Cafe Tango

My husband and I always enjoy dining at Café Tango. Most recently, we had a fantastic dinner over Memorial Weekend. The owners are great and food was delicious. We split the Veal Special Pasta and The Dancing Fish and both were equally tasty. Highly recommend!

My husband and I enjoyed a kid free meal at Café Tango on our last night in Grayton Beach. We didn’t have a reservation but luckily they were able to fit us in. The restaurant is small and very cozy. Our server was very helpful and made some wine suggestions based on what we ordered and they did not disappoint. We didn’t have an appetizer but both had salads to start; I had the house salad with the homemade Parmesan ranch dressing and my husband had the Gorgonzola wedge. Both salads were fresh and delicious. My husband had the Panko crusted with chorizo fish of the day which was black grouper on the night we were there. The fish was amazing with just the right amount of spice. I had the veal and beef tartellio (sp?) which was similar to ravioli and was served with a white wine sauce. Not a large plate of food but it was filling and delicious. The bread that they bring out is served warm with olive oil, cheese and spices. We will definitely return; a great find on 30A.

Very nice restaurant for a date night without my kids! Good wine selection. We had a rose that was great, nice and dry. My husband had the lobster ravioli and I practically had to stop him from licking the plate. I had the drunken fish since so many other reviewers said it was so good and I wasn’t disappointed. We got the crème brûlée for dessert and it was just how it should be, crunchy on top but creamy on the bottom.

Café Tango is a small restaurant on Highway 30A. Do not go here without having an advance reservation. There are very few tables and the restaurant is usually full. This is a good restaurant for a special occasion or a date with someone you want to impress.
It is not an inexpensive dining experience. But the reason for the 5 star rating is that it is very good. If you have a taste for good seafood, do not mind spending more than one might usually spend on dinner at a local seafood restaurant, dinner at Café Tango is well worth the expense.
It is easy to miss along the highway. If you are a first timer, you may want to use your GPS or have a passenger in your vehicle spot the sign. Park carefully. The lot will get crowded if you are an early bird dinner and get there just as they open.
One of my favorites is the Pistachio Crusted Fish. The menu describes it as «Fish fillet crusted in toasted pistachios. Drizzled with amaretto beurre blanc and complemented by Gulf shrimp». The fish has always been cooked perfectly. It is not dry and the beurre blanc sauce adds to the flavor the fish and the shrimp. Thinking about it makes me want to grab the phone and make another reservation.
A close second favorite is the Lobster Ravioli. The menu describes it this way: «Lobster stuffed ravioli served in a pink lobster cream sauce. Tossed with Gulf shrimp and diver scallops». I never heard of a pink lobster cream sauce but it was delicious. Don’t hesitate to order this dish.
And a third favorite: The Basque Fish described as: «Pan sauteed in the traditional style of Northern Spain. Topped with Gulf shrimp in a white fabada bean sauce accented by morcilla and chorizo sausages». I do not know what some of these ingredients are but, unless you are concerned about a rare allergy, don’t hesitate to order this.
I have wanted to try their Angus steak but have never gotten past these three dishes.
Make a reservation, enjoy the meal and they do accept credit cards.

Ate here tonight. It was probably our 8^th time dining in this fabulous small fine dining restaurant. Amazingly, we were the only table reservation for the evening. The food was delicious as usual. Really appreciated the special attention from our waiter Collin. Also enjoyed meeting Chef Seth. This was an incredible dining experience for my husband and I. The food was on par with any New Orleans fine dining establishment. Thanks to owner Joe Morris for opening tonight to honor our reservation. It was a memorable experience! We will be back. Hope we can get a table again during peak season!

Maybe the best seafood dinner I have ever had. The owner came to our table multiple times dinner and made sure we had everything we wanted. They care about how good your dinner is and it shows.

Absolutely delicious, and I’m from South Louisiana where food is a way of life. Get the shrimp scampi appetizer and a side of chimmichurri. Any entrée is a good choice. Pricey but considering the quality of food not overly. Love love love!

A trip to Café Tango is always on our list of to dos when we are in the area. It was outstanding as usual, the gentlemen had steaks and all said they were out of this world. I enjoyed the fish special of the evening. Service is always spot on. Can not wait for the next visit.

Tip, our server was great. Suggested wine for my daughter/​wine snob, which was excellent. Every element of the meal was carefully prepared and flavorful. Black grouper, red snapper, and a chicken paperdelle pasta dish were hits across the board. We will come back.

Excellent all around. The space is small and intimate, the menu is pretty extensive, the food is great, but what really makes this place is the people. The owner and his staff are beyond. We had a 2 year old with us, and the waitress brought her some strawberries — it just felt so personal and kind at every turn. If I ever own a restaurant, I would strive to emulate their service.

Great fine dining at the beach! The shrimp and crabmeat gnocchi’s sauce was Devine! The pecan coconut and key lime homemade pies were phenomenal! Great friendly service!

We so wanted this to be better. Great atmosphere, nice people, good wine selection, great appetizer, great dessert but the main dishes just didn’t cut it for us.
Shrimp and Crab Gnocchi appetizer ($ 14) was delicious and had a generous amount of crab meat in it.
Our wine for the evening was Emeritus Pinot Noir ($ 58) and it we found it to be a good decision.
Main courses. We tried land and sea. For land we picked the 2 duck breasts in a maderia wine, plum, and orange reduction sauce. Duck was cooked right and the portions were enough to feed two people really, which is not a complaint by the way. The problem was it just didn’t taste like anything special. For $ 32 we expected it to be at least as good or better than the appetizer. No wow factor for something that sounded so delicious when reading it on the menu.
For sea we tried the Dancing Fish and chose the grouper option (Snapper was also available). Once again, cooked right and a nice serving size but nothing special. $ 38 for fish that had no wow factor.
Our dessert choice was the key lime pie ($ 7) and it was outstanding.
So, we walk out underwhelmed after spending close to $ 200 when all was said and done. It’s not about the money — we knew we were going to drop close to $ 200 — if the main dishes had been great we’d spend $ 200 again there another time. For that kind of money, we’d rather go to Cuvee Bistro, Lois Lois, Cafe30a, or Vintij to name a few.
An earlier review said to go and just get the appetizers and desserts. I am in agreement with that reviewer. That might be hard to do though during the season when it’s hard to get in the place but if you order two appetizers per person that’s almost the same price as a main course and maybe more in some cases.

Oh boy. Here we go.
What to do with a unanimous 5 star restaurant on Unilocal where my experience didn’t measure up?
First off, I love local, and this place is precious in that it only seats 30. Hence the difficulty in getting reservations normally. But during this week everywhere has openings, so we decided to venture out with the two best (IMO), George’s and Onano being closed. We hoped to add to that list. We did not.
Brie appetizer – a mess. Love Brie. But this was uninspired. Move along.
SIDE NOTE – decent wine list at typically crazy prices. Bring your own favorite – $ 20 cork fee. Bonus points here. Worth a star.
Entrees — 2 «dry aged» rib eyes, one chimichurri and one portobello, along with one dancing fish. The steaks were a little above average cut, but the flavors were just — not there. Or they were. It depends on how much you like smoked paprika. And they BELIEVE IN SMOKED PAPRIKA. it just overwhelmed everything. The two sauces were uninspired.
The dancing fish was very good. But take note. It had a lot of sneaky heat. If you weren’t sharing around, as we did, it might clear your sinuses an awful lot if you were in charge of cleaning your plate. But by far the best on our table.
Perhaps the lesson is order fish. I don’t know. Everyone gets the same sides. Tired mashed potatoes and vegetables, and the veggies were fantastic.
Sorry — but at these prices ($ 160 for 3, including cork fee), it needs to be outstanding.
I saw this line for a different restaurant — «Food was less than average, overpriced, and service wasn’t great. Skip it…» I am afraid that is the rule here, along with almost everything we have tried over many years on 30-​A.
Disappointed. Should be a two star. I tacked one on for bring your own wine.

From the greeting at the door to the exit, everything extremely classy and excellent. Really small but perfect. Would recommend over any other restaurant. 5 star deserving

Best food we’ve had in the area !!!(including sandestin, destin, seaside, alys, etc). A must go!!! Dancing fish was amazing, and my husband and I love to go out to eat –so we have lots to compare to :)

Always rate high as is our favorite spot year after year!

This place is off the chart good! If you are looking for a real culinary treat and fresh seafood, do not hesitate to go! It is very small (only 8 tables) so you must have and they typically book weeks out.
I have eaten here several times and tried numerous dishes and my favorite is the «The Dancing Fish». The Dancing Fish is pan sautéed (snapper or grouper) fish fillet topped with gulf shrimp and lump crabmeat, grilled diver sea scallop, and spinach in a jalapeño cream sauce! It is one of the best things I have ever had. If you are still hungry after your entrée try the key lime pie, it is unreal and made with real key limes.
If you have a certain type of wine and it is not on their list, you can byob. They charge a $ 20 cork fee but this can be well worth it, pending what you drink. As we all know, the correct pairing of wine makes or breaks th meal sometimes.
Awesome Place!

What a find! Ate at this restaurant three days ago. My sister-​in-​law and niece did a search for a spot we could go to for a decent meal since most of the Walton County restaurants could not seat anyone until after 9:00 PM. July 4^th weekend. I am a North Florida person who is fairly hip on the best restaurants in the Panhandle and have never heard of this spot. How lucky we were to get a table at this very small restaurant. We were 7 people looking to escape the miserable weather engulfing the Gulf beaches.
I had the lamb chops. To die for. Bro had a steak with a great reduction sauce. Also to die for. Sis had homemade pasta and scallops. Another to die for dish. Sides of mashed potatoes and mixed vegies. To die for. Restaurant seats about 40 people but has a wine collection that I would have never expected. I am astounded by the fact that this restaurant exists but have never heard about it until we went there. If you go, don’t tell anyone about this place, else word will get out and you will never be able to eat there again without reserving months and months in advance. And just pray owners keep the chocolate desert on the menu. Service: excellent. Ambiance: perfect.

AWESOME!
Hands down, this is the best restaurant we’ve tried in Destin!
The experience is similar to dining at one of the smaller, top notch, local restaurants in NOLA — like Brigsten’s, Patois, Clancy’s, Boucherie, Bistro Daisy or Dante’s Kitchen.
The restaurant is in a converted bungalow and the entire dining experience is first class all the way. Service, food, atmosphere, ambiance.
I would have given them 5 stars except we happened to have our meal on a very chilly evening (40 degrees) and we were seated in their converted porch area and it was quite cold out there (note: it did improve after we asked our server to kick up the heat).
The restaurant is quite small — 9 tables — so GET RESERVATIONS!
And finally, they only serve wine and beer — no liquor license.
Cheers!

We spent a lovely and DELICIOUS vacation in Rosemary Beach and the 30A area, and this was the best meal we had all week, which is really saying something! There was a lot of competition, but we were glad we saved this place for our last night — nothing else could have competed.
One of my friends suggested Café Tango to us when she heard we would be in the area, as she said her father said he had eaten «one of the best meals of his life» here. MAKE A RESERVATION! There are only nine tables in the entire place, which is a small house, obviously converted to a restaurant. We sat at a lovely table for two on the dividing wall between the tables on a kind of porch area and the larger dining room. (There was an AC vent on the floor beneath us that was rather uncomfortably blowing on us, so my husband strategically placed my large purse over it, and that solved the problem!) The service was attentive, but the food did not come quickly — this will be your evening’s entertainment, so allow plenty of time to savor and enjoy.
Essentially, the menu offers some amazingly delicious-​sounding appetizers, steaks with various preparations in two sizes and then many preparations of fish. The menu doesn’t stipulate the fish, because they offer whatever is fresh that day with those options. For example, when we dined there, the fish were grouper and snapper. For my appetizer, I chose the foie gras (I can never resist this), and the mango sauce presentation of this was to die for! Before the appetizer came, the host brought over super fresh (and hot!) French bread with an olive oil mixture containing parmesan and herbs. It was addictive. I inhaled my appetizer, and then our salads came. The salads are included with the entrees, and you get your choice of some deliciously inventive dressings. I chose pecan blue cheese, and my husband chose parmesan ranch. The dressings are served «pooled» on top of the center of the plate of greens.
I started with a glass of Malbec to drink with the foie gras, but asked the waitress to suggest a dry white for the fish. The entrees were amazingly rich! We both chose grouper, but I had the «Spanish» preparation, panko crust with a chorizo sauce. I would describe it as «meaty fish.» It was just such a medley of flavors, but they went well together and didn’t overwhelm the palette. The fish was perfectly cooked, and it was served with heavenly mashed potatoes and a mixed-​vegetable side, containing peapods. How wonderful! My husband chose the pistachio-​crusted grouper, and he just kept saying how delicious it was, like «fish candy!» Neither one of us could finish our entrees; though it was fish, it was SO RICH. I almost always get dessert, but I just couldn’t eat another bite. I was sorry I couldn’t eat all of my entrée. I have never tasted anything like it. What a memorable meal!
I will recommend this delightful, low-​key, friendly and inventive restaurant to all my friends who are traveling in the area. The homey atmosphere doesn’t just originate with the physical setting. From the moment you arrive, you feel welcomed, appreciated and feted. And then, the food is a unique and wonderful experience on its own. What a perfect dining experience!