Eat 30A // My top 10 fave places to eat on Florida's most magical highway

30A is the most magical stretch of highway I’ve ever ridden.

Sure, those who travel might protest. Some might say it is too crowded, too expensive, too over-rated. Those well-worn travelers might argue with me that there are other, better beaches to travel to or much grander wonders of the world, but for me, 30A is always the place to beat.

Highway Thirty-A is magical for many reasons - the white sandy beaches with their continuous cotton candy sunsets can’t be beaten, the child-like freedom that comes from banana-seat bike rides on an extended stretch of sidewalk, and the range of timeless coastal architecture is the stuff of designer dreams - but for me, the most magical part of 30A is the dining experience.

My husband Raleigh and I save our date nights for 30A. We picnic on lawns with our kids on 30A. We celebrate family birthdays on 30A. We host our friends at round tables under the stars on 30A. I sneak away for shopping and no-kid snacking on 30A. We have eaten our way through 30A for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, drinks, and desserts and we keep coming back, week after week because for us it is the most magical stretch of highway we want to eat on again and again and again.

I first fell in love with the magic of 30A as a kid, when my best friend Susanne would invite me to go to the beach with her family. Buckling our seatbelts, we always found it so fun to ride facing backward in her family’s station wagon the two-hour drive from southeast Alabama to Florida’s panhandle. Susanne’s family built their beach home in Seaside (I believe in the early 90s), and I always knew we had arrived when the forest roads broke way to white picket fences and ice cream-colored houses. We would park in front of her home and soon we were off to swim in the pool or ride our bikes to the amphitheater. The first restaurant I ever ate at on 30A was The Red Bar, just a short drive from Seaside to Grayton Beach. The dripping candles and jazz band transported my young soul to another place and here the magic of eating began with a classic menu that needs not be altered. Ever. As a kid, I felt very grown-up ordering the mahi-mahi, a lemon wedge, mashed potatoes, and a dinner roll with butter. Now, my go-to is the crab cakes and Raleigh gets the grouper with the grit cake and sauteed spinach. Are you drooling yet? If not, the sauces with these two dishes will have you licking your plate. The Red Bar (and Louis Louis) is a staple restaurant that never goes out of style. It simply can’t get any better. 

Now, 30A is a very short drive from my husband’s family beach home and we have eaten our way through Inlet Beach, Rosemary, Seacrest, Alys, Watersound, Seagrove, Seaside, Watercolor, and Grayton (and occasionally Blue Mountain). We aren’t locals but we visit enough to know the classics and the trendsetters, and what items on the menu to order. We love the 30A dining experience and if you want an honest review, we are here to share the dishes that we compare every other meal to when we travel. We believe that Florida’s panhandle cuisine stacks up to any dish you’d find in New Orleans (my other favorite city to eat in), Cape Cod, Chicago, San Francisco, and even Texas (okay, so they beat us in Tex-Mex, but there’s still plenty more to eat!). Even if you disagree, you can’t steal the magic of 30A’s dining experience away from me.

Typically, I write about my family and my faith, but I also can’t help but write about food. Food is fun not only to eat but also to write about because it’s one of the only things that I don’t take so seriously. I eat for nutrition during the week but when I am on vacation for a week or on 30A just for a weekend getaway, I am eating for nourishment. And I think we’d all agree that food has a way to nourish and comfort us, to transport us for a brief moment away from our daily stress to a place where our souls can rest, reset, and recover before we begin again.

Raleigh and I come to 30A for date night at George’s to reconnect and rekindle our love for one another over The Goo dessert. When I watch our kids race around the Seaside amphitheater and our picnic blanket is filled with remnants from Bud and Alley’s Taco Bar and Frost Bites shaved ice, I’m reminded of all those childhood memories with Susanne. Whenever we are starving and everything is booked, we know we can pile into the corner table at Angelino’s with the Prices for a slice of meat lovers pizza and spaghetti noodles. Every restaurant that we’ve eaten at usually holds a memory, and that’s what makes this stretch of highway so magical.

If you are looking for a quick list of favorite dishes to try in each town on Highway 30-A, here’s my top 10:

Inlet Beach //  Donut Hole Sweet Potato Pancakes

Rosemary Beach // Rosemary Gimlet at Pescado, Cowgirl Kitchen Whole Hog Pizza, La Crema’s OMG

Seacrest // LaCo (La Cocina) Brisket Taco and Lobster Quesadilla

Alys Beach // George’s Spicy Salt & Pepper Shrimp, The Goo Brownie Dessert

Watersound // Bruno’s Pizza Bar - Order by the slice and try what is hot! (I love the Hawaiian and Raleigh gets the Meatlover. His mom always orders the one with all the onions and mushrooms.)

Seagrove Beach // Old Florida Fish House Tuna Dip, Gumbo, and Fried Shrimp Platter

Seaside // Great Southern Shrimp and Grits A-Ya-Ya, Taco Bar Skinny Margarita, Pickles Pimento Cheese Bacon Burger, Modica Market picnic deli snacks + drinks

Watercolor // The Perfect Pig Potato Parmesean Crusted Grouper

Grayton Beach // The Red Bar Crab Cakes and Blackened Grouper

Blue Mountain + Santa Rosa Beach // Blue Mountain Creamery and Stinky’s Fish Camp Po Boy Sandwich

If 30A is full of memories for you too, I hope you find some pleasure in connecting over familiar meals. If you are new to 30A or travel here every so often, trust me when I say you will eat food that will become your new favorites. In my reviews, you will find tips not only for what to eat but where to eat seasonally, who I’d recommend you eat these meals with (your husband, kids, extended family, or girlfriends), and some favorite activities found in each town to pair with your dining experience. I also welcome your favorites too! Raleigh and I keep an ongoing list of places we want to try and I look forward to discovering new favorites and sharing them with you.

Highway Thirty-A, thank you for providing the memory-making, soul-satisfying, mouth-watering magic.

Cheers,

Christen

Question: What is your favorite meal/place to eat on 30-A?