Diners' Choice: Best Food restaurants in Destin

OpenTable

Updated October 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best overall cuisine in Destin? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Basil and Baxter's Kitchen & Cocktails

4.8

4.8 (273)

$30 and under

American

Destin

About the restaurant

Locally owned and operated.. We have a unique menu blending American cuisine with a touch of creole. Lunch varies from our popular shrimp & grits, to our delicious and filling $9.99 specials like bourbon chicken or sweet n sour chicken, to a fresh beef burger. Dinner provides a daily special on our blackboard often offering local grouper or steak, or consider our dinner menu with salads, pastas, steaks and unique entrees. Brunch on Sunday offers a la carte menu, buffet from 9am till 130pm, along with $10 bottomless mimosas. We also have a full bar with a great wine list.

Top review

Todd

Dined 4 days ago

Excellent food. Great menu choices, and it was hard to decide what to get. We will be going back to try more options. Also a very relaxed environment. All four of us highly recommend it.

Renaissance

4.9

4.9 (105)

$31 to $50

Traditional French

Santa Rosa Beach

About the restaurant

Pure white Haussmannian wall panel moldings, gold mirrors, marble bistro tables, herringbone floors, green velvet booths…

…The sweet perfume of Rosemary, Thyme, Toasted Baguette, Truffles, Boeuf Bourguignon served by an elegant waiter…

…Melodies from Serge Gainsbourg and Edith Piaf are playing in the back, you love these songs, you try to guess the words…

…A Champagne bottle suddenly pops. You hear that very typical sound of 1500 years of French history in a bottle.

You have landed in Paris.

But are there palm trees in Paris?

Is it the Seine River? Why do you see a white sandy beach on the horizon? Are we in Paris? Or are we in “Floride”?

Come and see for yourself.

You are eating at Renaissance tonight!

Miam! Bon Appétit.

Top review

jim

Dined 5 days ago

Valerie was wonderful. From paris and food was great

Bijoux

4.9

4.9 (3146)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Destin

About the restaurant

Bijoux Restaurant + Spirits is a full-service fine dining restaurant located in The Market Shops outside the front entrance to Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Open for dinner seven nights a week, we feature the freshest Gulf seafood, prime steaks and an extensive award-winning wine list. Our intimate Bijoux lounge features a full bar complete with a large selection of specialty martinis.

Top review

Andreavip

Dined 3 days ago

Delicious and unique menu! The cuisine was wonderful and service was exceptional.

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Popular dish

Grouper Almandine

Popular dish

"Black Skillet" Filet Mignon

Popular dish

Cowboy Ribeye

Pazzo Italiano Destin

4.8

4.8 (1982)

$30 and under

Italian

Destin

About the restaurant

Two friends, two devoted family men, two restaurant lovers and now businessmen, that have been serving and delighting others for over 20+ years. We are excited to share with you our passion, our heart’s work: Pazzo Italiano.

Our menu has been carefully pieced together to bring you a combination of your favorite Italian staples, some more sophisticated flavors with a touch of fun and some new crazy combinations. We look forward to sharing our passion for taste and our love for service with you…

Top review

Catherinevip

Dined today

The restaurant was very busy but managed to serve in reasonable time. All servers were friendly. We shared a salad and pizza and both were very good. Loved the crust and the bread with garlic dip was delicious

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Pazzo Italiano Santa Rosa Beach

4.8

4.8 (941)

$30 and under

Italian

Santa Rosa Beach

About the restaurant

Pazzo Italiano SRB is the 2nd location of the highly rated and locals favorite Destin location, featuring award winning Italian dishes and wood fired Neapolitan pizza, full bar and two private rooms in a cosmopolitan Family friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Top review

Eileen

Dined on Sep 24, 2024

We had 11 people and they were on point with our meals, drinks and requests. Everyone enjoyed their meal, drinks and appetizers.

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4.7

4.7 (10)

$30 and under

Seafood

Miramar Beach

About the restaurant

Sunset Bay Cafe, located near the Linkside Conference Center in Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, offers a casual dining experience overlooking the Choctawhatchee Bay. Open daily for breakfast and lunch, Sunset Bay Cafe is a family owned and operated restaurant serving the finest in locally sourced ingredients including fresh produce and sustainable seafood, delivered daily from the docks in Destin, Florida. Sunset Bay Cafe offers a full bar, outdoor dining, poolside Tiki bar (seasonally), and “grab and go” options.

Sunset Bay Café is in an incredible location – so spread the word! Property owners and guests of the Sandestin resort are already loyal regulars here. Turn north off Hwy 98 and the guard gate will issue you a pass. Once inside, go straight for a half of a mile and the restaurant is on your right. There is plenty of parking and takes mere moments to arrive from Hwy 98.

Top review

Cara

Dined 5 days ago

Great food and service, enjoyed eating outside, shrimp and grits was yummy

Beach Walk Cafe

4.7

4.7 (982)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Destin

About the restaurant

Beach Walk Café, known as the “Most Romantic Dining Experience in Destin,” is located inside the Henderson Park Inn where guests enjoy unobstructed views of the Gulf overlooking more than a mile of the world’s most beautiful and secluded beaches with spectacular sunset views.

In this idyllic private setting Beach Walk Café features an intimate atmosphere with dining available inside, with a cozy fireplace and magnificent views of the coast and outside on the verandas of the Inn overlooking the emerald waters of the Gulf. A favorite with locals and tourists alike, Beach Walk Café is known for its meticulous service, innovative cuisine and a stunning, unparalleled view.

Reservations are recommended. Please note, all diners at Beach Walk Café must be 13 or older. If there is inclement weather, your outside seating reservation is subject to alteration or cancellation.

Top review

jerry

Dined on Sep 26, 2024

Outstanding restaurant and food and atmosphere. Will eat there again

Ruth's Chris Steak House - Destin

4.7

4.7 (1700)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Destin

About the restaurant

Ruth's Chris Steak House specializes in serving USDA Prime steaks, each seared to perfection, finished with butter and freshly chopped parsley, and served sizzling on a 500-degree plate. We invite you to join us in Destin, FL!

Top review

LaToya

Dined today

We really enjoyed our dining experience, it’s always great customer service and the food never disappoints!! Everything was awesome! The ambiance is wonderful and Ruth Chris will continue to be our date night spot when we’re in town!

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Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar - Sandestin

4.7

4.7 (2389)

$30 and under

Seafood

Destin

About the restaurant

Tommy Bahama combines a tranquil environment and great food with an emphasis on hospitality to make for the perfect place to recharge or unwind while indulging in a unique dining experience. The experience is sure to feel like a getaway, whether you’re on vacation or looking for a vacation from your everyday life

Top review

Patrick

Dined 2 days ago

Seafood polso verde special was excellent. Kids loved the guacamole and chips. Always great service, and good value relative to other local restaurants. Unique island atmosphere, one of these days expect to see Hemingway sitting at bar.

red onion organic restaurant

4.4

4.4 (21)

$30 and under

Mediterranean

Destin

About the restaurant

Mediterranean style restaurant with Greek tapas and small plates.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Aug 16, 2024

Too loud at outside seating by the traffic out front. Otherwise 5 star