My wife Marcela & I were looking for an antique shop when we all of a sudden came across this beauty. The Little Drug Co. has been in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, since 1922. Inside there is an old-school pharmacy/sundries market along with The Fountain, an old-fashioned soda fountain. I loved everything about this place.
When we walked into the Little Drug Company, I was ecstatic. It looked exactly as I had imagined it would. I was dying to sit on one of the stools, but my legs were just a tad too long for that to be a comfortable option. Luckily, there were a couple of regular tables off to the side that we made our home base for our stay.
After careful consideration, we ordered a Grilled Cheese and a Patty Melt. Just as the waitress is walking away, I notice that there is an option to switch out the grilled cheese’s typical white bread with Texas Toast. I cry out with a sad voice as if I had just lost my puppy dog in the hopes of getting her attention before the cook goes to work. She heard me!!! Texas Toast Grilled Cheese is a go.
Both of the sandwiches come with a bag of chips, which we didn’t end up eating till a few days later on our drive home. We had just been to Pappas Drive-In, so anything other than the mains was out of the question, hence no fries today.
While we waited for our food, I walked around the store and picked up a tchotchke I didn’t need, like a keychain, some candies, and bubble gum.
The Patty Melt on griddled rye was spot on. It was the definition of a perfectly executed patty melt. Kudos to them on that.
My last-minute idea to switch from regular bread to Texas Toast on the grilled cheese sandwich worked against me. It looked beautiful, but the cheese never achieved that perfect melt I was hoping for in my heart of hearts. Yes, it tasted good, but the cheese issue killed me emotionally.
I was about to ask for the check until I noticed there was a three-spindle Hamilton Beach milkshake blender. According to Burger Beast’s Comfort Food Guide Book, I am required to order a shake whenever one is at an establishment.
The milkshakes are available in a smaller two-scoop version, but we opted for the larger three-scoop chocolate milkshake. There is chocolate syrup drizzled along the inside of the glass for added flavor and visual effect. It worked on both counts. The two spoons pictures below were never used. The Chocolate Milkshake was the perfect way to end our visit at the Little Drug Company.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever find myself in New Smyrna Beach again, but I’d like to believe that if I did, the Little Drug Company would be the reason.
The Little Drug Co is CLOSED
412 Canal Street
New Smyrna Beach, FL
(386) 428-9041
Sadly, our town’s historic Little Drug Company is forced to permanently close on December 28, 2021 due to bankruptcy. For 99 years it was an iconic hometown favorite drugstore and malt shop restaurant for many generations in our little beach town. Sad to see it go.
That is sad to hear, I was looking forward to visiting again.