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GULF COAST FOOD LOVERS guide
Top 50 locations in United States
byGCFL ❤
Live update: Updated August 14, 2022Copy link
Copy link1. OSO at Bear Point Harbor - Orange Beach
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
GCFL ❤We went to @oso_bear_point_harbor for the first time tonight.
Atmosphere is off the charts. A cool bayside cabin vibe with a great view, live music and plenty of seating inside and out.
They were well staffed. We were promptly seated. 7pm on a Friday? Love that.
Our server Jason made contact with us almost immediately and took our drink order and told us the special for the night. He was great throughout the night.
Started off with a Bushwacker...for research purposes of course. Easily one of my favorite bushwackers. Good blend of rum.
The menu had several options from casual bar food to fresh catch entrées. Plenty of choices for non-seafood eaters too. Bowl options for gluten free food lovers.
We went casual tonight and went with the Mahi Tacos and Grouper Burrito. Everything tasted fresh and the flour tortillas held up well. Some places you get a taco or burrito and it's like they source the tortillas from an Azteca box at the grocery store.
The tacos were excellent. I really liked the slaw that came with them. It had a sweet citrus flavor that gave it some good texture and a pop of acidity.
We've kind of been dreading going out with all of the labor issues and some not so good experiences lately. We left OSO full and wanting to try some of the other items on the menu.
We'll be back.
2. The Beach House Kitchen and Cocktails
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤After a nice evening at the Beach, we stopped over at The Beach House Kitchen & Cocktails to put in a takeout order and enjoy a few cocktails while we waited.
Jason was our bartender. I'm watching about 6 drinks at a time go out to servers while he starts taking our order.
We started out with a margarita. Hmmm. I notice he's not using a mix from the store. That's not well tequila either. Possibly, the best margarita on the island.
So, we put in our order and we notice this big clear container you see in commercial kitchens. I ask him what's in it. Oh, I'm trying to get a head start on my simple syrup. He then proceeds to tell us about how they make their own syrups and mixers. They use small batch bitters from #bittercube The lime juice in that margarita? It's fresh, daily. You can taste the difference.
Their shirts say, drink more cocktails. So, we didn't want to be rude. We got the piña colada and painkiller next. I usually stay away from drink machines but, they use premium ingredients in those too. Delicious!
We get our food and Jason opens every container to double check. We go back to the condo and.... Look at those blackened trigger fish tacos! So much fish. Great flavors. The tortillas aren't homemade but, they were suitable. Everyone enjoyed their food.
Beach House is killing it on West Beach.
3. GTs On The Bay
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤GTs on The Bay is one of our favorites because it has something for everyone. Pizza for the kids, seafood dishes, tropical drinks (like the one they serve out of a pineapple), great view of the bay, outdoor dining and a pirate playground area for the kids.GCFL ❤Happy Hour!
4. Bahama Bob's Beach Side Cafe
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤Bahama Bob's has the best Bushwacker. Change my mind.
5. Brookman's Smokehouse
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤Brookman's is a true smokehouse. Everything is made fresh in house. If you don't call ahead and place an order, you might miss out.
They offer smoked fish, pork chops, ribs, butts and incredible salmon and tuna dips.
Definitely a favorite for an easy meal to pick up and take back to the house or condo.
6. Alabama's Original Blue Line BBQ & Grill
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
Mike AdamsBest BBQ around
7. Safari Club Restaurant
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤Recommended this place!
8. Breakfast Station
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
Karen HartleyBreakfast Station in Brooksville, located next to Winn Dixie is Fabulous! They serve Breakfast and lunch, close at 3pm. The food is amazing, fresh, made to order and always delicious. Service is outstanding! Team members are always pleasant, knowledgeable and friendly. If you go more than twice, they’ll remember you and your preferences. They are now serving cocktails. I highly recommend Breakfast Station and I am certain that you won't be disappointed.
9. the Galley
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
Lisa Buckner OldhamHole-in-the-wall place. Yummy food. Relaxed atmosphere
10. Fish River Grill
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤This is truly where the locals eat. Fish River Grill is a staple and they are always busy.
We love the OMG Shrimp Poboy Feast, Seafood BLT and the burgers here.
The burgers are big and messy with simple ingredients.
Don't forget the complimentary swamp soup. It's delicious!
11. Luna's Eat & Drink
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤The Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich is my favorite. Check out the behind the scenes video on how it's made:
https://youtu.be/7o0Pu2JXMaE
GCFL ❤Luna's Eat & Drink has the best lunch special around. Meat and 3 for $10.
I love the Nashville Hot Chicken. It's marinated in pickle juice and buttermilk. Then breaded and fried to perfection. After it rests, they dip it into the hot glaze.
It's so good! And those braised greens? Amazing.
12. Big Beach Brewing Company
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤Our favorite local brewery!
Big Beach is always putting out creative small batch beers and they keep some of their most popular on tap.
They have food trucks and live music Thursday - Sunday
Our favorite is the Gnarwhal Food Truck. Gourmet food to go along with some delicious craft beer.
13. Lickin Good Donuts-Gulf Shores
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤If loving Maple Bacon Donuts from Lickin Good is wrong, I don't want to be right.
This is our favorite donut shop. The donuts are always so fresh and the family that runs it is super nice.
14. The ugly Diner
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤The Ugly Diner is back open at their new location.
They're only open for breakfast and lunch.
We love the 1/2 burgers, the chicken salad melt, The Reuben and anything on the breakfast menu.
Great food at great prices. GCFL ❤
This might be the best Rueben to ever exist. It's loaded.
15. Cobalt, The Restaurant
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤Blackened Redfish. This is a flavor bomb. Flaky seasoned redfish with Louisiana Hot Sauce hollandaise and some dirty rice to give it a little texture with a little smokiness from the andouille. It's perfect. I enjoyed the side of asparagus with it as well.GCFL ❤Possibly our favorite dish down here. Bronze Gulf Grouper. The buttery grouper and sautéed blue crab mixed with the creamy parmesan risotto and the acidity of the Creole tomato sauce was delicious. This is the standard at Cobalt.
16. Yumm Twister & Ice Cream
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤Yum is right! This is not your average ice cream shop. Twister cakes from Eastern Europe where the owner and his wife are from originally.
We had the soft serve gelato filled twister cake covered in oreo crumbles. Swipe to see the gyro they are offering now. We didn't try it yet but, it looks so good!
17. The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤If you ever find yourself driving through Ocean Springs, MS and you're hungry for award winning BBQ, keep reading.
We were recently on our way to New Orleans and we deliberately planned a stop here after meeting one of the owners in Orange Beach through a mutual food friend.
@theshedbbq has been on just about every food show around. We pull up and my wife is like, "Are you sure about this place?" "Yes, it's supposed to be the best around", I say.
It's right off I-10. You can't miss it with all of the billboards. We pull up and it's literally a shed. We place our order at the counter and take a seat. I got the brisket sandwich plate and my wife got the pulled pork plate. Both of us got the potato salad and I got baked beans and my wife got the mac n cheese
The first bite of my brisket sandwich is pure enjoyment. So moist. It just falls apart. Great smokey flavor. It was worth the stop already.
The potato salad was unique with what I think was smoked turkey in it. It gave it a nice smokey flavor. To me, it's kind of a mix between traditional potato salad and a german potato salad. We both enjoyed it.
The mac n cheese was like classic mac n cheese. Reminded us of being kids and making Kraft Mac N Cheese.
The baked beans? Off the chart good. Sweet and tangy with big chunks of bbq in them. This stuff should be canned and sold everywhere.
After we finished up, Brooke (check out her insta if you're into BBQ @brookeolewis ) came out to talk to us. Luckily, we were visiting during a slow time. She said in peak season, it can be a 2 hour line. The place truly is iconic. If you get the chance, add it to your list of Gulf Coast Food stops.
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 35 Restaurant locations in United States
18. Vitolli's Pizzeria & Italian Eatery
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤Tried the stuffed slice at Vitollis Pizzeria & Italian Eatery tonight. Crust was crispy on the outside. Tons of sausage and pepperoni with melty gooey cheese on the inside. Probably the best pizza in Baldwin County. Ice cold beer in a frosted mug. Next time you're hungry in Robertsdale, check it out.
19. Cochon Butcher
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤One day we hope to travel to all the best spots along the entire Gulf Coast. Right now, we hardly make it out of Baldwin County, Alabama.
However, today, we find ourselves in New Orleans!
Chef Jonathan Kastner, owner, of @anchoroba is one of our favorite Chef's in Orange Beach. He worked under Donald Link for a while. So, naturally, we made our way over to @cochonbutchernola a Link Restaurant Group property.
They control the quality of their ingredients by butchering, curing and smoking all of their meat in-house and believe me, it shows through.
They do an amazing job of taking simple classics and making them stand out with high quality ingredients and elevated flavors.
I had the BBQ Pork sandwich. Sweet South Carolina style smokey pork complimented with an acidic slaw on top. House made sweet and spicy pickles and a side of house made chips. Delicious!
It was definitely impressive and we would like to return here to try a few more of their menu items.
It's in a rustic building with a modern vibe. Pay to park street parking was no problem.
If you're in New Orleans, check them out!
ALSO FEATURED IN:Top 35 Restaurant locations in United States
20. Kilwins Orange Beach
PEOPLE ARE SAYING:GCFL ❤This Kilwins is owned by a local couple. Great place to get some amazing ice cream and all sorts of sweet goodies.
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