Best Seafood Restaurants in Panama City Beach

Find the meal that fits

• The Grand Marlin: seafood overlooking Grand Lagoon, with reservations.
• Boon Docks: a waterfront meal in West Bay, inland from the beach strip.
• Bayou on the Beach: oysters and a Louisiana-influenced meal on Hutchison Boulevard.
• C-Level: seafood and steak on the same menu.
• Dusty's Oyster Bar: an oyster-focused stop near the western end of the Pier Park area.
• Billy's Oyster Bar & Crab House: steamed seafood near the Thomas Drive marinas.
• J. Michael's: Southern and Creole dishes with non-seafood alternatives.
• Schooners: a meal directly on the Gulf beach.
• Capt. Anderson's: a Grand Lagoon dinner built around seafood and steak.
• Dat Cajun Place: Cajun dishes, po'boys, and seafood on the east end.
• Local Steamer: steamed seafood platters for takeout.
• Buddy's Seafood Market: a market stop for seafood to cook or steamed shrimp to take away.
• Hunt's Oyster Bar: oysters in historic St. Andrews, Panama City.
• Captain's Table Fish House: a fish-house meal in the same across-bridge neighborhood.
• Uncle Ernie's: a bayfront meal in historic St. Andrews.
• The Wharf: a seafood buffet at Laketown Wharf in central PCB.
• Capt. Jack's Family Buffet: a snow-crab buffet with Front Beach Road and Thomas Drive locations.

Seafood dinners and oyster stops in the PCB area

The Grand Marlin

The Grand Marlin pairs a changing seafood menu and oysters with a Grand Lagoon setting. Reservations let you plan dinner around a set time. Check the current menu if a particular fish is essential to the choice.

The waterfront here is the lagoon, with marina scenery rather than a seat directly on the Gulf beach. Confirm any seating preference when arranging the meal.

Where it is: North Lagoon Drive in the Grand Lagoon marina area on the PCB side of the bridge.

Boon Docks

Boon Docks sits on the Intracoastal Waterway in West Bay, with grilled and fried seafood away from the beach-road corridor.

Make the inland drive part of the outing. It fits more naturally with a western PCB or West Bay plan than with a tightly timed evening near the state park. Check its opening days before heading north.

Where it is: West Bay, off State Road 79 near the Intracoastal Waterway.

Bayou on the Beach

Bayou on the Beach combines oysters with Louisiana-influenced dishes, including Who Dat Shrimp. The Hutchison Boulevard location puts the meal inland from the beach.

Seating is first come, first served; it does not take reservations. Leave room in the evening for the actual wait instead of attaching the meal to a tight attraction booking.

Where it is: Hutchison Boulevard in central PCB, inland from the beach.

C-Level

C-Level serves grouper, shrimp, and tuna alongside prime rib, sirloin, and ribeye. A group can split between seafood and steak without choosing separate restaurants.

Reservations are offered, which helps when the group needs a planned dinner time.

Where it is: Front Beach Road on the eastern approach to PCB, away from the Gulf-front restaurant strip.

Dusty's Oyster Bar

Dusty's centers the meal on oysters, including baked preparations, just west of Pier Park.

Compare the available oyster preparations when you arrive. If someone in the group needs a broader dinner menu, settle that before making this the evening's only food plan.

Where it is: On Front Beach Road just west of the Pier Park area.

Billy's Oyster Bar & Crab House

Billy's emphasizes steamed seafood and offers indoor dining and a deck near the Thomas Drive marinas.

Confirm the particular shellfish you want before making a special trip, and ask about the seating arrangement if an outdoor table matters.

Where it is: Thomas Drive near the Grand Lagoon marina district.

J. Michael's

J. Michael's brings Southern and Creole dishes into the seafood choice, with shrimp, flounder, gumbo, and red beans and rice alongside burgers. That gives non-shellfish eaters more than a token alternative during an east-end dinner.

If you use its call-ahead waitlist, treat it as a waitlist rather than a guaranteed reserved table. Check the current takeout arrangements too, since not every dine-in dish is available to go.

Where it is: Thomas Drive in the Grand Lagoon area, on the beach side of the Hathaway Bridge.

Schooners

Schooners sits directly beside the Gulf beach. A meal here keeps the shoreline in the outing, with a different setting from the lagoon restaurants.

It does not take reservations. Allow room for a wait and check the entertainment calendar if the evening's music matters to your plans. A sunset meal also needs to fit the actual weather and table availability.

Where it is: Gulf Drive off Thomas Drive, toward the eastern end of the beach.

Capt. Anderson's

Capt. Anderson's combines Grand Lagoon dining with stuffed flounder, scamp imperial, shrimp and crab dishes, and steak options. The range supports a full dinner with different orders around the table.

Check the current operating calendar before planning the evening. Holiday notices can differ from the regular weekly schedule, so an older opening-time summary isn't enough for a special-date visit.

Where it is: North Lagoon Drive overlooking the Grand Lagoon waterfront.

Dat Cajun Place

Dat Cajun Place offers a Cajun menu with po'boys, fish dishes, shrimp, and combinations such as shrimp and lobster grits.

Read individual dishes carefully: gumbo is not automatically seafood gumbo, and crawfish boils depend on season and the current offering. If crawfish is the whole reason for the visit, confirm it for the date.

Where it is: Navy Boulevard in the east-end Thomas Drive and Grand Lagoon area, despite its Panama City postal label.

Seafood to take back with you

Local Steamer

Local Steamer prepares steamed seafood platters with options such as shrimp and snow crab for a meal back at the rental.

Choose the platter around the number of people and what they actually eat, then check the pickup estimate before leaving.

Where it is: Open Sands Plaza on Front Beach Road, east of Pier Park.

Buddy's Seafood Market

Buddy's combines a seafood market with a takeout steam bar. Choose raw seafood when your accommodation has the equipment to cook it, or steamed shrimp when you want to take the cooking out of the evening.

Order from the PCB location rather than the separate Seagrove market. Fish selection and pickup lead times can change, so work backward from the time you want to eat.

Where it is: South Arnold Road, also signed State Road 79, near the western beach corridor.

Across the bridge in historic St. Andrews

These next three restaurants are in Panama City. Choose them when a historic St. Andrews visit is part of the day or the particular meal justifies the drive from PCB. They are not beside St. Andrews State Park.

Hunt's Oyster Bar

Hunt's serves oysters and seafood dinners on Beck Avenue. It also offers hook-and-cook service; if you're bringing a catch, confirm the fish and preparation arrangements in advance.

Keep the location straight when searching: this is Hunt's in Panama City, separate from similarly named operations elsewhere along the coast.

Where it is: Beck Avenue in historic St. Andrews, across the Hathaway Bridge from PCB.

Captain's Table Fish House

Captain's Table is a sit-down fish house on Beck Avenue, with lunch and dinner service as well as a separate brunch offering.

Check the current menu and service period before making the bridge trip. Its brunch offering is a separate decision from planning a seafood dinner, so choose the meal time first.

Where it is: Beck Avenue in historic St. Andrews, Panama City.

Uncle Ernie's

Uncle Ernie's combines a bayfront setting with seafood, steak, chicken, and pasta. Its indoor and outdoor dining options make the seating choice part of planning a waterfront meal.

Ask about the seating arrangement you want, and leave the bridge drive its own buffer before a timed evening.

Where it is: Bayview Avenue on the waterfront in historic St. Andrews, Panama City.

When a buffet fits the group

The Wharf

The Wharf's all-you-can-eat buffet includes snow crab, shrimp, filet, and non-seafood options, giving each person room to choose several dishes.

Check the current total for your actual group before comparing it with a conventional restaurant. Children's pricing is organized by height, so age alone won't tell you the bill.

Where it is: At Laketown Wharf on South Thomas Drive in central PCB. The setting is by the property's lake, not directly on the Gulf.

Capt. Jack's Family Buffet

Capt. Jack's offers an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet centered on snow crab and other seafood, with steak, pasta, chicken, salads, and desserts alongside it.

There are Front Beach Road and Thomas Drive locations. Choose the branch before arranging transport and check its current schedule, particularly for a holiday visit.

Where it is: One location is on Front Beach Road in central PCB; the other is on Thomas Drive in the eastern beach corridor.

Finish the plan with the drive and the booking

For a Grand Lagoon boat day, an east-end restaurant or takeout stop can keep the evening manageable. For a Pier Park or western stay, decide whether the marina or across-bridge setting is worth the extra drive before choosing the meal.

Check today's menu, opening schedule, and seating arrangements for the restaurant you pick. If the evening revolves around a performance afterward, use the current live music schedule and leave time between the meal and the show.