My friend and I ate here last week and absolutely loved it. When we went got there at about 2:30 p.m. the place was jumping and now we know why. The food was amazing, the service was great and the relaxed laid back atmosphere totally fit the laid back beach location. We shared the shrimp po boy and the grouper sandwich and a ginormous slice of the "best in the world" (as our server put it) key lime pie, and it really might be the best key lime pie I've ever had. This is definitely a place to seek out if you're anywhere in the Grayton Beach area. It's worth any kind of wait for a table. And no worries, The Zoo Gallery right across the street is the perfect place to browse and pick up unique souvenirs while you wait on your table.
Review Source:I loved it! Â I think my family members would've given it 3.5 to 4 stars, but they didn't order the fried grouper basket and shake some tasty malt vinegar on it. Â That paired with a tall rum and tonic with lime made for a yummy lunch. Â I agree with another reviewer who referred to it as "dank," but I thought that's part of what makes it so fun. Â You can eat at Joe's Crab Shack or Outback if you like sanitized theme restaurants. Â I also enjoyed driving through the little neighborhood to get to the restaurant. Â It has a funky feel with painted murals, signs and individuality.
Review Source:My family and I just wondered in her while in Grayton Beach and were so happy that we did. Â This place has a very island like atmosphere; very laid back, eclectic and unpretentious while offering great drink selections and very good food. Â The bartenders were very friendly and helpful with drink recommendations. Â I had the stress reliever and a cucumber martini... awesome (especially the martini!) Â Also ordered the poo poo platter, a selection of jalapeno poppers, egg rolls, mozza sticks & chicken fingers... all to die for. Â Would definitely highly recommend this place and will be back myself.
Review Source:In the context of Destin, FL, this place is awesome.
Awesome fresh food (since they have a limited menu they have the capability of keeping everything pretty damn good), awesome service (highly attentive even with large crowds since it's generally always poppin at night), great fun ambience (live music and unique interior decoration), and fair price points.
4/5, would definitely revisit. One time ate for both lunch and dinner in the same day.
In addition to limited parking and the fact that credit cards are not honored this place has some of the loudest sounds this  side of Cape Canaveral at blast off.  If you can overcome these obstacles, you have not reached the age of reason.  My advice is that if this is a must take a cab, bring cash, and earplugs.  Never again.  The first time it was their fault.  No encore is in sight.  TRG
Review Source:The Red Bar is always on the list when we go to 30-A. Â The music is loud, the restaurant is red and the food is consistent and good. Â We had about a 30 minute wait, which was the least amount of time I've ever waited for a table there. Â We sat outside this time, which I now know I do not prefer. Â The live music and then DJ makes the inside ambiance much more fun. Â I ordered the Blackened Grouper which was thick and meaty and cooked to perfection. Â It was served with a mixed green salad and a green chili grits cake that had just enough spice. Â The husband had the pan sauteed chicken served with mashed potatoes- usually the chicken is tender and crispy, but this time the report was slightly tough; a B-. Â But for the atmosphere- can't be beat. Â Just don't forget to leave the CC at home and pack your pockets with cash or a check- really? Â Who writes checks anymore??
Review Source:This placed is always PACKED! Which is a sign of the delicious food and great atmosphere. Has live entertainment (usually bluegrass) and a full bar. A nice beach-side restaurant that fits into the Grayton beach area perfectly. Service is always pleasant too. The restaurant itself is cute and has much creativity to it. The owner is personable and sincere. Really enjoy going here when we get a chance to take the hour drive.
Review Source:Best crab cakes I've ever had. Great food, great drinks, and fun atmosphere. 4 stars instead of 5 based on the fact that the hostess told us we needed to move before we were done eating because she "needed our table." Â Not my problem, hostess. Â I needed desert. Which was also delicious, BTW.
Review Source:Stopped by here during the day on Friday and then went back that night. Â We were there for drinks only but it's a great bar. Â Fun, eclectic atmosphere- slow and laid back during the day- higher energy, bar scene at night. Â More of a locals place then most of the places in Seaside.
CASH ONLY! Â Not an issue if you know beforehand. Â Prices are reasonable.
If I'm ever in Seaside again- I'll definitely be stopping by again.
I don't think I could type something bad about The Red Bar even If I tried. 100% the best spot in the Seaside area.
The menu is small but everything on it is a game changer... its good stuff!
The drinks are strong but still full in flavor, the Bloody Mary here is also top notch.
Go with the Tuna Dip if your undecided on an appetizer, it always makes my belly happy.
Heads up: Cash or Check only so make a stop by the Grayton Corner Store right around the corner first, They have an ATM there.
If I could give them 6 or 7 stars, I would. Â By far, my favorite seafood places EVER. Â The atmosphere is awesome, the fresh menu and chalkboard menu, amazing. Â No doubt, you need to go. Â I can't say enough good things about The Red Bar. Â Every single time I'm in the area, I have to go...and you should too!
Review Source:This place is pretty cool. I was in the area on vacation and I heard from a few people that Red Bar was the place to go. So, we stopped in for a late lunch on a Saturday and it was busy! We waited about 5 minutes for a table, which is no biggie, but there wasn't really a good place for anyone to wait, so we were snuggled up in a corner just trying to stay out of the way.
Their menu changes often (as to it's on a chalkboard!) but the food is delicious. I went with a cheese burger which was cooked to perfection and very flavorful. I had one of their drink concoction which was yummy but not enough liquor for the price so choose wisely on that.
Shortly after we were seated, some live tunes started which was really fun. They have a great lounge area with couches and chairs for anyone wanting to get a better seat for the music. Our server was nice and service was quick. The environment is so fun. Posters cover the ceilings and so many unique vintage items all over the walls.
Hit up Red Bar if you're in the area. It's a fun place to go. Also, cash only! Bring it or use their ATM in the back for a fee.
Wow. Â I think the rest of our week here in the area will be downhill after hitting Red Bar the very first night based on advice from many friends--it was that good. Â First, I like the non-pretentiousness of the Grayton Beach area as opposed to some of the other areas like Seaside and such. Â The parking, now that is another story; it is terrible. Â But if you just follow the directions and park in the lot by 30-A, a shuttle takes you right down there and you don't have to worry about being towed. Â And they were towing.
The meal was phenominal, as I was a bit worried based on the limited choices on the chalkboard presented by Landon, our server. Â We settled on blackened grouper and crabcakes, which were out of this world each of them. Â The kiddos were very happy with homemade buttered pasta as well. Â The best part of the limited menu was the speed--it was a crazy busy Saturday night, 45 minute wait, and our meal arrived in under 10 minutes from ordering. Â When you have kids tired from a long road trip from Texas, this was perfect--in and out in 35 minutes after sitting down. Â That the meal is still being talked about was icing on the cake.
Red Bar is one of my favorite places to eat while vacationing at Rosemary Beach. This review is a combination of the two times we went last week.
Yes, parking stinks and the wait is long, but the atmosphere plus the food usually more than make up for it. Both nights there were bands playing. The first night, it was great. The second, we were placed where it was a little hard to hear each other talk.
The first night, the mahi mahi wasn't cooked perfectly, but the bread pudding was OUT OF THIS WORLD. The second night... crab cakes! No need to say more about those other than they get them in on Fridays and you need to order them that night before they're gone by Sunday! Unfortunately, that second night, we got a dirty booth, with pasta in the seat. Also, the meal my daughter ordered tasted a little different than the same meal the first night. Maybe a different chef?
Regardless, you need to go there at least once. Be aware that they only take cash or checks (they have an ATM) and you can park behind Pandora's to take the free shuttle in.
My family visits the Seaside/Watercolor area each summer and we've dined at Red Bar the past 3 years (excluding this year because there are too many better options.). This is a great example of a restaurant that gets more hype than it deserves. It's kitchy with a long wait which undoubtedly makes it a destination but there are many other options in the area that are better choices.
Restaurant: the place is crowded with close seating. The decor is very eclectic and makes the visit interesting as you explore the collection of unusual pictures and decorations. Â The red lighting adds to the ambiance and helps hide the dirt. The band jams in the front room with couch seating and the music is loud. If you are in a festive mood, it's fun. If you want to talk with the people at your table, sit in the back room or you are out of luck. The most notable point is the restroom which is more filthy than the worst truck stop you can imagine. We ensure our kids go before leaving the house to avoid the urine soaked, foul closets they label lavatories. Â I can not stress this enough: avoid going to the bathroom at all costs.
Food: the menu options are limited and presented tableside on a chalk board by the servers. It's so limited that I ordered the same dish two summers in a row and only realized after my meal arrived. I would rate the food as good but no better than the typical Santa Rosa area restaurant. I think many of the reviews are swayed by those who drank a lot of beer during the long wait for a table and had an overinflated perception of their meals.
Payment: unless your are Peter Lugers in Brooklyn or you are hiding income from the IRS, you take credit cards. Add 2.5% to the cost of the food and get with the times.
10 years ago I would have given this place 5 stars easily. Â It's still one of the coolest places in the Destin area in my opinion as far as just the whole ambience.But I think they've added more tables in the main dining room which not only makes it tricky to navigate but you feel like you are dining with all your neighbors as well. My latest trip there was just ok. Â
We were there before 5 because we had a huge party. Â We all felt very rushed with the meal which isn't always a bad thing to me. Â But we got the impression to eat and then get up! All the appetizers we got were delicious. Â The entree's were just ok.
I DREAM of this place!
If you're in the Grayton Beach area, FIND this place. The crowd and loud music might be a little intimidating if you're just looking for a meal. Trust me, you'll not regret your visit. There is always a wait but the hostess is never correct about the time. I have always been seated in nearly half the time she states. It's usually very crowded and loud and consequently they have a unique way of dealing with the menu. It's all on a chalk board the servers bring around. The menu is not extensive but each item is fresh and DELICIOUS! The Blackened Grouper is the meal of my dreams! The Crab Cakes are splendid!
I'm not certain what the big deal is about "cash only" in the other reviews. So what? They are excellent to tell you up front! Personally, I'm there for the superb meal. I' d pay in gold if that's what it took!
If you're in the seaside/seagrove/watercolor area and you don't try out the Red Bar then you are crazy. This place is reasonably priced for the food you get and will be the best meal you have on your trip.
When you first get to the place you'll have to be patient in finding a parking spot and there is usually an off duty cop helping people out slash telling people who are illegally parked to move.
Once inside, you'll see a live band playing on your left (usually) and the host/hostess table close by. CAUTION: if you get there anytime between 6ish and 9ish expect at least an hour long wait (its worth it). To avoid this try getting there around when it opens because they don't take reservations.
The menu is really cool. They have a giant chalkboard with about 5 set dishes on it and usually one special (go on friday or saturday for the crab cakes) that the waiters and waitresses walk around with from table to table.
The restaurant is set up as a bar so expect to have a loud fun experience with great food.
Good Luck!
"Good evening and welcome to the Red Bar. Â Please be aware that, instead of paying a service charge to your credit company, you are, instead, going to be paying us a service charge for using our ATM machine cause we are just that cool!
And here is the menu that your server is awkwardly carrying around written on a chalkboard.  We will explain the stuff and leave it with you in case you would like to review  any of the six entrees that are written on there.  Why do we have just six things and why do we write them an a chalkboard?  Cause we are just that cool! Â
And even though the house band is playing some mediocre jazz, you won't mind at all cause it is so cool in here-and you are cool just for showing up.
Be sure to visit our very cool restrooms and our very cool bar area- you know why."
Seriously, limiting a menu to a few things and doing them well is awesome. Â We love hanging out here. Â It truly is a cool place in a very cool area.
Red Bar: a lackluster experience for five
After having my first and last Red Bar experience all in one night, I have to chalk up the rave reviews to either a) everyone who dines there is drunk or b) everyone who dines there loves frequenting places like Red Lobster and Chili's.
The ambiance was terrible and the place was a total cluster fuck. If you enjoy eating at completely packed college dive bars with very loud live music then maybe this is the place for you. Mind you, our booth was nearly completely upholstered in duct tape. Okay.
Anyhow, if the food was awesome I would be able to overlook the ambiance, as I do have a couple grimy dive-y  restaurants I absolutely love just because the food is that good. But no, the food here was completely mediocre. There were 5 of us and we each ordered a different dish, so we got to taste practically the entire menu. I will say that my brother loved his grouper. Other than that, the food was very disappointing. It wasn't that the food was particularly bad. It just wasn't particularly good.
If they pull the old "we only have 6 dishes because we have perfected each of them" line, its a bunch of BS. Their kitchen just lacks the capacity to serve that many different dishes with the ridiculous crowds that pack Red Bar each night. On the upside, the service was decent.
One of my all time favorite spots. Â The food, atmosphere, and music is all really good.
Here are my two tips for visitors:
Eat a big breakfast, snack for lunch, and go early for dinner. Â You will avoid a long wait.
Bring cash - It's cash only and you will want to avoid the atm fees.
I had the grouper special the last time we went. Â It comes with their house salad (delicious). Â Another person at my table got the Eggplant. Â Wow! Â That had to be the best eggplant I've ever put in my mouth. Â He agreed.
Just go to this spot if you are in the PCB, 30-A, or Destin Area. Â You won't regret it.
Time for review #2 of Red Bar -- the Friday/Saturday night special, crab cakes. Easily one of the best things we ate in Destin. If you are going to go here, go on Friday or Satuday and get the crab cakes. They are about 90% crab, 10% "cake" with a light, sweet sauce on top. They are served with amazing mashed potatoes and a nice little salad for something like $23.
We tried the dessert this time in and they were just as good, if not better than, the entrees. The Key Lime Pie was the best I had all trip, very much home made. The apple dumping the other side of the table had was just as good, they said, and looked like it was made by someone's grand mother that morning.
And they had live music this night, a surfer dude who played acoustic guitar covers of Johnny Cash and the likes, it was funky and awesome. This might be THE best place to go to in Destin, local cool.
Again, don't forget to take cash/check only, the service is quick but kind of hippy/we-party-too-much, and go early to get a spot on the list. Oh, and parking sucks, but there is plenty to do around there so it makes up for it.
I visit Grayton Beach 3-4 times a year - my family lives there - Â and am at Red Bar at least once a day during each and every trip. Everything on the (admittedly limited) menu is always cooked to perfection - as a matter of fact, I love the food so much that I hired the chef privately to cater my wedding, which was held just a few houses away! The fish is generally caught in the Gulf that day. The bartenders are very generous with their heavy pours. The servers are informative, prompt and personable.
Be prepared for long waits during tourist season.
Parking can be a challenge - there are only a few spots on the street, and you generally are not allowed to park in front of beach houses you're not occupying. Make friends with a local who has a beach pass for their 4WD and hitch a ride with them : )
Be aware - Grayton Beach is experiencing a pretty crappy situation right now between bar owners and the South Walton Sheriff's Department because of a debate over noise ordinances and what exactly defines disturbing the peace. Don't expect to be partying it up until 2 AM at the Red Bar or anyplace else on Grayton Beach, because 2 or 3 grouchy rich people have decided they don't like the sound of great music after they take their Geritol and watch their nightly episode of Matlock. At this point, a lot of places are shutting down music by 8 PM.
That being said, the Red Bar Jazz Band is fantastic and you'll enjoy the tunes for as long as they can get away with playing. Occasionally local visiting celebrity musicians will hop up on stage and play a set or two in between beers.
They also offer a fantastic breakfast deal, and are often a lot slower during lunch - a great option if you want to avoid the dinner crowds. They are literally on the edge of the beach, so if you're enjoying the surf and happen to get thirsty, it's just a short walk to the bar to freshen up.
While I sometimes see vacationing fashion plates show up in club dresses and stilettos, that's just silly. It's a beach bar on the Redneck Riviera, for crying out loud. Sparkles on your flip flops are about as fancy as you need to get.
As others have said, it is cash only. They do have an ATM on premises for those who do not come prepared.
After you enjoy your dinner, drinks and tunes, take a walk down to the water and watch the moon rise on the crystal clear Gulf of Mexico. Great end to a great night on Grayton Beach!
Made it back for dinner - the economy must suck, because even Red Bar is seeing their business slow down a bit. Â We arrived around 830p on Thursday night (Red Bar Jazz Band was playing) and only waited around 20 minutes for a table.
Heavy pour on the drinks, tried the stuffed eggplant and a grilled grouper on wilted spinach and a bacon-cheddar grit cake, both were very good. Â Grouper had come off a boat in Destin earlier in the day, so we enjoyed eating fresh & locally sourced fish.
Bread pudding & some key lime pie for dessert, another excellent trip to the Red Bar. Â Still cooler than I am.
Looking for a sweetspot of gritty (mis)adventure and music? Ever wonder what they REALLY do with with the ripwild current of the Gulf Stream?
Piccolo's Restaurant and The Red Bar has long been an anomaly of grand proportions in the resort area along the Gulf Coast. This restaurant / bar is housed in a hundred year old building that has played host to a number of restaurants, a general store, a dance hall and a WWII bunker for American soldiers back when German U-Boats rolled around the Gulf. In its current iteration, The Red Bar has lived as a synonym for real people, real food, real fun.
Nightly bands will rock your socks. Whether it's The Red Bar Jazz Band - a quartet of the most talented, professional, amazing musicians featuring  John 'Jabo' Starks on percussion - or Dread Clampitt, a local and regional bluegrass band, the rafters sing with the kind of music that makes you wanna kick off your flip-flops and dance all day and night, margarita in hand.
Sundays are a super free-for-all, locals and visitors alike coming and going from the beach, eating, drinking, playing music...the crowd is the the best kind of mixed bag - you'll find bikers and Birmingham debs side by side - an amazing site for character study  -for those of you so inclined...
The daily/nightly menu (yes, only on chalkboards brought to your table by your server) is small yet stellar, the portions large, but, as has been said previously, they don't take credit folks - so bring your bills.
The staff is known for their footloose and flippantly fun antics. To wit, one night there may be an impromptu re-visioning of an Eminem song atop a bar table, while another may see a Nerf football game break out mid-dining room. Â Say hi to Stacey and Georgette behind the bar if you go. Those are certainly the ladies to know. However, the owners, brothers Olivier and Phillipe Petit, are often on hand dancing through the crowds and keeping the finely-wired chaos to a chill roar...
Bank on it being packed through the high season (Mar - Oct) and possibly even the winter months. Â Come prepared to grab a drink, hang out with other sun-kissed peeps, let the kids run a wee bit amok in the street...the wait can often be as long as 2-3 hours and they don't take reservations, but that is part and parcel of the experience. If you know it going in, you'll become a part of it easily...
Once in, you'll likely be enchanted: red mini lights, a plethora of chandeliers, and candles showcase the unbelievable decoupaging of the interior. Thousands of posters, framed art, knick knacks and articles of kitsch dress this cowgirl of a bar up as a cross between Johnny Cash, Mae West, Serge Gainsbourg, Tom Waits and Chagall.
Odd? You have no idea. Cool? You bet your ass.
Long on the barefoot boogie and strong drinks, The Red Bar is never short on full-tilt fun!
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