Southern Traditions And International Influences Blend With The Freshest Produce And Seafood For An Extraordinary Culinary Experience

The Pensacola Bay Area is proud to have numerous locally owned restaurants which present a wide variety of cuisine with every taste in mind. From casual fare – such as fried mullet and bushwackers – to elegant cuisine – such as grouper piccata with capers and a brown-butter sauce. Visitors will find unique dishes that reflect the area’s cultural influences and good ol’ seafood standards like shrimp po boys and oysters on the half shell.

The Pensacola Celebrity Chefs program creates an intimate dining experience for visitors by allowing them to get to know the area’s most talented chefs on a personal level as they share recipes and tricks of the trade. The chefs have sold out six events, including a banquet for the king and queen of Spain and dinner at New York’s James Beard House. Recent studies show that nearly 20 percent of travelers plan vacations around food and wine experiences. Visit www.PensacolaCelebrityChefs.com.

DOWNTOWN
The Fish House and Atlas Oyster House (Pensacola Celebrity Chef Jim Shirley) offer delectable cuisine with views overlooking Seville Harbour. The restaurants serve fresh fish, Asian specialties, Southern sides and the signature dish, Grits a Ya Ya – smoked gouda cheese grits topped with grilled shrimp. The Deck Bar features outdoor dining and live music – perfect for parties, events or an evening for two.

Visitors experience a quiet, fine dining scene at Jackson’s Steakhouse (Pensacola Celebrity Chef Irv Miller), named for Gen. Andrew Jackson, the first American governor of West Florida. Jackson’s occupies a restored 1860s building on Plaza Ferdinand, where Jackson accepted the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States in 1821, consequently raising the first American flag on Florida soil. Try Irv’s crab cakes along with a signature martini to start.

Global Grill (Pensacola Celebrity Chef Frank Taylor) offers a variety of innovative tapas and specialty drinks. The trendy downtown restaurant showcases local art and jazz music. Favorites on the diverse menu are the heirloom tomato salad (served in a mason jar), crawfish cheesecake, BBQ shrimp and the catch-of-the-day, many times from the chef’s boat.

Pensacola Celebrity Chef Gus Silivos and his wife Nancy cook up gourmet cuisine to go and host special events in their courtyard at Nancy’s Haute Affairs. The Scamp Cervantes is a favorite, featuring fresh sautéed scamp filet topped with jumbo lump crabmeat

Regionally renowned for fun, McGuire’s Irish Pub features nearly $1 million in one-dollar bills, signed by patrons and posted throughout the restaurant. Located in Pensacola’s original 1927 firehouse, the restaurant serves award-winning food, including USDA prime steaks and its own signature beers. Its outrageous burgers have been featured on the Food Network and the Travel Channel.

Five Sisters Blue Café in historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood serves up the best soul food in town, including fried chicken, mac and cheese, sweet potato fries, turnip greens, fried okra and sweet iced tea.

Marina Oyster Barn is a casual local joint on Bayou Texas and one of the few in town that serves fried mullet.

Angus, where seafood, steaks and spirits are touted, is long known for its USDA prime cuts of aged Midwestern corn-fed Angus beef. The large banquet room accommodates large parties.

Wintzell’s Oyster House has been on the Gulf Coast since 1938. Enjoy oysters-on-the-half-shell, po-boys or an excellent surf-and-turf with steak and shrimp.

Oar House is tucked away from the main drag along Bayou Chico, offering a festive, Florida atmosphere complete with beach volleyball and a tiki bar.

For a delicious dinner in, pick up the freshest seafood around at Joe Patti’s Seafood Company, a Pensacola landmark since the 1930s. As one of the largest seafood markets in the Southeast, Joe Patti’s offers rows upon rows of fresh fish, shrimp, crabs and oysters along with a sushi bar, gourmet market and deli, coffee bar and wine shop.

PENSACOLA BEACH
H20 (Pensacola Celebrity Chef Dan Dunn) at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front combines Asian and Cajun flavors with fresh seafood and steaks. The chic hotel restaurant serves fresh sushi and a deluxe brunch.

Grand Marlin alters its menu daily to reflect the freshest catch. Enjoy a sunset view from the inside dining area or sip a signature drink at North Drop Bar on Santa Rosa Sound. To start, get oysters on the half shell or lobster fingers.

Crab’s - We Got 'Em is located directly on Pensacola Beach. Guests enjoy dining with breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico. A beachside playground is offered for children.

Find locals at Paradise Bar & Grill year-round, enjoying live music, great burgers and bushwackers in the sand along Santa Rosa Sound.

Flounder’s Chowder House is a favorite, whether for college students flocking to the outside bar and volleyball court, or families enjoying the great beachside playground. The restaurant has decorated with a fleet of boats such as an actual 15-foot Cuban raft and a 55-foot steel-hulled shrimp boat complete with nets, trawling sleds, mast and rigging. Try the shrimp boat platter and homemade hushpuppies.

Guests savor contemporary European cuisine in the casual but elegant atmosphere of Terracotta at the beautiful Portofino Island Resort & Spa. Rob Theriot, a young chef from southern Louisiana, integrates his passion for French and Cajun cuisine with fresh ingredients showcasing seafood and produce from local fishermen and farmers.