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Savoring the South: Southern Cuisine Highlights Along Northwest Florida’s Coastline
Southern Comfort, Coastal Style!
The Citizen Oysters. Photo Credit: Devote Studio Southern cooking is as diverse as the region is vast: from barbecue brisket in Texas to Louisiana gumbo to peach pie in Georgia and pulled pork sandwiches in North Carolina. If your travel plans skip a road trip from the Atlantic Coast to Texas and instead take you to Northwest Florida’s white-sandy beaches, you can still enjoy down-home cooking to satisfy your Southern cravings.
We’ve rounded up some of the restaurants offering Southern-influenced dishes in our little neck of the woods (or beach).
Panama City Beach
Firefly
Shrimp & Grits at Firefly
Smoked Chicken
Tucked away from the bustling high-rise hotels in Panama City Beach, Firefly is anything but your typical beach restaurant. At its heart is a grand oak tree, lending a magical touch to the fine dining atmosphere. Their rotating menu focuses on locally caught and imported fish, and seasonal vegetables, much of it seared on a blazing 1,800-degree broiler.
Chef Rob Burgess, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, brings his passion for Southern-inspired cuisine to life in every dish. “It brings friends and family closer together,” he said.
For a taste of it, try the hickory-smoked half chicken with roasted sweet potatoes, fried Brussels sprouts, Alabama white barbecue sauce, and spiced pecans. Or choose their traditional take on Southern shrimp and grits, a popular Northwest Florida offering, with jumbo shrimp, creamy smoked gouda grits, and a Tasso cream sauce.
Scenic Highway 30A
The Citizen
Squid Ink Radiatore. Photos courtesy of The Citizen at Alys Beach
Calabrian Shrimp - a specialty at The Citizen
The Citizen, located in the gorgeous luxury community of Alys Beach, serves coastal fare in an elegant setting with an extensive cocktail list. Southern Living magazine recently recognized it as one of the hottest new restaurants along Florida’s Scenic 30A.
While the menu includes options such as steak, smoked octopus carpaccio, and mezzo rigatoni, diners can also find Southern-inspired dishes such as their Louisiana-influenced blue crab beignets with tarragon cream, lemon, and chive; boudin sausage croquettes served with crispy chicken skin, candied jalapeño, pickled mustard, and scallion salad; or, at lunch, a steaming bowl of seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and smoked sausage.
Freshly made angel biscuits are served at brunch, and side options include bacon-braised collard greens, stone-ground cheese grits, and mac and cheese.
“We draw not only from the area but also from the homes of the individuals that comprise the Citizen family,” said Chef de Cuisine Noah Tomoko. “In the South, cooking begins with family, and our team brings influences from the Southeast, the Caribbean, and South America. We are fortunate to be able to pull from many sources to incorporate Southern-inspired dishes that will, we hope, make our guests feel at home.”
The Citizen also features a raw bar serving oysters from a variety of East and West Coast farmers. “But the bay and gulf oysters coming into the restaurant from nearby providers, such as Florida Aquaculture Oysters, are by far the most popular to our guests and more than a few employees,” Tomoko said.
The Great Southern Café
The Great Southern Café has been a staple in Seaside, Florida, since 2006, when it opened its doors to a humble community still getting its legs. Today, Seaside is one of the more bustling areas along Scenic Highway 30A. Chef Jim Shirley has continued to offer what he calls new-fashioned Southern cuisine, and almost every menu item has been touched by the region’s influence.
Shirley said he believes our histories are told through the food we cook and eat. His food tells his own story of traveling the world as a son of a Navy pilot, collecting global tastes along the way, combined with his love of the Southern food he learned to cook in the kitchen with his grandmothers.
A few highlights include their Soul Rolls, featuring chicken and collard greens in a crisp wrapper served with peach chutney, Creole mustard with horseradish and wasabi. Their pimento cheese is a Southern favorite as well, served with warm pita wedges. (Tip from the pros: try it on an order of hush puppies. Yum!)
Shirley’s shrimp and grits is one of the area’s most celebrated dishes, featured in national magazines and even served at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s inauguration in 2019. It features blackened Gulf shrimp with a saute of smoked bacon, spinach, crimini mushrooms, and cream on a bed of smoked Gouda cheese grits.
And if you are looking for some Southern fried chicken, Great Southern’s take on the fried chicken sandwich is another great option. It features sweet tea-marinated thighs, candied bacon and jalapeño, fried green tomato, creole mayo, and crisp romaine on a warm bun.
Harbor Docks
Harbor Docks' fried green tomatoes - a Southern favorite
Harbor Docks' blue plate pork chops with greens and beans
Harbor Docks has been a Destin tradition since 1979. It offers some of the closest Gulf-to-table cuisine available. Local fishermen bring their catch to the docks below the restaurant, where it is cleaned in their own wholesale market and then delivered right upstairs, where chefs prepare it for eager diners.
Harbor Docks also has quite a few southern-inspired dishes on the menu. “The biggest example is probably our blue plate specials at lunch,” said owner Eddie Morgan. “There’s nothing more Southern than a blue plate special.” Offerings rotate each day of the week from pork chops, greens, and beans on Monday to fried chicken and Mac and cheese on Tuesdays and chicken pot pie and banana pudding every Thursday.
The regular menu also features shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, and several blackened fish preparations.
Fort Walton Beach
Old Bay Steamer
Old Bay Steamer's signature steamer baskets, crab cakes, and baked oysters deliver a true Gulf Coast dining experience.
For an authentic Gulf Coast seafood experience, Old Bay Steamer in Fort Walton Beach is a must-visit. Known for its no-frills, high-quality seafood, this local favorite has been serving up fresh dishes for years. The restaurant’s hearty steamer baskets—filled with snow crab, lobster, shrimp, oysters, mussels, and clams—are perfectly steamed to preserve their natural flavors.
Beyond the steamer baskets, Old Bay Steamer offers Southern-inspired favorites like fall-off-the-bone barbecue ribs with classic sides of corn on the cob and new potatoes. Seafood lovers will also enjoy the jumbo shrimp cocktail and baked oysters.
With its casual, family-friendly atmosphere and commitment to fresh, simple flavors, Old Bay Steamer delivers the essence of Gulf Coast dining in every bite.
