Pompano Joe's, Destin Florida

Located on the Scenic Gulf Highway between Destin and San Destin at Miramar beach is Pompano Joe's. According to the Pompono Joe's web site, they are famous for their fresh, affordable seafood cooked with a Caribbean flavor and claims to have the best sea food gumbo on the Emerald Coast. They have also been featured on the travel channel and named one of the world's best beach restaurants. The view from Pompano Joe's is second to none! The beach landscape behind the restaurant perfectly blends the sugary white sand with the crystal clear water in a way that categorizes this beach as one of the best on the Emerald Coast. The restaurant offers both inside and outside seating with almost every table sharing this incredible view. The designers of the building did an incredible job planning this as most restaurants who have inside/outside seating usually reserve the best views for the outside diners. In this case that is not a problem. The food is above average for vacation style dining although if not thought out prior to ordering can become extremely expensive. The seafood is obviously fresh and the coconut shrimp which we have had on several occasions is very good. A special note about our server while eating here, at one point mom asked if i would like to try some of the beans and rice which the waitress overheard and thought perhaps she did not like that dish and asked if she would like to have fries instead. We said no thank you but she brought a boat full of fries and insisted we should enjoy our meal. We graciously thanked her and was even more happy it did not show up on the bill. Once you are done eating, take a quick walk down the stairs and you are literally on the beach. There is an amazing overhang created from the elevated floor of the restaurant that houses a shaded beach bar and a small stage where live bands regularly play. If getting sandy from the beach is not in your plans there is also a walk up bar on top side of the stairs that offers umbrella covered tables. This provides a wonderful sitting area if you are waiting on a table. Parasailing and beach chairs are offered on the beach just down from the restaurant, however it seems that this may be a totally separate business not affiliated with the restaurant. I will try and get more details about that and provide more information as i get it. Still really fun to watch. The restaurant does not offer military, local, or first responded discounts during what they consider their vacation season. They do offer discounts during the off season. Here are the scores for the restaurant. We have divided the scoring into 3 categories. Food, Service, and Overall Experience giving the restaurant a possible total of 90 points. FOOD: TOTAL 25 OUT OF 30 POINTS Coleton: 8 Mom: 9 Dad: 8 SERVICE: 26 OUT OF 30 POINTS Coleton: 9 Mom: 9 Dad: 8 OVERALL EXPERIENCE: TOTAL 25 OUT OF 30 (Parking not good!) Coleton: 8 Mom: 9 Dad: 8 TOTAL SCORE 76 OUT OF 90 POINTS. In high school Pompano Joe's would have received an 84% not bad, definitely recommended. Special Note About Parking: Parking here is very challenging. If you are not able to walk from where you are staying to the restaurant we highly recommend you take a Uber or have someone drop you off. If that is not possible and you cannot find a parking spot along the beach next to the restaurant, there is one small parking area on the north side of the road west of the restaurant. There is also another parking area further to the west on the north side about a mile away that will require a bit of walking. Also, there are a few areas where you are allowed to park on the grass also on the north side of the road about half a mile east of the restaurant. If that all fails, your best bet is to just keep making circles until something opens up. As usual the earlier you can get there, the better chances you have. Side note: During my research I learned Pompano Joe's and the Back Porch which was our last review are affiliated. These reviews back to back are totally by coincidence and want to reassure the viewers that we are in no way affiliated what so ever with these establishments. Links: Directions: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pompano+Joe's/@30.3778466,-86.3871272,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x88915b830c840119:0x8060704f41299e2a!8m2!3d30.377842!4d-86.3849385 Menu: http://www.pompano-joes.com/menu2/ Website: http://www.pompano-joes.com/ Hope you guys enjoyed the video and thanks so much for watching! Please don't forget to like and subscribe and feel free to leave us a comment about your experience at Pompano Joe's! Also, if you have any ideas or want us to try something new don't hesitate to let us know! Have an awesome rest of the day! Music by: Silent Partner "All my Shuffling"