Activities begin at 10am Watch the Blue Angels and other plane perform from Pensacola Beach! (P.S. don’t forget the sunscreen & the $1 for the toll bridge.)

Hungry for seafood? We understand! Crabs is the hottest seafood restaurant on beautiful Pensacola Beach. Located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, you may enjoy inside dining with breathtaking views or sit outside on our open-air, gulf-side deck, complete with fresh salt-air breezes.

We invite you to explore the wonders of the sea while sipping a cool cocktail at our living-reef aquarium bar. We offer the largest selection of crab on Pensacola Beach: Alaska Snow Crab, Jonah Stone Crab, King Crab, Maryland Soft Shell, and you guessed it, at Crabs – We Got ‘Em!

Our menu includes an assortment of fresh-gulf seafood, including Shrimp, Mahi-Mahi, Oysters on the Half Shell and more. For the landlubbers, we serve terrific steaks, chicken and pasta dishes. Save room for Key Lime pie!

Crabs offers unique and original gifts including a variety of clothing, kitchen accessories, beach toys, floats, rafts and boogie boards.
Crabs is open daily from 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. Don’t miss the Sunday Brunch. Located at 6 Casino Beach Blvd. Look for the red roof at the traffic light on Pensacola Beach. Call 850-932-0700. Visit www.crabswegotem.com.

At the Northwest end of Pensacola Beach’s Portofino Boardwalk, next to the staircase, is the best place in the area to grab a big slice of paradise – Papa’s Pizza. Papa’s Pizza specializes in famous New York Style pizzas, made with traditional tools and methods, dating back to the 1940s. “It’s the best pizza anywhere around here,” said owner Mike Pinzone. “It’s the filet minion of pizza.” And he has the guarantee to prove it. “We have a two-bite, money-back guarantee,” Pinzone said. “If you take two bites and you don’t like it, we’ll give you your money back, no questions asked. You can’t lose with that.”

The most popular menu items are the Celebrity Pizzas, which are weighed down with tasty toppings. The Frank Sinatra comes with sausage, pepperoni, ham, beef, mushrooms, onions, green peppers and olives. The Al Pacino offers sausage, pepperoni, ham, beef and bacon. Other famous Italian-donned pies come with equally palatable combinations. “These are our most- odered pies,” Pinzone said. “The names make them a little more fun to order and the pies, themselves, are great.”

Pinzone, who has worked in the restaurant industry since he was 14, knows his pizza. “My family has been in the food industry for over 70 years,” he explained. “My grandfather, who was a baker in New York City and my grandmother, who was Sicilian, opened a pizzeria in the 1940s.” Though times, and pizza ovens, have changed drastically since those days, the time- tested traditional hand-made methods of making delicious pies continues at Papa’s. “Lots of people have stepped away from (traditional methods), using frozen, prepackaged dough and they just can’t compete with what we have,” Pinzone explained.

All of Papa’s pizzaiolos – as they’re called – are professionally trained in the traditional methods of making the dough, preparing the crust and baking the pies on 35-year-old slates to create a dining experience that can’t be matched this side of the Hudson River. It’s true, as Pinzone said the baking slates he uses aren’t even available for purchase in the United States anymore. So, why locate right here in Northwest Florida? I guess there’s nothing better than a slice of pizza right here in our slice of paradise. “This is paradise,” Pinzone said. “We have the cleanest, whitest beaches in the world. Lots of people have paradise in their mind, but we actually have it here.” Located on the Boardwalk 400 Quietwater Beach Rd. Gulf Breeze, FL 850.934.1198

CASTAWAYS

CRABS: WE GOT ‘EM
6 Casino Beach Blvd.
Pensacola Beach, Florida 32561
(850) 932-0700
M-W 11a-10p; Th-Sa 11-12a; Su 11a-10p
“Crabs, we got ‘em!” Overlooking the Gulf on Pensacola Beach, Crabs has the largest selection of crab on the beach. Also delicious are the fried shrimp and great steaks. Enjoy indoor dining or outdoor dining directly on the beach or upstairs at our gulf-side deck. Best Sunday Brunch with a live steel band. Kids will enjoy the playground. Look for the Red Roof at the traffic light. For more info, visit crabswegotem.com.

FLOUNDER’S CHOWDER HOUSE
800 Quietwater Beach Rd.
Pensacola Beach, Florida 32561
(850) 932-2003
M-W 11a-10p; Th-Sa 11-2a; Su 11a-10p
“Seafood, shrimp, oysters, fish!” Enjoy our outdoor waterfront dining, sample today’s catch from our own fleet of shrimp boats, beer battered fried oysters, Mahi-Mahi, Gulf Grouper, Yellow Fin Tuna, and of course, Flounder! Flounder’s Beach, a Key West style beach bar, features the world’s best beach bands ‘neath the moon and stars. Happy Hour 4 to 6 p.m. daily, Sunday Brunch. No
reservations needed.

H2O: A CAJUN ASIAN GRILL
12 Via DeLuna
Pensacola Beach, Florida 32561
(850) 343-6791
M-Su 6:30a-10p
“A Cajun Asian Grill.” One of the finest dining experiences on the beach. Enjoy casual poolside lunches or fine dining by twilight. Don’t miss the Sunday Brunch for $26.95 per person with bottomless Bloodys and Mimosas for $6.95. The brunch has over 40 food choices and 32 Bloody Mary options. Valet parking for H2O is complimentary. Child Menu-Credit Cards Accepted-Patio Dining-
Casual Dress. Reservations encouraged.

PAPA’S PIZZA
400 Quietwater Beach Blv.
Pensacola Beach, Florida 32561
(850) 934-1198
M-Th 11a-9p; F, Sa 11a-10p; Su 11a-9p
“Famous New York style pizzas.” Papa’s hand-tossed New York style pizzas are made freshly using a recipe that has been
around for a millenium. At Papa’s, the pizzas bear the names of famous Italians of years gone by. Order a Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren, or Rocky Marciano, or you can create your own pie. Also on the menu are calzones, stromboli, salads and pasta. Located on Pensacola Beach and in Gulf Breeze.

PARADISE INN BAR & GRILL
21 Via De Luna Drive
Pensacola Beach, Florida 32561
(850) 916-5087
M-Su 11a-10p; Open late Friday and Saturday
“The Best Food & Live Music Destination!” Paradise Bar & Grill on Pensacola Beach invites you to “boat it, bike it or walk it” to the hottest spot on the island, where you can enjoy live entertainment every weekend. Paradise Bar & Grill is the perfect spot to kick back and relax in one of the lounge chairs and let the beat of island music carry you away. Go ahead, dip your toes in the water while you enjoy your drinks and meals.

SHAN KISHI
808 Gulf Breeze Pkwy.
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32502
(850) 932-8188
M-Th 11a-10p; F, Sa 12-11p; Su 11a-10p
“Experience top-quality sushi!” Welcome to the wide world of sushi and hibachi at the new Shan Kishi Japanese Hibachi & Fusion Sushi restaurant. If you’re in the mood for entertainment, the hibachi tables will provide it for you. The menu includes daily lunch specials for sushi or the hibachi lunch. Take out orders may be placed. Shan Kishi is located in the Seashell Shopping Center next to
the Publix.

THE DOCK
#4 Casino Beach Boardwalk
Pensacola Beach, Florida 32561
(850) 934-3625
M-Su 10-2a
“The place to party on the beach.” The Dock is the place to party on Pensacola Beach. This indoor-outdoor bar and grill offers great food. Enjoy a frozen Bushwacker and one of our famous Dock burgers while watching the game on the big screen tv’s, or come out  on a Wednesday night for Drinkin’ with Lincoln and enjoy unlimited drinks for five dollars. Bikini contests, Blues on the Beach and Blue Angels fly-over shows all happen right on the Dock.

Taking a stroll down the beach, the sand is sugary white and the Gulf of Mexico is a sparkling blue-green. Yes, it is hard to even imagine that there was an oil spill last year. Those visiting in summer 2011 will enjoy natural Florida beaches, friendly locals, fun Gulfside hang-outs,  first-rate fishing and everything a Northwest Florida vacation is supposed to be.

Find out the Who, What, When, Where and Why of your Northwest Florida vacation experience.

WHO SHOULD COME?

A view from the water at Portofino Boardwalk

Everyone! I mean, who doesn’t like taking a trip to the beach? Northwest Florida offers plenty of fun, from simply soaking up the sun to exploring historical sites, ripping it up in the water or aiming for a hole-in-one. Outdoor enthusiasts can hike nature trails, kayak area waterways and enjoy some of the best fishing in the world. Photographers will find no shortage of camera-worthy scenery. Those looking just to unwind will savor every second spent on the sugar white sand.

There truly is not an interest that cannot be satisfied here! What is there to do?

Northwest Florida offers kids, teenagers, parents, young adults and retirees endless opportunities for fun. “There’s lots of fun stuff for kids to do,” said Kim Gnetz, who came all the way from South Bend, Indiana with her daughter, Savanah. “We hung out on the beach, went to the (Gulf Breeze) Zoo and played miniature golf.” Tiki Island Golf and Games, in addition to mini golf, has a full arcade and operates a huge inflatable slide.

When it comes down to it, kids of all ages will enjoy a simple day on the beach, splashing in the waves, building sand castles, flying a kite and searching for sea shells. We all can remember how much fun those days were as children and we never minded a little sunburn. Adults, too, will find no shortage of enjoyable ways to spend their days in Northwest Florida.