Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Northwest Florida

OpenTable

Updated May 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Northwest Florida? 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!

Restaurant Paradis

4.9

4.9 (510)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Rosemary Beach

About the restaurant

OpenTable offers limited booking. If you do not see a time you are interested in or have a party of 5 or more guests, please give us a call at (850) 534-0400.

Restaurant Paradis is a small fine dining restaurant, with an inviting full service lounge. We are committed to serving fresh seasonal ingredients, celebrating our local produce and an abundance of fresh Gulf seafood, along with prime steaks and fine wines.

As a favorite destination for locals and visitors since 2009, advance reservations are strongly recommended, especially for holidays and the summer months. Walk-ins are occasionally accepted when space is available.

You are welcome to bring your own highchair or booster seat if you are dining with a child. The restaurant does not provide them.

Top review

RussVIP

Dined 7 days ago

Amazing. Our waiter was fantastic. Hes only been there for a short time and he was great. Super knowledgeable. Food was incredible

Renaissance

4.9

4.9 (169)

$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

Victor

Dined 2 days ago

We enjoyed our evening at Renaissance. Our meals were delicious. Our service was great. However, it was a little over the top for the beach. We hope they will be able to survive where they are. Very nice French couple.

Basil and Baxter's Kitchen & Cocktails

4.8

4.8 (301)

$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

Sandy

Dined 3 days ago

Consistently fantastic food, drinks, and service. Highly recommended!

red onion organic restaurant

4.8

4.8 (37)

$30 and under

Mediterranean

Destin

About the restaurant

Mediterranean style restaurant with Greek tapas and small plates.

Top review

RichardVIP

Dined on Apr 29, 2025

Quaint and gracious. The staff was attentive and engaging. The food…. OMG. Everything was beautifully delicious. Wish I could eat here all of the time.

Pazzo Italiano Santa Rosa Beach

4.6

4.6 (1000)

$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

Jen

Dined 5 days ago

Highly recommend! New. Clean. Great food & service.

Discover more

4.6

4.6 (253)

$30 and under

Mexican

Miramar Beach

About the restaurant

Mezcal Mexican Grill at The Seascape Towne Centre serves an upscale menu paired with a full-service bar, top-shelf tequilas and local live entertainment

Top review

PaulVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Great service at the bar. Order came out extremely fast and was cooked perfectly.

Brother Fox

4.6

4.6 (215)

$31 to $50

Spanish

Pensacola

About the restaurant

We pay tribute to the rugged individualism of Pensacola’s unique historic cultural significance, specifically its Spanish influence. Real and super-rustic, the kitchen presents Old World cookery at its roots, with all the layers peeled back. Brother Fox utilizes a live-fire approach to cooking almost everything that we serve, from coal-roasted oysters to Carne Asada for two, served with hot tortillas. Our beautiful outdoor seating sets the stage for a casual meet up with friends for a glass of wine from regions near and far, carafes of Bathtub Gin or Sangrias from the bar. Inside, the cuisine and casually elegant design are the embodiment of a “neighborhood” spot that caters to visitors and residents alike, for special occasions, celebrations, and some of the finest wood-fired cuisine in Pensacola. Imagine food with soul, both exciting and traditional, in a breezy setting, right in the heart of Old East Hill.

We are open daily for Dinner at 5pm

Top review

michae

Dined 6 days ago

We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and had such a great meal, great server and overall a great experience!

Food Glorious Food

4.4

4.4 (530)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Tallahassee

About the restaurant

For over 30 years, friends and families have enjoyed a unique combination of friendly service, eclectic ambiance and award-winning cuisine at Food Glorious Food. Our shaded outdoor patio, upper and lower indoor dining, and private events room provide the perfect setting for a special dining experience.

Top review

Robert

Dined 5 days ago

An excellent find! We were in town for our daughter's graduation from FSU, and had a great dinner at FGF. Some of us had combos of small plates, some had pasta, all was very well prepared. I had fried quail and the potato/leek soup with crab. Both were delicious. We were also really happy with the vibe -- away from campus, it felt refreshingly cosmopolitan.

Little Paris

4.2

4.2 (374)

$30 and under

French

Tallahassee

About the restaurant

Little Paris is just what the name suggests, it's a little piece of Paris right here in our lovely hometown, Tallahassee! The owner and chef are from the north of France and stay true to their roots with their French cuisine they have been perfecting for over 20 years and over 40 years of experience between the two brothers. You will be greeted with an amuse-bouche and then proceed to choose from our fine selection of French wines or tell us your favorite cocktail. All of our waitresses are experienced bartenders as well as some of the best waitstaff Tallahassee has to offer. Dining at Little Paris with dishes such as Foie Gras, Escargot, and Beef Burgundy accompanied by fresh French baguettes, we take you to that little town in France that you visited years back that you can't wait to see again! We welcome you to our little family here at Little Paris, see you soon!

Top review

Joy

Dined on Apr 2, 2025

Little Paris is a wonderful, quaint, quiet place with marvelous food and wonderful service.

Pompano Joe's - Panama City Beach

4.0

4 (488)

$30 and under

Seafood

Panama City Beach - Bay Point

About the restaurant

Pompano Joe's takes tremendous pride in serving Gulf seafood to its guests. If it lives in the Gulf, you will most likely find it on our menu. Our seafood is delivered daily and it is handled with great care from the minute it arrives at our door to the time it arrives at your table. Our standards are high and it shows in the presentation and flavor of every seafood dish we serve. We're a neighborhood beach place where you can "savor the flavor" of the Islands!

Top review

LAVETT

Dined on Apr 26, 2025

We were seated within 5 minutes of our arrival. Our server was friendly and very accommodating. She provided excellent service.

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