Eat & Drink
Restaurants and bars across the Key — both sides of the line. Curated, not exhaustive. We write up the places we actually go to. 53 on the list so far.
Gulf-front
Bahama Bob's Beach Side Cafe
Gulf Shores institution just over the Orange Beach line. Beach-shack vibe, real Gulf seafood, the kind of place locals defend hard.
Coastal
Beachfront, open-air, and running from breakfast to live music after dark. Gulf seafood, tropical drinks, and a beach bar that doesn't pretend to be anything fancier.
Cobalt The Restaurant
Fancy version. At the Pass. Sushi bar, a real wine list, and a dining room you'd take a date to without apologizing.
Cosmo's Restaurant & Bar
Orange Beach's everyday upscale. Weekday lunch, weekend wait, decent at everything. The kind of menu where the table can't decide and everyone ends up happy.
Crab Trap Perdido Key
Gulf-front, family-volume, Royal Reds, and one of the better sunset patios on the Florida side of the Key.
Restaurants
Avenue Pub
Scratch-kitchen gastropub on Terry Cove at Hudson Marina — smoked tuna dip, grouper tacos, cold local beer, and dogs welcome on the deck.
Barometer Waterfront Grille
Chef-owned waterfront newcomer at Sportsman's Marina that landed on USA TODAY's Best New Restaurants list before its first birthday.
Beach Buzz Restaurant
Neighborhood pizza joint on Gulf Beach Hwy where the dough gets made fresh every day.
Big Fish Restaurant & Bar
Canal Rd's upscale-casual seafood-and-sushi room — the local default for a night that matters.
Brick & Spoon
The build-your-own bloody mary brunch on Canal Rd — mornings only, and worth setting an alarm on vacation for.
BuzzCatz Coffee & Sweets
Orange Beach's homegrown coffee shop and scratch bakery — the cinnamon rolls are the argument.
City Coffee and Ice Cream
Coffee at 7am, ice cream at 10pm — the Villagio's one-stop sugar-and-caffeine counter.
City Donut
USA Today readers' #1 donut shop in America, 2024 — and it's in a strip mall on Perdido Beach Blvd.
Bars
Flora-Bama Lounge & Package
The state-line bar. Open since 1964. Multiple stages, multiple rooms, live music seven days a week, and the only building in the United States that the FL/AL state line runs through.
Flora-Bama Yacht Club
The Bama's quieter sister across the highway. Bay side. Restaurant + bar with a real menu and a real deck.
Hub Stacey's at the Point
Bay-side dive bar with a deck on the water, a clientele older than Innerarity itself, and Tuesday karaoke that is either the highlight or the low point of your week.
Johnny B's Front Porch
The roadhouse just past the state line where somebody local is always playing and your dog is welcome on the porch.
Perdido Key Sports Bar
The Key's game-day living room — 40-some TVs, wings, and a family that's run the place for over a decade.
Pirate's Cove
Boat-up dive bar with goats. Real goats. On their own island. You can wave at them from your stool.
Sandshaker Lounge
Birthplace of the Bushwacker. A Pensacola Beach institution since 1971 — live music outside, regulars inside, and a frozen drink that has personally ruined more vacations than any other beverage on the Gulf Coast.
The Red Haven Live
Family-owned live-music room on Canal Road — songwriters on Saturdays, food and a full week of acts, no beach-bar shtick.