If you’re making the trek out to Pensacola Beach for a sun-soaked day on the sand, you need to give some thought to your dining options to fuel the day. Whether you’re looking for a quick slice of New York-style pizza or a waterfront fresh catch dinner, we’ve got a breakdown of some of the buzziest local restaurants Pensacola Beach has to offer.
Pensacola Beach restaurants on the fancier side
41 Fort Pickens Road
Drift is one of the most elevated dining options on the beach, known for offering a creative take on “modern coastal cuisine.” There, your salmon might come served with a tomato and dried cherry chutney or your pork chop with a bright blood orange glaze. The menu offers a variety of salads, starters and entrées appealing to seafood and land-lovers alike, with unbeatable views of the Gulf pouring in through the main dining room.
12 Via De Luna Drive
Another excellent option for Gulf views and an innovative dining experience is Bonsai positioned on the second floor of Pensacola Beach. Bonsai is set apart from all other dining options on Pensacola Beach because of its artistic Japanese fare. Now offering lunch and dinner, you can enjoy elevated rice bowls by day, and intricate omakase with wine and sake pairings by night.
400 Pensacola Beach Blvd.
Since 2010, The Grand Marlin has been a go-to for refined entrees with fresh Gulf seafood, coastal influence, and local flavors with views of the Santa Rosa Sound and sunsets over Pensacola Bay. While the restaurant offers a refined dining environment, customers are welcome to come in after a day at the beach to enjoy a nice meal. There are two distinct dining areas to choose from, including an indoor area and patio. Some of the stand-out entrée options include the signature Grouper Piccata, Swordfish Oreganata, Grilled 1855 Angus Ribeye and Shrimp & Grits. The restaurant also comes equipped with its house North Drop Bar, inspired by the North Drop fishing grounds in the Virgin Islands where the idea for The Grand Marlin was born.
400 Quietwater Beach Road Unit 13
The Wharf offers an elevated dining atmosphere with entrées such as fresh Gulf grouper, 14-ounce grass-fed ribeye, and the stunning seafood tower topped with Gulf Coast oysters, blue crab claws, snow crab clusters, cocktail shrimp, ahi tuna poke, smoked yellowfin tuna dip, and wakame. If you’re looking for a little more casual, opt for Hideaway Beach Bar out back, where you can enjoy handheld entrees and bar beverages right on the sugar white sand.
Pensacola Beach restaurants with laid-back beach vibes, live music and fresh seafood
800 Quietwater Beach
Flounder’s Chowder House is a quintessential Pensacola Beach experience where bands take the stage outside, volleyball players claim the sand courts with a sandal reservation system and their signature Diesel Fuel cocktails flow in abundance. Founders has been one of the most happening spots on the beach since 1979 for both food and entertainment. You can lean into the beach theme with their famous stuffed flounder or a hand-rolled sushi roll, or opt for something more traditional, such as the “Biggest on the Beach Steak Burger” or the Hawaiian-Style Grilled Chicken Breast. Don’t miss out on a slice of layered Key Lime Pie.
1010 Fort Pickens Road
Peg Leg Pete’s, a pirate-themed restaurant famous for fresh seafood and oysters, has been a Pensacola Beach staple since 1991. Peg Leg Pete’s started small, specializing in oysters, shrimp and a handful of sandwiches. Now, it has evolved into a locals’ go-to for fresh seafood plates with seafood sourced from Maria’s Fresh Seafood at 621 E. Cervantes St. Oysters are a must-try menu item at Peg Leg’s, and are offered in shooters, raw on the half shell, baked, in samplers and po boy sandwiches. If you end up on a long table wait, head downstairs to the Underwhere Bar for live music, a Shipwreck rum cocktail and a condensed food menu.
6 Casino Beach Boardwalk
Dining at Crabs can’t get any closer to the Casino Beach sand, offering a meal with an obstructed Gulf view and lively atmosphere. The restaurant is famous for their hermit crab races, open-air seating and as the name implies – wide variety of seafood. Their lunch and dinner menu offers a breakdown of seafood platters, steaks, sandwiches, sushi and more. They also offer a special Sunday brunch menu.
5 Via de Luna Drive
Red Fish Blue Fish blends beach fare with a Southern spin, including a variety of unique dishes and plenty of space to make yourself at home with the “best backyard on the beach.” On the menu, you’ll find a variety of signature dishes from Pensacola, including a Low Country Boil with Cajun boiled shrimp, blackened redfish, grouper piccata, and jalapeno cheddar roasted oysters. However, if seafood isn’t your style, you can always opt for classics such as the steak tacos, backyard burger or grilled chicken sandwich.
5 Via De Luna Drive
Self-proclaimed as the “best damn BBQ on the beach,” Water Pig is a slow-smoked meat-lovers’ dining destination for tender Texas brisket, St. Louis-style ribs, and Carolina pulled pork sandwiches. Water Pig BBQ offers unobstructed Gulf views paired with open-air beachfront seating, low and smoked barbecue and refreshing cocktails. Water Pig is the perfect place to kick back and chow down on some beach barbecue.
400 Quietwater Beach Road, Suite 16
While Bounce Beach is new to the line-up, the 25,000-square-foot, three-floor, three-stage facility has already become a summertime beach destination. Bounce Beach offers unique experiences for its guests on every level. It starts with the sand-side beach bar filled with frozen drinks, buckets and slushies, moves up to the main dining area with a stage at its center, and culminates on the picturesque rooftop bar with sunset views and craft cocktails.
Breakfast on Pensacola Beach – popular spots that serve breakfast regularly
45A Via De Luna Drive
Native Café is a local favorite for breakfast on the beach with their entire homestyle breakfast menu offered all day from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There you can find their signatures, such as their Gulf Coast Seafood omelet, crab cake benedict, breakfast burrito, stuffed French toast and many more. If you favor the lunch side of brunch menus, they also have dishes such as shrimp and grits, Florida fish tacos, a burger and grilled chicken sandwich.
39 Via De Luna Drive
Breakfast is served at Café Bistro daily until 12:30 p.m. with options including their strawberry banana pancakes, shakshuka, Nutella French toast, and a smoked salmon-based Ocean Dream sandwich. If you’re not in the mood for breakfast, come back later for lunch and dinner.
12 Via De Luna Drive
Salt, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant located inside of the Hilton Pensacola Beach, is a rarity in the sense that the restaurant offers a full breakfast buffet. While it offers the opportunity to fill up your whole family, you can also enjoy expertly composed breakfast plates, including Belgian pearl sugar waffles, smoked salmon bagels and a vanilla bean artisan challah loaf French toast. They also offer a special Sunday brunch that includes even more dishes, such as a crab cake benedict, shrimp and grits and steak and eggs.
41 Fort Pickens Road
Bear Fruit offers a line of build-your-own-fruit bowls and specialty coffees and teas. At Bear Fruit, you start by choosing your base (acai, dragon fruit, coconut or blue spirulina) then begin building on your toppings, which include various nut butters, sweeteners, fresh fruit, toasted coconut flakes, chia seeds and more. Stationed outside the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier, it’s also perfect for grabbing a honey coconut cold brew before taking a stroll.
Locals’ hidden gems for lunch on Pensacola Beach
63 Via De Luna Drive
The Reef is a happening spot to enjoy a casual and quality home-cooked meal after a day soaking up the sun. You won’t find any tourist traps here, and the menu keeps it simple, starring their famous smash burgers, wings, sub sandwiches and flatbreads. If you’re feeling adventurous, never pass on the special.
400 Quietwater Beach Road
If you’re looking for a satisfying New York-style pizza slice served simply on a paper plate and packed with flavor, Papa’s Pizza hits the spot after a day on the sand. Pizza is offered by the whole pie or by the slice, giving you the option to feed one or the entire family. The house specialty combinations are named after celebrities, such as The Frank Sinatra, The Sophia Loren and The Al Pacino.
400 Quietwater Beach Road
Café NOLA brings a taste of New Orleans flavor to the beach, offering a variety of NOLA’s signature dishes, such as head-on New Orleans-style shrimp, fried green tomatoes, po’boys, red beans and rice, boudin balls, and more. Beachgoers can step right off the sand to enjoy a meal packed with bold flavor.
21 Via De Luna Drive
You’re always likely to rub shoulders with a friendly local at Paradise. Paradise is one of the best-kept secrets on the beach for live music, sunset views and seafood baskets right off the Santa Rosa Sound. Their food menu offers lunch and dinner, showcasing items such as beer-boiled Gulf shrimp, crab cake bites and blackened fish. There’s also plenty on the menu for the land-lovers, including burgers, Reubens and Cuban sandwiches.
Pensacola Beach restaurants great for grab-n-go
5 Via De Luna Drive Suite G
Piazza is an Italian-inspired restaurant serving handmade pizzas, paninis, pasta bowls and salads perfect for packing up for a picnic on the beach. You can also assemble your own meal from the bodega, which offers a variety of meats, cheeses, dips and more.
1591 Via De Luna Drive
The Local doubles as a market and café, fueling beachgoers with café items, including quality coffee, breakfast bagels, made-to-order sandwiches, handcrafted pizzas, and more.
655 Pensacola Beach Blvd.
The Squeeze offers, located dockside of the Pier One Marina, offers a taste of eating on the healthier side with fast and fresh products including fresh fruit smoothies, sandwiches, acai bowls, pasta salads, coffee, fresh pressed juices and pita pockets.
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