Local Catch Bar & Grill

We LOVE this place!!! The service, the appetizers, the entrees and dessert are INCREDIBLE! We haven’t been disappointed! I consider this MUST HAVE eating spot while you’re on vacation!!! Here’s the meals we have ordered and LOVED: Fish Tacos (with sautéed grouper), Shrimp Tacos, Fried Shrimp Platter, Grouper Your Way, Chicken Buere Blanc, Shrimp Po-​Boy, Fish Po-​Boy (grouper), and the Mile 4 Salad! You also HAVE to try the Fried Oreos and Key Lime!!! This is a great local spot, with a great atmosphere, and delicious food! You’ve gotta go!

Really nice atmosphere. A little quieter and cozier than some of the other seafood places. The shrimp tacos were really good as was the fresh vegetable (green beans). Loved the chips they served with the pico too!

Great place to eat! Food excellent, service was excellent! Staff was very friendly. Morgan did a great job.

The group of 10 was seated promptly on the patio. The pineapple salsa, Chips and Pico, and candied sweet potatoes are a must try. We were pleasantly surprised how terrific this experience was our first night in town. Don’t let the short drive away from Destin deter your family it’s an easy little trek.

I Loved It All:
Food — Delicious
Service — Wonderful
What More Could You Ask For?

We were surprised there was no wait since we went at peak dinner time on a Monday – and there were nine of us. They provided crayons and paper for kids. My son loved the southern grilled chicken sandwich. My Caribbean shrimp tacos were delicious. They were too messy to share any bites. No, for real. Very messy. Fries and candied sweet potatoes were both great. Three kids shared fried Oreos for dessert and made quick work of them, only slowed down by math challenge of dividing five by three. Good service. Recommend it.

Great atmosphere and decently attentive service for 6:00 on a Thursday during the summer. I had the Caribbean shrimp tacos, which, although messy, were very tasty! I also had a side of the candied sweet potatoes which were awesome! It can get loud when full since there are only hard surfaces, but they are very kid friendly. They have a bunch of unique fish artwork too!

Fantastic! Our family of 12 ate here last night and every single thing was perfect. The drinks served were amazing, and everything we ordered was amazing. The atmosphere was perfect for family beach fair. The service was also friendly and quick. Will come back on our next visit to 30a!

Food was good (pictures coming), service was efficient and quick. Price was ok, if a little more than the Unilocal menu overviews stated. Fed myself, wife, and three kids for ~$ 80 with tip, including two beers for dad and water for everyone else.
Taking into account the «beach upcharge» and the fact that the place is fancy bar grub– not bad.

We really loved this place. The fish tacos were awesome as well as the shrimp and grits. Our server was great as well. We were seated right away without a two hour wait. We will be visiting here again. Highly recommend!

Without a doubt the best menu, service and meal in the destin/​Panama City area I’ve experienced in years. We stopped for a late lunch (2ish) when other restaurants were closed. Received extraordinary service at the end of shifts. Menu was thorough and balanced for the enthusiastic Gastro-​tourists and regular eaters. Order Caribbean shrimp tacos and pork sandwich. Incredible.

We had the shrimp tacos and fried shrimp. They we ok, nothing special and a bit pricey. Service was very good but the food didn’t wow me.

Well executed honest north Florida seafood. Had fried shrimp and they were outstandingly fresh with a very light dredge, not battered, and cooked perfectly. It is a simple dish but often overly greasy and overcooked. The crab cakes were also well-​done with a minimal amount of nicely seasoned binder and good-​sized, identifiable, pieces of crab, though not truly «lump» crab meat. Restaurants in the area are often over priced with lackluster food. This is definitely worth a try.

Great food, fast service. Unilocal had the hours wrong. This was a slow time so they were closing at 9:30 p.m., not 10:00 p.m., so you may want to call ahead (I don’t hold that against them at all, Unilocal listed the times, not them). I had the shrimp tacos which were so good that I dove in before I took the photo! They were fairly priced. The gumbo was superb, but a little pricey for the serving size. The shrimp tasted really fresh and you can’t go wrong with great shrimp!

Such a great atmosphere and really good food. We were able to sit out on the patio which was really nice even though it was cooler out.
The service was great and the food was really good. The entire family had fish tacos and they were amazing. The portion sizes were not too large and we had room for their selection of local beers.
Really looking forward to going back when I am down next!

Great friendly service and delicious food! A must if you are in the area.
There was a short wait and the cook made us a sample of quinoa and we had a great visit with the manager. Very very attentive! The fish tacos, dirty rice and bacon wrapped jalapeños were amazing! We will be back for sure.

We are here on a Sunday afternoon with a live band and the place is hopping.
Old beach rustic fun atmosphere with a friendly staff and partying locals .
Recommend the grouper fish tacos and ice cold draft beer in frosted mug.
The nachos are soggy and tasteless.
Often have bands even on Sunday afternoon.

I had the grilled chicken sandwich, hubby had the fish po boy! Food was delicious my husband only complaint was he wish he had more… lol
This place was absolutely wonderful! No complaints from us!

Amazing service. Super friendly staff. Had a great beachy atmosphere. Food was incredible. Great portion sizes. Kids (2 of them) actually split a meal. Do yourself a favor and get the FRIED OREOS!!! You will not be sad!
We ordered Fried fish tacos and the shrimp po-​boy. Both excellent.
We WILL be going back before we head home. This just became a must visit spot for us.

(longer version with many more photos posted to my food blog)
Local Catch Bar & Grill is located on 3711 W County Hwy 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32 459. The building’s long side faces 30A with outside seating, a well-​stocked bar and additional tables for diners. This part of the panhandle West of Seaside but East of Destin is part of the beaches of Fort Walton, including Santa Rosa, Blue Mountain and Grayton State Park. There are several restaurants along the County Hwy 30A corridor and Local Catch is one of the better, in my opinion.
The bar dominates the main room and I can see this as a great hangout for locals (there are a few flat-​panels so you can drink, munch and watch your favorite team). The exterior seating was empty the night we went but this was in late September so not prime-​time for tourists. Noise levels were high so if that’s not your bag you may want to try visiting earlier in the day when it’s less busy. Our waiter was in a word, fantastic, making great recommendations based on a superior understanding of both the food and drink Local Catch offers.
The menu is fairly extensive with many seafood options — in particular Florida grouper in incorporated into many of the items and is in several of the specials. If you can’t decide, I’d recommend the grouper. There’s also a few local brews to sample as well as the old standards including my backup Sweetwater 420. I decided to go with the Pensacola Ba IPA in the jumbo, 20 oz size (hey if you’re going to drink, then drink, right?).
I had the opportunity to try most of what we ordered:
Seafood Gumbo — served in a bowl over rice.
Shrimp Po Boy, served with tomato, lettuce and a piquant remoulade with a side of fries
Grouper Fish Tacos with green beans
Grilled Shrimp with grits and sweet potatoes
Caribbean Shrimp Tacos (slaw, roasted peppers, mango) with green beans
Fresh Grouper Po Boy served with green beans
Pecan Encrusted Grouper with grits and green beans — this last is what I ordered and I can speak the most regarding it. For me I thought it was a bit over-​done (not that it was over-​cooked — that part was perfect) with the pecan, which totally dominated the flavor of the fish. I can see why it would be very popular, especially in the South. I thought it had a bit too much fatty mouth-​feel, especially with the grits. The lemons don’t add anything to the flavor but do add a bit of acid that’s usually good to cut the fat. I would rather have seen this served on some sauteed-​with-​lemon greens like kale or chard, with a side-​starch. The dish felt very heavy — but this is my own opinion, most of you who like fish and nuts, especially pecans, will enjoy this very much.
All of the grouper I tried (in the various dishes) was in general superb, as were the shrimps. This will definitely be a spot for future visits.