7 waterfront restaurants in Destin-Fort Walton Beach

Not often do you get to eat something that came from the very place you’re looking at while you eat it.

Gazing upon the Gulf of Mexico while devouring its delicious riches is what makes the beachside restaurants of Destin, Florida, a culinary experience of the freshest seafood you’ll find anywhere.

The scenery only enhances the dining experience, with waves undulating onto the pristine sand beneath staggeringly beautiful sunsets, gulls calling (and eyeing your food) from up above, and scurrying sandpipers digging in the sand for their own meals.

It hasn’t been flown across the country, or “previously frozen.” It came in on a boat, scant hours before it landed on your fork.

Here are seven top waterfront restaurants in Destin, Florida, where you can enjoy it all:

The Crab Trap Destin

This is Destin’s original seafood restaurant on the Gulf, with incredible scenery. After all, it’s on Scenic Highway 98, in gorgeous James Lee Park. Choose to dine by the fresh, open-air windows or outside closer to the surf.

Dewey Destin’s Seafood Restaurant and Dewey Destin’s Harborside

Local classics run by the descendants of Destin’s founder, Leonard Destin, one is casual and the other more formal. At the original Dewey Destin’s, order at the window and sit on the docks to watch all the action at bustling Crab Island. Down the road, Dewey Destin’s Harborside offers dining with up close and personal views of docking boats.

Harbor Docks

Not only does this staple offer a view of the parade of sailboats, paddleboarders, and water revelers in Destin Harbor, you also may see the seafood it serves being unloaded at its dock and delivered upstairs to the restaurant.