We give you at least 18 of the best reasons why you love to live, visit and play on the Emerald Coast. Here is our favorite picks. Make sure to check it out!
Best Appetizer
Bonefish Grill
Bonefish tops the list of favorite appetizers with its famous Bang Bang Shrimp tossed in a creamy spicy sauce.
Best Barbecue
Jim ’n Nick’s Bar-B-Q
Jim ’N Nick’s is the boss of the sauce. The restaurant refuses to cut corners, instead smoking meats for 14 hours in hickory. The result? Dishes such as slow-smoked baby back and spareribs, hand-pulled pork and sliced Angus beef brisket are definitely vote getters.
Best Cajun
790 On The Gulf
Enjoy some fresh Florida seafood with Louisiana flavor. Serving fresh shrimp, salads, seafood and homemade comfort food favorites, this authentic Cajun and seafood restaurant brings a taste of the bayou to the beach. Complete with an outdoor patio allowing diners to enjoy the evening sunset, 790 on the Gulf offers the best Cajun classics in town.
Best French
Bistro Bijoux
This romantic French bistro combines a resort-casual and fine-dining atmosphere with fresh cuisine and authentic flavors. Enjoy an extensive award-winning wine list and the intimate Bijoux Lounge. Try the crisp pan fried Duck Confit with sautéed spinach with figs, mango chutney and Spanish almonds. Bon Appétit!
Best Gumbo
The Boathouse Oyster Bar
The open air dining view of the bay offered by the Boathouse attracts locals and tourists alike. Though named for its oysters, Boathouse’s seafood gumbo has become a popular choice among guests. The award-winning Crab and Shrimp Gumbo is served as a starter or meal and can be taken to go with a serving size as much as a gallon.
Best Oysters
Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House
Experience true Southern hospitality while you sit on the deck overlooking the harbor and savor the Best oysters on the coast. Whether you savor a dozen raw, within a cocktail or the house specialty of baked oysters served with caramelized Vidalia onion, Alabama fest and house-made bacon marmalade, you’re sure to find the Best oysters in town at Boshamps.
Best Breakfast
Another Broken Egg Café
Another Broken Egg Café boasts the most coveted breakfast in town. The café offers more than 130 delicious, home-cooked breakfast, brunch and lunch foods in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Best Chinese
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro
P.F. Chang’s strives to create great craveable foods you can’t get anywhere else. Each dish on this restaurant’s extensive menu is prepared to order using only the freshest and highest-quality ingredients.
Best Fine Dining
Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood
A five-star dining restaurant specializing in the finest prime beef and freshest seafood available, Seagar’s offers the most elegant table on the Emerald Coast. With private dining facilities and a wine list featuring more than 800 labels, Seagar’s continues to be extolled by critics as one of the best restaurants around.
Best Hamburger
McGuire’s Irish Pub
McGuire’s offers 25 different trimmings for its giant, custom-ground steak burgers. Try the Big Daddy burger with bacon, cheddar and jalapeño or the Terrible Garbage Burger, which piles on some of everything.
Best Hibachi
Osaka Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse and Sushi Bar
For a memorable and entertaining dining experience where the freshest available ingredients are assembled into artfully prepared dishes at your table, Osaka is the place. The Japanese steak house offers an amazing show as your meal is prepared right in front of you.
Best Mexican Restaurant
Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant
This authentic Mexican restaurant once again earns a spot on our “Best of” list because the restaurant’s delicious Mexican dishes are made with only the freshest ingredients.
Best Outdoor Bar
AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar
Come here with the entire family, your special someone or a group of friends to sip a cocktail and drink in the stunning harbor view before dinner or after … or both! This lively outdoor bar is situated on an oversized deck with a sweeping view of the Destin harbor. Come here to enjoy live music and daily Happy Hour specials.
Best Pizza
Helen Back
Helen Back has friendly servers, ice cold beer and a casual, welcoming atmosphere, but it has expanded to five locations all along the Emerald Coast because it bakes the freshest possible ingredients into its homemade hand-tossed pizza.
Best Sandwich Shop
Lenny’s Sub Shop
At Lenny’s you really get it your way as you build your hot or cold deli sandwich or salad. The menu features fresh deli meats and cheeses, garden toppings and Lenny’s signature pepper relish, as well as fresh baked bread.
Best Seafood Market
Destin Ice Seafood Market & Deli
Destin Ice Seafood Market & Deli offers the freshest selection of what the Gulf has to offer. Pick up some ready-to-eat or cook-at-home fish, Buckhead meats, decadent desserts and a bottle of wine.
Best Steakhouse
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar comes to life with a celebration of great food, wine and memorable times. Fleming’s serves the finest in USDA Prime beef — corn-fed, aged up to four weeks for flavor and texture, then hand-cut daily and broiled at 1600 degrees to seal in all the juices and flavor.
Best Sushi
Harbor Docks
Though Harbor Docks is a seafood restaurant, the eatery features a large sushi and sashimi selection made fresh daily by master sushi chefs. Inspired by Asian influences, Harbor Docks also serves fresh seafood fried, sautéed or boiled.
Some of the information was taken from the Emerald Coast Magazine “Best of the Emerald Coast 2012″.
Some of the information was based on our personal experience. Enjoy!
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