When it opens at 8am, the Bunnery has the feel of a local cafe. Many customers are known to the staff and the help-yourself coffee service encourages friendly interaction. Later in the morning as St. George Street crowds with tourists, the noise level increases and it becomes a more raucous place. But any time of day (until closing at 3pm) the pastries are hard to resist.

Some of the handsomest ones are displayed in the window to lure passers-by: flaky strudels, croissants, and muffins. The cases inside display a wide range of sweet temptations including iced raisin scones, individual bread puddings, giant oatmeal rasin cookies, and a couple of great big layer cakes. I enjoyed something called blueberry boybait, which is a crumb-cake square chockablock with berries and topped with a blanket of powdered sugar. It was fine with Bunnery's good coffee (available with extra espresso shots, if desired).

Breakfast and lunch are doled out in a self-service manner. Place your order at the counter, pay, and wait for your number to be called. The breakfast menu lists eggs, pancakes, sandwiches on croissants or bagels, French toast and, of course, all those pastries, plus a long list of hot and cold coffee and tea beverages. I was bored with the grits which are white and bland, but the sausage gravy that came atop a biscuit and underneath a couple of eggs on my "Southern Eggs" breakfast was nice and spicy.

The Bunnery's lunch, which I have yet to try, includes cold sandwiches, paninis, salads, and an intriguing item listed as "My Mom's Grilled Cheese."

Any time of day that O'Steen's is open you'll see people gathered outside, some sitting on benches, waiting for their turn at a table. The best shrimp in St. Augustine are served at O'Steen's. You'll also find the finest version of the local red Minorcan clam chowder, along with some fine Southern-styled side dishes.