I judged the World Food Championships for the second time last month and then spent weeks eating my way around Orange Beach. I’ve had the opportunity to sample some of Alabama’s greatest Orange Beach eateries, serving everything from seafood to burgers and Barbecue. I’ve chosen my favorites after considerable consideration (and digestion). This is my selection of the top 14 restaurants in Orange Beach!
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Visiting other places in Alabama? See our other guides:
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Contents
- 1 14 Top Restaurants in Orange Beach
- 1.1 Voyagers
- 1.2 Big Game
- 1.3 The Gulf of Mexico
- 1.4 Doc’s Seafood Restaurant
- 1.5 Orange Beach Marina Fishermen
- 1.6 Lunas Consume Food and Drink
- 1.7 Cosmos
- 1.8 Cobalt
- 1.9 The GTs of the Bay
- 1.10 The Anchor Bar and Grill
- 1.11 Playa
- 1.12 Villaggio Grille is located at The Wharf.
- 1.13 Flora and Alabama Yacht Club
- 1.14 Ole River Grill Flora-Bama
- 2 Which Orange Beach restaurant do you wish to try the most? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below!
14 Top Restaurants in Orange Beach
Voyagers
251-981-981127200 Perdido Beach Boulevard
Voyagers, located directly on the Gulf Coast, provides a fantastic chance for thoughtful good dining. Its modern seaside food incorporates certain distinct tastes and flavors while staying faithful to the region’s traditions.
Its cuisine, which mostly consists of responsibly sourced seafood, changes seasonally. We had this crispy herbed triggerfish over charred leek and fennel mashed potatoes topped with plum tomato brown butter when we dined here:
The restaurant is part of the Perdido Beach Resort and serves supper everyday. Seating is available from 5 to 9 p.m. Make an effort to acquire a table as near to the floor-to-ceiling, Gulf-facing windows as possible. Furthermore, if the blue cheese herb-crusted steak is one of the specials at the time you come, be sure you get it. I’m still talking about that steak a month later!
Big Game
Canal Rd., 251-981-551625814
Big Fish gained on me as a result of their Asian-influenced cuisine. A flash-fried lobster tail with wasabi tempura and sweet chili sauce, jumbo lump crab cakes with lemongrass aioli, pan-seared sea scallops with coconut fried rice, and sesame seared ahi tuna were among the meals we had.
If youre not in the mood for seafood, they also dish up great steaks, spaghetti and salads.
Big Fish is also recognized as the greatest sushi restaurant in Orange Beach. Their sushi menu includes sashimi and nigiri, as well as American favorites such as California and Philly rolls.
Get their iconic giant fish roll if you want to try something different. It has white tuna, spinach, and fresh ginger in it. A lobster roll with tempura fried lobster, avocado, and green onion is also available.
The Gulf of Mexico
251-424-180027500 Perdido Beach Boulevard
The Gulf is an outdoor-only shipping container restaurant. The odd construction is just next to Perdido Pass, where vessels enter and exit the Gulf of Mexico.
Every day, the Gulfs menu is written on chalkboards. One of their top sellers is the fried grouper sandwich, but I’ve also heard locals rave about their handmade hummus.
They also offer some excellent artisan cocktails, so come thirsty. Probably one of the greatest restaurants in Orange Beach!
Doc’s Seafood Restaurant
Canal Rd, 251-981-699926029
The environment is simple. After a long day at the beach, this is the type of spot you go for lunch or supper. Docs Seafood boasts the (self-proclaimed) best-fried shrimp in the whole civilized world. Whilst I’m not sure whether it’s the greatest, it can’t be far behind. In addition to the wonderful cuisine, anticipate very pleasant service in a relaxed atmosphere when you dine here.
We enjoyed the make-your-own cocktail sauce station. This enabled each of us to create our own customized dipping sauce, which could be as spicy as we wanted. If you haven’t already chosen to go, Docs has been named one of America’s top ten fish shacks. You should certainly schedule a visit here while in Orange Beach.
Orange Beach Marina Fishermen
2501-981-730527075 Marina Rd #300
Fishers has two locations in Orange Beach, so make an appointment to eat upstairs at Fishers. Its upper dining area is perhaps the most upmarket of all Orange Beach eateries. Its reclaimed wood flooring and ancient cypress tables with white linen tablecloths initially wowed us.
The cuisine lived up to the lavish setting. The menu contained some great seafood dishes, as anticipated in Orange Beach, but there were also some extremely appealing meat plates, such as pan-fried hog cheeks with a pancetta apple jam, roasted lamb served with preserved lemon rice grits, and a confit duck leg served with filthy rice risotto.
Be sure to inquire about Fishers wine pairings with your waitress. They offered one of the most sophisticated wine selections of any Orange Beach restaurant I tried.
Lunas Consume Food and Drink
+1 251-980-586225689 The Canal Road
Lunas is a local sports tavern with a large range of specialty beers. You won’t have any problem finding a pint you like here: they offer 32 fantastic beers on tap.
Southern comfort cuisine mainstays including macaroni and cheese, shrimp and grits, braised beef pot roast, and beer-basted burgers are on the menu. Check out what’s on offer that night; their changing menu showcases some of the finest in fresh local seafood.
Lunas also boasts the best selection of craft beers in Orange Beach!
Cosmos
Canal Rd., 251-948-966325753
The Cosmos slogan, far beyond ordinary, properly characterizes the location. This restaurant boasts a diverse menu that includes jerk chicken, burgers, and even fettuccine in addition to the best local seafood. We stayed with their seafood and were glad we did.
Crab cakes, crawfish tails, duck and andouille sausage gumbo, sesame seared tuna, pecan-crusted redfish, and even fresh fish wrapped and baked in banana leaves were all available.
If seafood isn’t your thing and Orange Beach can’t persuade you, try their steaks, spaghetti, and an impressive-looking roasted red pepper Caesar salad (if youre in the mood for something lighter).
Cobalt
251-923-530028099 Perdido Beach Boulevard
Every table at Cobalt has a breathtaking view of Perdido Pass. But you’ll have to look away from that vista to pick from a tempting menu that includes tuna and avocado layered between crunchy wontons, creamy Cobalt crab and shrimp dip, Gulf shrimp and grits, and more.
Fresh oysters are also popular. You may request them prepared in a variety of ways: including char-grilled with garlic and Parmesan or uncooked with only a splash of lemon.
If none of the aforementioned options appeal to you, Cobalt also provides hearthstone pizza, spaghetti, sandwiches, and a peppercorn crusted filet. If you choose the final option, pair it with smoked gouda and bacon grits. We were delighted to discover that Orange Beach had a morning buffet.
Every Sunday from 11-2, this eatery delivers a delicious breakfast. It has earned a spot on our list of fantastic Orange Beach eateries.
The GTs of the Bay
Telephone: +1 251-980-840026189 Canal Rd
GTs is known for some of the greatest bay-front eating in Orange Beach. Renowned for their delicate rack of ribs, they also offer a pork chop brined in sweet tea, filled with Conecuh sausage, onions, and apples, then basted with a sweet bourbon sauce. I’m excited to order it the next time I come.
Mondays are prime rib night for $16. You don’t want to miss out on that!
Even if you have other arrangements for supper, swing by GTs for their craft beer happy hour. Starters to go with a beer include gingered calamari, crab claws, and even fried pickles.
The Anchor Bar and Grill
S Wilson Blvd, 251-200-02504575
Anchor Bar’s claim to fame is its elevated bar food. They provide aggressive and downright terrifying versions of almost everything that goes well with alcohol.
The chef at this restaurant is recognized for his incredible innovation. Tots with chorizo meatloaf, cured tuna pok, Gulf shrimp tacos, and a pepper jelly chicken sandwich are among the menu favorites.
Start your meal with one of their inventive drinks. Its cocktail menu has fresh interpretations on classics such as an Apple Mule, the Anchor Bloody Mary with pork cracklings and a pickled green bean, a Mezcal Margarita, and even their own rendition of Orange Beach’s namesake drink, the Bushwacker. Theirs contains vanilla vodka and is available with a vanilla bean flavored topping. This restaurant is essential to any list of Orange Beach eateries.
Playa
Canal Rd, 251-981-989127842
Fishers, one of the eateries I mentioned before, has a sibling restaurant called Playa. Although Fishers provides a formal dining experience with white linens, Playa offers a Caribbean and South American themed meal with top class ambience and service.
Conch fritters with roasted pepper aioli, tuna pok, Gulf ceviche with charred corn and jalapeño, crab and cheese coated amberjack, and coconut grouper are among the options.
If you want something so delicious that you’ll remember it for months, I suggest Playas street tacos on handmade tortillas. You may stuff them with brisket, grilled shrimp, fried mahi, or roasted pork. They were quite good.
If you or anybody in your group has dietary constraints, this is also an excellent choice for supper. For guests with dietary allergies or sensitivities, Playa provides dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and shellfish-free menus.
Villaggio Grille is located at The Wharf.
Main St., +1 251-224-65104790
The Villaggio is one of the top Italian fusion restaurants in Orange Beach. They are centrally positioned in The Wharf, a retail, eating, and entertainment complex. They don’t have a view of the Gulf, but they make up for it with delicious meals and excellent service.
They have a few outstanding Alabama takes on Italian foods on their menu. Their chicken scallopini, lasagna, and chicken Parmesan are all delicious.
If none of that appeals to you, they also offer exquisite wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, and Louisiana wood-fired oysters. One more piece of advice: request a seat on the outside patio. If the weather is nice, the ambience at The Wharf will enhance the experience.
Flora and Alabama Yacht Club
Perdido Key Dr. +1 850-483-627217350 Perdido Key Dr.
The Yacht Club, part of the (in)famous Flora-Bama chain of restaurants, boutiques, and pubs, serves wonderful food along the water’s edge. Their cuisine is centered on regional comfort meals.
But, they also serve a few more distinctive items. Begin your meal with Greek shrimp nachos or firecracker kalamari. Try the blackened Gulf tripletail or the Cajun shrimp and crawfish manicotti for the main course.
If you truly want to connect with your meal, the Yacht Club offers a hook-and-cook option, in which they will organise a fishing excursion across the Flora-Bama Marina and then cook up anything you catch!
One piece of advice: if you dine here, try to snag a patio table on the beach. This places you right next to the Ole River and provides a spectacular view, particularly when the sun sets.
Ole River Grill Flora-Bama
Perdido Key Dr. +1 850-483-626217400 Perdido Key Dr.
Ole River Restaurant, another Flora-Bama family member, is located just across the street from the famed lounge and oyster bar of the same name (where the Flora-Bama brand got its start at Orange Beach back in 1964).
Ole River serves superb local fish and regional favorites in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. Both their grilled amberjack and their surfnturf steak and shrimp meal enticed us. But in the end, I choose their Bama burger:
Here, they also offer some delectable-looking seafood soups and salads (if youre looking for a lighter fare). If you want something sweet to conclude your dinner, try deep-fried twinkies or Flora-Bamas famous bushwacker.