Wednesday, October 21st, 2026
One of my favorite places to eat in St. Augustine is Ned’s Southside Kitchen. It has a classic diner vibe, and it has literally everything on its menu. Burger or sandwich? Sure. Salad? Yep. Liver and onions, fried chicken, or meatloaf? Yes. Also tacos, eggplant parm, fried shrimp, fish and grits, various pasta dishes, occasional prime rib, and even escargot (I’m not kidding). And somehow everything is delicious, and the unsweet tea is always fresh, and the vibe is just right. AND: their mascot is an orange cat named Milo who has since crossed the rainbow bridge but who continues to grace the back of the servers’ t-shirts to this day.
They always had t-shirts available to buy and I always meant to get one but somehow never did. I didn’t see any on display during this last visit, so I asked our friendly server Sandra if they had any shirts available somewhere. She said she’d go and find out. My request ultimately led to one of the young cooks having to open a trap door in the ceiling by the bathrooms and clamber into the attic to rummage around, where he found one lone shirt left in my size—and it happened to be black, the color you will find me wearing the most. I was so, so grateful to Sandra and the young cook. I absolutely love my shirt featuring Milo, and I’m glad we got to pay a visit to Milo’s memorial corner outside the restaurant after lunch. Thank you, Ned’s!