Wondering where to Eat in Destin, Florida? Here are 5 of my favorite restaurants in Destin.

Destin, Florida started out as a small fishing village, so it’s no surprise that it is well-known for its fresh and amazing seafood. Sampling this delicious seafood was definitely one of the highlights of our trip during the Thanksgiving weekend. These are the 5 restaurants I recommend:

Harbor Docks
We visited this restaurant for its Thanksgiving Dinner event and had a wonderful experience. This restaurant has an amazing view of the harbor. On regular days, Harbor Docks serves fresh seafood. I have also heard that they have a delicious breakfast. We will definitely check it out again the next time we are in Destin. Learn more about our Harbor Docks Thanksgiving experience at What To Do in Destin, Florida during Thanksgiving.

Hogs Breath Saloon
We stopped here on Friday to pick up lunch to take with us to Henderson Beach State Park. We both had the grilled Mahi Mahi sandwich (ask for it blackened), which was very tasty. What can I say, it hit the spot.

Marina Café
Marina Café is a contemporary, award-winning, fine dining restaurant that serves world-class culinary cuisine. We decided to check this restaurant out for dinner on Friday evening. Wonderful choice! The food was amazing! On top of that, we had reservations for 6:00 p.m., which meant we were right on time for the Early Dining Special – where guests can purchase one entrée and get another entrée of equal or lesser value for free. The Early Dining Special takes place each day from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

We of course ordered seafood, but the restaurant also serves other options such as pizza, pasta, steak, duck, and chicken. For starters, we had the jumbo lump crab on panko crusted eggplant medallions with hollandaise sauce, which was delicious.

For entrées, I had the Pan seared Andouille crusted Louisiana Redfish with cayenne butter, chive rémoulade, and seasonal vegetables. My husband had the local grilled fish entrée, which on that night, was the swordfish. The swordfish was grilled to perfection and served with summer vegetables, roasted red bliss potatoes and prosciutto-roasted pepper butter sauce.

Now while my dinner was quite tasty, my husband’s swordfish was amazing! (I may have had a little food envy here). I highly recommend the local grilled fish option. You may not have the swordfish, as it depends what type of fish the restaurant is serving that day, but regardless, you will not be disappointed.

Aside from the outstanding food, Marina Café provides a warm romantic ambiance with a breathtaking view.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful dining experience. We will definitely return. I highly recommend this restaurant!

Beach Walk Café
On Saturday evening, we decided to have dinner at Beach Walk Café, an award-winning fine dining restaurant located within Henderson Park Inn. This restaurant’s outstanding high-quality cuisine provides for a wonderful and memorable dining experience. That is exactly the experience we had at Beach Walk Café. We were seated outside on the veranda immediately upon our arrival. The view was spectacular! The entire atmosphere was very romantic with the dim lighting and stunning ocean view.

We indulged further in our seafood craving that night. I had the Grouper Vince, which consisted of pecan crusted local grouper served with an oven roasted crispy mashed potato cake, honey-worcestershire sauce, and chives.

My husband had the pan seared local snapper served with melted leek and potato hash, blackened oyster mushrooms, and lemon beurre blanc.

We also ordered the Lobster Tail roasted with citrus beurre blanc as an accompaniment.

Once again, my dish was great. The grouper and lobster were both delicious. However, my husband’s pan seared snapper was out of this world! The combination of flavors was mind-blowing. It was seriously melt-in-your-mouth fantastic. I definitely have to go back just so I can have this dish.

Another amazing dining experience in Destin. I highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be back. Maybe next time we will try the “Toes in the Sand” dining experience, and enjoy our dinner right on the beach.

Heads Up: Henderson Park Inn has a no kids policy.

The Pancakery
On our last day in Destin, Florida, we wanted to eat a hearty breakfast before starting our 5-hour drive. We decided to go to the Pancakery, a restaurant that was right across the street from our hotel. As we walked in, we were greeted with a warm and friendly welcome. We looked around and figured that this place must be really good because of the crowd. The breakfast menu consisted of the usual breakfast items …. eggs, bacon, grits, omelets, crepes, french toast, waffles and of course … gourmet pancakes! Everything sounded good. Still on our seafood kick, we searched the menu for something different.

Then we laid eyes on the special for that day – the Crab Island Omelet. We were a bit skeptical because of our experience with the poorly prepared seafood omelet we had at the other restaurant the day before. However, after reading the description again, we both decided to take the plunge.

We were not disappointed! Breakfast couldn’t get any better than this. The Crab Island Omelet consists of lump crab meat, peppers, and cheese, topped with fresh green onions and delicious hollandaise sauce. This omelet was full of flavor; I don’t think I have ever tasted anything like it. Needless to say, we were impressed.

This restaurant is highly recommended. The service is great and the food is delicious. You must try the Crab Island Omelet. Even if it is not on the menu when you visit, you should still make a request. You can thank me later!

There are so many restaurants in Destin. We obviously could not visit them all during our four-day Thanksgiving trip. We will visit Destin again, so I am looking forward to adding more delicious spots to this list.

– Destin, Florida – visited November 2015

A Few Tips

Transportation

You will definitely need a car to get around and visit these restaurants. If you fly into Destin, you’ll definitely need to rent a car.

Accommodations

Destin has a wide array of vacation rentals and hotels. If you are going on a couples getaway, try Henderson Park Inn. Wherever you choose to stay, make sure it is on the beach!