What would your pick be for the best Destin restaurant for an anniversary dinner? We want nice but not overly stuffy. We'll be staying at the Henderson Park Inn.

After you get back, please post your thoughts and experience at the Henderson Park Inn. My wife and I have considered staying there.

As far as restaurants, one of my favorites is the Louisiana Lagniappe. Very nice, but not too hoity-toity.

I've also heard good things about a place called the Commissary (sic?)..although I've never been there myself and it's BBQ..not the best anniversary dinner (unless you're me)

My favorite Destin romantic restaurants are Marina Cafe, Ocean Club, and Copper Grill. Louisiana Lagniappe is good but is more family oriented and the Commissary is just a great barbecue joint. The Henderson Park Inn has a great restaurant also, called The Veranda. We've only eaten there for Easter Brunch so I am not sure if it would be romantic. The great thing about the Marina Cafe, is if you go between 5:00 and 6:00, you get two for one dinner entrees which makes it reasonable as well as good. We own a condo in Destin, so I am pretty knowledgeable about Destin. If you have any more questions, please e-mail me. Have fun!

Isn't there a McGuire's in Destin? Great steaks and casual atmosphere.

Yes, there is a McGuires in Destin. It is great too!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We just got back this morning and I wanted to reply to Big Red. Generally we were pleased with the Henderson; however, it was not nearly as nice as I expected. The location is excellent but the hotel (bed/breakfast) was a little worn. They definitely need to do some updating, painting, etc. The room was comfortable but for the price I'm sure we could have gotten something nicer. We ended up eating at two fabulous restaurants (we only stayed two nights..we live an hour away!). The first one was Elephant Walk. This one is inside the Sandestin Resort. You just make reservations and then tell the guard where you're going. The food was EXCELLENT. It's a bit pricy but I don't care when I get great food. The second place we ate at is brand new and very close to the Henderson Park Inn. It's called Osaka and it has the best Japanese cuisine and sushi I have ever had. The atmosphere is very nice and the prices were great. It's located right on Hwy 98 (aka Emerald Coast Pkwy) between Wal-Mart and Publix. If you need any other information just let me know. Enjoy your stay in Destin.

stjohnbound...

thx so much for the report. We were considering making a trip to Destin this year but would up in some other destinations. We normally stay at an Abbott property in Destin (ususally the Surfside) and thought the Henderson park would be a nice couples retreat.

Sorry to hear that it's not as nice as it;s promoted in the Abbott literature

Try Cuvee Beach. It's intimate, upscale and reasonably priced for that market. You definitely do not need a suit and tie. For that matter, though, there's not a restaurant in Destin that requires that such attire.Some other notable restaurants that you should try are "Fish out of Water" at Watercolors (next to Seaside) and "Smiling Fish Cafe". Both have excellent cuisine. Fish out of Water overlooks the beach.

Stay away from Louisiana Lagniappe unless you have several screaming kids and you like tourist traps. That place is way past its prime. Too many good places to eat in Destin besides there.

And stay away from Osaka. Worst excuse for Japanese cuisine I've ever seen. I took some out-of-town guests there and we all thought it was overpriced and akin to eating in a high school cafeteria. I went back on another occassion and bought sushi to take home. It tasted so bad we threw it out. The best sushi in Destin can be found at a little out-of-the-way place called Sakura. It's located inside the old Kmart shopping complex.

Marina Cafe and Chops have good early bird specials. Elephant Walk will close this winter and re-open in spring as a new restaurant.

The Henderson Park Inn has some really great views and some really nice rooms, but for the prices they charge, let's just say they're not the Ritz Carlton.