jaco's

Jaco's (in downtown Pensacola) opened only a year ago, but I have eaten at this place more times than I can count. The restaurant, recently converted from an event hall, sits on palafox pier overlooking Pensacola Bay. The outstanding views and fresh-air dining options pale in comparison to the incredible food. The menu includes salads, flatbreads, pastas and all kinds of other memorable entrees. All are made with fresh, local ingredients. I love the lettuce wraps - large bibb lettuce leaves stuffed with your meat of choice (I love the chicken; my family prefers the steak) and topped with a colorful, spicy mango relish - as well as the classic margarita flatbread - fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella layered on a thin, cruncy, delicious and happily low-carb flatbread. I've only been for lunch, but the same menu is available for dinner (the restaurant also serves brunch, though it doesn't quite compare).

jacosbayfrontbarandgrille.com

website
997 South Palafox Street

Pensacola, FL

*recommendations:
  lettuce wraps

 margarita pizza

the fish house

http://fishhouse.goodgrits.com/

The Fish House in Pensacola is one of my favorite restaurants. A sprawling deck spans the back portion of the restaurant, overlooking the bay and laid out with wooden tables, a bar and space for live entertainment. Indoors, the restaurant is always buzzing, cozy and lit with the cool blue light of the fish tanks, but even in the heat of summer, I prefer to sit outside: the breeze off the water is undeniable. The menu is filled with delicious twists on southern classics. Grits a Ya Ya - the restaurant's signature dish - is the perfect example: shrimp, hot off the grill, served on top of a heaping bed of the most decadent and delicious grits you will ever taste (smooth and creamy, tossed with gouda, crisp bits of bacon and scallions). Sound rich enough for you? Not something you can (or should) eat every day, but an indulgence that I rarely regret. For something lighter, try the daily fish special - simply grilled fresh fish paired with grilled vegetables and fantastic corn fritters - or the jack daniel's chicken salad - glazed chicken on a bed of greens with sugar-poached peaches and candied pecans. If you're in the area, this place is not to be missed!

http://fishhouse.goodgrits.com/

600 South Barracks Street, Pensacola FL

website

*recommendations:
grits a ya ya
daily fish special
jack daniel's chicken salad