When I made reservations for our stay in Panama City Beach, I knew three things when I routed us through Panama City Beach for a month in late 2022:
- it’s in the panhandle of Florida.
- it’s considered the “Seafood Capital of the South.”
- the weather should be fantastic!
Since we travel full-time in our motorhome, we are always up for visiting areas of our country that we haven’t been to, especially if the weather is nice. And as foodies, the “capital” of any food group is on our bucket list.
I didn’t expect to see Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum shaped like a sinking ship or WonderWorks’ upside-down building across from it. My hopes of finding great food began to wane, but I’d offered to write an article for a magazine, so I needed to go through the motions. I took comfort in knowing that at least we got the weather right!
Do you agree that restaurants in touristy towns frequently survive on location vs. quality? In any case, we arrived with a list of places to try, including a few personal recommendations from wine-business friends who have spent time in the area.
We visited lots of places over the four weeks we were in town. Here are the ten we would return to next time we’re in town.
Happy Hour on the Beach — While we generally stayed away from beachside bars, Hook’d Pier Bar & Grill (16201 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach) offers excellent happy hour specials on boozy tropical drinks and appetizers. Even better than their happy hour? The proximity to the dog-friendly beach and the view of the pier at sunset! Sometimes location wins! 😊
Chicken Wings – Every menu we looked at offered chicken wings. We tasted them in a few places around town. But the smoked chicken wings at Salty Sue’s Restaurant (17501 Panama City Beach Pkwy, Panama City Beach) took the prize for us! Available all day and on special for their daily happy hour, these wings are hickory-smoked and deep-fried before serving. They offer a few different sauces to enjoy with your wings, but we found the crispy-skinned, smoky chicken so flavorful that sauce wasn’t necessary.
Barbecue – On the subject of smoked meat, you’ll find plenty of options for barbecue around town. It was three huge smokers and a giant pile of wood outside of Back Beach BBQ (19714 Panama City Beach Pkwy, Panama City Beach) that caught our eye. Advertising twelve-hour, slow-smoked barbecue, this fast-casual restaurant offers some of the best barbecue we had in a long time! We feasted for days on the assortment we ordered, with our favorites being the turkey and the beef rib (sold on Friday and Saturday only).
Italian — We generally heard great things about the restaurant scene in Rosemary Beach, but it was amici 30a Italian Kitchen (12805 US-98 R101, Inlet Beach), which was mentioned every time. I loved the Black Grouper Bowl with seared grouper served on a bed of fresh greens and couscous tossed in red wine vinaigrette. The dish was simple but allowed the fish to shine. Brian’s pizza came with a flavorful tomato sauce and a tasty blend of cheeses.
Tap Room – With an impressive 56-beer selection on tap, we could have spent many evenings at Craft 850 (7715 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach). I chose the brick-oven baked Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Buffalo sauce, fried chicken, blue cheese crumbles, mozzarella cheese, and a ranch drizzle, it combines all the delicious components of pizza and wings. The room feels less like a bar than a nice restaurant and offers upscaled bar food.
Sports Bar — With twenty-five flat-screen TVs, Christo’s Sports Bar & Grill (2903 Thomas Dr, Panama City Beach) is the perfect place to watch a game. Even better than watching your team win? Christo’s serves excellent food, with many items prepared from scratch. The menu is basic bar food, but the execution of the things we tried was exceptional. Don’t miss their version of jalapeno poppers, Noles Rolls, made with fresh jalapenos, stuffed with cream cheese, bacon, and sausage hand-rolled in a spring roll wrapper before frying! These raise the bar for all jalapeno poppers. I also loved my Redneck Chicken Sammy, made with country-fried chicken breast topped with pimiento cheese, Siracha aioli, slaw, and “chrickles,” house-made pickles.
Fine Dining – Make a reservation at Firefly (535 N Richard Jackson Blvd, Panama City Beach) if you prefer fine dining. This restaurant combines a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence wine list, impeccable service, and great food in a setting that makes you feel like you are miles away from the other beach restaurants. Don’t miss their local favorite, She Crab Soup. This creamy bisque was perfect, finished with a generous splash of dry sherry and a crispy puff pastry. Having dinner at Firefly isn’t just dinner; it’s an experience from start to finish.
Donuts — Stop in Parlor Doughnuts (10260 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach) for a decadent, sweet breakfast treat. This fast-growing chain makes small-batch layered doughnuts. “Like a cro-nut?” I asked. They quickly said no leading me to believe they aren’t allowed to call it this. Each doughnut is made with buttery dough layers, like a croissant, fried to a crisp exterior with a light and fluffy interior. They have lots of flavors from which to pick!
Sunset – Watch the sunset at Uncle Ernie’s Bayfront Bar and Grill (1151 Bayview Ave, Panama City). You’ll need to get there early for a seat on the patio. It’s worth it for the stunning views of Saint Andrew’s Bay. We didn’t eat here, but the menu looked great and the food smelled good!
Seafood – We tried seafood in many places around town but were generally disappointed. There was no disappointment at Hunt’s Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant (1150 Beck Ave, Panama City). Casual, inexpensive, with super fresh offerings, everything we tasted was fantastic! They serve shucked-to-order oysters raw, steamed, or baked. We sampled the local’s favorite with house butter and parmesan cheese and the three cheese with jalapeno. The star of our four weeks of meals in Panama City Beach area was a whole blackened red snapper served with fresh chopped tomatoes and peppers.
Have you been to Panama City Beach? Please let us know what your favorite places in the area are. There’s always next time!
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