FLORIDA
Where to Eat in Pensacola: 20 Must-Try Restaurants Right Now
By Maria Rodriguez | July 9, 2025
Angelina’s
AUTHOR BIO: With a day job that requires constant travel, Maria Rodriguez is likely a frequenter of your favorite restaurant. She’s reviewed restaurants since 2007 in publications from Barcelona to Bakersfield.
I came back to Pensacola in July, which is to say I came to sweat. I found the kind of hot where the sidewalk could sear a fish taco.
But you know what I got in exchange? Far quieter dining rooms. No waitlists. A whole town of restaurants near me in Pensacola, blissfully uncrowded, the servers grateful, the bartenders chatty. It’s the secret nobody tells you about this Gulf Coast city: come when the tourists don’t, and suddenly you’ve got the run of the place—including some of the best restaurants in Florida, from low-key oyster joints to white-tablecloth surprises tucked just off Palafox.
Here then are the 20 best restaurants in Pensacola, ranked and ready for your next adventure.
1. Angelena's
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Angelena’s is what happens when a serious chef decides to cook Italian without playing the greatest hits. James Beard finalist Ian Gillette skips the red-sauce clichés and instead does things like lamb shank over saffron fregola and squid-ink tagliolini with local blue crab. It’s polished but not stuffy, with a dining room that fills up fast and a kitchen that reminds you Pensacola can hang with the big-city food scenes.
2. Brother Fox
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Brother Fox is what you get when chef Darian Hernandez turns a former church into a Spanish-ish restaurant with wood-fired everything and zero interest in subtlety. The broiled oysters and seafood paella come with a wood-fired undertone that reminds you of backyard barbecues.
3. Pearl & Horn
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Pearl & Horn feels like a big-city chef discovered Pensacola’s seafood stash and decided to build a restaurant worth it. Chef George Lazi is crisping red snapper collars and stacking lobster rolls, while small plates like crab‑&‑avocado and barbecue shrimp prove they haven’t forgotten how to have fun. It’s ambitious without being fussy—a natural wine glass in one hand, smoked fish dip in the other, and nobody humming the dinner clichés.
4. Restaurant Iron
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Restaurant Iron wants to remind you that Pensacola is still the South. That means fried quail with white barbecue sauce, deviled eggs topped with candied bacon, and a bourbon list that could make a grown man reconsider his afternoon. Chef Alex McPhail trained in Charleston and cooked in fine-dining kitchens across the Southeast, but here he’s built something that feels closer to a modern roadhouse—polished, sure, but never too precious.
5. The Wine Bar on Palafox
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The Wine Bar on Palafox isn’t trying to be trendy—it’s trying to be good. The menu leans Euro bistro with croque monsieur and steak frites, but locals know the move is to sit outside, order a bottle, and graze through the cheese and charcuterie until the sun disappears behind a trolley. It’s the rare downtown spot that works just as well for a weekday lunch as it does for a low-key date night.
6. Union Public House
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Union Public House is Pensacola’s crafty Southern pub that never plays it safe—start with pimento‑cheese pups or tuna tartare to get the party going. For mains, the crispy pork shank lands like a knockout, served with smoked‑potato mash and bacon‑onion marmalade, while the scallop à la Parisienne brings seared scallops over mushroom mornay and crispy okra chips. Add a round of Dirty Ranch Water or a Dry 75, grab a seat on the patio, and you’ll realize this is the kind of neighborhood joint that feels like it’s been here for decades—only this well‑curated, upbeat and unapologetically unapologetic about no‑frills good food.
7. George Bistro + Bar
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George Bistro + Bar offers a modern twist on Southern cuisine, with a menu that changes with the seasons. Another restaurant from chef George Lazi, this the perfect place for brunch, lunch, or one of those dinners that starts with craft cocktails and ends with you deciding the calories don’t count on vacation. George’s cozy atmosphere and locally sourced ingredients make it a favorite among Pensacola’s foodies. You’ll leave wondering how they made a simple tomato salad taste so good.
8. Jackson’s Steakhouse
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For those who like their meals with a side of history, Jackson’s Steakhouse has been serving up prime cuts in Pensacola’s historic downtown for decades. Named after Andrew Jackson, this steakhouse knows its way around a beef tenderloin. It’s the kind of place where you can close a business deal over a bone-in ribeye or celebrate an anniversary with a glass of fine wine. Either way, you leave a little richer in experience (if slightly poorer in wallet).
9. Global Grill
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When you need a break from beachy fare, Global Grill has you covered with tapas that could make a Spaniard raise an eyebrow. This downtown gem serves small plates with big flavors, blending influences from across the globe. Whether you're in the mood for lamb lollipops or sushi-grade tuna, Global Grill lets you mix and match like a pro. It’s the kind of place where you order something you've never heard of, and it ends up being the best thing you've ever tasted.
10. Dharma Blue
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Dharma Blue sits in a blue cottage just off Seville Square, the kind of spot you might miss if you didn’t know the sushi was some of the best in town. The crab cakes are old-school perfect, the sesame tuna never left the menu because it never needed to. It’s the rare Pensacola restaurant that hasn’t had to reinvent itself every few years—because the locals never stopped coming.
11. Carmen's Lunch Bar & Tapas
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Carmen’s Lunch Bar & Tapas squeezes a whole lot of flavor into a cozy South Palafox storefront—start with the Spanish Crab Melt (jumbo lump crab, chorizo, Manchego, saffron, arugula) or the Thai Yellow Curry Crab Chowder. Starters like stuffed pepper poppers with jumbo crab and chorizo, plus their daily-baked rosemary cranberry soda bread, make grazing a good option. It’s a casual, clever lunch spot where Pensacola seafood meets serious kitchen chops.
12. Jaco's Bayfront Bar & Grille
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Jaco’s Bayfront Bar & Grille nails that "sit‑by‑the‑water and forget about your problems" energy. Start with the Bayfront Baltimore Crab Cakes, either fried or baked and slapped over Old Bay aioli with mango-salsa-tossed arugula. For mains, the Ahi Tuna arrives seared (tempura-style veggies and wasabi mashed potatoes in tow), while the Crab Cake Salad keeps things light without skimping on Gulf flavor. It’s the waterfront hangout where breezes matter as much as cocktails—and where the menu mixes coastal comfort with a little downtown swagger.
13. Atlas Oyster House
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Atlas Oyster House brings waterfront dining without the pretense—its oyster bar is the main event, offering raw, baked, and steamed local Gulf and East Bay oysters alongside starters like gumbo and shrimp & crab nachos. Mains range from burgers and sushi to a pepper-crusted filet and shrimp & grits with house-smoked tasso—all paired with 16 local drafts, wines, and waterfront views.
14. Bonelli's Café Italia
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Bonelli’s Café Italia stakes its claim with hearty, unapologetic Italian comfort—kick off with Salbo’s Meatballs (quarter-pound beef meatballs swimming in red sauce), or go bold with Shrimp Il Diavolo, swimming in spicy tomato and fresh peppers. The Baked Rigatoni, tossed with meatballs, Italian sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, keeps the table cozy and carb-happy.
15. The District
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The District leans into its steakhouse roots without dropping the seafood—it’s herb‑roasted Certified Angus prime rib (14 oz, with chili‑crunch broccolini, horseradish whipped potatoes, au jus) and house dry‑aged cuts seared at 1,600 degrees, but also seafood like the pan‑seared sea scallops over bourbon bacon‑jam maque choux. Start your meal with a crispy Rhode Island calamari (artichoke, smoked‑tomato marinara, basil aioli) or a Maine lobster bisque if you're feeling fancy. It’s upscale Southern comfort downtown—classic, punchy, and built to work for weekday dinners or boozy lounge nights upstairs with its live‑music vibe.
16. The Grand Marlin
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The Grand Marlin The Grand Marlin is what you book when someone says they want seafood “with a view,” but you still want dinner to be good. The menu leans Gulf classic without getting lazy—start with the Blue Angel chips under a blanket of blue cheese, then move on to shrimp and grits with Boursin and andouille or the parmesan-crusted grouper piccata that’s earned its permanent spot. Yes, there’s a ribeye too, for the seafood-averse, but most nights this place is all about the fish, the breeze, and that second round of cocktails you hadn’t planned on.
17. The Fish House
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If there’s one thing The Fish House knows how to do, it’s serve up Gulf Coast seafood with a side of Southern hospitality. Located right on the water, this spot is famous for its Grits à Ya Ya, a dish that’s as fun to eat as it is to say. The Fish House isn't just about the seafood, though—you'll find a little bit of everything here, from steaks to salads, for those who somehow end up at a seafood joint without liking seafood. But let's be honest, you're here for the fish.
18. McGuire’s Irish Pub
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McGuire’s Irish Pub is a loud, boisterous landmark—you walk in under a forest of signed dollar bills stapled across the ceiling and walls, a tradition that’s been growing since 1977 and now totals well over a million dollars. The vibe’s unapologetically rowdy: orders for a 16‑oz ribeye or Jameson-glazed pork chops arrive alongside the clang of the house‑brew kettles, while the staff in kilts keep energy high. It’s touristy as hell, but there’s a reason people keep piling in: this place serves a ribeye so good it’s worth putting up with the chaos.
19. Five Sisters Blues Café
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Five Sisters Blues Café digs into Southern staples the way grandma taught it—expect crispy fried chicken with cornbread, cheese-laden grits, collard greens, and that no‑joke pot roast in savory gravy. Weekend brunch comes with live jazz and build-your-own plates featuring fried green tomatoes or cheese grits, so whether you’re popping in for lunch or easing into Sunday, they’ve got your comfort food hook covered. It’s unapologetically home-cooked, and exactly the sort of place where comfort isn’t optional—it’s a promise.
20. The Oar House
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The Oar House is the kind of waterfront dive that leans hard into fried—start your meal with Key Largo Shrimp or hushpuppies, maybe chase either with their smoked‑tuna dip or fried fish fingers if you’re feeling gluttonous. Mains swing between Louisiana‑twist comfort and beachside staples: think shrimp & grits, fish tacos, po’boys, or a hearty fish-and-chips served with coleslaw or cheese grits. Throw in daily live music, cold cocktails under that tiki roof, and you’ve got a spot that’s less about fine dining and more about mixing breezy bar vibes with big‑flavored, no-nonsense Gulf food.
