and Cafe Alcazar, which has been standing since 1888. If you're visiting on a humid summer day, don't neglect The Hyppo, which serves refreshing and delicious paletas (Mexican-style ice pops).

Café Alcazar is an elegant eatery situated in the space of the Lightner Museum originally designated for the largest indoor swimming pool. Our innovative chefs take pride in creating truly unique dishes made from the freshest ingredients, local and organic. We are open seven days a week from 11AM to 3PM for lunch.

Located in the Lightner Museum, this lower level was once filled-to the brim with water for the elite who were guests at Hotel Alcazar during the late 1800s. Today, people drop in mid-day for soup and sandwiches; many simply slide in to take a gander to understand if the rumors of pool dining are true.

Café Alcazar – Dine in the deep end of Flagler’s 1889 indoor pool!. Great ambiance and yummy food, often piano music, ideal after a tour of sister hotel Ponce De Leon – now Flagler College. Make reservations for the Café and the Flagler tour, also the Lightner Museum in the Alcazar.

Café Alcazar is your classy lunch café, with white-robed linen in an illustrious space by the fashionable Lightner Museum. The menu is high-end New American with European inspirations, featuring items like escargot, Pasta Zoratoa, and Paninis Alcazar. This is not a dinner location.

25 Granada StSt Augustine, FL 32084-4387(904) 825-9948 Visit Website Open in Google Maps. The Lightner Museum’s magnificent Café Alcazar occupies the former site of the world’s biggest indoor swimming pool. It was established in 2011 in a building that was built in 1888.

25 Granada St, St. Augustine, FL 32084Phone: 904-825-9948 Visit Website. A post shared by thecafealcazar (@thecafealcazar). Café Alcazar is an upscale lunch café inside a gorgeous early 20th-century building that once housed the nation’s largest indoor swimming pool.

You’ve dined poolside, but have you ever dined right in the pool?. Within the famed Lightner Museum, Café Alcazar operates in the magnificent space that once was a large indoor swimming pool. Here you’ll find mouthwatering soups, salads, sandwiches and more.

Formerly Henry Flagler’s Alcazar Hotel, which closed in 1932. The indoor pool, now the location of Café Alcazar, was the largest in the world in its time. At certain times, the pool was drained, and elaborate gardens were installed on the pool’s floor.

Located in the Lightner Museum, this lunch-only spot serves great salads (chicken curry is my fave) and high end sandwiches in the old indoor swimming pool (no water, of course). If you’re lucky, there will be a musician playing as background.

Taste the best Minorcan clam chowder at Catch 27, French escargot in white wine at Cafe Alcazar, Polish pierogis at Gaufre’s & Goods Inc, authentic Cuban sandwiches at La Herencia Café and fried green tomatoes at The Floridian Restaurant.

This place has been a part of St. Augustine since 1888 and has a lot of history. It used to be called The Hotel Alcazar and had a casino and the world’s biggest indoor swimming pool. Many kings and presidents secretly visited here.

If you stop at the Lightner Museum be sure to have lunch at Cafe Alcazar. Located in what was the former swimming pool of the Hotel Alcazar. The original hotel was commissioned by Henry Flagler.

We shared a Hummus Salad and Italian micro pizza with a glass of white wine. Hummus Salad freshly made hummus over spring mix, tomato, cucumber, drizzled with tahini and topped with pita points

It’s also home to Cafe Alcazar, where diners can lunch on the floor of the indoor swimming pool where the elite once swam and dived between the columns.