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An abundance of seafood is served at coastal restaurants: oysters, crab, shrimp, scallops, and a variety of fish. Of course, that's not all there is on the menu. This part of Florida still impresses diners with old-fashioned comfort foods such as meat loaf, fried chicken, beans and corn bread, okra, and fried green tomatoes. You'll also find small-town seafood shacks where you can dine on local favorites such as deep-fried mullet, cheese grits, coleslaw, and hush puppies. Restaurants, like resorts, vary their operating tactics off-season, so call first if visiting during winter months.
The smell of coffee and freshly baked bread fills the air at this café, where breakfast and lunch menus are built around healthful, seasonal produce and naturally leavened bread. Dine in and linger over coffee, or be on your way with pastries and other to-go items that are a cut above. Black Bear has two other locations on the Emerald Coast in Seaside and Grand Boulevard near Sandestin.
If you're passionate about coffee, be sure to stop in at this or one of the five other branches of this local chain to find your new favorite brew. Friendly, knowledgeable staffers are happy to explain the flavor profiles of the different coffee varieties and roasts. Pastries and other edibles from Tasty Pastry, a local favorite bakery, are available, too.
