Gulf Shores Restaurants
 

What are your favorite Gulf Shores area restaurants, based on the following criteria:
- seafood
-water view
-casual dress

What are your favorite places to have a drink and perhaps hear some music?
-water view/sunset view
-40-50s age group ( IOW, not a college bar)
-good beer choices
-casual dress

Thanks!!

We enjoyed LuLu's when we were there. Always a big crowd. Think they had call ahead seating.

Thank you, nlg. I did see Lulu's and thought it looks like a fun atmosphere. Appreciate your feedback!

Fisher's. My friend's son is a server. Ask for Edward.

Thanks, Gracie! I will make a note to ask for Edward's section. Looks like it gets very good reviews!

topping

Any other recommendations?

Thanks

When are you going? We are going this Monday through Thursday and can let you know what we find out in terms of food. We are staying in a condo just off the beach front and plan on taking a side trip to pensicola as well. Let me know I have heard good things about a cheesecake place and my wife loves it

Wicked--
We aren't going until August, so I would appreciate an update from you! Thanks!

In Pensacola we enjoy Flounders and Peg Leg Pete's, but it's been over 5 years since we've eaten at those restaurants. Hope you have a great trip!!

~sunbabe

wickedgood--

Did you have a good trip? Any recs for restaurants in Gulf Shores area?

~sunbabe

We did however rain did cause some issues with the overall trip itself
First we stopped in New Orleans the first night and had some great gumbo at the Gumbo shop but rained the next morning so just started the drive to Gulf Shores.

First, an issue with condo company caused us to move to other property run by the same group but three miles down in Orange Beach.

First day after stopping and exploring the USS ALABAMA in mobile we managed to get in a couple of hours at the beach.before a tried family got pizza by the pool.

The next day woke up to Pensacola to see the Blue Angels practice. An hour and half of waiting in very hot weather was all for naught when eight minutes before the practice was to start the lighting stuck and it was cancelled. The rainstorm that followed kept us in a naval museum for a couple of hours of fun exploration especially with our four year old.

Drove back and sun came out for a great time at the beach followed by dinner at Bahama Bobs. The kids and myself loved this place. Juicy burgers just off the white sandy beaches with an indoor and outdoor patio area. The wait I had heard was usually long but not bad at all maybe 15 minutes. The steamer was broken so some seafood dishes and appetizers were not available which is the only downfall to the place.

The next morning we got donuts from City Donut just a few blocks from our condo. Good donuts that are tad bit bigger than normal and had some good flavors but the drawbacks is they sold out quickly (sold out at 9:00 the morning before when we tried to get some) and the price is a dollar a donut with no lower price if buying a dozen.

Later that night we went to an Italian place which was very good and I will look for the name and add it later. Well worth it especially if you like Italian.

s&s seafood I heard was really good but I was outvoted by the family, the Italian place made me forget about being outvoted since most of my kids are not seafoodies

We went for lunch at the Hangout the next day. The food was just average but lots of stuff for the kids to do in the area such as foam pit, sand races, stage show, and game area. Our waiter looked exactly like Johnny Football from Texas A&M. Since we are from College station it was a nice surprise, took a pic and wife said we can't get away from this guy....

One other place to mention is Hopes Cheesecake just before you hit the main rd off 59 on 20th street. We got a cheesecake ( frozen) and it was very good cheesecake. One recommendation is that get it the first day if you choose to on the way into the beach area and have it for the whole trip. My wife loved it, we got the chocolate various one and IMO some of the better cheesecake I have had in a long while.

Matt's ice cream just opened two weeks before we got there and we should have gone, been getting great reviews since it's opening but my wife saw a TCBY and she use to love that place before ours closed down so went went there.

I would recommend most every place we ate at, although the Hangout you pay not for the best food but the whole atmosphere.

Oh and we stayed in New Orleans on way back since we got rained out the first time, rained even more the second time. Will be going back to NOLA without kids in September but was hoping for a little less rain and my wife is still complaining about the fact she didn't get a muffalatta from Central Grocery.

Cafe Grazie in orange beach was the Italian place. Very good

The pink pony pub looked like a fun place off the strand to drink but we had the kids in tow as well.

Let me know if I can help with anything else and let us know about your trip....we are planning to stop again next year for a day or two possibly on a trip to the East Coast

Thanks so much for the recommendations--I have them all bookmarked!

Sorry to hear of your weather troubles in New Orleans and Pensacola. Glad you went to the Naval Aviation museum in Pensacola--very nice.

Appreciate your feedback, WickedGood!

~sunbabe

Glad to help. The people leaving the condo next to us said based on research they tried S&s seafood and it was really good but wife not into seafood. Please let me know what places you go that are more adult style.

Wickedgood~
Here is a list of the places we frequented:

Pleasure Island Tiki Bar - live music several days a week. Nice location on marina. Decent bar food.

Shipps Harbour Grill - nice restaurant. Delicious oysters creole and blackened mahi mahi with jumbo lump crab in gorgonzola cream sauce.

Cobalts - nice place for drinks outside. Had a pizza - definitely lacked seasoning.

Wolf Bay Lodge - had good fried seafood. Recommended by a local.

Happy Harbor - enjoyed having drinks here. Small sand beach on marina. Very casual.

Francos Italian - good salad with fresh motzerella, seafood lasagna, pizza, and garlic loaves. Recommended by a local.

Flippers - nice atmosphere on marina. Live music. Decent fried seafood.

Cosmos - fun atmosphere with nice outdoor seating. Good food. Shops on premises.

Lulus - fun for kids! Drinks are weak and overpriced. Very commercial.

Flora Bama Yacht Club - great place for drinks (this is next to Happy Harbor ) The Greek Nachos are so delicious!!

The Hangout - reminded me of Lulus. Would be great for kids. Nice location right on Gulf.

Pink Pony Pub - next door to The Hangout, so on Gulf. Had couple of drinks.

Fishers - nice restaurant, unfortunately I didn't realize the better dining is upstairs. We had sandwiches dockside. Still good. Beautiful setting on marina.

Cafe Beignet - the restaurant isn't anything special, but the beignets are sinfully delicious!

Brick and Spoon - restaurant serving breakfast and brunch /lunch. Very good. Great coffee. A speciality is Bloody Marys --served about any way you can imagine.

We rented a condo at Tradewinds. Great location in Orange Beach. Nice pool and beautiful beachfront.

Our new favorite drink is the Bushwacker with 151 floater. :) Best ones at Happy Harbors and Pleasure Island Tiki Bar.