Delicious dining experience every time!
I've been to PJs several times. Every time I am down here in Destin, I go there. I usually get the coconut shrimp with a twice baked potato for my entree and Reggae Rolls as an appetizer. Both are delicious! I love their mango chutney dipping sauce!
The wait staff is always friendly and attentive, especially considering how busy that place gets! We got there around 6pm in (this is in mid-July) and there was a very large crowd. I went on in go put my name on the waiting list and surprisingly was told it'd only be about a 20-30 minute wait. They took my name and cell number and was told that I would receive a text when our table was ready. I then received a text stating that we were on the waiting list (I am assuming this was a confirmation that the text went thru/ worked). Went to the outside bar and ordered some drinks and sat outside on the patio and listened to a small band play music. Roughly 30 minutes later, our table was ready.
I ordered my usual, my husband had a seafood platter and my -3 yr old son had the Amberjack "Antigua"... All of us were very satisfied with our meals. Oh- we also ordered a basket of crab claws for an appetizer. They were a little small, but tasted very good.
The place gets busy and very crowded, but is a family friendly atmosphere overlooking the beach (as it is on the beach!)
Great view, great service, great food and drinks. Price is a little steep, but not necessarily any more than the others around here...and I think the food is better at PJs. It is a tourist restaurant, but I'm ok with that!
Dress is casual. Â Highly recommend and will most certainly be back!
WOW! Great beach view, cute restaurant. Reasonably priced. Huge menu.
Lunch menu, even on Saturday. The seafood nachos were awesome and very large portions loaded with seafood. They were soooo good! I wish I would have found this place sooner, I would have eaten here several times. Cucumber salad was huge topped with shrimp & crabmeat. Best place we ate on our trip. Loved it. Beach is beautiful.
Tip~go early at 11 for lunch, there was no wait for a table & We found a close place to park.
Good food, strong cocktails. I enjoyed my crab cake sandwich, and my daughter's shrimp po' boy was huge. Don't expect anything fancy, (cups are plastic, etc.) you're RIGHT ON the beach, it's very casual. I'd venture to call it barefoot casual. (I may have coined a phrase). Our server was BEYOND great! There was no wait at all, parking is easy and quick, and the view is breathtaking. Very laid back and fun.
Review Source:Pretty good! Â They were packed, but able to get our table of 8 seated in a reasonable amount of time. Â Had a great bar in the patio eating area and what looked like great frozen drinks. Â The food came out quickly and the food was pretty good. Â I had the blackened grouper which was a touch spicier than most blackened seasonings and it was a bit overcooked. Â Those who got grilled fish, theirs looked better. Â Fried crab claws were great. Â Great casual atmosphere.
Review Source:We dined here when we were on vacation in Destin. It was kind of hard finding a parking space as it seems like it is always crowded. We managed to get in the door and to the bar while waiting on a table. The food was average but the service was outstanding due to Michael being such a good and knowledgeable server. Next time, I will go back  just for drinks and the view!!
Review Source:What I Ate
- Reggae Rolls
- Seafood Gumbo
- Garlic Crusted Grouper w/ Lobster
Would I Go Again?
The best part of this restaurant is its beautiful location on the beach. Â The view of the beach and ocean along with the nice ocean breeze is almost enough to get me to go back; unfortunately, the food is average and the prices are expensive.
The Reggae Rolls were pretty good--what's not to like with chicken, bean, corn, and tomato rolls that are deep fried?! Â The chutney gave the rolls a decent flavor, but I thought even with the chutney the rolls were rather bland.
The seafood gumbo was pretty decent. Â It may have had a little too much flavor for me, but I think it was an overall good dish. Â The garlic crusted grouper with lobster tail was just okay. Â Again, it was somewhat bland, and the garlic-basil cream sauce tasted more like watered down olive oil. Â The meat was tender, but it certainly didn't suffer from the ailment of "too much flavor" like its seafood gumbo companion. Â
I admit that I had a very enjoyable dinner here with my family. Â However, that enjoyment stemmed mainly from my family, the location, and the view instead of good food. Â For that reason, I think I would look elsewhere next time for a good beach restaurant.
This place really sucks! The food sucks, the service sucks, the hostess sucks and the drinks suck...and i don't even like to say the word suck(s).
The only good thing here is the view, but don't forget you get this same view from anywhere on the beach for free. You don't need to suffer through this place and pay for it.
Let me explain- the hostess will look at you but not greet you, then she will say wait a minute with a frown when you ask about being seated. She clearly does not like her job. The table you sit at will be sticky and dirty as will the menus. The server will not be able to answer simple questions about the menu nor will he offer to find out the answer and doesn't appear to like his job either. Pretty sure these employees are too busy looking at the view also.
The drinks will be very small, weak and if you get something frozen covered with a slop of melting whipped cream. The food will be barely edible and the server will not ask you if you are enjoying it or if he can get you anything else. You will then get the check and feel like you were robbed. You will pay for your crappy experience and the waiter will pick up your check while you're still sitting finishing your drinks and you will not see him again. The end...
I spent the afternoon here with my boyfriend, and we chilled on their outdoor patio sipping margaritas and listening to some great singer songwriters right on the beach. I can't speak to the food, because we were just there for cocktails, but this place has a very chill vibe, excellent location, and friendly staff. There is also a funny vending machine there that was full of things you would need for a complete day at the beach!!! Â ie: beach towel, sunscreen, goggles, etc. Â We relaxed here for at least 3 hours, then popped down to the beach and splashed around for a while! Â We had a total blast!
Review Source:Typical Tourist Place, nothing Special but the location and Vibe is good. Live music outside and right on the beach! Food is expensive and can' t say anything is really great but nothing is Bad. Â Fishermans Platter, Fried , Broiled or Grilled Seafood dish's, hushpuppies, fries etc. Has some good side item choices and a good variety that should suit everyone in your party, including kids.
Review Source:This place is an icon on the beach in Destin, FL. I've been coming here for as long as I can remember and I absolutely love the view... there is nothing like enjoying a delicious seafood dinner right next to a massive, open window overlooking the sugar white beach and crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The food only has to be moderately good to make this place great (and it is only moderately good). I come for the view.
BOTTOM LINE: Great view, great atmosphere, good enough food.
not bad for a casual seafood dinner, particularly if you're staying nearby. Â bar seemed very lively on a friday night.. live music, dancing, etc. Â place was packed but got seated within 10 minutes, service was on point throughout the experience, and food came out a lot quicker than we expected.
the food was mostly hits, with a couple misses. Â worst quality raw oysters we had during a 3-night stay in the area, by far.. about half of them were the stringy, undesirable kind that make you say your prayers that you wont get sick (we didnt). Â my blackened grouper entree was fantastic.. 'jamaican' black beans & rice far better than i imagined. Â vegetables were lukewarm when the plate arrived, but not bad enough to send back. Â everyone else enjoyed their meals too, except for one.. she got the mahi 'bajan', and said it tasted like dishwater. Â she's not the type to send things back though, so we never brought it up to let them 'make it right'. Â but maybe skip that dish.
Do not fall for this tourist-trap as we did.
While the location is amazing (right on the beautiful white-sand beach), you will instantly want to leave once you arrive at your table.
The seats are sticky from the last guests sitting there and spilling who knows what and from the humidity of being right on the Gulf.
Holy sticker-shock when you open the menu! Ridiculously priced to the extent that you expect the food to be lowered from the ceiling by a world-renown trapeze artist or something.
The experience keeps going downhill when you finally do get your food because it is worse than subpar. More so appallingly disgusting in my mind.
To know that you spent so much for such a lousy meal kills me.
It is clear that what you are paying for is simply the fact that you are on the beach, which we did not even get to enjoy at all because we came for dinner around 7 or 8 o'clock at night and our view outside of the water and sand was nothing but pitch-blackness!
This place is mediocre. Great for beer and clean bathrooms. Not the best food but by far not the worst.
If I was laying out on the beach close to this restaurant I would definitely stop in for lunch but this is not the location for an amazing seafood dinner
We had the grouper rueben and sent it back to the kitchen (not tasty) and the fried seafood platter (PJ's platter), which was good.
Oysters were gritty. Wouldn't order those again. Overall ok. Wouldn't make a special trip to go back.
So nice, I had to eat there twice! Pompano Joe's has been a long-time favorite of mine. In my most recent visit to the Sunshine State, we did actually make it over twice.
First, the service was not bad, but not the best I've ever had. On the first visit, we had a trainee waiting on us. Considering the (lack of a) crowd, I would have expected a bit more attentiveness, but it was far from the worst I had experienced. On the second visit, it was a bit better. The wait service didn't knock my socks off, but they didn't offend me.
Second, the bar. On my first visit, we made it over around mid-afternoon after wave running worked up quite an appetite (and thirst). Our waiter informed us that happy hour was about to begin, but we would have to go to the bar to get happy hour prices, not through our server. What sort of crap is this?! Only a portion of the restaurant gets the prices? This is an idiotic policy that they need to seriously reconsider. It makes NO sense!
Third, the food. As it should be, the great food is their saving grace. While Pompano Joe's carries your standard Destin seafood fare, they do a great job with it. Â On both of my visits, I rocked the fried seafood. (Come on, in the South and on the beach...you have to!) The fried amberjack sandwich was the perfect thing for post-wave running. It was crisp and juicy...exactly as I had hoped. I subbed the fries for black beans and rice, which is my go-to side if available. Very flavorful. I tried a bite of the wife's twice-baked potato. I've had better, but it wasn't bad. On the second visit, I had the fried seafood lunch special. The shrimp were huge (as they should be), the fish of the day was Mahi Mahi, which has never been a favorite of mine, but it tasted quite good.
Keep in mind, on both occasions, I had built up quite the appetite, so I may be overestimating the goodness, but I'll stick by my statement that Pompano Joe's is a terrific place for a seafood lunch after a long morning of beach bumming!
Absolutely the very best gumbo, and we say that as Louisiana natives. A visit to the Destin area is not complete until we hit Pompano Joe's. Service is above average and the windows open to the beach.
The seafood nachos are enough for two to enjoy, but the other items on the menu are not any more impressive than any other seafood place in the area.
Great music played in the background just at the right level. Outside seating sometimes has a live performer.
If I were reviewing the view, I'd give this place five stars. The ocean is beautiful to behold. However, I'm reviewing the food and I'm clear on that. Â This was the worse meal I've had in a while. Â I ordered a grouper sandwich and how it got f'd is beyond me, but DA DA! it was. Â Absolutely no seasoning what-so-ever. Â I mean give me a piece of wood and it would have been more flavorful. Â
I also had some fish smothered in some kind of white sauce with craw fish in it. Â It was just straight up nasty and COLD. Â The fries were also cold. Â The saving grace for the whole entire meal was the grilled shrimp on a skewer. Â It was grilled right and very fresh tasting. Â
I was not impressed with the super cheesy decor either. Â But, that aside, have some good food for the love of all that is righteous and good in the world. Â The cherry on top? Â The prices were too high. Â Don't do that. Â
I won't be back unless I'm dragged.
Margarita-ahhhhh.
There are times and places when I am perfectly happy with "touristy." In fact, I sort of WANT to feel like a tourist. It's a vacation! Yay! I'm in Florida, I'm at the beach, give me a frozen drink and a view of the ocean and I'm happy as a clam.
This place was jumpin' during the Saturday lunch hour. I was so tempted by one of the specials - your choice of two types of fried seafood accompanied by french fries and hush puppies. But I went with something that seemed a bit healthier at the time, but in reality was just as artery-clogging: shrimp po' boy. It was delicious, as were the fries. And I could have probably put away a few more of those margaritas.
Good company, good drinks, a great view, and the Gulf breeze blowing your hair back. And also fried seafood. If this is "being touristy," sign me up!
Always a place we return to each time in Destin - Family fun! Even though its starting to seem very commercialized (which is the reason we do not go to Fudpuckers anymore) its still nice to be able to sit in the restaurant and see the ocean while having a nice meal.
We think they have awesome kids meals!
Think Applebee's but the seafood variety and you will have Pompano Joe's.
We went to Pompano Joe's because our resort gave us a coupon for a free appetizer of some sort of southwest rolls; we should have known to stay away if they were a seafood restaurant offering a Mexican like egg roll as the lure to get customers in.
The free southwest rolls they served us were not that great at all, but did come with a good chutney like dipping sauce and pico de gallo. They were basically frozen egg rolls that had been heated which inside had black beans and corn. For dinner I ordered the shrimp poor boy sandwich which was poor; it had small frozen shrimp on the inside with some lettuce. The sandwich was served with room temp fries and the side of hush puppies we ordered were like little rocks.
The atmosphere and service are the redeeming qualities of this restaurant. Beautiful ocean view outside! The waitress we had was great at taking our order and making sure we were taken care of; but she also recommended that we check out Bubba Gumps (a seafood chain) while we were there because they had the best seafood on the island.
Apparently, this place is owned by the same people who own Louisiana Lagniappe, which is fancier, better, and not terribly more expensive.
Still, the location is nice, and everyone I went with seemed to enjoy their food. Â I ordered crab cakes (my second order of crab cakes of my trip) and thought they were pretty good. Â They were accompanied by a tomato-jalapeno tartar sauce that accompanied them pretty nicely.
The sides were nothing to write home about, on the other hand.
Really, this place was roughly equal to The Crab Trap in quality and atmosphere. Â Decent seafood -- at least by the standards of a midwesterner who probably wouldn't know fresh seafood if it slapped him in the face.
I love seafood and cook and eat it all the time. This place is a tourist trap with long wait times and mediocre food. The location is superb but that is all that it has going for it. While we were waiting for our table, we ordered some margaritas downstairs. The margaritas were weak and overpriced.
The hostess told us that we would have a 30-45 minute wait and it ended up to be an hour and a half only to sit at the back corner of the restaurant. We weren't able to experience the beachside ambiance or the nice live band outside on the patio like we wanted. They split our group into two tables and automatically charged 18% tip. Â
We ordered two dozen oysters and they were small and flat and there was no plump to them at all. We even got one with just the shell, no oyster. My husband and uncle each ordered the Tuna "St. Thomas" which is seared yellowfin tuna, served on a bed of fried zucchini, topped with a lemon-herb sauce. My husband asked for his to be lightly seared and it came out medium. My uncle ordered his medium and it came out over done. I ordered the Mahi-Mahi "Diablo" which is mahi-mahi sautéed with scallops, served over fettuccine and finished with a spicy tomato-cream sauce, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. The mahi-mahi was over done and the sauce was not spicy whatsoever. I don't know why restaurants indicate "spicy" when there is no spice in the dish except for a little black pepper.
Do yourself a favor and go to a seafood market and cook for yourself at home. Even if you are a bad cook, it would be better than the quality here.
This review is a few months late, but i needed to write one. Â To put it in a few words: Â Great food, great location, and more importantly GREAT service.
We had a group of at least 16 people, from kids to adults. Â I can't remember the waitresses name, but she could not be more accomadating towards us. Â Service was awesome. Â She took into consideration that we had little ones in our party and got the food out quick for them, so the little ones wouldn't tear apart the place.
Best crab legs I've ever had!!
They give you the option to have your crab steamed or grilled. The grilled is phenomenal. They come seasonsed and the portion is huge. It also came with twice baked potato and steamed veggies.
Would love to come back in the daytime for lunch as its right on the beach and overlooks the ocean.
Highly recommend stopping by here for fresh fish if you're in the area!
Also, visit the margarita guy outside, downstairs from restaurant while on the beach. Order a Bushwacker! But don't get too silly and forget to put on your sunscreen!!
This place was in walking distance of a house we rented and friend recommended it... So far it is the best restaurant we have eaten at. We went for lunch on a Saturday and there was no wait for 7. The weather was fortunately brilliant and so we sat in their open air dining room overlooking the ocean.
I got the fried combo basket with shrimp and scallops and it was YUM. I also got a piece of key lime pie which was fantastic.
It has a great atmosphere and service for a beachside restaurant.
Very nice location, but very much in the 'shack' theme. Dinner on the water is always nice, but kids running around and butter on your chair when you're seated is NOT.
All the grilled fish was good, and the pineapple slaw was yummy. However, the shrimp on two of our dinners was not properly de-veined. Icky. Fried shrimp was exceptionally good, and our server was nice. Might come back for a cheaper lunch, but we'll check our chairs for grease first.
It's a little hard to assign a rating for Pampano Joe's. I'm going to go with three stars to grade it essentially on the food, but realize that the grand attraction is the fact that it's right on the beach (with a sand volleyball court a few yards away if you're so inclined). Upgrade the stars accordingly if you're mostly interested in the location.
As alluded to above, the restaurant is right on the beach with ample adjacent parking. The decoration is mostly in the lounge/restaurant mix with a bar near the door with multiple TVs on the wall. A few tables are present in a side area as well as outdoor seating. The service was fairly quick and friendly; we were greeting upon entering and there was little delay before being served.
Now, I'm personally not much of a seafood eater. That's probably at least a venial sin in Seattle, but a cardinal sin at a seafood restaurant. I don't hold that against Pompano Joe's, but know that I may not be the best judge of seafood selections. I had the tuna melt here which came with fries and a pineapple cole slaw. I'd call the meal average (similar to almost any other tuna melt you may have tried), although I rather liked the pineapple slaw.
Overall, Pompano Joe's is probably best for a few drinks and low-key outdoor dining with a view.
3.5
Come expecting what it is, and you will leave happy. This is a great place for lunch or light dinner. Great view, right on the gulf. Good food. Everything I had tasted pretty fresh. Great atmosphere. Wait staff was nice and speedy. But lets be honest, this is just average food. Its not bad by any means though. This is part of what I call the Gulf 4. Dave's on the Gulf, Kenny D's, Pompano Joe's, and Whale's Tail. All four are great for different reasons and they are within walking distance of pretty much any place on Scenic 98. If you don't know: Whale's Tail is for breakfast, Pompano Joe's and Kenny D's are for lunch/light dinner, and Dave's is for dinner.
Grouper "Guadalupe" Is were it is at!!!!
My parents just moved to Niceville, FL. When I went to visit them they took me to all there favorite restraints. Out of all the places they took my in Destin, Fort Walton, and Niceville Pompano Joe's was by far my favorite!!!!
I asked the waitress what was the best thing on the menu. She told me the most popular was the Grouper "Guadalupe" and the Mahi Mahi "Bajan". I had the Grouper "Guadalupe" and OMG it was phenomenal!!!!! Talk about GOOD!!!!
Next time I go see my parents Pompano Joe's is one place I have to go back to!
The fish is fresh and tasty, the view is gorgeous, and the service is always friendly.
If you arrive for lunch, expect lots of patrons in swimwear, but if you arrive for dinner, expect to wait more than an hour or two. This is a VERY popular tourist trap, as it should be, since the food is very good.
I had the fried mahi mahi sandwich on my last visit and it did NOT disappoint. The prices are a little high, but worth it for such fresh seafood.
Is it the greatest seafood joint I've ever been to? Â No. Â However, never had a bad meal here either. Â This is an open air resto with great views of the Gulf. Â This place always seems to have a great breeze running through it. Â Has all your typical grilled, fried and steamed options. Â Very good drinks and dependable service. Â
This time I went for the Snow Crab, which was very good but not many ways you can really screw up this one anyway. Â My wife had the blackened grouper which I thought was very tasty. Â Fish was fresh and not overcooked, but the blackening was on the salty side. Â Everyone else enjoyed their meals which included grilled shrimp and crab cakes.
Overall, a decent spot in the Destin area that is consistent with their menu, and one of the better table views as well. Â 3.5 stars rounded up.
I have been here often...I love the fact that they have the grilled option for everything!
The crab claws were great and the grilled chicken salad in the tortilla bowl is what I get often.
The broiled crab claws are deliciouso as well.
An open aired restaurant with a never ending breeze and the best views from every table!
The prices are a little high but everything in the area is like that.
We were on the beach working on our tan and these two guys were fishing for Pompanos started talking to us blah blah blah... they said they live across the street from this place called Pompano Joe's and asked if we were doing dinner anywhere. And if not, we should stop by this place to have dinner, they're really good. My friend and I were like ok, we'll check it out later.
Cute little place on the beach, love the window view looking out to the nice sandy beach of Destin. Ordered almost $200 worth of food and I have to say that it wasn't worth that. Although their mango daiquiris were excellent!
We had the crab legs, the maryland crab cakes, steaks, fried platters, they were all good but it wasn't the best i've had of seafood. I felt like something was missing? I can't put my finger on what???
Although their tuna pitas were excellent. I was stuffing my face with that and I would totally recommend that to everyone.
The server was really nice and actually remembered everybody's order without having to write it down.
I guess if you've never been, it would be good to check out since it's local... but I wouldn't come back to spend that kind of $ on it again.
We went to Pompano Joe's on our first night in Destin. Â The drinks are very pricey as the previous post mentioned. Â Margaritas were $6 and beers around $4.
Food is decent. Â We ordered crab cakes, grilled crab legs, a scallop pasta dish and a fillet of amberjack with grilled shrimp. Â The majority of us agreed the food was very fresh but lacked seasoning.
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