COTILLION SOUTHERN CAFÉ

101 Main Street
Wildwood, Florida 34785
Tel:  352-748-1223

By  Mike Miller February 5, 2025

The Cotillion Southern Café is a favorite lunch and dinner spot for denizens of The Villages and local Wildwood residents.

Cotillion Southern Cafe Wildwood, Florida

It is in the old restored Wildwood bank building on Main Street, also known as US Highway 301, across from City Hall.

I recently had lunch at Cotillion and it was a wonderful experience.

The dining room is decorated with antiques and old photos and posters that give it a homey comfortable feeling like your sweet old grandma's parlor.

The room was packed with well dressed customers, mainly handsome mature women.

Cotillion Southern Café: As Southern As Possible

The motto of the café is "Where Everything Is Served A.S.A.P. (As Southern As Possible).

The servers were bright and friendly. I had a Cotillion House Salad, with grilled chicken strips as a topping. The salad had mixed greens, strawberries, Jack cheese, scallions, toasted pecans and the Cotillion house dressing.

The salad was $10.99 with an extra $3.00 for the chicken. My glass of water was served in a mason jar.

It was a great salad. The grilled chicken strips were the best I've ever had. Next time I go maybe I can find out what they were spiced with. They were delicious.

Another surprise in the salad was a small chocolate mouse that I set aside and saved for dessert. The mouse is a long stemmed cherry dipped in chocolate with M&M's for its ears and the stem forming the tail.

The menu focuses on Southern cuisine. There are a lot of things like smoked meat entrees, pork, low country shrimp and grits, and southern jumbo fried shrimp.

Sandwiches include St. Augustine Crab Cakes, Junkyard Dawg (that's sausage on a grilled bun with bacon, grilled veggies and cheese), and the Florida Cracker Angus Burger.

Dinner entrees are more elaborate, including Taste of the South Platter that is a half rack of slow smoked, dry rub, loin back ribs and pulled pork with homemade onion rings, baked beans, cole slaw and barbecue sauce.

The menu is extensive, and also includes a lot of seafood selections. I intend to visit soon and have dinner.

The owner, Miz Kathi, is in charge of all food preparation. Her desserts are made in house and include a wide selection of cakes and pies.

First Annual Bewitching Tea in Magnolia Room
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In recent years Miz Kathi has added to the original space and has added The Sweetery with delicious wholte cakes and other sweets to take home with you.

The Sweetery is next door to Cotillion and next to another addition, The Magnolia Room, which can be reserved for private parties.