Firefly

Finally, after being in PCB for 7 days on vacay, we found edible food AND a wine list! Thank God! Phew, my taste buds were so HAPPY! We ordered (2) appetizers, the she crab soup, and a house salad for starters, because we could, because our souls needed some quality food after all the crap tourists shith0les on the beach. Beef carpaccio, filet mignonettes, seared ahi sushi, escargot, With chocolate lava cake for dessert! Yes!!! I even asked for an off the menu drink of a chocolate martini to go with my chocolate lava cake, and our server said «No problem, we can do that.» The martini was so delicious I had 2. (Also really liked the vodka house specialty Smartee cocktail, it was a warm up.) We had an amazing bottle of Zin from Martinelli (husband is a Somm) so we drink some good stuff, and this Zin was delicious. He agreed the Wine list was «dressed nicely» and could not compete with anything we have seen in PCB, which has been crapola. Compare the food or wine list to our home bases of San Fran and Houston, that is perhaps unfair, however, this is by far the best restaurant compared to its market, we will be back and refer our friends here. Where else in PCB can you find Venge Late Harvest, Chablis, Ice Wine, Ports, Bourdeaux, great Cabs, etc. job well done Fire Fly, you were the «food» icing on my cake to a splendid vacation, next time we will eat here daily.

This is definitely fine dining at its best… the nicest restaurant we have been to in PCB! We were greeted to the left of the entrance door with no reservation by the hostess as well as another hostess that offered drinks till they found us a table. The atmosphere was very classy. They have a very spacious waiting area designed as a library with very comfortable chairs and couches as you might find in a high end mansion. We ordered several apps as well as entrées. The food was outstanding! The only reason I am giving four stars as opposed to five is because our waiter seemed to loose us as the restaurant started to get busy. The lack of attention halfway through our dining experience was definitely a let down. Otherwise, everything else was fantastic!

My compliments to the chef. He has returned the menu to what made Firefly our favorite. The food is so perfectly seasoned that it is obvious that there is a lot a tasting during the cooking process. The seared tuna on the sunset dinner menu is everything it used to be with a perfect sauce of soy and lime. The she crab soup, of course, is still the star. Great value for the money. I had the seared tuna, my husband had the cajun pasta and our daughter the salmon and we all raved about our dinner. Not to mention that this place still makes the best dirty martini on the beach. Want to try to return one more time before we have to head north for the summer.

Everything was great from start to finish. Our food was cooked to perfection and well worth our trip. If you like 5 star food and service, this is your place. We will be be back!

I was very pleasantly impressed with this restaurant. Very nice ambiance. Great romantic venue for couples. I cannot say enough good things about the food and the service. I had the braised short ribs. They were flavorful and tender. Our server, Tom, was the best. He helped us with our questions and gave intelligent suggestions to my wife who has some food sensitivities. All in all, a very pleasant experience. When I am back in PCB, I will most definitely return to Firefly.

My husband and I were celebrating our 10-​year wedding anniversary and we decided to return to PCB where we had been married. When my husband was looking for a nice place for dinner, he came across the Unilocal reviews for Firefly. OH MY GOODNESS! We are total foodies and this was the best steak we have ever had! The atmosphere is beautiful and the staff was just amazing. Thank you for making our night a night we will always remember!

Amazing restaurant and food! My favorite is the crab soup, Cajun pasta, and sushi. Amazing atmosphere and excellent service.

Our server Danny was great. Very attentive and helpful. Must have the she crab soup and the Cesar salad. Both are extremely memorable and tasted amazing. The braised short rib was very tender. The only disappointment was the blue cheese dressing which had very little taste.
The ambience in the restaurant is just perfect sitting under a tree full of fireflies, aka lit up bulbs.
Waiter Danny handled a large group with kids well.

We went here for Valentine’s Day. The manager was our server, which was cool to see. It’s always good to see a manager willing to roll up their sleeves to help. The food was absolutely perfect. We each got the she crab soup. My husband got a Caesar salad and we shared the venison tenderloin and grouper. For dessert we got the crème brûlée. Everything was so delicious. The drinks were also great. I had the espresso tini and my husband had a Moscow mule. We would highly recommend Firefly for a wonderful date night or special occasion.

Food was great, service was great, selection was awesome. Atmosphere was the best of probably any restaurant we have been to. Probably the most romantic restaurant we have been to. Overall awesome!

I have been going to Firefly for years and it is literally my favorite restaurant anywhere. The service is always top notch. The food and drinks are excellent. The restaurant itself is in a strip mall but don’t let that fool you. Once you walk inside you are in a beautiful, hip, clean and inviting bar. There is a sushi restaurant area to the right and a sitting room to the left. Keep walking back to the main dining area where there is a beautiful tree (fake of course) with white lights.
My favorites are shrimp wrapped in applewood bacon and the pepper encrusted filet. Desserts are to die for as well. I visit the area 2 – 3 times a year and always make sure to have dinner at Firefly:)

One of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life!
We started with some signature cocktails. The sweet Manhattan was to die for. My partner had a martini recommended by our server, something with pineapple in the name. It was delicious. Not too sweet, not too strong.
We started out with the crab en croute. Delicious crab stuffed in a puff pastry over some kind of delicious cream sauce. We finished it within seconds.
Next course was the she-​crab soup. O. M. G! Sooooo good. I will have dreams about this soup for the rest of my life, I’m sure.
My entrée was the crab cakes with pineapple relish, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It’s normally served with asparagus but I’m not a fan, so the chef kindly substituted green beans for me which was very nice. The crab cakes were meaty and so sweet. Divine. The potatoes were creamy and delicious.
My partner had a pasta dish, with andouille sausage and seafood. It was labeled on the menu that it was served with a «cream sauce» so he thought it was going to be a white sauce. It was served with a tomato-​based sauce, and he found that to be slightly disappointing. But he did enjoy his meal. He just liked mine a lot better :)
We visited right around 6pm and ordered from the «Sunset Menu» which is the way to go. The portions were normal dinner-​sized portions, for basically half the price. This is a great option for budget-​conscious guests. It was my partner’s birthday, so we had 2 cocktails each, soup, and an app, and after a generous tip, we had dropped right at 100 bucks total. But you get what you pay for! It was worth every penny.
Eddie, our server, was amazing. He was friendly and efficient but not overbearing. Basically, he was perfect.
We will most definitely be back! Firefly is THE place to go in PCB for fine dining.

Firefly is an upscale restaurant. This was our first experience with this dining establishment.
We were greeted by two young somewhat snooty hostesses, who asked us if we had reservations for dinner (Monday 6:30 PM). We didn’t. Did we want a Martini or wine list? No, we didn’t. The outcome of that inquiry relegated us to the worst table in the restaurant (we were a party of three). The table, in front of the waiter water stand and kitchen portal, was a distraction from what is otherwise a perfectly decorated restaurant. It is a tasteful and charming environment. (just not from our seating perspective.) The bald headed gentleman who sat us at our dismissive table was very friendly and engaging. Our waiter, Eddie, was very professional. He was attentive but not hovering (a delicate balance that few can master).
We had eaten a little earlier, so, not being famished, we disappointingly did not avail ourselves of the very appealing appetizers (starters). Firefly touts homemade pasta, so we chose to try the Cajun pasta and a similar dish that has diced steak in it. Both dishes have shrimp, but the Cajun entrée has crayfish and what was described to be andouille sausage. I lived in New Orleans for 7 years, and I really hope the chef doesn’t think that what was served, was truly andouille sausage. Real andouille sausage is an eye-​watering substitute for a lot of other additional seasoning. It is not mild like a hot dog. When I think of a Cajun dish, I would expect it to have some «pop.» Not so, with this mild rendition of a creole recipe. It was very good and the home made pasta did refine this entrée significantly. The portions were generous and the presentation excellent.
The menu had many other food choices: meat, fish, etc. There is lots to explore for the culinary adventurer.
We passed on the desserts, but we saw a flambé delicacy being served that look very good.
The dress code is relaxed but the patrons dressed very nicely.
The Firefly is not your typical fried-​food beach restaurant. It is actually a step above «Bonefish.» Enjoy.

The atmosphere, service, and food were absolutely perfect. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. My daughter was in the mood for sushi and my fiancé really doesn’t care that much for sushi, so this restaurant was a great choice for us. The sushi was fresh and delicious. The she crab soup, that came with my fiancé’s entrée, is simply amazing. It is very rich and and flavorful. Our waiter was so friendly and efficient. Without being asked, he brought extra spoons so we could try the soup. We had a wonderful experience at Firefly. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Came to FF as part of a dinner meeting in a private dining room. The server was extremely rude and unapologetic for his horrible attitude. He was very put out by my rearranging the room for my clients needs and accused me of having issues for asking him why he had a problem. I simply grabbed an empty card table and repositioned it for our projector. He barked at me that that table was for registration and I couldn’t use it. Followed by complaining that I was «rearranging the whole room»! One table! He was pissy and upset that our client had brought in outside AV I am guessing. Made a comment that my client was wasting money by using our service. WTF! He scolded me in front of management that I should have asked first. I have been doing dinner meetings for 15+ years and have never encountered the hostility that I was met with from the staff member at Fire Fly! Management was present and overheard our conversation and was very friendly… however they made no comment of his atrocious behavior and seemed indifferent to his actions. I was astonished that he got away with his talking to me like he did. No sorry or misunderstanding chat that one would expect from a hospitality professional. I am still in shock!
The food at Fire Fly has gone down hill in recent visits. The she crab soup rocks but the rest of our vittles on our latest visits have failed to impress. That coupled with this experience will guarantee that I will not return to this establishment.
This is my first Unilocal review, I felt obligated to share my experience.
I would not recommend having a dinner meeting at Fire Fly.

Just stopped by for a few drinks & to see the space. Hands down the highest end space on PCB. Good wine, bourbon & scotch selection. No block ice. Can no longer smoke cigars in the lounge. :(
Which means PCB has no decent cigar lounges at all. #fml
The do allow corkage.

I’ve had about two hours to prepare this review and it just doesn’t seem like an adequate amount of time. No great piece of literature could be crafted in that short period, but I’ll attempt it.
Let’s get one thing straight, here: if you go to Firefly and don’t order the She-​ra (shecrab?) soup, you’re not an American. Heck, if you’re in Panama City and you don’t come to Firefly, shame on you and your household.
Firefly is unassuming, located in an expansive shopping center, but you’d never know once you’re inside. The library is the perfect place to interrogate Colonel Mustard with a candlestick, but that’s neither here nor there. Much of my party’s dinner conversation surrounded the status of the tree in the middle of the restaurant (no way that thing is fake). So for the ambiance, 5 stars.
Service was exceptional. One course was seamlessly delivered just after finishing the prior, and silverware was consistently swapped out for cleaner versions. Our server asked us how food was after each round (like she had any doubt to our response!).
Saving the best part for last, our taste buds didn’t even stand a chance, starting with the bread and amazing currant butter and pesto cream cheese. What an introduction! Crab cakes and brie were to die for. And of course we had to have the soup. I could write an entire review on the soup and comments surrounding. I’m sorely disappointed that while I have a picture to remember the look, I had to eat that sucker as slowly as possible to ensure the taste would forever be imprinted in my head. My husband and I split the shrimp and grits (good but not the best I’ve ever had) and couldn’t even finish them. I think She-​ra did a number on all of our bellies as we had to rush home afterwards, but totally worth it.
I don’t take my food or restaurant experiences lightly (and I know good food), so know this place is a gem when I say it is one of the top three of my favorite dining experiences. Who knew a Panama City restaurant would rank with European restaurants in my book?

Where to start. This will be long review so forgive me. The best I can say is Firefly is probably the finest dining in Panama City Beach. Unfortunately, in a town that counts on a 99.9% turnover every week that ain’t sayin’ much.
The restaurant in located in a strip mall. It is surprisingly large on the inside and quite nicely decorated.
Although the restaurant was about half empty, there were supposedly no tables available in the main dining room so we were asked if we would mind sitting in the sushi bar as they had full service dining. Sure! No problem — thank you!
I informed the hostess that it was my wife’s 40^th birthday on the down low as we walked in. She said the would put together something for her, write «Happy Birthday» etc on a desert and we’d be taken care of… AWESOME!
Well — sat for about 10 mins, our server finally came over and took our drink order, waters as we decided what to get. Don’t know if she wrote us off as cheapskates for asking for water but it was about another 20 minutes before she worked her way back to take our order. Finally we ordered 1 crabcake app, 2 wedge salads, 1 waygu ny strip, 1 order tempura lobster tails. The server asked «Fried or broiled» I responded «TEMPURA». We asked for a martini and and wine list and she knodded and was off.
10 mins or so later someone brings the wine list and the martini book. I told her I didn’t need the book I’ll have a Tito’s martini, dry. I was told in the most INSANELY snobby reply. «I don’t take drink orders. Wait for your server» Ahem — ok. I’ll wait… and wait… and wait. Saw our server visit some «VIPS» 4 times-​before finally she comes. Take our drink order. 1 martini 1 bottle of wine.
While we wait we were treated to a 3 year playing the drums with a knife and fork on his plate. The busboy spilling drinks all over the booth in back of us, the busboy breaking dishes at the booth in front of us.
After about 45 mins but before the drinks came I asked «can we get some bread or something?» In the meantime the food finally came about 1 hour in. I have to be honest — the crab cakes were pretty good. The Mango salsa w it was nice. No picture as we were so ravenous at this point that we tore into them quickly. After that they brought a pretentious little basket of bread with basil cream cheese, roasted roma tomato sauce and raspberry butter.
The wedge salads were of the «deconstructed» variety. One slice of cold bacon, grape tomatoes, blue cheese. The dressing was homemade and pretty good. Could have used more blue cheese and chop up the bacon please!
Entrees. The lobster tails came out — BROILED. Not that I can’t stand to lose some weight. But when I pay $ 42 for an entrée I expect the server to know the menu. I don’t think she knew what tempura means or that it was on the menu. I didn’t even bother to complain. The garnish was nice. The lobster? I think you can see it was over cooked.
The Waygu steak was cooked nicely. Perfect temp. Best dish of the evening.
After the meal was through we were treated with the final «screw you» of the evening. Although it was my wife’s 40^th and I asked that they do something, what we got was «HEY — I heard it was your birthday. Happy Birthday» Gee, thanks honey.
Honestly i think you guys should hire some servers based on skill. Not skinny 22 year olds with attitude and the attention span of a gnat. I left a 15% tip for «Mariah» (shouldn’t have). One of the worst $ 200+ dinners for two I’ve had in eons…

Firefly is one of those spots you really do not expect to find in Panama City. No offense to this town, but this restaurant just does not belong to the myriad of F150s, plastered «wanna be» frat boy demographic and run down strip malls. It is located in a mildly run down strip mall, but the restaurant is phenomenal.
ROMANTIC. This is a date spot. No question about it. There is an artificial large tree in the center of the restaurant, lots of decorative lighting and a quiet environment.
CREATIVE MENU. The special, crawfish and lobster crusted halibut was spectacular. The venison was good. Desserts and the presentation of lighting crème brûlée on fire was awesome. Everyone at our entire table of four loved the food here.
KNOWLEDGEABLE WAITERS. I wish I remembered the waitresses name, she was awesome. She knew her wines, provided great recommendations and was very quick.
CLASSIC BAR. Although I didn’t sit there, the moment you enter, you see a bar complimented by classic American décor. Looked great.
Ps. Make a reservation in advance.

The place is quite huge, it’s a restaurant and lounge with the «library» as their waiting area. The library area had several TVs and of course books so it was much more pleasant to sit there, order a drink and wait for your table.
Our reservation was at 9pm and they were very accommodating to us and the kids. Their Unilocal listing indicated that it’s not good for kids. This is not true, they were very catering to kids. There’s a kid’s menu, along with crayola crayons (the real deal) and drinks in kid’s cups. Pizzas, kid’s burgers, chicken fingers, even a 4oz filet mignon!!!
We all ordered steaks, I had the 14 oz wagyu steak cooked medium and it was done perfectly. Nicely seasoned, not overly salty. Everyone enjoyed their steaks as well.
The center of the restaurant stands a very large tree decorated with white lights to give it that under the stars effect. It’s definitely a romantic spot for a first date. Very fancy for Panama City.
I would have given them 4 stars but their lack of service clouded my rating judgement. Our water never filled nor did anyone come to check and make sure we were fine etc… I left very thirsty…