Best beach bars in Pensacola area: 5 places for strong drinks and sunset views
As the weather gets warmer, the urge to dip your toes in the sand with a cold drink in hand grows more tempting. Luckily, we have no shortage of beach bars in the Pensacola area that are sure to put you on island time. Here are five of our must tries for a beach drinks, food, views and fun.
Flora-Bama
17401 Perdido Key Drive
When a bar's name makes it into a Jimmy Buffet song, you know it has to be pretty iconic. In his song "Bama Breeze," Buffet articulates the memories that took place in the "world famous" beach bar that straddles the Florida-Alabama state line.
"At the Bama Breeze/ I turned 21 down there/ Had too much fun down there/ Stumbled out with the sun down there."
The night Buffet is describing is a typical one for the Gulf Coast dwellers, who frequent the Flora-Bama for its five stages of live music that you can hear spilling out onto the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico. Even on the hottest Florida day, you can count on the cool relief of a Key Lime Colada or signature Bushwacker, a frozen rum-based, milkshake-like cocktail, which has been a Gulf Coast staple since the 1970s. Not only is the atmosphere immaculate, but the food is a destination of its own with three separate dining areas with different styles and price points.
The Flora-Bama Yacht Club, which falls more on the Alabama side, is known for its fresh seafood and local ingredients. There, you can score everything from small bites, like the char-grilled oysters and "World Famous Gumbo" with Conecuh sausage and Gulf shrimp, to full entrees, like the Blackened Gulf Tripletail with Cajun dirty rice or the 8-ounce, hand-cut filet mignon.
In the warmer months, you'll likely be met with a lively crowd or perhaps rub shoulders with a famous country artist who finished a concert close by. But some of the most memorable times to visit are during the festivals. Some of the most beloved annual events include the Polar Bear Dip, Mullet Man Triathlon, Interstate Mullet Toss and Beach Party, Flora-Bama Fishing Rodeo, Frank Brown's Songwriters Festival and Flora-Bama's Thanksgiving Potluck. Once you make it once, you become part of the "Bamily," or Flora-Bama family, for life.
Sandshaker
731 Pensacola Beach Blvd.
Positioned in the heart of Pensacola Beach, the Sandshaker has been a Pensacola icon for 50 years and is a living time capsule on the beach. While it’s known for its live music and tower that serves as a Gulf overlook, the story of the Bushwacker’s origin is the thing most frequently tied to it.
When then-bar owner Linda Taylor came back from the Virgin Islands in 1975 with a recipe for a certain frozen Kahlua coffee cocktail, the bar would never be the same. Even the most strict beer drinkers would find themselves knocking down a few.
Taylor would make the drinks to order, blender by blender, until the high demand prompted the purchase of a frozen drink machine in 1980. Even so, all batches are made by hand to this day, using Kahlua as one of the main ingredients.
The bar is a place where locals can sit and catch up, along with the first stop tourists will make when visiting from out of town.
The bar was ultimately purchased by regulars Sonny and Beverly Campbell in 2005, and the couple began making renovations in 2008 like the observation deck, tiki bar and live entertainment stages.
“There wasn’t much in the form of entertainment back then, because there just wasn’t any place to do it. So, when we bought it, we decided to add some entertainment. Some bands, smaller bands in the beginning, then of course all that has grown,” Beverly Campbell said.
In 2019, they were even able to host country artist Luke Combs, the year that he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Since then, Combs has gone on to receive six Grammy nominations including best country album, best country song and best new artist.
“As a music venue is really where we turned a corner,” Sandshaker manager Joe Campbell said.
Paradise Bar and Grill
21 Via De Luna Drive
Tucked away behind an Old Florida styled waterfront motel you’ll find Pensacola locals drinking, dancing and soaking up a sunset at the Santa Rosa Sound at the Paradise Bar and Grill.
Guests are welcome to boat, bike or walk. They can either indulge in a beach cocktail straight on the sand, or a fresh meal. The menu gives you a taste of local flavors, including grilled, fried and blackened seafood baskets, po’boys, burgers, sandwiches and snacks - like the crab cake bites and beer boiled Gulf shrimp. It prides itself on being a best kept local secret and if you’ve lived in Pensacola long enough, you’re guaranteed to run into someone you know on a Friday night. It’s a great place to catch a live band with cold drink and dig your toes in the sand.
Paradise is a beloved piece of Pensacola Beach history, with its inn established the 1950s, with the bar and grill following in 2003. The bar is unassuming and well-suited for everyday folks, adding to what has made it such a tried-and-true fan-favorite.
Casino Beach Bar and Grill
41 Fort Pickens Road
Casino Beach Bar and Grille makes its coastal cuisine as much of a focus as the island inspired cocktails. Not only does the restaurant stretch to the sand of Casino Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, but its sister restaurant, Drift, offers a birds-eye view of the beach with more elevated dining options upstairs.
The outdoor dining model features a Caribbean-style dining experience where you’re also likely to hear some live music. The signature drinks include the coconut mojito made with Club Caribe Coconut Rum mixed with real coconut puree and the spicy margarita, which marries Corazon Tequila with triple sec, agave, lime juice and jalapenos.
There are a variety of small plates, tacos, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads to dive into. Seafood lovers will rejoice over some of the small-plates, including the hand-battered grouper nuggets, the shrimp and mango ceviche, spinach crab dip and calamari fries. However, there’s something on the menu for everyone, from the Patty Melt Royale with barbecue basted steak to the mojo pork tacos with pineapple pico. If you’re looking for a more upscale dining experience while still being casual enough for flip flops, Casino Beach Bar and Grill is a must-try.
Peg Leg Pete’s
1010 Fort Pickens Road
Peg Leg Pete’s is another fan-favorite for locals and tourists alike for its pirate-themed atmosphere since opening in 1991. Some even arrive by boat, as five of the boat slips in the LaFitte Cove Marina out back are reserved for customers.
If Peg Leg Pete’s is where you get shipwrecked, it’s not a bad place to land, as you’ll be met with delicious grub and signature cocktails. Speaking of which, one particularly famous drink is The Shipwreck, made with coconut rum, spiced rum and 151 rum mixed with fruit juices, Sprite and grenadine. While the drink is sweet and fruity, it packs a punch. You can even keep the souvenir cup to say you survived it.
As far as food goes, oysters are largely among what the restaurant became famous for, as they were on the original menu along with shrimp and some sandwiches. Today, it has expanded to include a variety of fresh seafood, pastas and Cajun specialties, like the Cajun fried catfish and red beans and rice. As a sister business to Maria’s Fresh Seafood Market, fish doesn’t get much fresher than at Peg Leg's. Some of the house favorites include the stuffed grouper with crabmeat baked inside, the mixed grill with fresh Gulf grouper and large sea scallops and the oyster sample with a smorgasbord of baked specialties. Peg Leg Pete’s also made it on Southern Living’s list for 18 Best Beach Bars in the South.
“A pirate-themed bar at the beach just makes sense,” the Southern Living excerpt states. “Accessible by land and sea via Lafitte Cove Marina, Peg Leg Pete’s is as popular with visitors as it is with locals. First timers have to order two things. The first is an oyster shooter (components are as follows: one raw oyster, bloody mary mix, and beer or vodka), and the second is the Shipwreck cocktail, a fruity rum-based concoction served in a souvenir cup.”
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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Best beach bars in Pensacola area: 5 of our favorites
