Skip to content
An error occurred getting the weather Weather settings not configured

Value Dining Around Pensacola

Explore these Fair-Priced Fooderies Around Pensacola You can find great food and fair prices at these great locales.

Explore these Fair-Priced Fooderies Around Pensacola

You’ve seen those travel guides that say, “Tour (Insert random destination) on $30 a Day!” Sounds great, huh?

Well, that’s fine and dandy if you like scrounging bread from supermarkets, but not if you like a nice IPA on your travels — or are hauling the kids!

We have so many wonderful restaurants in the Pensacola Bay Area, and there are plenty that offer flavorful fare without breaking your bank.

Take a look at these fair-priced “fooderies” around Pensacola!

PENSACOLA BEACH

Beautiful sugar-colored quartz sand and the gorgeous Gulf make Pensacola Beach famous, one of the top-rated beaches in the nation. And there are plenty of restaurants that might not make the travel guides for a magnificent view or famous chefs, but you’ll find the food is fanciful. Start your morning early to beat the crowd for breakfast at the much-loved local nook Native Cafe. Grab a delicious quick lunch at Sidelines or Cosse's for food you truly cant beat. Are you a pizza or a burger kind of family? End your night at one of two local gems, Papa's Pizza or Paradise Bar and Grille.

Value Dining in Pensacola Beach...

DOWNTOWN

The heart of downtown and its array of fabulous restaurants continue to lure foodies and fake foodies (like me) alike. While I can drop some coin on good food and appreciate fine dining, I honestly prefer a slice of pepperoni pie over a painstakingly-prepared foie gras. And among all this finery, there are good eats to be had without breaking the bank. Here are a few of my go-tos:

Value Dining in Downtown Pensacola...

EAST PENSACOLA

If you want to see why we locals love to live here, explore East Pensacola. Just about every day, the Graffiti Bridge at the 17th Avenue Trestle gets a fresh coat of paint — messages of joy, love and hope from the folks who live here. It’s the gateway to an area with historic neighborhoods lined with live oak, quirky local eateries, antique shops and boutiques, bay bluffs, a bayou — and great swaths of parks and bike and walking paths. There are plenty of good stops in East Hill, but I chose one stop for this piece — Tacos Mexicanos taco shack. Then you cross Bayou Texar into the epicenter of wonderful dining dives: East Pensacola Heights. All these spots are within a half-mile!

Value Dining in East Pensacola...

WEST PENSACOLA

It’s the heart of old Pensacola’s working community and the home of some famous diners. Great food at a great price is still the norm here.

UPTOWN PENSACOLA

Once a sleepy residential road, North Ninth Avenue has swelled with the growth of Pensacola. There are plenty of dining delights here, restaurants and bistros not concerned with the lure of downtown. This is where the locals eat.

NORTH PENSACOLA

Pensacola’s northern corridor, the Nine Mile Road area, connects the north Pensacola communities of Bellview, Beulah and Cantonment (inexplicably pronounced “Can-Tone-Ment” y’all). But you will find some seriously good eats and unique local flavors here — many of them tucked into little nooks dotting the bustling thoroughfare.

Petrella’s Italian Café

WELCOME TO PETRELLAS ITALIAN CAFE SERVICE FROM THE HEART. FOOD FOR THE SOUL. Good food is a family affair at Petrellas Italian Cafe. With a history as rich as its house-made sauces, Petrellas has been a Pensacola tradition for over 20 years and counting! Our handcrafted plates of pasta, seafood, signature sauces, beer and wine selections and friendly service instantly make you feel exactly where you are, home!

Learn More

PERDIDO KEY

The name means “Lost Key” and according to legend, around 1693, Spanish explorer Sigüenza’s fleet found a lost passage, located near the present-day Alabama-Florida state line, only after being helped by a local Native American chief. Having found the mysterious bay, they named it and the adjacent barrier island “Perdido,” which means “lost” or “hidden.”

Now luxurious condos pepper the pristine coastline, but the eateries that call Perdido home share a similar recipe: serve great food and treat guests like family.

This just goes to show, no matter what part of the Pensacola Bay Area you’re exploring, you’ll find all kinds of flavorful fare for a fair price too. So save your dimes and get to tasting!

Lindsey Steck

Author

Lindsey Steck

"It's not about my story, it's about yours" Lindsey Steck is a marketing associate for Visit Pensacola. A Pensacola native, Steck enjoys hosting dinner parties, traveling as much as she can and NFL football. She moved away for a brief period following college and soon returned after realizing why people vacation and retire to the coast. On the weekends you'll find her scouring the closest market with a fresh bouquet of flowers in her arms and a macaron in hand.

You may also be interested in...

Discover Our Destination

Start exploring the Pensacola Bay Area when you sign up for the Visit Pensacola eNews list!

Get Your Guide!

Request your free guides by mail or get the digital versions right now delivered to your inbox.

Insider’s Digital Guide

Sign up below to receive Pensacola's Digital Guide delivered straight to your inbox.
©2023 Visit Pensacola Florida. All Rights Reserved.