Every year, 50 million people visit the state of Florida. While they're there,
some stay in hotels, some head for attractions, some sit on the beach, and
some visit friends (among many other things). But what all visitors have in
common is...they have to EAT! Most visitors choose where they eat by
proximity, by preference (Burger King over KFC), by type of food, by budget
or at random. But where do the locals eat when they're looking for a
particular kind of food, dining out on a budget, celebrating a special occasion,
entertaining friends, giving their kids a treat, looking for take-out food or hotel
delivery? That's insider information available only to a select few and information
I'd like to have when I visit an area.
This book explains where the locals eat in towns and cities around Florida
and what the locals recommend. We're contacting residents all over the state
and asking them these questions and we're getting some great answers
They're telling us their dining-out secrets: restaurants that few visitors know about, where to get a great meal for peanuts, who makes the best pizza in town, who has the best delivery service, where the best buffets are, who serves the freshest oysters, etc.
When we contacted Jerry Harrison, a long time resident of Panama City Beach, Florida, he provided us with dining-out information only a resident could know. We can present the material like this: For the best seafood buffet on the Beach, try the Sunset Restaurant (12405 Front Beach Road/234-7683); the best non-buffet seafood can be found at Captain Anderson's (Grand Lagoon/234-2225) or The Mariner (9104 Front Beach Road/234-8450). If you're in Panama City, you can call ahead and order the best take-out Chinese food in town at Chopsticks (1812 Highway 77/271-0761). For sit-down, the best Chinese buffet can be found at Evergreen Gardens with two locations (2061 North Cove Boulevard/784-8088 and 9851 South Thomas Drive/236-8888). Barnhoff's (2334 North College Road/769-2330) offers a better buffet than Golden Corral, Ryans, Country Gardens, and the All-American Diner on the Beach and at $5.95 per person, has the best price. For All-you-can-eat breakfast, try Shoney's (122 West Highway 98/235-4286 - served until 11 a.m. on weekends, 2 p.m. on weekdays). In the higher-price range, try the luxury buffet at Bay Point's Fiddler's Green (1200 Bay Point Road/235-9403) weekends. Two of the best barbeque hot spots in town are Smitty's (651 Highway 21/769-3296) and Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Que (2400 St. Andrews Boulevard/ 763-5114). The best cakes and donuts can be found at Chef Imondi's (3002 Highway 98/914-2867). Oyster lovers have numerous choices in Panama City and on the Beach. Reliability (where and when they get their oysters) is important, Jerry says. The locals head for the Quarterdeck Oyster Bar (8010 Surf Drive/230-5922) and Spanky's Oyster Bar (10440 Front Beach Road/235-2563). The best dining-out-on-the-Beach locations where you can sit outside on the deck and watch the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico are Runaway Island (6627 Thomas Drive/230-9933 - great hamburgers), Schooner's 5121 Gulf Drive/235-3355) and Pineapple Willies (2555 Thomas Drive/235-0925 - great barbequed ribs).
EDITOR: This is the type of information we're providing and we're compiling it on every Florida town (well, almost) that has a selection of restaurants. The towns will be listed alphabetically, open with some comments from the contributors (the locals in that area), then list the restaurants by category (special occasion, budget, take-out, buffet, ethnic, etc. A small investment in this book could eliminate everything from poor service and poor quality to food poisoning! Format is flexible, based on what the publisher feels will make the best selling book. This is another format:
Panama City Beach (Area Code 850)
Northwest Florida
The Best Special Event Restaurants
Boar's Head (17290 Front Beach Road/234-6628)
Canopies ( 4423 West Highway 98/872-8444)
The Best (and only) Japanese Restaurant
Mikado (7724 Front Beach Road/235-1338)
The Best Seafood Buffet
Sunset Restaurant (12405 Front Beach Road/234-7683)
The Best No-Seafood Buffets
Captain Anderson's (Grand Lagoon/234-2225)
The Mariner (9104 Front Beach Road/234-8450)
The Best Chinese Restaurant Buffet
Evergreen Gardens (2061 North Cove Boulevard/784-8088 and 9851 South Thomas Drive/236-8888)
The Best Chinese Take-Out
Chopsticks (1812 Highway 77/271-0761)
The Best (and cheapest) All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Barnhoff's (2334 North College Road/769-2330)
The Best All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast
Shoney's (122 West Highway 98/235-4286)
The Best (and most expensive) All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet
Bay Point's Fiddler's Green (1200 Bay Point Road/235-9403
The Best Water-View Restaurants
Hamiltons (5711 North Lagoon Drive/234-1255)
The Treasure Ship (3605 Thomas Drive/234-8881)
Breakers (12627 Front Beach Road/234-6060
The Best Bar-B-Que Restaurants
Smitty's (651 Highway 21/769-3296)
Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Que (2400 St. Andrews Boulevard/ 763-5114)
The Best Mexican Restaurants
Locos (766 West 23rd Street/769-5625)
La Fiesta (13630 Front Beach Road/233-0814)
The Best (and most reliable) Oyster Bars
Quarterdeck Oyster Bar (8010 Surf Drive/230-5922)
Spanky's Oyster Bar (10440 Front Beach Road/235-2563)
The Best Beach-View, Outdoor Restaurants
Runaway Island (6627 Thomas Drive/230-9933)
Schooner's 5121 Gulf Drive/235-3355)
Pineapple Willies (2555 Thomas Drive/235-0925) .
The Best Deli Sandwiches
Bay Street Deli (7806 Front Beach Road/233-1755)
Seaside Deli (Highway 79/236-0036)
Hotel and Home-Deliveries
limited to Pizza Hut and Dominos. Sub Sandwiches are available from Panama Subs (340 West 23rd Street/763-9391 - delivered to Beach locations only)
