Fisherman’s Wharf: Dine from the Water, On the Water
210-D U.S. 98, Destin, (850) 654-4766

Hours: Open daily at 11 a.m.
Reservations: Not necessary
Children’s Menu: Yes
Major credit cards
Dress: Casual


By Bruce Collier
July 24, 2008 Issue

I had planned to eat at Fisherman’s Wharf with a friend, but a last-minute emergency compelled her to cancel, leaving me to dine alone. This can be tricky in tourist season, especially at a high-volume place like Fisherman’s Wharf. They do not accept reservations. Could they accommodate me?

They could. I had expected to have to eat at the bar, or at the least to wait awhile. Neither happened. I waited briefly while an empty booth was cleaned, and I had a seat. It was a good one for a reviewer, placed at the far end of the main dining room with a view of that room, the outdoor bar/patio, and the indoor bar, which also has booths for diners. I was neither ignored nor rushed, which can also be a risk of the solo diner.

My server got me a drink and a menu. He was handling several tables, so my questions (soup of the day, etc.) had to wait, but I used the time to look at the menu. There were new items, but a few that I had tried and enjoyed on previous visits were still there. I decided to take my time, and order a little more than usual, since I was on my own, and just box up what I couldn’t finish.

Fisherman’s Wharf is still preparing and serving seafood the way Florida restaurants did when my family first started vacationing on the Gulf coast in the 1970s. Innovations have come, such as serving fish grilled over wood fire, and fish with Euro- or Caribbean-inspired sauces, but the standbys—boiled shrimp, gumbo, raw oysters, and deep fried fish—are still there. A lot of old memories came back, and I decided to order the kind of food I enjoyed back then.

That meant boiled shrimp to start. Fisherman’s Wharf offers a half-pound appetizer serving. About two dozen mid-sized unpeeled shrimp came, with two lemons slices, a bed of lettuce, and a bottle of cocktail sauce on the table. A pile of napkins and a tray for shells completed the picture.

The ceilings in the main dining room are high, the better to hang boating flags, nets, traps, and giant taxidermic fish. The wood-and-window walls are decorated with black and white photos of “the old Destin,” a place as gone away as Colonial Williamsburg. There’s plenty of view of the patio and the water. I noticed plenty of families. I overheard one elderly gentlemen say, “This looks lovely...and there’s so much!” grinning over the top of a pile of fried shrimp.

Other starters include crab claws, calamari, a fisherman’s platter, ‘gator wings, popcorn shrimp, fried green tomatoes, ceviche, smoked tuna dip, cheese sticks, and raw oysters. I’ve tried the tomatoes and calamari before, and both are worth your time.

The main course dinner menu offers seasonal fish (grouper, mahi, swordfish, amberjack et al.) served grilled, fried, or blackened, and the kitchen will also cook fresh catch. House specialties include crab cakes, coconut shrimp, seafood linguine, grouper Destin (with lump crab, shrimp and hollandaise sauce), East Pass grouper and shrimp (with tomatoes, capers, garlic and olive oil), and tuna and scallops Norriego (with tomato cream sauce and basil). There are dinner salads, fish sandwiches, a burger, a soup and salad bar, and land-based proteins like pan-fried pork chops, grilled chicken, chicken fettuccine, and baked chicken.

I was in nostalgia mode, so I ordered a Captain’s platter of fried seafood. This had been my vacation meal as a youth, and offered a variety of fish—oysters, shrimp, scallops, crab cake, hush puppies and french fries.

The platter came, and I almost ordered a to-go box right then. My plate was completely covered with fried seafood, fries and puppies, and a small bowl of grilled squash, peppers and onions on the side. Everything was hot, the coating was crisp and greaseless, and there were a lot of good ol’ memories in every bite. The bite-sized vegetables were no afterthought—nicely charred, with caramelized onions.

I was taking most of my platter home—and a cup of seafood gumbo—so I ordered another old favorite, key lime pie. It’s the good, tangy local version, and fit my mood better than the other offering, chocolate volcano blast. The gumbo, okra-thick and spicy, heated up well the next day.

The waiting area was jammed when I left. Fisherman’s Wharf is the kind of place that 90 percent of this area’s summer visitors are looking for at the end of a day at the beach. Whether they try the fancier specials, or just tie into the old-fashioned stuff, everyone wins.

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