10 Best Dishes from Panama City Beach

Seafood in Panama City Beach is exceptionally tasty and fresh, and the crab at Bayou Bill’s Crab House is no exception. This casual seafood eatery offers classic dishes and is famous for its Crab Feast, served with your choice of Alaskan snow crab legs, blue crabs, and Alaskan Dungeness crab. Pair it with corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, or steamed veggies. 

Aside from being easy-going and light on the wallet, Bayou Bill’s is also home to one of the best desserts in Panama City Beach: classic key lime pie.

For those looking for a hearty and filling breakfast, there is no better place than Jesse’s Place. Despite its rather hidden location, this local favourite draws a huge crowd with its superb food. 

Jesse’s is a daytime eatery serving classic American comfort food - its chicken and dumplings are always perfectly cooked. Pair this generously-sized dish with biscuits, grits, or sausage. Get there early to snag a table as there is usually a waitlist by 8am.

One of the best cafes in Panama City Beach, Andy’s Flour Power serves a delicious breakfast every day until 2 pm. Aside from their famous muffins, pastries and croissants, this colourful eatery is known for their savoury 3-egg rolled omelette topped with just about anything from mushrooms and onions to feta and roasted tomatoes. 

It’s cooked crepe thin and served with your choice of toast: white, wheat, rye, biscuit or walnut raisin. Visit on a weekend morning to enjoy their live jazz shows.

Panama City Beach is also known for delicious barbeque ribs and there’s nowhere better to try them than at Pineapple Willy’s Restaurant. Located just a few blocks south of Long Beach, this seaside family restaurant serves some of the best ribs in town.

Cooked for over 8 hours and basted with BBQ sauce infused with Jack Daniel’s, the ribs are rounded out by a hearty side of baked beans, pineapple coleslaw, and garlic toast. Ask for a table outdoors for views of the Gulf as well as live music on select nights.

Lotus Café offers a health-conscious menu using all-natural and organic ingredients. Located in a beautiful garden setting, Lotus’ menu includes juices, smoothies, seafood, chicken, vegetarian and vegan options, salads, and wraps. Visit early in the morning to try their detoxifying V-12 juice, made with celery, lemon, kale, and cayenne pepper among a laundry-list of other healthy ingredients. For those looking for a heartier meal, the lotus wraps are a must-tries.

A suitable option for families with young kids, David’s New Orleans Style Cafe & Sno-Balls is where most of the locals opt for a sweet post-dinner treat. David’s is known for their Stuffed Sno-Balls which features creamy soft-serve ice cream in the middle of your favoured shaved ice flavour. 

With over 50 to choose from – including sour apple, peppermint, and pink lemonade – there’s bound to be a flavor that everyone in the family will enjoy.

Want to try a little bit of everything? Opt for seafood appetisers at Runaway Island. Try their hand-breaded coconut shrimp, spicy shrimp crab dip, or lightly breaded calamari, but be sure to make room for their all-famous Secret Harbor Tuna. 

This delightful appetizer features yellowfin tuna, seared rare and sliced thin, presented on baked wontons with ponzu (citrus-based sauce) and wakame (edible seaweed) salad. Head for an early dinner and catch a classic Florida sunset.

You can’t visit Panama City Beach and not try gumbo at Pompano Joe’s Seafood House. This laidback family restaurant is often lauded as the best place for authentic gumbo. 

Located steps from the beach, this Cajun-inspired dish boasts a strong flavour and is a 3-time champion at the Sandestin Gumbo Festival. This popular winter event dates back to the 1980 -restaurants from all over Florida battle for the best gumbo trophy at the 2-day cook-off.

For amazing seafood and an amazing view of the Gulf of Mexico, head to Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant. Sharky's is known for seafood and local favourites. You can enjoy live entertainment on the restaurant’s massive seaside deck. 

Order their popular Shrimp Po-Boy sandwich: a generous portion of fried popcorn shrimp on a hoagie roll served with lettuce & tomato. Pair it with their Shark Attack speciality drink for a truly delightful meal.