Where to eat in Destin after a round: harbour seafood, Sandestin steaks and 30A dinners

Where to eat in Destin after golf depends on your base. For groups, Destin Harbor is the default: AJ's, Boshamps, Harbor Docks and McGuire's Irish Pub are within a short walk of each other. At Sandestin, Seagar's is the splurge steak dinner and Baytowne Wharf the easy one. On 30A, Stinky's Fish Camp, Bud and Alley's and Rosemary Beach fill the evenings.

The list below comes from our area research, which avoided prices and hours it could not verify. Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin on October 9, 2026, and individual restaurants were not re-checked afterwards, so call ahead.

Quick facts

• Best for big groups: AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar, McGuire's Irish Pub, Fleming's (private rooms).
• Best splurge: Seagar's at the Hilton Sandestin; Edward's in Rosemary Beach.
• Best sunset: The Back Porch near Henderson Beach; Bud and Alley's rooftop in Seaside.
• Best local value: Stewby's Seafood Shanty in Fort Walton Beach.
• Book ahead: Seagar's, Louisiana Lagniappe in season, Stinky's Fish Camp.

Where to eat in Destin by base

Match dinner to where you sleep, because US 98 through Destin and Miramar Beach is badly congested in season. Drive times are routed from a hotel in each dining area to the nearest courses:

Destin Harbor: seafood for groups

The harbour boardwalk is the easiest group night on the coast. Everything is close together, and the fishing fleet is the backdrop.

• AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar (116 Harbor Blvd): big open-air seafood bar and restaurant, loud and busy with live music. The official Destin Fishing Rodeo weigh-in is held behind it every October.
• Boshamps Seafood and Oyster House (414 Harbor Blvd): harbour-front deck views and one of the more popular group dinners, so expect waits in season.
• Harbor Docks (538 Harbor Blvd): long-running, with its own fish market and a sushi bar alongside Gulf seafood.
• Dewey Destin's Seafood, Harborside (202 Harbor Blvd): casual family seafood from a Destin fishing family, with dockside seating. A smaller original is on Calhoun Avenue.
• The Boathouse Oyster Bar (288 Harbor Blvd): small, divey and musical. A beer-and-oysters stop, not a sit-down group dinner.
• McGuire's Irish Pub (33 Sibert Ave): the Destin outpost of the Pensacola pub, with steaks, burgers, house beer and dollar bills on the walls. Reliable for big golf groups.
• Louisiana Lagniappe (775 Gulf Shore Dr): Cajun-Creole seafood on the water on the Holiday Isle side of the harbour; reservations advised in season.

East of the harbour, The Back Porch is a beachfront seafood shack on Scenic Highway 98 near Henderson Beach, good for a post-round sunset beer.

Sandestin and Miramar Beach: steaks and Baytowne Wharf

Seagar's Prime Steaks and Seafood in the Hilton Sandestin is the classic splurge steak dinner on this coast. Jackets are not required; reservations are. The Hilton also has Hadashi Sushi, Barefoot's Beachside Bar and Grill and Sandcastles for breakfast.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse at Grand Boulevard Town Center, across US 98 from Sandestin, is a chain steakhouse that handles large groups and has private rooms.

The Village of Baytowne Wharf inside Sandestin is the easy option: restaurants, bars and nightlife reached by the resort tram. Hotel Effie next door has Ovide for Gulf Coast cooking and the Ara rooftop lounge. Our Sandestin golf guide covers the four courses you will be eating after.

30A: fish camps, Seaside and Rosemary Beach

• Stinky's Fish Camp (5960 CR 30A, Dune Allen): Gulf-coast fish-camp style with gumbo and oysters. A crowd favourite, so book or go early.
• Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar: casual beach-access oyster bar at the west end of 30A near the US 98 and 331 corner, often with live music.
• Bud and Alley's (Seaside): Seaside's original restaurant, open since the town began in 1986, with a rooftop bar for sunsets.
• Cafe Thirty-A (3899 E CR 30A): long-standing upscale dinner with wood-fired dishes and a wine list; a good couples or small-group night.
• Old Florida Fish House (Seagrove): seafood with lakeside seating on Eastern Lake, set back from 30A.
• Edward's Fine Food and Wine (Rosemary Beach): chef-owned fine dining on Main Street; the east-30A splurge, close to the Watersound Club courses.
• La Crema Tapas and Chocolate (Rosemary Beach): tapas and wine, known for chocolate fondue, walkable from Rosemary Beach lodgings.

At the inns, WaterColor Inn has Fish Out of Water and Gather, and Camp Creek Inn has 1936, ANR and Bark 'N Brine. Our 30A golf guide covers golf along the same road.

Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island

Stewby's Seafood Shanty on Racetrack Road in north Fort Walton Beach is counter-service local seafood near the city's Oaks and Pines courses, with fried baskets and po'boys at local prices. Floyd's Shrimp House is Cajun-leaning seafood on the Santa Rosa Sound side of Okaloosa Island near the Gulfarium and pier. The Holiday Inn Resort on the island has Riptides restaurant and sports bar and a poolside tiki bar. See our Fort Walton Beach golf guide for the courses on this end.

The best 19th holes: clubhouse food

Sometimes the best lunch is the one at the course:

For the courses themselves, see the Kelly Plantation course guide, the Regatta Bay course guide, the Rocky Bayou course guide and the Shalimar Pointe course guide.

Tips for group dinners

• Book the big night early in season. Seagar's needs a reservation, and Boshamps and Stinky's have waits.
• Stay on your side of the bay. Cross-coast dinners mean US 98 at its slowest.
• Use the harbour for a walking night. AJ's, the Boathouse, McGuire's and Harbor Docks are all on or by Harbor Boulevard.
• Rideshare on 30A. Uber and Lyft operate in Okaloosa and Walton counties, with summer surge pricing common on 30A.

For the rest of the off-course plan, see things to do in Destin for golfers, our Destin buddies golf trip guide and where to stay in Destin for golf. The Mississippi coast version is our where to eat in Biloxi for golfers.

Plan it on the map

Open the Destin golf map to see the courses and stays by area, so dinner and the next morning's tee time sit on the same side of the bay. The plan builds the trip day by day, with each round close to your base.