3 Best Restaurants in Gulf Shores, Alabama

A nice change from seafood restaurants that dominate the area, this comfortable, casual Italian spot specializes in pizza, pasta, hand-cut steaks, and endless salad bowls. The Franco Platter is a mini buffet featuring lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and chicken Parmesan.

Homemade biscuits, sausage gravy, grilled pork chops, and eggs are just a few ways to start the day at this wee cafe tucked into a shopping center. Fans love breakfast, but lunch and dinner are equally appealing, with Southern and American specialties like liver and onions, chicken and dumplings, speckled butter beans, and creamy squash casserole. Sit on the patio or inside overlooking a mural depicting a pastoral scene with pink flying pigs.

Dining at this nautically themed restaurant on the bayou is a local tradition. Fried, steamed, broiled, and grilled seafood is served, but oysters are the house specialty, including Firecracker Oysters on the half shell baked with sliced jalapenos, garlic cream sauce, and topped with cheese. Don't miss the homemade gumbo, brimming with crab claws, shrimp, okra, and a secret combination of spices.