The Tiny Turtle at Cocoa Beach

Going to Cocoa Beach is always a fun time for us, as we love the surf town vibe of this city. Pretty much every business has some tie in to surfing or the ocean and The Tiny Turtle is no different. This is an adorable eatery with a Caribbean-Mexican fusion menu.

For such a small space, they have a pretty large menu. They mainly specialize in sandwiches and tacos, but each come with a wide variety of different protein and topping options. We were in the mood for tacos (as usual) so we opted for the island taco basket and the sofrito nachos to share along with some Funky Buddha Pineapple Beach beer.

With all the tropical food and drink options, it feels like you are on vacation even if you are not. There is plenty of outdoor seating as well if the weather is nice. It did not take long for our food to arrive and we were pleased with both options. We got the Piccadilo as a protein on the nachos. This is a mixture of ground beef and peppers and it made for flavorful nachos. We loved all the toppings, except for the iceberg lettuce, which I don’t like on nachos. The creme caribe added a surprisingly sweet but good touch.

We also ordered sofritos tacos which were delicious, although again there was a bit too much iceberg lettuce. These were very big tacos and we were more than full splitting the nachos and one taco each. Half way through we realized some hot sauce would go well and they had multiple options. We ended up with the ghost pepper which was obviously very spicy but manageable when used sparingly. It really added some extra flavor if you like heat. The Maduros were not my favorite, mainly because I couldn’t help but compare them to the sweeter version plantains.  We had a fun dinner here and then explored Cocoa for a bit after. Down by the beach we saw this beautiful mural by another restaurant we need to check out, Fat Kahunas. If you can’t tell, this area of Florida loves its turtles!

We had heard of Cocoa Beach Brewing Company so we also walked over there and were surprised to find a little house at the entrance. This brewery is very small and laid back and literally inside a house. They offered two options on tap so we tried one of each- a key lime and a pale ale. We enjoyed sitting on the porch and drinking these citrusy, full beers. We are impressed by the quality for such a small operation. They have been in business for almost ten years though, so they definitely have established a niche brewery. It would be a great place to go play a board game with friends or just sit outside and relax like we did. They switch out the two beers on tap so we will have to go back again and try more. Both the brewery and restaurant show that Cocoa Beach is a lot more than a tourist trap!