I don't know if you've ever driven I-10 in Florida from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, but it's the oddest stretch of highway. We didn't see any restaurants. Not even fast food (yuck). I'm sure there must've been something somewhere, but if so, it was so far off the highway that you couldn't see it. Let me tell you a little story...
For whatever reason, Gus decided that he wanted to get out of Jacksonville before we stopped to eat. You know, the large city of Jacksonville that has a lot of restaurants? He insisted there would be a place to eat along I-10. I'm sure there was, but since it wasn't right next to the highway, he just kept driving. And driving. At this point, we've passed the halfway point to Tallahassee, and I was getting hangry. Keep in mind that I had also been awake for over 24 hours, and I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before because we had to be at the airport at 4am. So I used my phone to start looking for restaurants anywhere. I saw that there was a place in Live Oak that had good reviews, but it was about a 10 minute drive off I-10.
Of course, the story doesn't end here. If you remember my post about The Best BBQ in Alabama, I talked about how when we're traveling, Gus never wants to go out of the way to do anything. He doesn't trust GPS and he likes to stay on the main roads. I'm a more adventurous soul. Sometimes, in a case like the present, I have to get creative and be willing to listen to a lot of grumbling. I told him there was a restaurant with good reviews that was "just a little bit" off the main road. We took exit 439, and after about 2 miles, the complaining (I was ready for it) started. "Where is this place", "I thought you said it was nearby", "We're out in the middle of nowhere". It's like it's scripted, y'all, because I know exactly what he's going to say.
Less than 10 minutes later, we arrived at All Decked Out Cafe. What a cute little place! It sits right at the corner of Duval and Lee streets in Live Oak, and has a small parking lot. (Gus was still grumbling at this point, but I was ignoring him.)
We saw a little outdoor seating area as we approached the entrance. It was soooo cute! I want to hang out there and drink!
Inside, it's just so charming. It's small, but very clean, and I loved the beachy decor. We seated ourselves and someone came over right away to give us menus and take our drink order.
Gus ordered a cheeseburger with a side of rice pilaf (remember from the Millhouse Steak House post how much he likes rice?)...
and I ordered a gyro with hush puppies...
Oh my gosh, y'all. Everything was delicious! The gyro was almost as good as the one from my favorite Greek restaurant. And the hush puppies? Perfection. Seriously. I would go back just for the hush puppies. So light on the inside, the perfect amount of golden crunch on the outside, and they weren't greasy at all. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
They had some decadent-sounding desserts, and I wanted to try something, but I was so full after eating that I didn't have room. Just another reason to come back again.
If you're wondering if Gus got over his grumpiness, I'll just say that as soon as we left, he said things like, "that was really good", "that was a cool place", "I guess it wasn't that far off the highway". Yes, that's the way we roll, and it's worked for 30 years. He gets grumpy, I ignore him and find fun places, he gets over it, I roll my eyes. I do love that man.
We will definitely be coming back here again when we're in the area. So if you're ever traveling I-10 between Jacksonville and Tallahassee, be sure to stop by the All Decked Out Cafe. You'll be glad you did.
All Decked Out Cafe
1040 Duval Street NE
Live Oak, Florida 32064
386-362-7752
Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday 11am - 9pm
(they close from 3-4pm to prepare for dinner)
Closed Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday
Do you have a favorite restaurant that isn't well-known? I'd love to hear about it - we're always looking for new places to try! Let me know in the comments, on Instagram, or on Snapchat!
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