Castillo Craft Bar + Kitchen

So my husband and I went to Saint Augustine for the evening. It was just a normal Tuesday date night for my husband and I. We chose to head to Saint Augustine to look at all of the beautiful lights during the Christmas season. We decided to go to this restaurant, we walk into a very friendly atmosphere greeted by smiles and welcomes. We decided to sit at the bar where we met some very talented and knowledgeable bartenders. The drinks were wonderful, well-made and had some great conversations with other guests. When our table was ready we went and sat in this beautiful room .The service was impeccable. We were even met with the Manager who came over and said hello. Now with the hundreds of restaurants in Saint Augustine, all the same price point this one is worth a try. They go well beyond and they understand the meaning of hospitality. My husband and I would like to thank the entire staff. Wonderful job!!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My wife and I have been wanting to try this restaurant for some time now, and finally got the chance to go there last night. The atmosphere is great but the food and service was even better. Our server was Kayleigh who was very pleasant and do an amazing job serving us. Had the opportunity to met the manager Daniel who went out of his way greet us as it was our first time there. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone one that enjoys amazing food and even better staff.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Crab Cake? Seriously? Where is the crab meat. Spanish soup ok. That is saying it mildly. The two other dishes which were order by others, walked away saying which we all agreed. One shot deal and never going back. Mind you I grew up on Phillip Cab Cakes Ocean City Maryland. Rod and Real. I know my crab meat and their dishes. Their crab cakes were fillers not crab meat. Only my opinion but I had better food. The waitress was very nice and the service was good. But the food No thank you.

I’m extremely disappointed with my experience here. I drove 5 hours from Boca to visit this place, and when we arrived at 10:02 PM, we were told the kitchen was closed. I had even called ahead and was told we could come in at any time. When we walked in, the first thing we heard from the bar was “the kitchen is closed” — not even a greeting. The general manager was unfriendly and dismissive, which made the situation even worse. Overall, a very disrespectful and frustrating experience. I won’t be returning.

PLEASE DO NOT COME HERE‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great experience and good food. We had Willian as a waiter. He was attentive and knowledgeable

Very nice restaurant and staff. Food was good but a bit pricey, which was expected given the style and location. Would like to come back and try their award winning dish!

I NEVER write reviews but I felt I had to after this experience. I booked their 4 course dinner for Thanksgiving and I really regret it. I thought with the price tag, I would at least have an outstanding meal that would be memorable, but that was far from the case. For $150 a person, not even including wine or bread, it was not a good experience and I did not receive a good product for what I paid. Everything was just mediocre and overall seemed poor quality food. The appetizer was fine, again nothing to write home about but honestly was probably the best part. Once the salad came out, it was on a tiny plate with just a few salad leaves. For what I paid, it was sad but the worst part was that there was a dead fly in it. They most likely covered the salad with plastic wrap and trapped it in there while the salads sat out. When I received my entree of duck, there were two tiny pieces of overcooked duck over a ridiculously sweet and overly spiced sweet potato puree. It tasted like I was eating a dessert rather than an entree. It was off putting. And the dessert was a tiny cheap tasting ice cold pecan pie that was just meh. Didn't even come with whipped cream. There was just no presentation. The service and staff were great but the overall experience was a let down and I felt cheated. They should be ashamed for charging that much. I will not be back.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

I was surprised how empty the restaurant was on a Sunday for lunch after Thanksgiving week! Then, when we attempted to order our food, we realized what the problem was ... they were out of several items on a very short menu, leaving few and unappealing mix-matched options. We missed the seafood pasta and the shrimp we had last time that was memorable but not even on the menu anymore...actually there was no pasta at all...They have outstanding drinks, but don't head there if you are hungry. Their Brussels sprouts and chicken wing starters were very good, but we left shortly after... to eat real food somewhere else. The kids were starving! However, the place is snazzy and waiters are very kind and friendly, and parking is a real perk in the area!

I want to preface with that the manager ultimately made things right by comping our meal when we just hit a wall with a comedy of errors tonight at dinner. But that being said:

1) chicken fingers incident: I had called 7 (I know this sounds insane but iykyk with picky kids) restaurants in the area to ask about kid friendly food, and this is one of the few that actually serve chicken fingers on the menu (yay small victories for small picky eaters) so we made a reservation. Unfortunately when we showed up and went to order, the waitress told us they were out of chicken fingers. I asked if they could make buttered noodles (listed on the kids menu). The waitress then came back and said all they had for that evening was squid ink noodles and that they were out of normal noodles. I knew this wasn’t going to work (she was very nice but black colored noodles just is rough, even with some adults). The kitchen ended up finding chicken fingers somewhere but unfortunately they were not cooked and we ended up with kiddo eating rolls with butter and the French fries that came with the undercooked fingers.

2) My mom ordered a well done bison burger (this is a nice restaurant so it’s great they ask) which came out rare (I mean rare rare). She had just gotten over a round of being sick so she requested the burger be cooked well done. They brought the burger back after cooking it, and it was clear the original burger had just been opened up and put under a broiler. Of note this ruins the whole burger, cooks the veggies, and doesn’t actually help with food safety and internal temp (middle was still pink while outside was burnt). She was pretty grossed out and this kinda was the finale that made us leave.

3) My pasta came out (ordered the ricotta cavatelli) and honestly the ricotta cheese was cold, and not mixed in with the rest of the pasta? It was sort of spread around the bottom of the bowl but not mixed in but there was another sauce that was on the pasta itself. It was odd and just honestly looked /tasted like it would make you sick - cold black squid ink noodles plus soft cheeses in a questionable mixture that was supposed to be a warm pasta just wasn’t it. It wasn’t edible.

4) the ceviche was… yeah. I should’ve known a seafood medley was weird (normally it would be like a shrimp ceviche or a whatever ceviche with the name of the seafood in the title) but it was a raw white fish (or maybe cooked at some point idk) and I’ll leave it at that.

Again, this experience was not due to the waitstaff.
Our waitress was extremely kind and attentive, but she was put in a rock and a hard place with just error and issue after another that were out of her control. I think we hit this on a rough night during nights of lights, it’s clear the kitchen was understaffed and was rushing things out as fast as possible. I get it. But if you can’t get it right then just cap the number of patrons- no biggie. It’s hard to find good people and the holidays are rough for anyone in the tourism industry.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

We were running so late and really appreciate the restaurant working with us to keep our reservation. We sat for a bit before we flagged down wait staff because no one had really been assigned to our table. We had a few appetizers and drinks and the staff was really nice, but food was just okay. It was fairly expensive for what we ordered. Was hoping to love this place as I really like the location and availability of valet parking in an otherwise busy area.

Nothing special, the food doesn't taste like a chef cooked it. Good taste though, like a good home made one. Kind of noisy. The appetizers are cold, not the best quality, very hard bread. I will not come back.

I NEVER write reviews but I felt I had to after this experience. I booked their 4 course dinner for Thanksgiving and I really regret it. I thought a lot of places would be closed during the holiday but that was not the case. Because I thought I would not have many options, I booked Castillo even though it was outrageously expensive. I thought with the price tag, I would at least have an outstanding meal that would be memorable, but that was far from the case. For $150 a person, not even including wine, it was not a good experience and I did not receive a good product for what I paid. Everything was just mediocre and overall seemed poor quality food. The appetizer was fine, again nothing to write home about but honestly was probably the best part. Once the salad came out, it was on a tiny plate with just a few salad leaves. For what I paid, it was sad but the worst part was that there was a dead fly in it. They most likely covered the salad with plastic wrap and trapped it in there while the salads sat out. When I received my entree of duck, there were two tiny pieces of overcooked duck over a ridiculously sweet and overly spiced sweet potato puree. It tasted like I was eating a dessert rather than an entree. It was off putting. And the dessert was a tiny cheap tasting ice cold pecan pie that was just meh. Didn't even come with whipped cream. There was just no presentation. The service and staff were great but the overall experience was a let down and I felt cheated. They should be ashamed for charging that much. I will not be back.

The food at Castillo is consistently good, as is the service. Great job and great Thanksgiving dinner!

It's a beautiful location and great atmosphere. My Old Fashion was top notch. My biggest concern is the main entree. I ordered a rare prime rib and it came well done with very little flavor. They added a mandatory 20% gratuity to my bill and I do not see that on parties of 2 or less. Atmosphere good, drinks good, food is average and below average for the price you pay.

Very nice set up. Separate from the main lobby. Food, service and atmosphere were all great!