Tired of Familiar Eats? Discover 12 Exciting New Restaurants in Pensacola This Summer
Tired of eating the same meals and seeing the same scenery night after night? Luckily for us, there is always a new restaurant popping up in the Pensacola area is overflowing with new restaurants to try , and we’ve identified a dozen that have opened in 2025 to add to your summer bucket list that Pensacola can’t stop buzzing about.
Here's 12 of the latest restaurants to try this summer.
Reservoir
524 N. Hayne St.
Reservoir is one of Pensacola’s trendiest new spots that has become a local’s respite. Owner Casey Jones created the restaurant as a place to refuel and refresh, whether it be over a handcrafted coffee, a tray of oysters, or a Copacabana club sandwich. Reservoir now offers lunch and dinner in the Old East Hill Preservation District, neighboring the Blake Doyle Skatepark. As soon as customers step inside the door, greeted by greenery, warm wood-tone accents and the tantalizing smell of fresh ground coffee beans, the one thing they can’t help but compliment is the space’s friendly “vibe.”
East Hill Wine Bar
2704 N. 12th Ave
The East Hill Wine Bar curates the perfect atmosphere for a friend catch-up or a date night with a modern bistro bar, oversized artwork, and an ethereal string-light-lined outdoor courtyard. Spearheaded by owner Ian Kaple, who opened the original Wine Bar on Palafox in 2010, the restaurant offers some of the original location’s main hits on the menu, as well as some creative new entrees. Keep an eye on the East Hill Wine Bar’s social media for their weekly round-up of specials, including innovative pizzas, burgers, fresh catch plates and desserts.
Bounce Beach Pensacola
400 Quietwater Beach Road, Suite 16
The newest addition to the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, Bounce Beach Pensacola, is now open, offering three levels of entertainment for beachgoers to relish in. Guests can enjoy a refreshing cocktail on lower level right off the sand, a nourishing meal on the main floor with live music and an open-air view, and end the night on the third level-sunset lounge on a swing overlooking the Gulf. While you’ll find some tried and true menu items affiliated with the Bounce brand, such as their thin crust pizzas, there are also plenty of options that lend to the Pensacola Beach experience, such as Peel & Eat Gulf Shrimp with a bloody Mary cocktail sauce, buffalo blue cheese oyster po’boy sliders and Cajun grilled local fish with a cilantro coconut rice and grilled baby broccoli.
Fishing Hole Hideout
10421 Mills Swamp House Road
The Fishing Hole Hideout Oyster Bar & Grill is positioned to be the backdrop of your summer nights with its restaurant right off the Escambia River. In addition to the fresh seafood platters The Fishing Hole is famous for, they offer live music out on the patio and handcrafted cocktails to enjoy. It’s not uncommon to see boats pulling up dockside to enjoy the evening over their fan-favorite fried mullet and Mahi Mahi tacos. Even if seafood isn’t your style, they have plenty of options for the land-lovers.
Hour Deli
11 Palafox Place
A downtown Palafox Street day trip isn’t complete without a stop to Hour Deli, one of downtown Pensacola’s newest options for specialty sandwiches, charcuterie, craft coffees and teas, as well as market goods. The shop was curated as a “lifestyle destination for locals” whether its for a Saturday morning strolling the Palafox Market with a breakfast sandwich and a honey latte in hand, or catching up with friends over an evening of wine and charcuterie during happy hour.
Thai Street Food by Chef Eddy
4400 Bayou Blvd. Suite 55
Positioned only a mile from Pensacola International Airport, Thai Street Food by Chef Eddy is the perfect pre-trip destination to fuel up for a travel day or to welcome you back to Pensacola with a nourishing meal. Led by chef Ratchakrit Wilertthada, nicknamed “Chef Eddy,” the menu reflects a traditional taste of Thailand with flavorful pad Thai and curry, Thai seafood such as fried snapper, jumbo sea scallops and soft-shell crab, as well as hand-rolled sushi. One of the best ways to get the most bang for your buck is during the weekday lunch specials from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, which include an entrée and soup or salad for only $11.95.
The Wharf Fish & Oyster Company
400 Quietwater Beach Road Unit 13
Since opening in March, The Wharf has become a go-to source on Pensacola Beach for locally sourced seafood and Gulf Coast flavors championed by executive chef Kara Mardell and recently added culinary veteran executive sous chef Amy Potmesil. The multi-level indoor space offers an aesthetic spot to enjoy lunch and dinner, as well as an outdoor beachside food truck for a more casual meal on the sand. One of the stars of the property? The massive tiki bar is sure to put you in island time with its wide variety of beach-inspired beverages. Some of the menu's highlights include a top-tier raw bar, Gulf Coast seafood boil, BG 196 Black Garlic Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich, Pensacola Bay Brewery-infused fish and chips, a 14-ounce grass-fed ribeye, and their showstopping seafood tower, perfect for impressing a crowd.
Emerald Waterfront Bar and Grill
8491 Navarre Parkway
Emerald Waterfront Bar and Grill is one of the best ways to soak up views of the Navarre Sound this summer with options for enjoying an elevated meal in the main dining room or some fresh oysters and lighter fare from the outdoor easy-breezy beach bar. Since new owner Tommy Gialamas also purchased Pensacola’s Emerald Republic Brewery, you’ll find plenty of cold Pensacola-made craft beer on tap. The steaks are the star at Emerald’s indoor dining room and undergo a six-to-eight week aging process before they are stored in Emerald’s temperature-controlled room and hand-cut daily. The seafood menu offers a true taste of the Gulf Coast, including Gulf grouper, Gulf shrimp and a fresh catch that can be served grilled, blackened or fried.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
1491 W. Nine Mile Road Suite 1
There’s no better way to cool off from the heat this summer than with 40-plus flavors of fresh Italian ice. Jeremiah’s has been spreading across the country since 1996, but made its way into Santa Rosa County with its Navarre location in 2023. Now franchisee Tom Kennedy is winning over the hearts of Escambia County residents with his West Nine Mile Road location. The colorful sweet shop always has an array of fun flavors on deck, ranging from their signature Scoop Froggy Frog mint chocolate chip Italian ice, to a fun-and-fruity Key West Tropical which incorporates notes of pineapple, passion fruit, banana, coconut and mango. One of the best ways to enjoy Jeremiah’s is through a signature Jelati, or layered treat of Italian ice and soft-serve ice cream. You can either create your own or enjoy a house signature creation.
Lotus Crepe & Coffee Shop
9329 N. Palafox St.
If you’re looking for a way to spend a long summer morning with children on summer break, Lotus Crepe & Coffee Shop offers larger-than-life waffles and crepes sure to turn children’s heads, while also offering caffeine to fuel the parents. Lotus is filled with delights to feed your sweet tooth with pastries and treats prepared fresh in-house. While the flavors are enough to keep you coming back, it doesn’t hurt that each item is a work of art, from the intricately layered chocolate almond tarts to the hand-sliced strawberries stacked along a fluffy waffle. If coffee isn’t your thing, try one of the Red Bull-based energy beverages or fruit fusions.
Whiskey Barrel
3810 W. Navy Blvd.
The Whiskey Barrel offers more than your typical west-side watering hole, but an experience due to the Full Swing golf simulator, which also offers games such as Zombie Dodgeball and Full Swing Football. The fun doesn’t stop there, as there is also a complex full of group and solo games, ranging from pool to pinball, including an outdoor patio area for cornhole tournaments. They also have a 10-foot giant screen for major sporting events, in addition to several other televisions throughout the bar. You’ll likely find your favorite cocktail offered there, but if you’re looking for a drink that's a little harder to find, the state-of-the-art whiskey wall is the way to go You can load up a payment card and sample whiskeys ranging from just $5 to several hundred dollars per pour. Thanks to the Whiskey Barrel’s house food truck, you can enjoy a full café menu in the daytime, followed by lunch and dinner in the evening, including specially seasoned burger sliders and a wide variety of flavors for jumbo wings, including mango habanero, garlic parmesan and lemon pepper.
Happy Joe’s
2502 State Road 87 S
Happy Joe’s was established as a one-stop shop for food and fun when the franchise was founded in 1972. Franchisee Jennifer Harding brought the concept to Santa Rosa County to recreate the experience she enjoyed in her home store in Iowa. The restaurant is known for its fun-loving environment, made up of colorful décor, a built-in arcade room and its famed taco pizza. There’s plenty to enjoy for the adults too, including a full bar for adults 21 and older, as well as open-air patio seating. While the menu follows the franchise’s other locations, some of the “Navarre favorites” include the blackened shrimp pizza, chicken fajita pizza and cinnamon pizza pie.
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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Bored of the same restaurants? Here's 12 new ones to try in the Pensacola area this summer
